Hi all,

Firstly, a huge thanks to Una for putting together a guide for Single Rope Technique for those who struggle to learn SRT on the tree but would still like to come on SRT trips – pdf is attached. Note this is intended to be used alongside tree training; you must still come to tree training to put the skills into practice and get comfortable on the ropes before coming on a trip.

Our first SRT trip of the year is coming up in two weeks – Yorkshire 1!

When: Friday 18/11/2022 at 17:00 to Sunday 20/11/2022 at 23:45

Where: Yorkshire Dales National Park

Membership: you need membership to join weekend trips (£30.00) (membership lasts the entire year)

Price:  Capped at £45 however if this is your first trip with us, the membership fee will be subtracted from the trip cost, making it £15 for the entire weekend. More details regarding where to buy the tickets will be sent out once your place is confirmed.

Please only buy the trip fee once your spot on this trip has been confirmed. We aim to confirm spots early next week and an email with more details will be sent out then. 

This trip requires ‘single rope technique’ (SRT) – you must have completed all of the techniques at tree training before the trip. If you have not yet completed everything but intend to before the trip you can still sign up, but please know that if you are not able to complete all the techniques your spot may be revoked as it is not safe for members to use ropes in cave before they are confident in the tree. Note that it usually takes at least 2 tree training sessions to learn everything. Tree training sessions are run in Prince’s Gardens just in front of Ethos sports centre, every Wednesday 1-5pm but you can stay for as long as you like. See the PS for the list of required techniques, and if you’re unsure check the SRT guide attached, and if you’re still unsure just send us a quick email.

Sign up: Please reply to this email if you would like to come! You must understand that the activities done contain an inherent risk that you are accepting. Spots will be given on a first-come-first-served basis - whether or not you have been on a trip before has no influence on your priority on the list. Please tell us your full name, any dietary requirements, any medical conditions, an emergency contact number for your next of kin and anything else you think we need to know over the course of the weekend. We’ll aim to confirm spots early next week.

(Members who have access to our accounts spreadsheet, please add your name there, no need to reply to this email.)

We will meet in stores on Tuesday (15/11) at 17:00 to pack kit. You do not need any equipment of your own, we will provide everything you could possibly need in a cave. A thermal base layer is beneficial on particularly cold weekends, if you happen to own thermals. Please also remember a sleeping bag for the hut – if you don’t have one, let us know on Tuesday and we can provide one. 

How the trip works:

We will set off in the minibus on Friday evening around 17:30 from outside Beit Halls, heading for the Bradford Pothole Club, and return to London on Sunday evening around 00:00. COVID restrictions are very relaxed by now, so it is not a requirement to show a negative LFD test, however it is recommended that if you have symptoms resembling COVID you do a lateral flow test before leaving on Friday. We will stop at a supermarket somewhere on the way to buy all the food we need for the weekend and also for you to buy Friday's dinner as well as snacks or drinks. Saturday’s and Sunday’s meals will be cooked as a group at the hut, and the cost is included in the trip cost. Accommodation, transport and all equipment are also covered by the trip cost. On Saturday we'll usually wake up around 8:30, cook breakfast and plan our trips in an open discussion while we eat. We can have a fairly long caving trips on Saturdays for those who want it, but sometimes a few of us decide to have a nice day on the surface instead. We'll aim to get underground right after midday, lest we anger the gods. Trips can range from 3 to 8 hours, depending on the cave chosen and how people are feeling. Sunday will run much the same, only trips will be shorter since we need to drive back to London in the evening as well. 

After this trip, the remaining trips this term are CHECC on 25-27/11 (more info to follow shortly) and Winter tour in Yorkshire on 16-22/12 (SRT required). Also: Pub every Tuesday (around 6pm at the union bar/568), and tree (rope) training runs every Wednesday 1-5pm (but you can stay as long as you like) in Princes Gardens.

Yours till we start rigging off of snapgates,

Matti Mitropoulos

ICCC Committee

PS - Techniques that members must have done at least once before attending the trip:

Ascending (Prussiking)

Descending

Changeover (switching from ascending to descending gear safely)

Deviation (passing a karabiner that pulls the rope out of the way of obstacles on the way up and down)

Rebelay (changing from one rope to another while suspended)