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<title>CUCC Expedition Handbook: Expo Leaders' Guide</title>
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<h2 id="tophead">CUCC Expedition Handbook</h2>
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<h1>Expedition Leadership</h1>
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<p>This is far from a complete checklist, as no recent leaders have
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stepped forward to write the guide. However, it is a series of notes
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outlining some expo jobs and giving a vague timetable. It will be
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as useful if someone says "this is complete tosh" and writes a better one,
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as if it actually provides some help!</p>
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<h3>Expo Committee</h3>
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<p>In order to make sure that various necessary jobs get done, it is
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always best to assign tasks to specific people, since otherwise everyone
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thinks that someone else will be doing it. Define responsibilities early!</p>
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<dl>
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<dt>Leader</dt>
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<dd>Overall coordinator and motivator.</dd>
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<dt>Treasurer</dt>
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<dd>Collects deposits to fund gear-buying. Keep track of accounts and
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sends out expo bills in the autumn. Provides expo tallies book.</dd>
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<dt>Sponsorship</dt>
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<dd>If you are going to pursue sponsorship, start early (you will be
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competing with many similar groups and most potential sponsors will
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be more impressed by an air of efficient organisation than one of last
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minute desperation).</dd>
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<dt>Equipment</dt>
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<dd>This covers more than just rope and hangers. Will need to liaise
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closely with sponsorship officer and club Tackle Master.</dd>
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<dt>Transport</dt>
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<dd>The logistics of getting 20 or so cavers and half a tonne of miscellaneous
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gear out to Austria, on a shoestring budget with a limited number of cars, are
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daunting. Whoever does this probably ought to be a driver themselves, so they
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know what's involved.</dd>
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<dt>Project officers</dt>
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<dd>If there is a special project which has its own special needs (radios,
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aerial photos or whatever), it may be best to have one person specifically
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responsible.</dd>
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<dt>Consultants</dt>
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<dd>Previous expo members can help a great deal, even if they are not going.
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Don't be afraid to ask questions, solicit suggestions, or ask for help with
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equipment or training. Keeping older members involved will also make it
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more likely that they will return to expo in the future. This is particularly
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useful in view of the amount of information which is still not written down
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adequately, like where to find cave XYZ etc.</dd>
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</dl>
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<h3>Vital jobs</h3>
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<p>Every expedition depends on the work of previous expos. The first priority
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is to make sure that all the work of last year's expo is finished. This means
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trips written up in logbook, survey data into the survey book, question mark
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lists made up (both new questions marks added and ones dealt with removed to
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the "done" list). Each piece of survey drawing and each missing passage
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description or rigging guide should be assigned to a specific person so you
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know whom to hassle. This should be the job of last year's expo committee, of
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course (especially as this work needs to be started well before the next expo
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starts to become organised), but the current year's leadership needs to check
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that everything has been done as soon as they start organising.</p>
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<h4><a name="lastyear">Have we finished?</a></h4>
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<ul>
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<li>All survey data from field notes to survey book</li>
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<li>Survey book photocopied for security - copies to librarian and webmaster.</li>
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<li>Logbook typed in.</li>
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<li>Passage descriptions written</li>
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<li>Question mark lists compiled</li>
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<li>Full surveys drawn up</li>
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<li>List of Equipment left in Austria up to date</li>
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<li>If sponsors asked for reports on their products or photos of them in
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use: get them done promptly, before the main report</li>
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<li>Report written for Sponsors</li>
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<li>Report written for Descent/Speleology (basically same report
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but a rather different emphasis)</li>
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<li>Filled in forms for new cave numbers given (or sent) to Robert TWC.</li>
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</ul>
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<h4>Preparing for the next expo</h4>
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<ul>
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<li>Get some people interested ! Don't intimidate your novices by making
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them think that expo is compulsory and hard, but do hold it up as one of
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the main aims of the club and well worth getting competent for. A few expo
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pictures in any squash presentation are always worth while.</li>
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<li>Start motivating your core of experienced cavers by New Year - you
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will need to start assigning jobs to people by then, and an idea of the
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size of the expedition is essential when looking for sponsorship or applying
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for grants.</li>
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<li>Establish some goals. Last year's members will know whether there are
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major projects to do or lots of smaller ones, or just prospecting. Knowing
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the main goals establishes the style of the expedition. Its no use hoping
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to tackle promising leads far from an entrance with a small expo of
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relative novices, nor can you keep a large crew of hard cavers happy with
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B-leads near the entrance. The potential personnel help to define the goals
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and vice-versa.</li>
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<li>A budget ! If you have some goals, you can estimate what gear is needed,
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and therefore how much you will need to buy it. Having clear accounts from
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previous expo treasurers will help.</li>
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<li>Get an idea of numbers - get a deposit off people to provide a float.
