Earlier this week, our seven-member instructor team returned to Budapest after spending almost two weeks in China delivering a cave rescue training course.
The Grimp Day is a rope rescue competition specifically designed for firefighters. Our connection to this field comes from many years of involvement in training Hungarian firefighters engaged in alpine rescue, and we also count several firefighter supporters among our members. It was at one of these international competitions that the idea emerged to expand our organizational connections beyond cavers from neighboring countries and to establish relations with China—its cavers, cave rescuers, and firefighters as well.
After a long coordination process, this spring we had the opportunity to host five Chinese cavers in Budapest during the basic training course for our newly admitted members of the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service (BMSz). Following our four-day course, we assured our Chinese friends that despite language barriers they would be welcome at any of our trainings, workshops and exercises.
In line with the unwritten rules of the global caving community, we were happy to share our knowledge and experience with them and—through their involvement—with the emerging and rapidly growing Chinese caving community.
They took us at our word… As a result of extensive correspondence and online discussions over the summer months, it became clear that above a certain number of participants it would be simpler, more practical, and above all more cost-effective to carry out the proposed knowledge transfer in China rather than in Hungary. Consequently, in December of this year an introductory-level cave rescue training course was organized in southwestern China, near the city of Guiding, in the Yanzi Doong Cave. The course was led by the Chinese cavers who had visited us in the spring, with instructional support from Hungarian cave rescuers, and was aimed at firefighters and cavers experienced in rope techniques.
participants. During the day we trained in the cave and on nearby rocks, while in the evenings we delivered theoretical lectures in the classroom of the local fire department. Throughout the practical sessions, we tested several types of stretchers, including a near-perfect Chinese copy of the Petzl stretcher, as well as several locally developed, Skedco-style designs. This comparison allowed us to clearly demonstrate why we had chosen Petzl stretchers decades ago, what advantages they offer for patient safety, and how versatile they are under cave rescue conditions.
We began by practicing stretcher transport on easy terrain, then identified obstacles where carrying the stretcher by hand was no longer efficient or safe. At these points, we taught hand-to-hand transfer techniques that allow the stretcher—and the patient—to move smoothly through difficult terrain while minimizing transport-related trauma.
Considerable time and effort were also devoted to presenting our medical knowledge, protocols, and practical techniques. As no medical doctors typically responds to cave rescue incidents in China, these life-saving procedures can be especially valuable — whether as a fellow caver on a trip or as the first cave rescuer to reach an injured person.
We also spent extensive time training on the walls so that our Chinese hosts — already skilled in SRT — could master the operation of more complex vertical and rope-rescue maneuvers. By the fifth day, participants were handling complex, multi-counterweight hauling systems with the same confidence as tensioned diagonal raises and tyrollean bridges.
We examined and tested several innovative, Chinese-developed devices that are commonly used in their SRT systems. However, due to differences in size, weight, and their significant divergence from our own established techniques, these tools did not fully win us over.
The training concluded with two major cave rescue scenarios. In the first, the Chinese teams were primarily guided by Hungarian instructors during stretcher transport and vertical maneuvers. We paused frequently to answer questions, clarify misunderstandings, and in some cases allow participants to test multiple possible solutions.
The final large-scale joint exercise involved evacuating one — and later, as the stretcher progressed very quickly, a second — casualty from the first level of the Yanzi Doong Cave. The route led through moderately difficult terrain, richly structured with drops and lakes, over a distance of approximately 1.5 kilometers from the entrance. The exercise was led by a Chinese firefighter, a former fire chief of Guiding City, while the instructors participated as regular team members and occasionally as casualties. During the informal evaluation, we concluded that our new Chinese firefighter friends could only perform this task even better if they also became regular cavers...
Although the time available was limited, we can state with a clear conscience that within five days we delivered everything we considered minimally necessary for getting started and that could realistically fit into the schedule. From this point on, local rescue teams can gain further rigging and coordination experience through their own training exercises, develop their skills and knowledge, and improve cooperation within and between teams.
There is indeed a growing need for the development of such cave rescue capabilities, as cave-related activities in China have increased dramatically over the past decade. No one could say with certainty how many Chinese cavers there are—our hosts cautiously estimated the number to be around 10,000. Nor could they estimate how many adventure tourists visit undeveloped caves, rock faces, and via ferratas each year. Impressive registry figures were mentioned: in Guizhou Province alone, more than 40,000 larger caves are recorded, including some deeper than 700 meters or longer than 400 kilometers. Dedicated state institutions are responsible for the exploration and utilization of karst areas and for integrating them into the rapidly developing domestic tourism sector. Numerous national and international exploration expeditions are also active in the country in the hope of discovering major caves. Wherever large numbers of unregulated trips and explorations take place, the need for cave rescue teams will inevitably arise.
We hope that our ten-day stay in China, along with the significant preparatory effort invested in the training, has contributed to enabling our Chinese caving friends to explore and research their caves more safely. We also trust that our visit helped strengthen the ties between the caving communities of the two countries. As a result, if Hungarian teams wish to go caving in China in the future, they may find local contacts more easily and obtain opportunities and permits from the otherwise strict and bureaucratic Chinese authorities by following in our wake.
We extend our sincere thanks to our Chinese hosts, who welcomed us throughout the course — and during the several days of sightseeing that followed — with a level of hospitality far exceeding anything we had previously experienced, often reaching truly disarming levels, and who continued to take exceptional care of us throughout our stay. We hope we did not test their patience too severely, and that they will remember this joint project as fondly as they have found a place in each of our hearts.
We hope to share more about our Chinese adventures soon, either in the form of a professional lecture or through a photo and video presentation at an upcoming caving event.
Photos: Márton Kovács, ZhaoFei
贵州乔木探游文化传播有限公司 洞穴救援 塔状喀斯特