5/5 caches

[Seifer]

As i am thinking up my new cache i am wondering what criteria a 5/5 should have, so i post 3 questions:

 

1: Are there any 5/5s in the UK apart from wildcat?

 

2: What would you expect from a 5/5 eg, time, equipment

 

3: Would you bother to do another? 5/5 if it came up?

 

Thanx

 

Broken arm dude!

 

Michael aka 1/2 of Team Blitz

 

Wqablz-xqxw tdqml kwfwm twjowcl di klelqklqok ejw hepw gt dm lbw ktdl!

 

26 27.75 34.2(recuring) 41.09275 480.048 55.027777777(carrys on!) 62.01749271

[+Slytherin]

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=29207

 

This bugger has been top of our "nearest and not done" list for a long time. While it is a difficult climb which warrants a 5 for terrain, I would dispute that it is a 5 for difficulty. I would have thought that once you had done the climb, the box is fairly easy to find, so should maybe be a 2/5.

 

Having so said - I would think in terrain it is much more difficult to do than Wildcat. I would have no problem with Wildcat but for First HS I don't think there will ever be a time that I could even attempt it. It's for experienced rock climbers only. A deserved 5 for Terrain.

 

This is where the cache rating system falls down. I've done a Terrain 5 in Florida and all that was needed was to use a boat to get to an island. As it happens it was not that difficult and the terrain was MUCH less demanding than some of the 3/3 or 2/2 caches that I've done. To classify a cache a 5/5 just because you need to hire something isn't exactly a good indication of how hard it is to get to the cache.

 

My opinion is that this kind of thing should be covered in the Difficulty rating and not the Terrain.

 

Alex

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The ship hung in the air in exactly the same way that a brick doesn't.

[+dylanhayes]

I'm actually planning a cache as a 5/5, and did some thinking about what would make it a five out of five cache. Without wishing to promote a particular cache even if it has yet to be placed, I think the one I'm planning would deserve this rating as it will involve a long drive to a remote area, followed by a long and hard mountain walk which in winter would require specialist equipment and an overnight stay in the location or failing that access to a boat or helicopter. To me that would merit 5/5 where as simply placing it on a fairly easy rock climb makes it hard to people without rock climbing skills but not hard for everyone. If you look at some of the first geocaches in the US which require several days of walking you can see just how hard some caches can be. Here for the most part most caches seldom involve venturing more than a few hours from the car park!

 

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Don't mention the mushrooms

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[+Nia]

Having just completed "wildcat" I have to say it is the hardest and best/most fun cache we have done so far.

 

As for it being a 5/5 i'm not sure the terrain is a 5, i'm sure that Dave and Vicky only gave it a 5 because you have to hire some equipment. Apart from the equipment it would only be 2 or 3 for terrain.

 

Most caches in the UK are usually no higher than 3/3 so it is hard to say if if needs a 5 for difficulty, but it is the hardest out of the 75ish we have done.

 

As for more hard caches. YES PLEASE.

 

Wildcat took, over 3 hours preparation and all the next day to complete and was time well spent.

(2 hour drive each way)

 

Tech-no notice

[+Teasel]

quote:

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Originally posted by Team Blitz (Michael):

1: Are there any 5/5s in the UK apart from wildcat?

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Looks like the UK cache stats pages won't last the week , but FWIW...

here's a list of the hardest UK caches. As you'll see, there are currently three 5/5 caches.

 

An easily found cache stuck halfway down an easy abseil shouldn't really warrant a difficulty of 5. IMHO, it shouldn't warrant terrain 5 either, but in the absence of a 'specialist equipment needed' flag, I guess it'll have to do!

 

Now a non-virtual multicache taking in Tryfan, Crib Goch, etc now that would deserve both 5s!