The Gunung Mulu National Park has justifiably attained fame for its soaring caverns and endless passages, waiting for the first footfall to arrive. James Alker is one such explorer, delving deep into the hollow mountain of Gunung Benarat.

From Tee … To Triachwech

Toby Stewart was a prominent figure in the South Wales speleo scene. Here, his closest friends tell the story of Toby’s caving career.

Nasty and Nice

Out for a walk, notice a hole, investigate and push. The result: a new cave for the Peak, both nasty and nice.

Gear Review

High in the Sky Photography

For decades cavers have pored over aerial photographs in the hope of finding clues to new areas ripe for exploration. With pictures of the whole of England now published on DVD, how good is the product for caver use?

Varied Fare for Devon Cavers

Devon’s field meet drew cavers to Buckfastleigh for a day’s caving and talks.

Enchanted with Black Keld

Brian Judd always has a tale to tell, especially when he’s been diving at the sharp end of Black Keld.

Men in Black

Men in Black – not a reference to Black Keld, but black tights. Who won the latest Descent competition?

Softrock Mining in South-east England

The south-east of England is not the first place you might think of for cave and mine exploration, but Peter Burgess assures us that there is plenty to attract enthusiasts.

Images from the Past

Group Photos on Mendip

Photographs filled with faces are all too easily put aside rather than labelled when taken; so, fifty years later, who were the cavers? We appeal for your help.

Nice Weather for Ducks

Perseverance: the quality that a caver needs to dig in a squalid sump off Passchendaele in Notts II. But success awaits …

Grand Day Out

In June a caver asked a favour: a trip down Gaping Gill. Sat in his wheelchair, the experience was not what he expected.

Cover: Robbie Shone with phytokarst in Elevator Cave, Gunung Benarat, Sarawak. Photo: Andy Eavis

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To Deep Camp and Beyond

Cavers cannot have missed the media frenzy that ensued when members of a British team became trapped by floodwater in Mexico. In the first part of a major report presented in this issue of Descent, here is their tale – the real story, with facts – of the expedition’s aims and successes, and what happened during the rescue.

An American Perspective

Politics and the press have produced a far-ranging problem for caving in Mexico, in particular affecting American cavers who may find difficulties with their ‘local’ region. This is what the current situation means to them.

All the World’s a Stage

This section closes the Alpazat report with a round-up of quotes from the world’s press. Read the cavers’ story, then be amazed at how wrong the media was.

Britain’s Finest Wonder

A cave has, at last, received credit as one of Britain’s finest natural wonders, and Dan yr Ogof’s nomination has led to the first official footage ever shot beyond the showcave.

A Small Hop from a Frog

The dig at Harrogate Hole in the Yorkshire Dales is progressing and a single Goyden system accessible to dry cavers is one step closer.

Gear Review

ActivSkin Garments

A new range of garments provides another option for keeping warm underground – not so much Men in Black, but Men in Black Tights.

Cavers in Tight Places

With only three simple questions to answer, you could win yourself the pick of the ActivSkin range.

The Rescues of 2003

Last year’s rescue statistics reveal more of the work of our volunteer teams; learn what not to do underground!

Images from the Past

Miss Johnson and the Kyndwr Club

Descent (173) posed a question concerning an old caving photo – where was it taken, and what was the story behind the unusual ladder. Here are some of the answers.

Cover: Steve Jones in Boreham Cave, Yorkshire. Photo: Gavin Newman

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With British expeditions shaping up for the coming year, here are the details of where and when and how much.

The Lows and Highs of Pant Mawr: Ogof Cragen and Pwll Pindar

Two teams have been working on different parts of the Pant Mawr system in South Wales: a dig in the valley has revealed Ogof Cragen, tying into Pant Mawr with a dye-trace, while high on the moors the draughts in Pwll Pindar are lending credence to the size of the caverns that wend their way below.

Filming the Forest’s Bones

Popular archaeology is proving, well, more popular than ever. There’s a new television series with a penchant for extreme places scheduled. That means caves!

