Hidden Earth is the UK’s annual caving conference, hosted by the British Cave Research Association and the British Caving Association for the benefit of all cavers.
The European Speleological Federation (FSE) will have its General Assembly Meeting at Hidden Earth on Saturday 26 September at 2pm. Three European round tables will also be held in parallel during the weekend on the following topics i) Inspire GIS European standards, ii) International expeditions database, iii) European cave protection.
Hidden Earth 2009 will be held from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September 2009 at Churchill Community School in North Somerset. The village of Churchill is located south-west of Bristol, between Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare, near the town of Winscombe, at the foot of the northern side of the Mendip Hills. For cavers, the description “a couple of miles west of Burrington Coombe” should give you an idea of the location. See Location Information.
Please note: the event dates are Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September 2009. Unfortunately some of our A5 flyers have the wrong date (27-29) on the front. (The dates on the rear of the flyer are correct)
If you are thinking of offering to give a lecture or to participate in any way, please do not wait to be asked! With our limited manpower we cannot ask everybody individually. Contact us and let us know what you want to do.
On-site events will include…
* Expedition and science lectures
* Regional UK caving round-ups
* Meetings and workshops
* Trade and club stands in the exhibition area
* Photo and art displays
* Competitions
* Rope testing rig
Admission fees unchanged for five years. The rate on the door is £15/day or £25 for the weekend, with discounts for advance booking. The Saturday dinner is £14 and must be booked in advance. Camping is £5/tent.
Speleo-Olympics: Grab a mate and try the caver assault course, with the prospect of winning a bottle of champagne and your names on the trophy. (The event will take place at times throughout the weekend, in the exhibition area).
SRT Competitions: Prusik race, assault course (passing re-belays) tackle-bag stuffing and, in remembrance of pre-SRT days, a ladder climbing race. Men’s and women’s prizes in each category. Once again, these competitions are organised by Mark Wright Training, who will be offering the prize of an Industrial Rope Access Course to the overall winner. The event will take place at announced times throughout the weekend, in the exhibition area.
Saturday Evening: As in previous years there is a dinner for which you need to book in advance. The after-dinner speaker is Bryan Schofield, perhaps better known as Scoff. Scoff is a member of the Bradford Pothole Club and the Cave Diving Group and has entertained Hidden Earth delegates on many occasions with reports of his caving and cave-diving experiences.
After the dinner there will be the usual Stomp and Bar. The Stomp band, this year, is Rockaholic. Once again, the bar will be run by cavers, so the beer won’t run out; and the on-site camping means you won’t have to stagger far afterwards.
The BCA Rope Testing Rig will be on site and the BCA’s training committee will be organising SRT and Gear workshops.
Competitions
BCRA Photo Salon: This is a place where everyone from beginner to seasoned professional can display their photographs. There are three main categories of competition – colour print, monochrome print, and digital files. (Please note that there is no ‘transparency’ category this year). Additional prizes include the prestigious Premier Trophy, best UK newcomer, cave life and the fun shot, judged by the audience ‘laughometer’. There are prizes in all categories and, this year, an additional prize, as follows…
www.MooreBooks.co.uk is offering a £100 mining books voucher for the best photograph with a mining or man-made underground theme, with a £20 mining books voucher for the runner-up.
There is also a non-competition category in the photo salon – the ‘digital showcase’. Just bring along a CD-ROM of your photos and they will be displayed on a monitor in the exhibition area.
Video Media Salon: The term ‘video media’ is intended to encompass all depictions of moving images and sequences of pictures and the competition will cover any aspect of caves, mines or potholes. Entries will be screened at the conference and will be judged for their artistic, technical and aesthetic qualities with particular emphasis on artistic originality and innovation. Prizes awarded. Please note that entry forms must be completed in advance of the event – entries on the day are not accepted.
ISSA Art & Cartoon Salons: These are open to all forms of visual art, except photographs, including drawing, painting, print-making, sculpture and textiles relating to any aspect of caves and caving. Entries will be judged, this year, by a panel of judges. The art salon is organised for Hidden Earth by the International Society for Speleological Art.
* Display your Club T-shirt and if it catches people’s eye for its art or wit, you might win a prize!
* Try our Closed-loop Surveying Competition and show us how good (or bad) you really are at cave surveying.
* Design an impressive Caving Club Stand and win a prize.