Will Caving Expeditions Start Back Up After COVID Hiatus?

After expeditions fell foul of the COVID pandemic throughout 2020, cavers worldwide have been wondering when they will start back up. UKCaving has been rife with activity as hundreds of armchair cavers start to ruminate on what might be. Their excitement may be too early for some, however, as many are still reeling from the expeditions already lost.

Al Snott, one caver who suffered harshly under the COVID conservative regime, expressed hesitation and suspects the restrictions and harsh laws may return:

"I'm not sure I want to go on expedition for a while yet", said Snott. "Some British guys in Vietnam got quarantined earlier this year, and I heard they used cattle prods and everything! I'm not leaving my Peak District dig until this all blows over".

Snott isn't the only one. We at Dankness Below have heard numerous reports of cavers hiding in their digs throughout the pandemic, scared that it might go without them in there. Many are yet to return to the surface - and strange smells coming from various moorland holes have already started to concern locals in the Dales.

Some expedition leaders have remained positive. Randy Cloud has recently taken over the notoriously noncey Dachstein expedition and hopes to see it move away from its past fouls. With interest dwindling even before the global pandemic, he will have his work cut out if he wants to see numbers increase again.

"I really think if we just improve the food a bit it will do wonders", he said. "We've been eating TVP for decades and all it has achieved is extreme weight loss - and whilst this is good for fitting through our shite caves, it's not good for morale", Cloud continued.

We at Dankness Below have our fingers crossed for Randy, and indeed all expedition leaders, as they try to reassert subterranean colonialism once more.