Format120 wrote:I've been an avid climber for more than half of my life,
You have my sympathy.
There are some key differences between climbing and caving:
- There isn't much point in fashion when going underground.
- There are no guidebooks.
- There are no difficulty ratings, and therefore no way to gauge how awesome you are in caving.
- There are no caving gyms for hitting on hot young women.
But then there are the similarities:
- The accomplishments you have can only be appreciated by another caver/climber.
- Beer is very nice afterwards (maybe that applies to just about everything).
- Good beta is hard to come by.
- Your "friends" are always trying to sandbag you.
The gear used for vertical caving is similar, but different than the gear used for climbing. Some gear will transfer including helmets, carabiners, slings. Most gear for descending and ascending in a cave is unique for a multitude of reasons. You can get by using climbing gear, but if you plan to get more serious then you'll naturally want to get the gear that is safer and more efficient.