Summary
Spend seven full days of extensive training with a spectacular cadre of very talented instructors. Hone your existing skills and learn new ones in the gorgeous Aggtelek Karst region. Start training in a cliff environment near the entrance of Baradla Cave and transition to numerous days of in-cave rigging challenges. Be progressively challenged at your skill level with caves reaching 230 meters in depth. Mastered rigging? Practice rescuing a caver from increasingly complex situations. Have personal attention in a small class with a high instructor ratio so you can focus on exactly what you need. Relax at the Hungarian Caving Instructor Committee field house and enjoy meals prepared for the course. Spend your nights camping under the stars, in the fieldhouse bunks being social, or in a true bed at the nearby guesthouses.
We are also excited to offer the opportunity to experience Budapest from a caver's perspective with us as your guide. We will handle airport pick-up/drop-off, lodging in Budapest before and after the course, a day of caver-oriented sightseeing, assist with shopping before the course, and provide all local transportation. Also enjoy a great dinner in Budapest before the course starts to meet the instructors; and relax in thermal baths once the course is complete. Of course you are encouraged to extend your trip to explore more of both Budapest and Hungary! Come experience an extraordinary training course and gain more future caving opportunities through both skills and connections!
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions:
Course Coordinator: mark@cavingacademy.org
Phone/Text: +1 (574) 622 8464
Course Content
This course is a combination of content from both the Advanced Vertical Caver and Rigging/Rescue courses. The precise materials to be covered will be adjusted based on the skills and interests of the students, as well as adapted to the pace of learning during the course. With the small class and excellent instructor to student ratio, personal attention to each student is possible; and you will be able to progress at your own pace.
Review topics such as:
- The types and goals of rigging
- Anchors and anchor systems
- Knot and anchor selection
- Optimizing your rigging system
- Preparing for a rigging trip
- Safety while rigging
- Bolting considerations
- Dome-climbing considerations
- Rigging sketches and documentation
Build a strong foundation with:
- Natural and artificial anchors
- Setting bolts (expansion/glue-in)
- Single-point and Multi-point anchors
- Load-sharing/distributing anchors
- Rope connections
You will learn to safely rig and derig:
- Approach lines
- Rebelays
- Deviations
- Traverse lines
- Tyrolean bridges
- J-hangs
- Tensioned Guidelines
Learn rescue techniques:
- Direct-haul pickoff
- Counterweight pickoff
- Croll-to-croll pickoff
- Rope-cutting pickoff
- Rappelling with a patient
- Passing a rebelay with a patient
- Hauling an injured rigger
Course Schedule
This is a tentative schedule that is subject to change based on the skills and interests of the students. The schedule will also be adjusted during the course to ensure optimal training. We will work hard to optimize the schedule so you get the most possible out of the course! We will also attempt to coordinate a trip through Baradla cave, which is an excellent option for a really bad weather day. Please make careful note that transportation from Budapest to Szögliget is provided on the afternoon of September 9th, and transportation from Szögliget to Budapest is provided on the afternoon of September 17th.
Experience Budapest
The Caving Academy is offering an additional package to help facilitate your visit to Hungary for the course, while also offering a day of caver-oriented sightseeing adventures. We want you to experience Budapest as a caver, and with over 200 caves and 6 miles of passage under the buildings and streets, there are a lot of underground attractions. The additional day in Budapest before the course starts will also help with any jet-lag or travel fatique. The exact sightseeing schedule is subject to change, but here's what we hope to include:
- Be picked up and dropped off at the airport
- Have all pre-course and post-course lodging coordinated
- Budapest Travelcards for activities pre- and post-course
- A full-day, caver-oriented, guided tour of Budapest, including:
- Gellért Hill, Cave Church, and the Citadella
- Castle Cave and Buda Castle
- Hospital in the Rock and the Labyrinth
- Private tour at Szemlő or Pál-völgyi Cave
- Dinner at Trófea Grill with students and instructors
- Beautiful views of Budapest lit up at night
- Pre-course shopping opportunities for equipment and supplies
- A visit to Gellért Baths and Spa post-course
This schedule depends on your arriving on September 7th and departing on September 18th. If you will arrive or depart on alternate days, we will make every effort to accomodate you, but it will need to be coordinated. We sincerely encourage you to extend your stay to further enjoy Budapest, Hungary, or even Europe. We recommend staying after the course as you will be more familiar with Budapest and will have met some local cavers.
