Russia And The Ukrainian Region Spelunking Can Be Radical.
There are people who are beginning spelunkers and gain experience over time, and then there are those that have been engaging in Spelunking all off their adult lives. For them it is as much a passion as a sport.
A year ago, there was a group of cavers in Europe who helped define the sport, setting some new records and helping identify Spelunking as one of the new exciting extreme sports. They stretched the limits of endurance and skill, and when it was over 11, Ukrainian and Russian Spelunkers pulled themselves out of the Krubera Cave.
Spelunking is also called Caving, and it is one of the sports typically associated with outdoor and wilderness pursuits. Only the hearty get involved in Caving because it is a sport that has many physical challenges.
Depending on the region, and the caves being visited it can be an extreme sport, or one that is more tame. It utilizes ropes, and includes climbing, repelling and crawling, but it is a sport that is very rewarding for most people. It challenges the mind and the body, allowing people to attempt different physical challenges that are found in caves that many would avoid due to their difficulty.
The group in the Republic of Georgia were a hearty and radical bunch. They has began twelve days earlier on the Arabika Massif mountains and entered into a dry and cold mountain cave. They ventured deep into the Earth, and went to depths and levels far below what normal people would ever access or reach. It is for these such hearty individuals that caving
This elite group is part of the society of cavers known as the Cavex Cave Exploration Society and Ukrainian Speleological Association. Known as UKSA or Cavex, it is a team of 30 odd people that are determined to push the limits of caving and of spelunking to new defined depths.
Their leader is a man named Alexander Kimchoulk who is largely regarded worldwide as the most experienced and highest skilled spelunking caver alive. The group hopes at some point to be able to break what is seen as the equivalent in caving of the 4 minute mile mark in running- going deeper than a 2,000 meters in a cave on a expedition.
Spelunking is not for everyone, It is often dark, damp and cramped, with extremes of temperature from hot to cold, and hard physical requirements on nearly any spelunking adventure you will attain. But for the Caver or true Spelunker, it can be where the thrills are found.
Not many doubt that Cavex will reach their goal of going 2,000 meters deep. They have been to
1,700 meters now on their Krubera Cave Journey, and the effort to reach a mile and a quarter beneath the earth, or 2,000 meters in depth, will be one that will merely take the right set of circumstances and the right journey.
These are the true radical edge Spelunkers, who are talented, driven and work hard to go deeper and deeper pushing themselves and their equipment to the limit.
