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Amata :verified_genderqueer:

Let's try to do a Countdown to Karstmas! Every day I will post one of my cave photography images. If you'd like to enjoy them along with me, follow me or at least follow #karstmas which I just made up and will be using.

To start off I'll share this photo of Sótano de las Golondrinas, often referred to as simply Golondrinas, which is a very deep pit in Aquismón (Mexico). The rappel is 1200 feet (365 m), straight down. No breaks, just one long rope. It was, at least at the time I did it, the deepest cave single pitch rappel in the world. I think it still holds that record - there are deeper, but not that can be done as a single rope, straight down, no rebelays or deviations.

This image of mine has been *widely* stolen and used, usually by travel companies. They are screenshot images of my work, with my watermark cropped out. You have probably seen this image if you were ever on Facebook, it makes the rounds almost annually on "best of" type pages. Despite it's popularity, I've barely made any money off of this, but others certainly have!

:boost_requested: (Boosts welcome!)

#cave #caves #caving #adventure #nature #travel #Karstmas #geology #rock #speleology

A lone figure stands dwarfed by a massive pit cave, light filtering in from a hole over a thousand feet above their head. The cave is very green with moss and other growth, boulders are the size of houses and cars. The rope we entered on is in this image, but way smaller than a pixel at this distance so it is invisible. In fact, you cannot even see the folk at the base of the rope as the room is that grand. The expanse of the great outdoors, contained underground.
2 Dec 2024 at 2:49 | Open on flipping.rocks
15 comments
Bud Talbot

@sunguramy that's so cool that you've been there and rappelled that pit! And what an amazing photograph. Thanks for sharing. This makes me miss my caving days

2 Dec 2024 at 2:56 | Open on m.ai6yr.org
Amata :verified_genderqueer:

@bud_t Thanks! It was incredible. We almost did not get permission to descend that day, as it was rainy and overcast. They will not allow anyone to enter if the swallows have not left (for conservation reasons, which is good!) and they often don't leave on rainy days. But the rain lifted and they started flying out so we got permission to rig and descend. About 2 hours later the rain started back up and we were told we had to get out! I was one the later folk to climb, and while one rope they started to return a bit more en mass. Nothing like hanging on a 11mm rope in free space, over 200 feet from the nearest wall, and having swallows flying around you, spiraling back inside. The sound of them swirling (not chirping, just flapping and air movement) was simultaneously cool and disconcerting!

@bud_t Thanks! It was incredible. We almost did not get permission to descend that day, as it was rainy and overcast. They will not allow anyone to enter if the swallows have not left (for conservation reasons, which is good!) and they often don't leave on rainy days. But the rain lifted and they started flying out so we got permission to rig and descend. About 2 hours later the rain started back up and we were told we had to get out! I was one the later folk to climb, and while one rope they started...

2 Dec 2024 at 3:09 | Open on flipping.rocks
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Hugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷
cobalt

@sunguramy Whoa what a story! First glance I was sure this was an AI image then reading your text I was amazed and delighted with the actual experience. NOT the wretched theft of your work, and repeatedly. I hope my peeps who like #Geology find this post of yours and follow you. I like your hashtag here.

2 Dec 2024 at 3:52 | Open on awscommunity.social
Amata :verified_genderqueer:

@cobalt Thanks! I appreciate it. The scale is amazing for sure, and i can see how it could be unbelievable this day in age. I hope “AI” doesn’t kill our wonder. I took this photo back in 2012!

2 Dec 2024 at 5:13 | Open on flipping.rocks
xs4me2
Philippe Poupou
Ben Thompson

@sunguramy fantastic.

I couldn't grasp the scale of the photo until reading the alt text. There are more people in the picture, just too small a scale to be visible?!! 🤯

2 Dec 2024 at 12:25 | Open on mastodon.scot
John Altringham

@sunguramy That's a big abseil - what descender/abseil device did you use to deal with the weight of the rope? And did you have to change device or the way you used it at some stage in the descent?

2 Dec 2024 at 12:47 | Open on mastodon.online
Amata :verified_genderqueer:

@JohnAltringham An 18” rappel rack. Rappel racks were made for long rope with the deep pits of TAG & Mexico in mind. This is an excellent question, and yes rope weight and device usage is very important! I will talk about it more when I make today’s post as the history of single rope technique is interesting, as is how various devices were developed. I live where most of it started, and have been caving long enough that Ive gotten to meet and speak with the inventors…so I have lots to say on this topic! Thanks for the post ideas :)

@JohnAltringham An 18” rappel rack. Rappel racks were made for long rope with the deep pits of TAG & Mexico in mind. This is an excellent question, and yes rope weight and device usage is very important! I will talk about it more when I make today’s post as the history of single rope technique is interesting, as is how various devices were developed. I live where most of it started, and have been caving long enough that Ive gotten to meet and speak with the inventors…so I have lots to say on this...

2 Dec 2024 at 15:59 | Open on flipping.rocks
John Altringham

@sunguramy I tried a rack, once, but never owned one - with abseils <100m the same Petzl descender worked for all. As with rock climbing, SRT had a parallel evolution here in Europe, with both similar and novel solutions.

2 Dec 2024 at 16:22 | Open on mastodon.online
mhoye

@sunguramy @JohnAltringham I've never done this sort of thing, so I'm very curious about the re-ascent, both from a process and experience perspective.

2 Dec 2024 at 16:58 | Open on mastodon.social
John Altringham

@mhoye @sunguramy Process - you have two toothed 'clamps' that slide up the rope freely but bite into woven sheath of rope when pulled down. One attaches to your chest, the other you control with your hand(s), with your foot/feet in a loop hanging from it. Push hand clamp up, stand up in loop, chest clamp slides up freely - take weight on chest clamp, slide hand up. Repeat, repeat, repeat...
Experience - If reasonably fit and have good technique, surprisingly easy and rapid. And you feel secure.

2 Dec 2024 at 17:20 | Open on mastodon.online
John Altringham

@mhoye @sunguramy ... You can stop and rest at any time but hanging in a harness can get uncomfortable after a time.
You can have a third clamp on the inside of one ankle so that feet can work independently. I found this fast and efficient.
The process is quickly mastered. Only tricky if you need to switch from ascent to descent (or vice versa) when free-hanging. Get it right - easy, a little wrong - tiring, very wrong - potentially fatal.

petzl.com/GB/en/Sport/Ascender

@mhoye @sunguramy ... You can stop and rest at any time but hanging in a harness can get uncomfortable after a time.
You can have a third clamp on the inside of one ankle so that feet can work independently. I found this fast and efficient.
The process is quickly mastered. Only tricky if you need to switch from ascent to descent (or vice versa) when free-hanging. Get it right - easy, a little wrong - tiring, very wrong - potentially fatal.

2 Dec 2024 at 17:33 | Open on mastodon.online
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