Cover: Carol Vesely in Santa Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Photograph by Ron Simmons

Features

Images from the Past
Once again, Descent readers have come forward to help solve a mystery and to offer their reminiscences.

The Pot of the Crocks
‘Like all clubs, we actively encourage a certain type of undernourished individual seemingly bred to enter crevices no wider than a family bible.’ Genetics paid off for Masson CG with a significant Peak District breakthrough.

Caving and the Media: The Unveiling
The media – be it radio, television or newspapers – has long misunderstood caving and mine exploration as a sport: what can be done to change attitudes, and would we want to do so? Descent 155 presented an introduction to the subject; in this issue, the debate continues.

The Health Farm on Newby Moss
Dales exploration was taken one step further when three cavers formed the nucleus of the Newby Moss Health Farm, dedicated to the discovery of passages unknown. Long Kin West beckoned them ever onward ...

Vale: Harold ‘Budge’ Burgess
Jack Myers offers a tribute to his friend and northern caver, ‘Budge’ Burgess.

A Piece of Unparalleled Daring
How many of today’s cavers were influenced by the derring-do exploits of Norbert Casteret? His books offered real-life thrills in a world of adventure fiction, the first of which is one of the most famous ever written: Ten Years Under the Earth. Yet how far does Casteret’s fame rest upon his exploration of Montespan ... and how real was his description of daring to dive, lightless and alone, an unpushed sump?

A Cornish Coming of Age
Now 21 years old, the National Association of Mining History Organisations held its latest meeting in Cornwall this year. It proved to be a stunning event, with underground visits, surface walks, explosive demonstrations ... and even free cream teas!

Gear Review: The Petzl Mini Traxion
A versatile jammer and hauling device undergoes a full review.

Descent