Zero Gravity

[Slot Machine]

Stephanie and I checked out Zero G on May 5th, 2012. The conditions were great! The water was low but very clean. The section with the keeper pothole was short, but really nice. It's a great way to spend 3 hours if you are in the area.









The section with the bomb bay was much tougher than it appeared from above. I chose to go high and rig a rappel. Standing on top of the chokestone above the bomb bay, the descent looks really simple. It proved to be an optical illusion. I dropped down on the far side of the chokestone, maybe two or three feet away. As I slid down, the walls pinned my chest until I was suck. I didn't have the foresight to rig an extended rappel device, so one horns of my Piranha was pinned between my chest and the wall, stabbing me in the Solar Plexus (Ouch, *&^%, ouch). My feet and calves were hanging free in the bomb bay; I was making the Zero G signature move. The stabbing pain in my chest motivated me to slide sideways about 2 feet where the canyon widened about a half-inch. I was then free to drop into the bomb bay.



Stephanie is much skinnier than me. She went under the chokestone and used the rappel rope as a hand line. When the lower half of her body was in the bomb bay she lost control, smacked her head and slid down the handline burning four of her fingers. She only fell about 2 feet, but her hand is burnt pretty badly. Good thing she was wearing a helmet. Again, that section looked really easy to her, but proved to be worthy of the R rating.



Bob

[Iceaxe]

I've done zero g about 20 times and that is the driest I've seen it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

[nat]

Nice TR Yeah, the chockstone is a bit sketchy. If there's any doubt, go over the top.

Nat

[Iceaxe]

Yeah, the chockstone is a bit sketchy. If there's any doubt, go over the top.

And drop down 3' further out than where you think is the right place to drop through.

[ilipichicuma]

Nice TR! I've started to get more interested in Zero G, but I think I might be too fat for it. My friends said I probably am.

[Slot Machine]

Nice TR! I've started to get more interested in Zero G, but I think I might be too fat for it. My friends said I probably am.

Thanks Cliff!

If you are big but REALLY athletic, you could stem all the way out to the end of the slot above the bomb bay (on rappel tied to the chokestone) then work your way down.

You would then be forced to swing into the bomb bay below the chokestone. That would be a crazy dangerous Tarzan move likely resulting in an debilitating injury.

On second thought, If you had a buddy go first and set up a guided rappel, maybe you could do it. I'm kind of talking out of my ass, having never set up a guided rappel, but I think that would be your best bet. You would probably need a 100-150 feet of rope for the guide line, and another rope to rap on. Currently it is 55 feet from the chokestone to the surface of the pool below.

Once you get to that chokestone and look down, you will be convinced that you can drop through into the bomb bay. Don't trust what you see. I'm 5'9" and 170lbs and got stuck for a second.

I'm not sure how big you are man, so suggesting that you could get through Zero G might be bad advice...

Bob

[deagol]

We are thinking about trying this one in a few weeks. Any more pics of the "weird" rap?
Thanks

[ratagonia]

The section with the bomb bay was much tougher than it appeared from above. I chose to go high and rig a rappel. Standing on top of the chokestone above the bomb bay, the descent looks really simple. It proved to be an optical illusion. I dropped down on the far side of the chokestone, maybe two or three feet away. As I slid down, the walls pinned my chest until I was suck. I didn't have the foresight to rig an extended rappel device, so one horns of my Piranha was pinned between my chest and the wall, stabbing me in the Solar Plexus (Ouch, *&^%, ouch). My feet and calves were hanging free in the bomb bay; I was making the Zero G signature move. The stabbing pain in my chest motivated me to slide sideways about 2 feet where the canyon widened about a half-inch. I was then free to drop into the bomb bay.



Stephanie is much skinnier than me. She went under the chokestone and used the rappel rope as a hand line. When the lower half of her body was in the bomb bay she lost control, smacked her head and slid down the handline burning four of her fingers. She only fell about 2 feet, but her hand is burnt pretty badly. Good thing she was wearing a helmet. Again, that section looked really easy to her, but proved to be worthy of the R rating.

Bob

Speaking of Crap in Canyons, what's all that TAT on the chockstone?

A good canyon to bring along a bunch of little people...

Tom

[Slot Machine]

We are thinking about trying this one in a few weeks. Any more pics of the "weird" rap?
Thanks

We stopped taking pics once Steph burnt her hand, so I don't have any more to share.

However, the last minute of this video shows a good shot of the bomb bay exit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbGWy...e_gdata_player

Bob

[Slot Machine]

Speaking of Crap in Canyons, what's all that TAT on the chockstone?

Tom

There was sooo much webbing in that canyon. The drop after the keeper pothole was a huge mess. I cut out at least 100 feet including most of the crap on that chokestone (I'm pulling webbing to cut it in the photo). I left one existing sling there.

[trackrunner]

There was sooo much webbing in that canyon. The drop after the keeper pothole was a huge mess. I cut out at least 100 feet including most of the crap on that chokestone (I'm pulling webbing to cut it in the photo). I left one existing sling there.

[ratagonia]

There was sooo much webbing in that canyon. The drop after the keeper pothole was a huge mess. I cut out at least 100 feet including most of the crap on that chokestone (I'm pulling webbing to cut it in the photo). I left one existing sling there.

Excellent, thanks.

[ghawk]

yep, nice work

[deagol]

We stopped taking pics once Steph burnt her hand, so I don't have any more to share.

However, the last minute of this video shows a good shot of the bomb bay exit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbGWy...e_gdata_player

Bob

Thanks. I think I've actually seen that video a while back, but good to see it again in context.

Hope her hand is OK.

Edit: looks easy to scratch the Gopro lens in there .....

[Taylor]

How wide would you say the crack is below the chockstone? 10"? We are going to hold a door closed (or open?) and see how tight we can get it and still slip through. Because squeezing through a doorway in your house is exactly like doing it in a canyon.

[Slot Machine]

Posted above is a sweet video of the keeper pothole in Zero G.

How wide would you say the crack is below the chockstone? 10"? We are going to hold a door closed (or open?) and see how tight we can get it and still slip through. Because squeezing through a doorway in your house is exactly like doing it in a canyon.

We just did the "door test", the crack is very close to 10 inches wide. I love living room canyoneering. We could hang out.

[Iceaxe]

Nice TR! I've started to get more interested in Zero G, but I think I might be too fat for it. My friends said I probably am.

There is no such thing as too fat for Zero-G.... but at the finish you will have to go over the chokestone and out past the slot to rappel down. The problem with this method is you will swing back under the chokestone when you drop through the bombbay. If you can get a couple smurfs down below they can grab the bottom of your rappel rope and greatly slow the swing back under.

If you watch the video below at the 3:50 mark you will note I use the swing back under method... minus the smurfs...



I've been stuck in this slot before, I climb out to where I think is a good spot to drop down and then climb out some more.

Also.... you can do the canyon down to the semi-keeper pothole, back up 50-yards and exit out to the south.

[New Mexico]

Very nice TR. I will have to add this one to the list.

[canyoncaver]

This is a great short canyon. I have done it three times, with very different conditions each time. Even though I have only been there three times, I have seen a buddy get stuck in the crack long enough to cause concern. He eventually got free on his own, but I'm not sure how.

[hikster11]

Nice pics and video. Thanks for sharing