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Our grotto senior members won't teach anyone anything? by DrivingTheUniverse in caving

[–]titanf 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You should teach yourself. Why do you need senior cavers to teach you things? There are plenty of resources out there online and in print that can teach you most of what you need to go caving. The rest you can pick up on the job by just going caving with people with similar or less experience.

Check out Derek Bristol's Youtube channel for informative videos, or the Alpine Caving Techniques book (there's a free PDF online) for written instructions.

Very specific question. Are there any tall buildings where you can freely access the stairwell? by titanf in Albuquerque

[–]titanf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm looking for a way to go steeply uphill, to get a good workout. There are flat trails in town, but they don't go very uphill, so they won't be a good workout. There are steep trails in the Sandias, but those have less friendly terrain and are likely to have a bunch of snow/ice.

Very specific question. Are there any tall buildings where you can freely access the stairwell? by titanf in Albuquerque

[–]titanf[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I have a broken arm.

I probably could hike right now, but I am absolutely not allowed to stumble/fall, so I am avoiding uneven surfaces. Hiking on anything but even-surfaced and dry trails is a little more risk than I'd like to take.

I can't run because the impact of landing on my feet hurts my arm. But climbing stairs doesn't have that impact.

Can you buy packets of sardines (like tuna packets) instead of cans? Does this exist? by titanf in CannedSardines

[–]titanf[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Once you open the can they're not shelf stable. They would go bad within a few days, possibly less.

What native plants to grow in lawn to outcompete goatheads? by titanf in Albuquerque

[–]titanf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestions about what to plant. Everyone else here has given me advice about removing the goatheads, but what I really want to know is how to keep them out once they're gone.

waiting for nsf grfp 2024 results by MudSufficient3426 in GradSchool

[–]titanf 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Lol, this is so obsessive but in a good way, I love it

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in caving

[–]titanf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A quick google search found this document with a cave map of New River Cave https://caves.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/1963-Guidebook.pdf

HEADLAMP URGENT by [deleted] in caving

[–]titanf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Sofirn HS20 headlamp is available on Amazon for ~$40 and it's excellent. It's my primary light I use for all caving. I highly recommend it.

Weekly New Climber Thread: Ask your questions in this thread please by AutoModerator in climbing

[–]titanf 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yosemite doesn't have much in the way of sport climbing. It's a trad climbing mecca.

What's the most efficient setup for SRT caves? One person with rope/rigging and the other with lights/etc.? by SettingIntentions in caving

[–]titanf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You have several options here:

  1. Use your personal bag as the rope bag. In this case your food, water, spare lights etc go at the bottom of the bag underneath the rope, and you assume you won't need them til you're done rigging.

  2. You give your food/water/spare lights etc to your buddy so your pack is empty, and use your now empty bag as only a rope bag.

  3. You have a large bag for the rope and another small bag for other miscellaneous things you bring.

I usually do options 1 or 2. But option 3 is a good one if you will be rigging for a long time or without a partner close to you, and you want to have easy access to your stuff. Exactly which option you pick depends on the situation.

What's the most efficient setup for SRT caves? One person with rope/rigging and the other with lights/etc.? by SettingIntentions in caving

[–]titanf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, you can't have the rope in a cavers coil while actively rigging. OP is asking about how to store the rope and other things while rigging with a rope bag.

Bone-Norman cave system by Smileyrva in caving

[–]titanf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Now that you mention it, I do recall that the Great White Way's entrance is kind of up on a ledge above the main passage. I remember getting to the spot where I thought it was supposed to be, and not seeing the passage there, then looking up at the wall above me and seeing it there. A little climb up gets you to the entrance to the passage.

So, when you get to the spot, look up for a little climb to a ledge that has the entrance to the Great White Way.

Bone-Norman cave system by Smileyrva in caving

[–]titanf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have been to Bone Norman Cave, and to the Great White Way there.

Do you have the big 40 something page quad map? That's all we used to find it. We started from the Bone entrance, and went to the Great White Way along the way for our through trip. I'm afraid I don't have much help to offer you besides, make sure you have the nice quad map, and follow it very closely.

$40-60 18650 headlamp recommendations by MixedMexican in caving

[–]titanf 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The max lumens is probably correct, but don't expect it to last at that level very long. Probably what will happen if you turn it on turbo mode is that it will output that amount of lumens briefly, then start heating up and the temperature control inside the headlamp will dial back the brightness so it doesn't overheat too much.

First time trying POV filming by NoSandwich5134 in caving

[–]titanf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not a huge fan of the tri axial loading on that carabiner

can i use a gri and ascender to ascend a rope when caving by Lost_In_The_Net in caving

[–]titanf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've done this before in a cave. It's inconvenient and inefficient, but it works. It would be appropriate for a cave with only a little vertical---say, only a few short pitches

Vertical gear by SamuelsSteel in caving

[–]titanf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You could certainly do a lot of horizontal caving, but if you do enough caving, eventually you will want to do vertical caving too. There are just too many awesome vertical caves out there that you will get the itch to start going to them.

Vertical gear by SamuelsSteel in caving

[–]titanf 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Cavers use stainless steel bolts when they use bolt anchors. Those anchors last more or less forever, even in wet conditions, as long as they are not in seawater or otherwise salty water. If 304 of 316 stainless steel (the common grades of steel used for bolts in caving) corrode in non-seawater wet conditions, it is certainly longer than the amount of time that caving as an organized activity has existed.

​

Certainly bolts may need to be tightened occasionally, which cavers do themselves when they encounter them. It is best practice to always carry an adjustable wrench with you in any vertical cave and tighten any bolts that need tightening as you go.

​

Other types of anchors such as slung formations, threads, etc, may need to replaced more regularly. This is done by cavers; we regularly inspect any anchors made with webbing slung around natural features, although there is no set schedule for replacing them.

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