BCA Newsletter no 37 for January 2019 is now available. Editor David Rose has produced a bumper issue starting with a few words from him as well as from BCA chair, Les Williams, who recently represented the BCA at a reception in London in the Speaker’s residence in the Houses of Parliament to honour the…
A walker (m,72) slipped and fell on the limestone pavement and sustained a suspected fractured right ankle. The team responded and splinted the injured limb, and then put the casualty onto a stretcher for a carry to the team vehicle. He was then transp…
In his quest for vintage caving books, Alan Jeffreys has delved into his bookshelves again, and has come up with a northern classic from the early 1960s … Following the publication of‘Underground Adventure in 1952 there was something of a hiatus in northern cave literature. Specialist titles from various clubs and societies kept cavers informed…
A team member came across a walker, one of a group of 5, clearly showing signs of mild hypothermia. The casualty was provided with additional warm clothing, food and drink, and the team member requested assistance in getting the casualty off the hill. …
Thanks to Gina Moseley we have some more dates on speleothems sampled from Hallowe’en Rift. 230TH Age (yr BP) Corrected HR1-T 215,221 +/- 2476 HR1-B 219,378 +/- 2429 correlates with MIS7 HR2-T 125,341 +/- 1532 HR2-B 126,834 +/- 2197 correlates with…
With Brockers,
Jonathon, Nick and Tav
After the lurgy
and a week at the University of Sheffield Zooarchaeology Lab, it was good to
get back into Hallowe’en Rift for my first digging session of 2019.
The plan this
session was to continue the enl…
A quad bike rider assisting in a game shoot, rolled his vehicle and sustained back injuries. The team were called by North West Ambulance Service whilst incident number 4 was ongoing, and initially requested to standby, as both a road ambulance and the…
The team were called by North Yorkshire Police to a walker who had slipped whilst descending Whernside, and sustained a suspected ankle fracture. Team members found the casualty being assisted down the hill by his companions, and assessed the casualty,…
Students interested in undertaking a cave-related dissertation will get the chance to talk to experts on in-cave monitoring next month. The BCRA (British Cave Research Association), in conjunction with CHECC (Council of Higher Education Caving Clubs), are holding a workshop on in-cave monitoring on 16th February 2019 at the British Cave Monitoring Centre, Poole’s Cavern,…
A walker (m, 40) slipped on ice and heard a snap from his right ankle, just below the summit of Pen y ghent, on the path towards Hull Pot. CRO members responded, but as many of the team’s most active members were just beginning a day’s casu…
Rumers have been circulating for a while now about a redesigned Petzl Stop being in development and test. The first pictures have now emerged following an expo in China. Thanks to Qi Woo for posting these on the Rope Test … Continue reading →
Descent 266 will be with you very shortly! If you’re not up to date with your subscription don’t forget that the lovely folks at Wildplaces Publishing will be only too happy to welcome you back into the fold. And if you’re new to caving, Descent will provide you with news, photos and the best…
Alan Jeffreys continues his look at classic caving books with a review of a classic text that captures the excitement of underground exploration in the 1930s and 1940s as war raged and some of those involved were fighting on a secret front. Occasionally a writer with deep spiritual affinity for his subject produces a work of almost lyrical…
A mountain biker (m, 60) hit a patch of ice while descending towards Helwith Bridge on an evening ride. He was catapulted from his cycle and dislocated a shoulder. Team members administered analgesics and immobilised the injury, before helping him into…
As part of our ongoing series of reviews of classic caving books, Alan Jeffreys looks at the groundbreaking Pennine Underground. With the plethora of UK caving guides at present available, it is easy to see a pattern of presentation common to all which is now taken for granted. What is not generally appreciated, however, is…
Biologists have discovered three new species of groundwater salamander in Central Texas, including one living west of Austin that they say is critically endangered. They also determined that an already known salamander species near Georgetown is much m…
The traditional annual roundup video from Caver Keith Studios. 2018 was an eventful year in which I celebrated the 10th anniversary of my first upload and had many more views than any other year, but amongst the highs there was one slight disappointmen…
In the final part of her report for Darkness Below, Rising Star Angharad Brewer Gillham looks back on her adventures underground in South Africa, and has advice for all would-be explorers – grab your chance when you can. I’m writing this on my way back to Switzerland and my day job, and a parcel of…
I had succumbed,
like so many others, to the lurgy and so, was out of action. Jonathon sent the
following summary of the morning’s activity at Hallowe’en Rift, the first session
of the year:
“We were down to
two diggers – Jon and Paul.
Thinking…
A walker (f 69) slipped and fell on the limestone pavement at the top of Malham Cove. Visibility was very poor due to low cloud and the pavement was extremely slippery. The casualty was located by CRO team members and treated for a suspected lower leg …
Third year PR students at UWE Bristol were asked to come up with ideas for raising the profile and diversity of the British Caving Association (BCA) in the wake of the Thai rescue. Darkness Below editor and UBSS member Linda Wilson reports back on the second week of presentations and is surprised to hear that…
The December 2018 issue of Caves and Karst Science is now available. Volume 45, Number 3 carries six articles. The first is a report on the distribution of deposits of cool freshwater tufa, which are ubiquitous on the calcareous island of Lismore in Loch Linnhe, Argyll. Tufa deposits are rare in Scotland but at this…