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First deposit should be refundable on cancellation so you can get some
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finance without forcing people to commit. You are looking for the experienced
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cavers at this stage, but you should be able to make a guess at how many
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new expo-goers you will get from the general state of the club.</li>
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</ul>
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<h4>Once you have an idea of the size and style of expo</h4>
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<ul>
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<li>Get grant applications in early - keep copies of all correspondence so
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that you know what has actually been applied for!
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<ul>
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<li>Ghar Parau / Sports Council: the main grant to expo as a whole</li>
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<li>College travel grants: motivate individuals to apply, make sure deadlines
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aren't missed</li>
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<li>Alex Pitcher Award: any motivated new expo-goer can apply for this award
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(admin by Ghar Parau committee). Usually a job for whichever of this year's
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novices seems the keenest: if this individual then does not actually go, we
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have to return the money (obviously), and our chances of getting it in future
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years decrease sharply.</li>
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<li>Other grants, bursaries, awards etc.: always keep a look-out for new
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sources of cash - perhaps for some unique piece of gear that this year's
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expo will need, or maybe some existing scheme has a different emphasis
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this year and caving might qualify.</li>
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</ul></li>
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<li>Start pursuing sponsorship. The first step is to work out what equipment
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and supplies the expedition needs. It is always best to approach a sponsor for
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some specific item rather than a generic plea for help. If you can convince
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them that you think their particular piece of gear or food is the best the expo
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could get, all the better.</li>
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<li>Other equipment: make sure you know what gear we have, and what we need.
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Some stuff will have been left in Austria, and there should be a list. Some
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stuff will have been binned (rope, especially) and will need replacing.
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New members will probably need new personal gear for expo (tents, for
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example). Get contract price lists for people like Field and Trek or
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Cotswold. Bigger orders tend to get bigger discounts, so coordination helps
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everyone save money.</li>
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<li>Survey gear may need servicing. Books, pencils etc. need replacing.
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Remember to buy envelopes for saving loose sheets of field notes.</li>
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</ul>
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<h4>Getting people committed</h4>
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<p>By Easter you should have broken the back of the administration, but
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you will still be surrounded by people who haven't decided / haven't paid.
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Organising transport is one of the biggest nightmares and the sooner you
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know who is going and when, the easier this gets. Getting a second (non-
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refundable) deposit off people helps to tie them down.</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Names, dates, deposits, commitments. Names for expo caving insurance.</li>
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<li>Find the best ferry/tunnel deals. This may mean booking in advance,
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so where possible do so.</li>
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<li>Tell the Austrians when we are coming. Make sure we have permission
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for top camp. Have any serious political developments occurred since last
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year?</li>
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<li>Tell Hilde and Karin when we are coming.</li>
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<li>Make sure people are competent. This is mainly for new people, as those who
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have been before will know what to expect. SRT training sessions (or some good
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serious trips), surveying practice on the surface or underground in the UK.</li>
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<li>Motivate people to read the website so that they know what is being
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talked about and might form their own ideas of which projects will interest
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them most.</li>
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<li>A pre-expo Yorkshire meet (and summer dinner) with exCS so your novices
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have met the old lags before expo.</li>
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</ul>
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<h4>Last minute</h4>
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<p>There should be nothing left to the last minute (ho ho !).
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But unless you are an amazing organiser with unbelievably cooperative
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expo members of exceptional competence and self-reliance, there will be
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a panic for the last couple of weeks at least.</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Passports ! Yes, people do forget them. You need them to get out of
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the UK, after which they are (mostly) superfluous.</li>
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<li>Expo computer - up to date with all the documentation and survey data.</li>
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<li>Expo handbook - printed versions of the various how-to-do-it guides
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and the list of known and missing entrances. A list of projects with an
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idea of the work involved in each might also be useful (based on the expo
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goals file and various QM lists).</li>
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<li>Next of Kin ("the death-list"), contact numbers for parents or whatever.
