Friday, April 27, 2012

Welcome to the International Female Caving School 2012!



Following the tradition established in France in 2010, at the first International female cavers meeting "SpéléO - Féminin",and the subsequent "International female caving school" in Romania in 2011, the national speleological organizations of France, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia invite you to the third caving girls meeting, taking place in Serbia, September 2nd to 9th, 2012!

Do not be distracted by the name of the event – although it says “féminin” it does not at all mean that we are feminists! It is simply the French word for “female”. It means that girls do have some kind of priority, but the boys are welcome as well!

Our primary aim is to get to know each other and enjoy caving in a good company, but additionally we decided to keep the good idea of the last year meeting in Romania and organize the meeting as a caving school


Two levels of the school will be available:
  •  Beginners level: equivalent to the Stage decouverte of the French caving school (EFS) and the Romanian caving school (SRS) level TSA 1, which provide the ability to progress autonomously in a vertical cave;
  • Advanced level: equivalent to the Stage perf of the EFS and the Romanian level TSA 2, which provide the ability to lead a team in a vertical cave.


Teaching will be done by experienced cavers who obtained a formal degree in caving education either by the French caving school (EFS), the Romanian caving school (SRS), or the Slovenian caving school.

The School will be held under the auspices of the:
Department of Education and Teaching of the International Union of Speleology (UIS)


When:
  • September 2nd to 9th 2012
Where:
  • Lelić karst, south-west of the town of Valjevo in western Serbia.
Teaching will be done in 5 vertical caves in the area (up to 183 m deep), as well as on the surface limestone rock face Šareno Platno, in the canyon of the Gradac River.

Accommodation:
  • Rastilo mountain hut, village of Donje Leskovice, 25 km from the town of Valjevo in western Serbia.
  • Coordinates of Rastilo: 44º 9.456’ N, 19º 49.121’ E (UTM: 34T 405550, 4890070)
Two accommodation options are possible: 
  • lodging in rooms (limited capacity, sleeping bags needed)
  • camping (sleeping in tents)
Inscription fee: 
  • 130 Euros 
Covers the following: tuition, usage of collective caving equipment, food (breakfast, food for caving, dinner), local daily transport to caves, camping fee, usage of toilets/shower, T-shirt.
  • 140 Euros  - For the option of accommodation in rooms of the mountain hut

Access:
  • By car:
a) from Belgrade to Lajkovac (E763) then to Valjevo (road 4), Lelić and Donje Leskovice (road 213)
b) from the direction of Croatia: road E-70, exit to Šabac, then to Valjevo (road 21), Lelić and Donje Leskovice (road 213)
  • By train: to Belgrade and further to Valjevo and Donje Leskovice (direction: Bar, Montenegro), then by car

Official languages: English, French, and the combination of South-Slavic languages
 
Participation conditions:
  • filling the Registration form and sending it to the following address: speleofeminin3@gmail.com , by August 15, 2012
  • medical certificate that states “Able to practice speleology”
  • accident insurance valid during the duration of the school
  • minimum age: 14 years (participants under the age of 18 need a written consent from parents, certified by a public notary)
  • individual caving equipment, according to the safety standards CE/UIAA

Female cavers have the priority in registration, but the school is open to men as well.
Participation at the Advanced level course is conditioned by passing a theoretical and practical exam which covers the techniques studied at the Beginners level.
After receiving your Registration form, we will send you the instructions for payment of the inscription fee.

Feel free to ask for any additional information, either by e-mail speleofeminin3@gmail.com, or by commenting to this post.




Local contacts:

Organizers:
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