Hello-

[kieron young]

hey all i am Kieron found this forum after another member pointed me this way so just thought i would say hello. I am very curious and interested in mining/ caving so i thought i would join and say hi.. From South Yorkshire

[Ian A]

Hi Keiron and welcome to the forum  

There is plenty to see in the knowledge bank and lots of discussions to follow (and take part in) too....

Keep an eye on the trips section and if anything takes your fancy give us a nudge  

... Ask anything you want (don't listen to Mad-Dan too much though, he moans like hell lol  :silly:  )

Ian

[kieron young]

noticed u have to pay to be a member is that just if you go caving/mining or is that to be a member of the forums.

[Ian A]

It's half and half ....

If you are a paid up member of the club you also have access to the "Members Area". The open element of the forum is available for anyone to use, join, participate etc.

The "Members area" has an additional knowledge bank of sensitive areas (where landowners don't want publicity for instance) and also the members trips where the trips are to such areas. It also contains all the club "business" (the boring admin stuff) and a few other member resources.

You don't have to be a member to come on a trip with us. Our insurance (as I understand it - we have a guru (Les W) who will correct me if I am wrong) will cover you for 3 trips or 17 days whichever happens first. After that you would not be covered with our insurance. A condition of joining any caving club is insurance (£17 per year through the BCA (British Caving Association) which will be done for you by the club secretary). however, if you already have insurance (you might be a member of another club, you may have done it in your own right etc.) then you could come on the trips (no need to pay for it more than once regardless of how many clubs you join or cave with).

Membership fees for the club are £20 per year, insurance is £17 per year (both run from 1st Jan to 31st Dec) - the "Members area" is simply a benefit of being a club member. The other benefits you get are that you are an equal member (one person, one vote), you have an equal say on all club matters and you can put yourself forward for any position each year at the AGM (there are never enough people willing to shove up their hand (which I totally understand  :huh:  ))

.... Does that clarify the position or have I confused it even more ?  :blink:

Ian

[Danny Sutton]

welcome..

p.s. I dont moan...... that much.

[kieron young]

[quote="Ian" post=13412]It's half and half ....

If you are a paid up member of the club you also have access to the "Members Area". The open element of the forum is available for anyone to use, join, participate etc.

The "Members area" has an additional knowledge bank of sensitive areas (where landowners don't want publicity for instance) and also the members trips where the trips are to such areas. It also contains all the club "business" (the boring admin stuff) and a few other member resources.

You don't have to be a member to come on a trip with us. Our insurance (as I understand it - we have a guru (Les W) who will correct me if I am wrong) will cover you for 3 trips or 17 days whichever happens first. After that you would not be covered with our insurance. A condition of joining any caving club is insurance (£17 per year through the BCA (British Caving Association) which will be done for you by the club secretary). however, if you already have insurance (you might be a member of another club, you may have done it in your own right etc.) then you could come on the trips (no need to pay for it more than once regardless of how many clubs you join or cave with).

Membership fees for the club are £20 per year, insurance is £17 per year (both run from 1st Jan to 31st Dec) - the "Members area" is simply a benefit of being a club member. The other benefits you get are that you are an equal member (one person, one vote), you have an equal say on all club matters and you can put yourself forward for any position each year at the AGM (there are never enough people willing to shove up their hand (which I totally understand  :huh:  ))

.... Does that clarify the position or have I confused it even more ?  :blink:

Ian[/quote]

You clarified it thanks

[sean taylor]

Welcome to ucet.

[Robin Jones]

Welcome to UCET Kieron  :woohoo:

[kieron young]

https://www.facebook.com/kieron.young.16
btw thats my fb forgot to add it to op.


Whats the best time of year/ type of mine for a complete beginner.

[Ian A]

There is no "best time" - only GOOD times  

Best type of mine for a beginner (my opinion) would be a big slate mine. Best cave - a grade 1 or 2 only (aim for "walk in walk out"

 

Ian

[Anthony Britner]

[quote="Ian" post=13426]There is no "best time" - only GOOD times  

Best type of mine for a beginner (my opinion) would be a big slate mine. Best cave - a grade 1 or 2 only (aim for "walk in walk out"

 

Ian[/quote]

You could have mentioned that on my hello thread! :side:

But, where to find a big slate mine in Wales?   I do believe there are not that many  but I may be wrong? :unsure:   :silly:  

Oh, Before I forget, Hello to You Kieron from another new member and complete beginner.

[Ian A]

You weren't direct enough with your question Ant ... I can be VERY dense  :oops:

[kieron young]

hello ant thanks.

Ian. what is grade 1 or 2 is their a thread what is showing the different grade.

To be direct for you IAN< when is the next explore(?) a beginner can do, and can i attend, if so how much is it where and when, and what equipment do i need.

[Ian A]

Heh  :whistle:

Caves are graded 1 to 5 (1 being the easiest). With a grade 1 you should be able to walk and walk out with no equipment. Grade 2 will require some equipment (perhaps an electron ladder) but should not require any "specific" expertise. I suggested it because I don't know the caves in your area and you may have access to a local resource.

You can "attend" any of our trips but you may find yourself stood outside in the cold waiting for us to come out if there are technical aspects that you are not aware of. Reasonably, you can attend any of the "easier" caves or mines we do and you would be covered under the clubs insurance (I am pretty sure) for the first three trips or 17 days whichever happens first. After that you would need insurance which, if you do it through any caving club, will be £17 per year (BCA British Caving Association) - there is another thread on the forum here that tells you all about it. Club subs are £20 per year (makes a total of £37 if you join us). If you had your own insurance or joined another club you could attend on our trips anyway (unless the trip has reached capacity)  

You don't pay any money to go on any of the trips.

No one in the club gets paid so much as a lentil - we are all volunteers  

When ... There is a trip every Thursday (often more than one). There are two this Thurs, one requires skilled SRT and a lot of stamina, the other is suitable for some one new although, personally, I would advise against it as the mine is extremely muddy, wet (will probably be flooded at the back section), it has a fair amount of squeezy and awkward points and it is relative short. It's a trip you should defo do but it is not a good starting point  :dry:

There are also trips at the weekends, most weekends. The trip calendar is hidden away in the members area but anyone will be happy to tell you what we are up to on any given weekend. This weekend is a trip to the Yorkshire Dales and requires good SRT (Single Rope Technique) and more stamina.

We run free training courses in SRT for members but the current course is already over-booked, another will be listed in a month or two.

Equipment ... Wellies (ideal), oversuit or caving suit, helmet and lamp (we can lend you one for the trip), gloves (optional) .... everything else depends on what you want to do - not all the members engage in SRT trips but most do and you would eventually need your own SRT kit (harness and all sorts of stuff) - we can lend you one for training if you took it up.

You also need to be aware you will usually get wet and usually need a change of clothes in your car for when you get out of the cave/mine.

Some mines (slate) can be very easy but some mines and caves can be very unforgiving.

 

Ian

[kieron young]

argh cool sounds fun.