Tom wrapped up Bakefest with the option to descend the lower section of Hidden Canyon, with a grand finale “Holy Sh@t! Rap.”
450 feet, 250 free hanging, single strand, 9mm rope. Yeah, that sounds big. And tempting. Seeing as I’ve never rapped anything bigger than 150 feet, I figured I had to get in on this.
It was designed to be a nice skills day for us newbies to learn how to rig easily configurable and changeable systems for rappeling the big stuff. We spent a couple hours on the first five rappels trying to load our devices with 50 pounds of weight below us, and then adjusting to higher and lower frictions using ascenders, tiblocs, multiple rap devices, etc…
Alex working out his system with an ascender and foot loops.
The rest of the crew, Bruce from Bryce, Jim from Tampa, and Greg from SLC.
Alex working on the ascender again, this time with 50 pounds of rope below weighting the system. Tom below.
Jim muscling through the weight of the rope.
Ah yes, that’s better. Alex wrapping down with the weight removed.
Jim again trying to adjust the friction with full rope weight below.
Bruce from Bryce, doing his best string puppet impersonation.
The Emperor, rapping to the last station before the Holy Sh@t rappel, 600 feet of rope in tow.
Alex rapping down to the last station.
Jim would be the first one down. That is a fake smile. He is not happy.
Tom enjoying the view.
Jim, on his way down.
Greg, about 200 feet down the rappel.
Greg again, a little farther down.
The full length. Tom is up top, bruce about 100 feet from the ground (covered behind the trees.) That’s some big air.
I wasn’t around to see this, as I had ran off to hook back up with the Ram Clan, so perhaps I will get Tom to explain what happened, as he was the last one down. Apparently, the rope took a core shot that got worse with every one who passed over it. I went second, and didn’t notice it. Alex was third, and he barely noticed it. Bruce was fourth, and he figured there was something wrong with the rope, but it didn’t get communicated to Tom. Tom didn’t see it until it passed his device and was at eye level. Now you know why it is called the Holy Shot Rap, because that core shot ended up being two inches long.
The core shot after it passed through Tom’s device.
Thanks for sharing the event with you great pictures!
Ahhhhh snap dude. I don’t even need a rope cause what you don’t know is that spidey taught me everything he knows. I’ll downclimb that before you and by the time you’re down have a nice dutch oven dinner prepared. No really though sweet rappel i’d love to try it
That had to be the biggest group fuck up in the history of canyoneering. As Tom was descending we discussed what we had seen and thought that someone else was going to call Tom on the radio (wasn’t that one of the reasons that we had them – for communications) But no one did and we were fortunate that nothing further happened to that rope.
When Tom hit the ground he was quite calm on the outside but I am sure he was seething inside. When we gave our version of what transpired he tried to pass of the blame to himself saying that he never should have used that rope.(I am not sure if he had inspected it prior to bagging it).
Since this event and up to the last time I was canyoneering I have never hesitated to stop someone from doing something unsafe, asked people if they were properly connected to the proper side of a biner block and offered a suggestion which just may have prevented a serious accident in a canyon in Las Vegas.
To this day when I see that core shot shivers run up and down my spine. I can only imagine was Tom feels. Sorry Tom!!