Them Words

Amaze your friends with some cave-related, tongue-twisting words.

Taking on Wookey’s Depths

Wookey’s Sump 25 is again attracting cave divers. This isn’t an easy place to reach, let alone to push, with high currents and shifting gravel. But Mike Barnes reckons he has the answer …

Aven Calling

Not content with digging a new route into Gaping Gill via Hensler’s Pot, Dave Haigh and his team have been busy with a nearby shakehole. However, the word ‘overkill’ comes to mind when they attempt a smoke test.

Casualty Underground

As the dramatic events of a TV soap unfolded, cavers could hardly believe the storyline. Here’s how Casualty was shot.

Dating without Destruction

Dating stal requires taking samples, which invariably results in damage. Surely there must be some better way of minimalising mutilations. Just so, with a new technique tried out in the Dales.

Taking the Toob

Take note of three simple questions and find the answers as you read this issue of Descent; there’s a useful prize on offer.

Destination Slovenia

Slovenia’s world-class caves make it an ideal destination for an expedition or simply a holiday break.

Cover: Planinska jama. Photo: Martyn Farr

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Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

‘Holding the tape measure aloft I whooped and laughed at the sound of it spooling out at high speed.’ No pokey little digs for the Hong Meigui CES – this is caving in China, where big means BIG!

Mind Over Matter

Check the answers to the last edition’s quiz, and see if you won a watch.

Nobody Thought it Would be This Hard!

Dave Nixon’s article on the discovery of Titan in Peak Cavern, and the project to dig a way into it from the surface, began in Descent (174). From low points to high, he now concludes his tale.

The Old Days Have Gone; Here Are the New

The New Year saw British caving welcome not only a new national governing body, but also making a fresh start with something that was desperately needed after the problems of 2003: a new insurance policy for cavers.

Forays in the Forest: Clinker Bottom and Brinchcombe Level

Not one but two discoveries have been made in the Forest of Dean, after the hard work of diligent diggers.

When Paintings Fade

Cave art is showing signs of damage at classic sites such as Altamira and Lascaux, even after precautions were taken – so what caused them to fade?

Digging Bristol Coal

Fancy winning a book, or simply taking a treasure hunt around the pages of Descent? Either way, there are three simple questions to answer …

Come Cavers to Upton (part 2)

The Hidden Earth conference has again been reported in full; here is the second part covering the last of the 2003 lectures.

Cover: Champs Elysees, Da Dong, China. Photo: Duncan Collis

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Four years of relentless digging have produced the first new entrance to the Gaping Gill system in almost fifty years. Dave Haigh tells the tale, with his fellow diggers’ contributions, of the trials and tribulations that opened the route through Hensler’s High Aven.

Our Biggest Liability

On 8 November British cavers awoke to find that BCRA’s caving insurance policy had expired, leaving access agreements in limbo and liabilities unprotected. We report how the caving world reached this sorry state, and its immediate aftermath.

Gear Review

Speleo Technics Nova

Two cavers, with different viewpoints, offer their thoughts on the new light that everyone wants to learn more about: Speleo Technics’ Nova.

Britain’s Earliest Cemetery

Remains collected from Aveline’s Hole on Mendip were largely destroyed during the Second World War, but a re-examination of surviving fragments has revealed the importance of this site.

Nobody Said it Would Get Harder

The first part of Dave Nixon’s article on the discovery of Titan shaft produced a lot of feedback from cavers eager to learn more of this massive project. Without further ado, therefore, here is the next installment of the Titan dig.

When to Retire Your Rope

How long a rope should remain in active use is an oft-asked question: three years, five years, only if it survives a drop test? Bob Mehew presents an interim report on the findings to date from a long-term testing project – with surprising results.

The Descent Caption Competition

Cavers produced a mammoth set of entries in their hope of winning a tackle sack stuffed with 50m of rope, donated by Caving Supplies. You’ll find the winner and near misses here; read and enjoy!