Course Fee
The Caving Academy is a non-profit organization by cavers and for cavers. If any money is left over after course expenses, it is used to reimburse instructor expenses and improve Caving Academy. We also like to give instructors t-shirts. And stickers. With this in mind, our budget is tight, but this is to ensure as many cavers as possible can attend.
Inaugural Course Discount: This is the first time Caving Academy is offering this course and we want your help and collaboration to make it a great one. While you will be a student, we also want you to be an active contributor and provide your input during the course as well as complete an in-depth review afterwards. In appreciation for your extra effort, and that logistical challenges may arise during an inaugural course, we are offering every student a $200 discount off the regular price. Inaugural Course Discount: This is the first time Caving Academy is offering this course and we want your help and collaboration to make it a great one. While you will be a student, we also want you to be an active contributor and provide your input during the course as well as complete an in-depth review afterwards. In appreciation for your extra effort, and that logistical challenges may arise during an inaugural course, we are offering every student a $200 discount off the regular price.
Scholarships: There is a scholarship program where applicants who are approved will receive a discounted course fee. Approval is based on their demonstration of both need and commitment to their local caving community. In light of the inaugural course discount, the scholarship will only be offered in very extenuating circumstances. You may contact Caving Academy by phone or e-mail to discuss this further.
Group Discounts: There is a group discount program for groups of 4 or more signing up for the course. You may contact Caving Academy by phone or e-mail if you have a large group wishing to attend.
Referrals: We recognize just how important word-of-mouth is in the caving community and we appreciate any effort to help spread the word about our courses. While we hope you do so anyway because we are awesome and have amazing course opportunities, you will also receive a $100 discount when someone signs up for the course and mentions your name. Please spread the word! You can use our Course Flyer as well as reference our website!
| Course Fee (USD) | |
|---|---|
| Registration Fee | $800.00 |
| Inaugural Course Discount | $-200.00 |
| Experience Budapest Package | $200.00 |
Course Location
The technical training is out of Szögliget, near Aggtelek National Park. However, the course begins and ends in Budapest where the caver-oriented sightseeing will occur. Transportation to and from Szögliget, along with all other local transportation, is provided as part of the course.
Travel arrangements by air should be to and from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD). Anyone driving should also coordinate to meet in Budapest.
Course Prerequisites
This is an advanced course and a minimum competency level is necessary for you to make effective use of the training. We will work with you in advance of the course to ensure that you have the appropriate skills. The following are the required skills:
Tying the following knots such that they are properly dressed and with appropriate sized bites and safe tails or backups:
- Square Knot
- Water Knot
- Girth Hitch
- Clove Hitch
- Munter Hitch
- Munter Hitch Tie-off
- Figure 8 on a bight
- Figure 8 on a bend
- Figure 8 follow-through
- Double loop 8 on a bight
- Double loop 8 with a forward facing loop
- Bowline around an object
- Double-loop bowline on a bight
- Double Fishermans bend
- Prusik Hitch
- Alpine Butterfly
Performing the following SRT maneuvers with a Frog system and bobbin descender while maintaining two points of gripping attachment or a tested descender:
- Ascending smoothly
- Descending with control
- Change-over from ascending to descending
- Change-over from descending to ascending
- Lock-off the descender
- Pass a deviation ascending
- Pass a deviation while descending
- Pass a rebelay while ascending
- Pass a rebelay while descending
- Travel along a traverse line
- Transfer between two lines
