KEYHOLE

[Bclark29]

We've all done this easy canyon but I thought I'd share with you how it was when it was 110 degrees outside. I did Keyhole with my wife on June 28. Holy hell it was hot. ZAC recommended wetsuits, so did the permits office. DO NOT listen to them. You DO NOT need a wetsuit when it's that damn hot out. I wore my 4/3 and my wife rented a farmers 4/3. I never fully put on my wetsuit, I had it up to my waist and I was way too hot. The canyon was fairly dry, we only got in waist deep water 3 times. The water is cold but you are in and out of it so quick that a wetsuit is not needed, PLUS its over 100 degrees outside.. There was a group in front of me, a dad teaching his two kids (ages 9-11) the canyoneering roots, and they were just fine getting in and out of the water.

Enjoy

[canyonguru]

you don't need wetsuits with keyhole unless it is tippy top full. Same with Pine Creek.

[Canyonater]

Agree, there was barely any water, I went the day after you. Water stunk like hell though....not even cold at all....

[canyonguru]

Did ZAC know you were doing Keyhole. If they did they should have told you a westsuit was not needed.

[Bclark29]

Yep, ZAC said wetsuit. Those bastards.

[Bclark29]

Agree, there was barely any water, I went the day after you. Water stunk like hell though....not even cold at all....

Hell yeah that water stunk. One pool was completely black.

[Pubalz]

They will be clean and full in about a month or so :mrgreen:

[Erik B]

We had some fun in there last week....definitely without wetsuits.

http://canyoncollective.com/threads/and-the-winner-is.18578/

[Bclark29]

We had some fun in there last week....definitely without wetsuits.

http://canyoncollective.com/threads/and-the-winner-is.18578/


Yeah, I remember you guys, I was in there with my wife, and there was another group in front of us (one adult and two kids).

[JBartlett]

I did Keyhole with my wife on June 28. Holy hell it was hot. ZAC recommended wetsuits, so did the permits office. DO NOT listen to them. You DO NOT need a wetsuit when it's that damn hot out.

Whether or not to wetsuit up for Keyhole has a lot more to do with water levels than it does with ambient temperatures. Often, several (or all) of the plunge pools and the entire "slanted corridor" are swims. This week, there were literally no swims in Keyhole and I don't recall getting wet deeper than the belly button. 110 or not, cold ass water is cold ass water and you'd likely be glad to have a wetsuit if the pools were full; depending, of course, on the size and speed of your group and those you're inevitably stuck behind.

The real issue here is that it hasn't rained in Zion in weeks, the snowmelt ended early and there's literally nothing filling up the potholes. When we talked to the backcountry permit desk, the girl told us she'd done Keyhole 2 weeks ago and there were several swims; that means the water levels in there have dropped nearly three feet in two weeks.

YMMV. Opinions vary widely on which canyons require wetsuits and which kind of wetsuit is appropriate. Knowing whether or not you're warm-natured or cold-natured compared to the community at large, and making sensible adjustments to the beta in accordance with that knowledge, is often the best route.

[Bclark29]

Well, this is my trip report saying that the water is so low and its so damn hot out that you DO NOT need a wetsuit. Stuck behind a group or not, you'll live because the water is only waist deep. There were 2 little skinny ass kids ahead of me and they weren't cold at all.

[Slipknot]

The winner is: Josh C with a respectable time of 13mins 27 seconds.
Second Place and undeniably the best dressed: Erik B. @ 15mins 6 seconds.
Favorite quote heard while racing down in the slot: “Here comes another racer!!! GO GO GO!!”

According to a very reliable source, the true record in Keyhole is 7 MINUTES!!!! At first this seems completely unrealistic; however, after having raced it I think under the following circumstances it is indeed attainable.

13:27 is a pretty awesome time......major props. 7 minutes car to car seems ridiculously fast. Now I feel compelled to give it a RUN when I'm there in a few weeks.

[Erik B]

13:27 is a pretty awesome time......major props. 7 minutes car to car seems ridiculously fast. Now I feel compelled to give it a RUN when I'm there in a few weeks.


DO IT!!! Make sure to post your time! :)

[hank moon]

An employee of ZAC, the park, etc. will probably always recommend a wetsuit for Keyhole, unless that employee personally knows you as a canyoneering partner. As would I, if I did not know you or your abilities.

Sure, there are times when the air temp is high and the water levels are so low, that "you" can hang around for a little while in Keyhole w/o a wetsuit. But "you" is subjective, so it's unwise to advise, broadband, "you don't need a wetsuit in Keyhole right now".

Generally speaking, a wetsuit is a good idea in Keyhole. (a broadband announcement) :)

[Marie]

Everyone is different.

When I picked up my permit in the beginning of Sep the ranger was pretty adamant that I would need a wetsuit for Keyhole. It was at least 100 degrees and the canyon was completely full. I wore a full 4/3 and felt like I was going to die, thankfully the canyon isn't very long, I don't do well in the heat. I was absolutely miserable. I personally could have hung out in there for hours in the water without a wetsuit that day.

We did Pine Creek afterwards, which was also completely full, with no wetsuits and had a much better time. I was a little surprised to come up on a group in dry suits. We both thought the other was a little crazy...

[Iceaxe]

FWIW- when a slot is completely full of water it is usually warmer then after the water begins to evaporate. The water heats up as it flows over the hot sandstone before filling the slot. The slots themselves are fairly decent insulaters. The evaporation in a cool dark place causes the water temperature to really drop after a couple of weeks and the isolation then works in the other direction.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[Bclark29]

FWIW- when a slot is completely full of water it is usually warmer then after the water begins to evaporate. The water heats up as it flows over the hot sandstone before filling the slot. The slots themselves are fairly decent insulaters. The evaporation in a cool dark place causes the water temperature to really drop after a couple of weeks and the isolation then works in the other direction.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

That's interesting. I never thought about that.

[Brit Beermonster]

Did Keyhole a few days ago and needed wetsuits, water was v cold and swim required. We weren't quick, it was my son's first canyon. Perhaps if we'd been quicker we wouldn't have bumped into Borat!