Below is a link to a PDF which should be listed on any grotto's
web-page under a section
for new cavers.
http://www.caves.org/brochure/NSS%20Guide%20Color%20809.pdf
Kudos to all the people that did the work on that.
This booklet should be printed out and put in the new attendees
packets at grotto meetings,
or put on a table with freebie brochures about caving. Your grotto
does that. Right ?
Or the link should be in a welcome e-mail to new members that have
just joined your grotto.
For example, the e-mail [ or Facebook message ] could read "Hey, Jane
( or Joe ), welcome to the grotto,
here is some cool info on caves for you to read. Let's go caving soon ! "
When I attended my first grotto meeting, the grotto there did not have
such things. But they
did have a paper tri-fold hand-out that had some basic info about the NSS.
I don't agree with the initial wording in the Forword that says we
"explore cave for sport."
I believe it should say "for recreation." And the 2nd line,
describing a "sport caver," seems
odd for such a brochure. I don't know anybody that has ever
considered themselves a
sport caver or labeled someone else as a sport caver. And then it
goes on to say, this
Publication "deals with the sport of caving."
In addition, the wording about quickly dying and starving to death
needs could be described
better. There could be a link in this part to American Caving
Accidents. ( Are those on
PDF yet ? )
And how many of you really cave with a large plastic trash bag inside
of your helmet ? And
what is wrong with a new caver using a hockey helmet, or a kayaking
helmet, etc. on their first
few trips ? I have seen experienced cavers use motorcycle helmets.
[ Helmets are still one
of the most expensive of the caving gear items, so I don't believe a
new caver should be encouraged
to purchase a real caving helmet right away. I think a grotto
should have cheap helmets available
for new cavers on their very first trip. ]
I think the brochure should mention the types of caves for first-time
cavers to avoid. Like alpine caves,
or caves with deep pit entrances or caves with rivers or streams
flowing into them, or caves that require
crawling in running water, or caves with bad air, or free-diving in
caves, glacier caves, or caves with lots
of bats, caves with lots of swimming, sea caves, etc.
The little graphic symbol on the photos in the brochure doesn't do
anything for me.
But I do want to emphasize that I liked the booklet.
David Locklear
caver in Fort Bend County, Texas
NSS # 27639
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