The Secret Life of Ropes
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Cave Resources of Tennessee
Presented by: Chuck Sutherland
November 6, 2017
This presentation will be a photographic exploration of Tennessee caves, with emphasis on their physical and cultural resources. Tennessee caves boast unusual geology, such as meteor impact karst, amazing formations, and “mountains” of bat guano. Chuck will also talk about cities caving in, early human exploration, overflowing wastewater gone awry, ancient artwork and Pleistocene megafauna. Chuck says “This story is about cool stuff that you are interested in. And it doesn't matter what you're interested in, because Tennessee's got it!”
Chuck Sutherland is a caver, a photographer, a geographer, and a conservationist. His landscape photography has been published in dozens of magazines, books, newspapers, and web pages. The BBC and the Discovery Channel have both used his photography. (1:20:40) Download a copy (147 MB)
Comparing Two Rope Rescue Systems
(Twin Tension)
Presented by: Tom Evans
April 18, 2017
Recently, the rope rescue community has been debating the merits of using two kinds of two rope systems. Main and belay systems that have a main line that holds all the load, and a second belay line that is un-tensioned, versus two tension systems, where both ropes hold about half the total load at all times. Here we will explore the strengths and weaknesses of both systems based on testing data, and compare their usefulness and functionality for cave rescue.
Tom has been a vertical caver for a decade, and has been trained in both above and below ground rope rescue. He is a National Cave Rescue Commission instructor, and has a rescue rigging research program whose results are published at the International Technical Rescue Symposium. Recently he co-founded a nonprofit (SAR3) dedicated to providing research and teaching in support of rescue and sport rigging. Through his work, Tom is constantly immersed in the science and practice of rigging. (1:18:04) Download a copy (118 MB)
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