Come Cavers to Upton

The recent Hidden Earth conference was both well organised and a pleasure to attend. This is the first part of an extended report, with details of talks and events throughout the packed weekend.

Mind Over Matter

In a special Christmas competition, Descent joins forces with Oregon Scientific to bring readers the chance to win an outstanding Outbreaker Mountain watch.

Cover: Ben Lovett in Ogof Fynnon Ddu. Photo: Chris Howes

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

The story of Titan’s discovery in the Peak District is filled with detective work and sheer dogged determination. With news of the breakthrough from the surface dig, British cavers can look forward to what has been described as the finest pitch in the country – and a through-trip, to boot.

The Three-pronged Attack

‘This is a tale of a long-awaited victory, of the overwhelming defeat of the most formidable adversary met by the Trident explorers.’ Yes, the connection’s been made between Trident and Swindon Hole.

Gear Review

Glo-Toob

Remember the Cyalume lightstick? It’s time for some modern technology based on LEDs.

Under the Hunters’

Tony Jarratt’s pub car park dig goes from strength to strength, finding yet more extensions taking explorers ever deeper. With ancient bones and a sump to push, could this be heading for a new master cave?

Time and Tide Wait for … Cave Rescue

In July the media went into a frenzy when it covered a cave rescue from Otter Hole. As it turned out, this proved to be one of the slickest rescues imaginable and a credit to everyone involved.

Climbing Trees

Some say that caving is a means to an end. In this case the ending owed less to a cave discovery than it did to the human element.

The Descent Caption Competition

This is no time to delay – there’s a fine Caving Supplies tackle sack and a rope to be won in this latest competition.

Gaping Gill

The splendour of Gaping Gill, in verse.

The Balkan Question

Alan Jeffreys presents another of his irreverent looks at the caving community – and suggests how to sort out some of the world’s ills!

Cover: Maria Antonia Garau in Cova des pas de Vallgornera, Mallorca. Photo: Tony Merino

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

Expeditions are not all the same. This one, a small, lightweight recce to Uzbekistan, revealed not only the beauty of an open, ongoing system, but the reality of a delicate dream.

Forty Years On

The Federation Francais de Speleologie was formed in 1963 – which makes its fortieth anniversary an ideal excuse for a major party!

Ever the Eternal Optimist

After a ten-year search, with false leads and disappointments interspersed with the euphoria of success, the dry link has finally been forged between Goyden Pot and Manchester Hole.

Solo!

Lured by the need to cave, what if something went wrong and there is nobody but you to decide the next course of action? Do you stay, do you attempt to leave, do you head further in to a camp? How would you analyse your situation?

A Genius Inventor

We say farewell to the man who influenced equipment design for decades, Fernand Petzl.

The Descent Caption Competition

There is no time to delay – there’s a fine Caving Supplies tackle sack and a rope to win, in this latest competition.

Underground Overground

The Mendip Caving event in June was a resounding success – with premiered films and novel antics on Priddy Green. Fancy a round-trip in the ‘new’ Swildon’s Hole?

Images from the Past

Who Were These Potholers?

Another photograph from times long gone requires some legwork to indentify the cavers, and their unusual ladder.

A Gaping Gardener

It’s not every day that you find a gardener down a cave. Certainly not Alan Titchmarsh, even given the Shade Tolerant Garden planted in Gaping Gill.

Cover: Laying line in Nascente do Rio Formoso, Brazil. Photo: Martyn Farr

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When diggers passed the sump in Sell Gill Holes they thought they had broken into new passage – but then found it had been discovered in 1937. At the end of the streamway, however, there was a choke …

An Incredible Number

Since its launch in 1998 Caving.UK, where you will find Descent’s presence on the web, has gone from strength to strength and now draws an incredible number of cavers to its pages.

The Hidden Resurgence

When another army cadet died in Porth yr Ogof in 2002 (with a court case against the instructor pending), it seemed time to further publicise the dangers of the resurgence pool. As a part of the education process, a short underwater film has been made.

