This turned out to be more difficult that it first appeared! For novice divers, remembering to clear our ears and adjust our buoyancy was tricky enough, we then had to try to figure out the unfamiliar underwater cameras, communicate with each other and prevent everyone and everything starting to drift off right when we thought we had the shots lined up. Results were rather mixed!

        

22m of rope in 5l drybag

However, using a thinner rope means trading off some of its robustness.  It is important when rigging to check for rub points, as the rope can be damaged more easily.  Any caving rope ought to be washed after each trip to remove mud and grit which might otherwise gradually abraid the rope, but this is especially important with thinner ropes.  The same can be said for running the rope through after every use to find damaged or distorted sections. It is also worth remembering that the thinner the rope, the more quickly it will run through your descender!

Just what you don't want to happen...

In short, while you’re carrying the rope, you’ll be glad of Spelenium gold, but it is more expensive to buy and will wear out more quickly than conventional 10.5mm static rope.

Spelenium Gold is not yet part of the Isca Outdoor stock list as we are not convinced that there is sufficient demand.  If you are looking to acquire some it can be ordered specially if enough customers want it.

You can check out the spec here, but put your shades on first; the Beal website is rather busy!

        

Team Isca

Well, Hidden Earth is over for another year! We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers and everyone who dropped by the stand to see us. If you couldn’t find what you wanted on the stall, remember our new catalog is out now and can be ordered here.

Extra-special thanks go to Rich and Dave for bringing stock and supplying technical advice on the Viper light and diving torches respectively.  And to Juliette and Avelina for their help to man the stall. Thanks to having extra staff this year Becky was able to go to a lecture, and Simon managed to catch a glimpse of sun!  Some of the staff members even found time to tackle the Speleo-Olympics obstacle course…

Up the Tube...

        

Simon has recently run a course on Single Rope Technique (SRT) for four cavers from Kent University Caving Club. This is one of two courses Simon has created especially for university caving clubs, designed to help them stay safe underground and meet any requirements laid out by their student union.

The course syllabus includes:

A discussion of SRT equipment, the positive and negative properties of different types of harness, descenders and jammers. The proper care and maintenance of this equipment. The care of rope for SRT. Knots for SRT rigging. Rescue and Hauling techniques.

Day 1 included a practical session on rigging and derigging. This took place on a quarry face above ground which lends a bit of realism, but makes spotting and correcting errors easier.

Day 2 involved vertical rescue. First some practice at ground level (and some in depth discussion on a z-rig created with 3 Petzl tractions!) then an informal assessment on the rock face.

After day 1, the students still had enough energy to join Simon, Becky and Andy for a visit to Afton Red Rift – a local cave which despite its small size provides a great work-out!

        

There are a few changes to our stall this year:

Hidden Earth will see the publication of our brand new colour catalog, so come and pick up a copy.

Part of the Isca Outdoor stand will be given over to a Speleolabs concesssion. All the past classics t-shirts will be available on the sale rail, so this is your chance to snag a bargain.

Juliette will be joining us. She’s always dodged the caving conference in the past but she’s not getting away with it this year!

The new Viper light will also be available for you examine.

        

Priced at £379.95 the Viper can be ordered by sending us an email. Or drop by our trade stand at Hidden Earth for an even closer look.

        

Squashable camping bowl and cup

The pack contains one bowl and one cup and retails at £15.  The rubbery silicone material is extremely tactile and feels lovely to squish.  Their shape is also quite futuristic and we predict that we’ll be spotting them in sci-fi series soon, the way that Sigg bottles always used to turn up in Star Trek. Silicone is a thermal insulator (you can get oven gloves made from it!) so you don’t need any kind of handle.

We decided to test them out on our next visitor which happened to be Juliette’s husband, Wayne. Lack of a handle posed no problem for Wayne as he was recently returned from a trip to France and able to drink tea out of a bowl like a native.

Wayne drinks squashy tea

If you are after lightweight, indestructible bowls for camping, there are already plenty of products that will do the job, but what can I say?  These ones just look better and feel more satisfying than anything else!

At the moment, the silicone bowls are an experimental product and as such are not yet available from the shop.  It you would like to order a set, just drop us an email. Cavers who would like a closer look at them (and maybe a fondle) should come and see us at Hidden Earth.

        

Becky arriving at the Turf Locks jetty.

The water was warm (although foul-tasting!) and the event was extremely well run with plenty of canoes to guide the swimmers along the course and a cup of hot chocolate proided on the Turf Locks side.  Becky had used one of the aquapacs to take an emergency £5 note with her on the swim, but it was not needed.

Becky was mildly annoyed that her training buddy, Andy finished 4 minutes ahead of her.  Apparently, he cheated by doing extra training in the outdoor pool in Topsham!

If you are inspired to have a go yourself, the Topsham to Turf swim takes place every year and is organised by Mike, the ferryman.  If you’re not native to the Exe estuary, the Outdoor Swimming Society have a website full of suggestions for wild swimming locations across Britain.