Glossary

Useful Vocabulary

If you know these words you should be able to understand the gobbldey-gook which comes out of experienced cavers' mouths - unless they are Welsh and/or drunk (which they often are), in which case give up, smile and nod.

SRT (Single Rope Technique) - This is a technique used to go up and down a rope.

Rope - The rope we use is special 'static' rope with much less stretch than dynamic rope, the kind often used for life lines during rock climbing and mountaineering. We use a range of different diameter ropes, ranging from 9mm (light and bouncy) to 11mm (heavier, stronger and less bouncy). Dynamic is usually colourful whereas static looks like this:

Abseiling - The act of descending (going down) a rope, using a Stop, rack or figure of eight descender.

Prusiking - The act of ascending (going up) a rope, usually using a combination of jammers and a footloop.

Rigging - The act of tying the rope and/or ladder into position for the pitch, traverse, etc.

Pitch - A pitch is a section of a cave which is a big drop down. To get down them (or up) we use SRT. If they are only small we sometimes us a ladder like they did in the olden days. The top of a pitch, where you get onto the rope, is called the pitch head.

Karabiner (Krab, Biner) - A loop of metal with a gate in it used to attach things to other things. There are two main types: screw gate and snap gate. Screw gate krabs have a screw lock on them, so they cannot be undone by mistake. They are often used in rigging, and to attach your Stop descender to your D-maillon. Snap gate krabs don't have a screw lock on them, and are used in cows tails, so they can get attached and undone quickly

Maillon - Similar to a Karabiner, however smaller and without the gate, just a screw to cover up the gap.

Traverse - This is where you have to travel towards and/or away from and/or around a large drop. Often the approach to a pitch will involve a traverse, which is rigged with a handline (which you clip into) for ease and safety of getting on/off the pitch.

Y-hang - This is a special knot, achieved in many ways. Basically it allows a single rope to have two equally weighted attachment points, so if one fails, you are backed up. It is called a Y-hang because it looks like a letter Y.

P Hanger - Also known as Eco Bolts or P-bolts, these are attachment points glued into the rock. Initially, they were positioned for cave rescue but are now used as the primary rigging points in caves. These are installed by clever trained people (CNCC) and tested to stupid breaking strains. So, if you want to take your pet elephant (or Phil) caving you can safely haul it out.

Spit - Not just a disgusting habit, spits are a type of anchor point in a cave. They are basically a screw thread glued into the rock, which require you to screw in an anchor point of your choice. They are installed by Joe Bloggs and are prone to rust and get filled up with muck. When using spits to rig off you must always make sure you have as much backup as possible.

Belay - To belay is to control someone else's descent by using a lifeline (the rope they are attached to). You can also belay someone on their ascent up a pitch (usually when free climbing or climbing a ladder), so if they fall they are safe. Belay is also a word for an attachment point.

Rebelay - A Rebelay is a re-hanging of the rope, where it is attached again to rock face. They are often used to get around obstacles (big bits of rock), to get the rope out of water, or to split up large pitches. Since each section of rope has its own seperate anchor point this means that you can have several people on the same pitch, on different sections of rope, so people aren't waiting at the top getting cold. To get past a rebelay, you have to change ropes half way down a pitch. This is done by attaching yourself to the rebelay with your cows-tails and hanging by them, so you can remove your descending/ascending equipment from the rope, and reattach it to the section above or below you.

Deviation - A deviation is where the rope going down a pitch is pulled to one side. This is usually done to stop the rope rubbing or to pull it out of a waterfall. It is done by attaching the rope to a karabiner attached to the wall, usually by a bit of tat. Note that your weight is never on the deviation, they are just used to pull you to one side, so when passing a deviation you do not unclip yourself from the rope, you just undo the deviation from below you, and replace it above you.

Tat - These are usually scraps of rope or tape you find in caves that you don't want to trust your life to, normally used in deviations. On the other hand it may be your own piece of tat, which means you don't mind leaving it down a cave!

Knot Pass - When some muppet brings a rope that is too short for a pitch, you can tie two together to make a rope that is long enough. However you obviously have to get past the knot in the rope half way down. This is done with a knot pass. It is an unpleasant manoeuvre, and should never happen to you, however if it does the person responsible shall be beaten.

Rift - A passage in a cave formed by a narrow stream cutting down into the rock. Usually tall, thin and wiggly. (A good example is Wretched Rabbit).

Boulder Choke - This is where you have to work your way through a series of boulders. Sometimes this is straight forward, however sometimes you will find yourself going round in circles.

Sump - Some caves have loads, some have none. This is where the water in a cave hits the ceiling and blocks the passage. This is the most common way for caves to end, and where cave divers take over (crazy bastards). However, if you are so inclined, there are sumps that you can free dive by holding your breath (for example, Swildons round trip).

Duck - No, not that quacking type, but feel free to quack while going through them! Very similar to a sump, however there is a small (typically between a foot and an inch) air gap that you can use for breathing at the top. Sometimes this gap is so small you have to use a tube - however we reserve this practice for the stupid!

Sinkhole - This is a depression in the ground usually formed by a collapse of the cave roof thousands of years ago, and are often entrances to caves. Inside the caves these can form boulder chokes.

Resurgence - This is where cave water reappears on the surface. Sometimes you can enter a cave here, but often it can just be a spring, or the other side of a sump.

Through Trip - This is a caving trip where you enter a cave in one entrance and come out of another, so you don't have to come out the same way you went in! If a through trip involves any pitches, these are often done as 'pull throughs'.

Pull Through - A special type of rigging technique used to attach a rope to the top of a pitch, so you can pull it down and take the rope with you once everybody has abseiled down. Pull throughs are often used in through trips so you don't have to send someone back up to collect the ropes!

CRO - The cave rescue organisation. These are the people that will come out and rescue you if you have an accident down a cave. They also have the fun job of saving sheep (and the odd cow) when they fall down big holes. To get in contact with them, phone the police and ask for the CRO.

Features and Pretties - These are just formations which you find in caves. The majority of them are made from calcite.

• Stalagmite - These are the ones that come up from the floor.
• Stalactite - This is the icicle type thingy. Remember tights/tits hang down!
• Column - When a stalagmite and stalactite meet they form a column.
• Straws - Hollow stalactites the width of a drop of water.
• Carrot - When a straw becomes blocked it often bulges out forming a carrot shaped object at the bottom. These are extremely fragile!
• Helictites - Weird wiggly formations that just come out of the walls, and look a bit like worms. They are usually small, extremely fragile and quite rare.
• Curtains - Sheets of calcite that look like curtains.
• Cauliflower - Usually found on the roof, and look like cauliflower.
• Flowstone - Covers walls of caves in a very smooth looking rock, that often looks like flowing water.
• Gour Pools - A series of pools of water formed by calcite dams. Comments about them looking 'Gour-geous' will result in removal from the club.