Lazy Days in Transylvania

Fancy a caving holiday abroad? You might need to look no further than an organised trip to Romania.

Not So Clumsy Cavemen

The popular cartoon image of ‘cavemen’ is of clumsy savages hunting animals, yet we find their delicate artefacts hidden underground. Modern research shows how dextrous they really were – while at the same time scholars argue about dates and concepts.

Swimming with King Cobras

‘Snake! Get out of the water.’ A symbol for King Cobra is not the sort of thing you generally find marked on a survey, but perhaps there’s an exception for Thai caves.

The Rescues of 2002

The British Cave Rescue Council produces an annual round-up of incidents so that cavers might learn from the mistakes of others. Here are the analyses of 2002.

Cover: A superb rift in Pestera Vantului, Romania. Photo: Hugh Penney

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Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

Descent readers have again excelled themselves with their captions – who won the prize this month?

Images from the Past

Identifying the Giant

An old postcard, a forgotten scene … Surely not, as proved when cavers answer the query and identify not only the entrance, but who took the picture.

Digging the Pork Sandwich

‘I jack up the scaffolding under the blockage and some small bits come down, but not all of it. I release the jack and down it comes like a ton of bricks.’ Many cavers will remember ‘Buster’ Wright’s film at Hidden Earth 2002 – but how many appreciated the extent of his solo digging? His diary reveals all.

Gear Review

Memory-Map Navigator

All cavers use maps at some stage, to find a cave or plot where one might lie – or even draw their own. Digital mapping is on the increase, so take a look at what is now available for your computer screens – both at home, and underground.

Twenty Years After

Join Len Cook for caving and photographing in Ireland, yesteryear style

Sierra-Uniform-Mike-Papa

The dreaded sump, deep underground in China. Will the race for a record depth succeed, or will filling the Furong Jiang dam eliminate the potential as the water table rises?

Dealing with Hypothermia

Following the article in Descent (170), here is more advice on coping with hypothermia underground.

To Cheve and Beyond

Every year a flurry of expeditions leave the UK for unknown depths overseas, funded in part by grants which – in some cases – make it all possible. Here are the destinations of 2003, the support they gained and an analysis of where support is heading.

The Infamous Sump 12

Down at the sharp end of Swildon’s Hole, efforts are still being made to push towards Wookey. Will the fifty-first diver be successful at last?

First Time Down

Feel the tiredness and euphoria of completing the first SRT descent.

Cover: Ascending to daylight, Alum Pot. Photo: John Forder

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

I looked at Snablet: ‘That’s meant to be dead!’… With rope past its sell-by date and plummeting rocks, active breakfast ingredients were the last thing to worry about.

Radon in the Forest

An extended survey into the prelevance of radon gas in the Forest of Dean’s unique mixture of caves and mines is underway.

Measuring Ingleborough’s Stal

The Victorian penchant for collecting and measuring is well known; insects, birds, plants were all grist to the mill. How interesting, though, to discover that stal in Ingleborough Cave was measured in 1853 – how has it changed since then?

When Cavers are Cool

Hypothermia can kill! Here is every caver’s essential reading: how to recognise the threat, and how to deal with it.

Beneath The Scars

A bit of mapwork, some serious effort and … a new cave is revealed in the Yorkshire Dales.

Crouching Tigers, Hidden Dragons

Cave exploration in China is all the rage; the attraction, though, is simple to see. Gigantic caverns, elusive canyons … and the compelling search for the Hidden River.

Images from the Past

Giant’s Cave

Once again we have a mystery photo from the distant past. Can anyone identify Giant’s Cave?

Quote of the Month: My Life

Darwin’s theories caused a furore, but he was not the only man seeking the truth. Wallace, also, went into the world, suffering hardship as he collected specimens. An interesting man, sleeping out at Porth yr Ogof.

The Descent Caption Competition

There’s still time to enter the latest Descent Caption Competition and win an oversuit – all it takes is a good laugh!

Cover: Stunning formations in Ai Dong, China. Photo: John Whalley

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.