Training Levels
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Horizontal Personal Skills Levels
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Horizontal Basic

Horizontal Basic

The basic skills and awareness needed for a novice caver on their first few trips.

May be lead by

Skills Description

First caving trips should be more than just guided tours; they are an opportunity for a deliberate transfer of knowledge. When done well, new cavers learn key skills without even noticing they’re being trained.

While 100% competency isn’t expected on a first trip, a solid base of basic caving skills can be built over several easy outings.

Conservation Awareness

  • Knowing what to and not to touch (e.g. stalactites in caves, artifacts in mines)
  • Understanding the purpose of conservation tape
  • The importance of not littering

Clothes and Equipment

Understanding what to wear and why it’s important.

  • Types of clothing and footwear
  • Lighting
  • Helmets
  • What to take underground

Underground Experience

Gaining a sense of what to expect underground, including:

  • Low passages, crawls and squeezes
  • Slippery ground
  • Streamways & pools
  • Loose rocks, especially in old mines
  • Effects of cold and exhaustion, and the importance of energy conservation

Mindset

  • Supportive attitudes and teamwork: knowing when and how to support others, both verbally and physically.