Descent (210)
October 2009
One, Two, Three or More?
‘Ogof Draenen provides us with a rare opportunity, perhaps our last, to preserve a really remote cave wilderness.’ Thus argues Tim Guilford as he examines the pros and cons of opening up easier access routes into our caves: to dig or not to dig, that is the question!
Shuddering in the Dales
An unclimbed, relatively accessible aven was just asking to be investigated – producing an extension to Black Shiver Pot: the White Shudder Series.
CHECC in the Peak
CHECC organised a highly popular forum for student cavers in 2008. Helen Brooke reports on the event, in advance of another gathering in November.
The Descent Retrospective: Descent – Those Funny Years
It is finally the turn of Descent itself to appear as part of our occasional series of retrospective articles reflecting on changes in our sport since the magazine first appeared in 1969. Take a look at how it all started, as told by non other than its founder, Bruce Bedford (and nary an aardvark in sight!).
The Withybrook Link
Withybrook Slocker on Mendip was inaccessible for years, buried beneath debris and silt and subject to flooding. Then cavers took control ...
A Big Pitch ... But Squatty Toilets
Not all expeditions are earth-shattering, visiting significant regions of the world and requiring major expenses to support the high-profile teams. No, sometimes it’s a caving club simply organising a trip for its members, albeit with a specific objective in sight – in this case an undescended pitch where a dropped stone produces echoes after a delay of six seconds.
Cave Rescue in South Wales
The cave rescue scene in South Wales has dramatically changed, with Gwent CRT taking the decision to wind up its affairs – creating an expanded operational area for the West Brecon team.
Cover: Fleur Loveridge with formations in Ogof Draenen. Photo: Ben Lovett
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