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Usually resides in the:</li>
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<li>Bier book, which should be properly produced and bound; if it falls to bits
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and has to be reconstructed from the sweepings of the potato hut floor, the
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expo treasurer's job will be almost completely impossible.</li>
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<li>Remember to book good weather for the full five weeks - this gets
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forgotten nearly every year :-)</li>
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</ul>
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<h4>On Expo</h4>
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<p>Have fun, don't push so hard that it gets dangerous, the caves will still
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be there next year.</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Call-out book - make sure everyone uses it, and notes actual TU after
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trip (zero if trip failed to happen).</li>
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<li>Log Book - get people to write trips up as soon as possible. If passage
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names are decided later, go back and write them in, as it makes the log a
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lot more usable. Standards of logbook writing have been a little poor lately;
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there are certain repeat offenders who should be strongly encouraged to write
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stuff in.</li>
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<li>Survey calibration - make sure people do it, or at least record which
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instruments they used.</li>
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<li>Survey book - as soon as surveyors are at base camp, get this written
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up - don't let anyone go home without writing up their survey!!!</li>
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<li>Photos - make sure some are taken, preferably underground in new finds.
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If sponsors asked for photos, take <b>relevant</b> ones, eg. photos of their
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products <b>in use</b>. Don't be stingy with film on this - two or three
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photos of all the sponsorship stuff together is <b>not</b> adequate.</li>
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</ul>
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<h4>Before going home</h4>
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<ul>
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<li>DERIG !! - sorry folks, but this is essential :-)</li>
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<li>OK, some fixed ropes may be left in. Make sure you know what has been
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left (when left, age; length; diameter and type of rope, what is it
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belayed to). This info needs to be used to update the
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<a href="../fixaid.htm">Fixed Aids</a> list. Remember to record any fixed
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aids which were derigged, too!</li>
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<li>New Caves or old ones documented - fill in forms and give to Robert
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(or leave at Staud'nwirt for him - don't bring them home!) to get kataster
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number. Keep copies to bring back to UK.</li>
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</ul>
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<h4>Back in the UK</h4>
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<p>It's easy to relax when you get home, and then meet up at the BCRA
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conference in a state of panic because there are no slides, no-one to do
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the talk, no surveys etc. Timescales are short and expo members are dotted
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around the country. Not everyone will come to BCRA. But the quality of the
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talk affects the size of next year's expo grant since the people who
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administer the cash will all be there and good impressions do count.</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Photos - make sure they are developed promptly and that whoever is
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doing the BCRA talk gets them <b>in advance</b>.</li>
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<li>BCRA talk - ensure person who is doing it is briefed about things that
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went on when he/she wasn't present on expo.</li>
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<li>Surveys - should have been processed in Austria. Get surveys of
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significant new finds drawn up. Go through the survey books and produce
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a Question Mark list while things are still fresh in memory (unlike 1998
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expo).</li>
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<li>Sponsors - keep sponsors interested if you want stuff next year.
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Send a preliminary report and any photos of their products (especially if
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they specifically asked for any). Make sure the webmaster has a list of
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sponsors so the relevant web page is up to date (unlike 1998 expo).</li>
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<li>Archive everything with CUCC Librarian and Webmasters. Latter, in
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particular, want copies of all files changed or added on expo machine,
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copies of Log Book, Call-out Book, TU tally from the beer book, KH and not-KH
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survey books (preferably after QM numbers written in but before BCRA),
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Top Camp log book (if there was one) and any cave description forms given to
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the Austrian Cavers to get new kataster numbers.</li>
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<li>Update this page with ideas/suggestions of what was missing ;-)</li>
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<li>Go back to <a href="#lastyear">"Have we finished ?"</a> and start again
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....</li>
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</ul>
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<hr />
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<ul id="links">
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<li><a href="index.htm">Expedition Handbook</a>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="survey/index.htm">Surveying guide</a> – Overview</li>
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<li><a href="look4.htm">Prospecting guide</a> – Overview</li>
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<li><a href="rescue.htm">Rescue guide</a></li>
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<li><a href="rigit.htm">Rigging guide</a></li>
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<li><a href="photo.htm">Photography guide</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="../infodx.htm">Index to info/topics pages</a></li>
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<li><a href="../indxal.htm">Full Index to area 1623</a>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="../areas.htm">Area/subarea descriptions</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="../index.htm">Back to Expedition Intro page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to CUCC Home page</a></li>
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</ul>
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