Descent (159), April 2001

Description

The Quest for a Dry Way

The search for further links between caves comprising the Three Counties System is never far from the minds of cavers in the Dales. Previously discovered by diving, Notts II now has a new entrance which has raised expectations: with easier access, digs and climbs are already revealing new passage in the push onwards towards Lost John’s and beyond.

LED-ing the Way

LED lights are attracting a great deal of interest, particularly for their extended duration. Much has been written already on their potential for caving – but here is the real test: how did three lights fare under expedition conditions?

Of Wolves and the Search for String

Mad dogs and Englishmen … go out caving in Spain. What began as a family holiday ended with a frantic search and, if not caverns measureless, a major underwater push and discovery.

Images from the Past

Descent readers help once again in identifying yesteryear’s cavers and photographs.

Onward and Outward

Every year expeditions benefit from grants from a range of sources. In 2001, who is heading where in the world and how much will they receive?

Things Just Like They Used to Be

Caving has changed over the past sixty or so years! What was once a challenge may have become a novice trip. Passages now taken for granted were once severe digs. Just so the Peak District’s Giant’s Hole: join Peter Borthwick in his time machine as he returns to the trials of the 1940s.

Distorting Your Hangers

Ever since permanent anchors have been placed in caves, the slightest movement or distortion has come under scrutiny. The latest tests show how these resin-fixed hangers react under load.

The Descent Caption Competition

The normal range of cavers’ ingenuity has been surpassed: here are the final results of the Descent Caption Competition – who won the Lucido LED headtorch?

The Double Digger Dig

‘Just like the Time Team, we have just three days to find a cave.’ Using a mechanical digger when searching for passage has become almost blasé on Mendip. Using two seems extreme; were the cavers justified, or merely desperate?

Cover: Images of Notts II. Photos: Paul Deakin

 

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