Cavechat.org

So I just got back from my first Fantastic Pit bounce and I am thinking... What next? So the Cave of Swallows came to mind.

Then ofcourse I thought about dragging all my gear and rope out to Mexico would be a pain in the butt and started looking into some of the guided tours where they provide the necessary gear (eventhough I still would like to use my own rappel and ascending gear).

Has anyone here ever used one of these outfitters? If so, can you provide some info on them and did you feel comfortable with them?

And yes I realize that this is a big rappel, proper training is required... This trip may happen 1-2 years from now which will give me time to get it together

Ive done fantastic a few time. Bounced the bridge at bridge day a month ago.

Never done Golandinas. But I'm confident that it's 100x easier than the new river gorge.

It is my belief that if you can do fantastic you can do a whole hell of a lot bigger. Training? Just be in shape and take your a game.

Chads93GT wrote:Ive done fantastic a few time. Bounced the bridge at bridge day a month ago.

Never done Golandinas. But I'm confident that it's 100x easier than the new river gorge.

It is my belief that if you can do fantastic you can do a whole hell of a lot bigger. Training? Just be in shape and take your a game.

Bridge day is another one I am working on

Pits dont bother me, but fantastic gives me the willys for obvious reason. wide open spaces freak me out, but I did the bridge day drop and climbed back up. If you can handle that kind of exposure you can do golandrinas, and its enclosed.

just my opinion of course based on my experience rappelling that wide open drop in the wind, and climbing it. To my knowledge, golandrinas is a pit like all other pits........its not windy ;)

You can do Golondrinas if you can do Fantastic as long as you are in good physical condition. I would definately want to use gear that I was accustomed to using. It is a long climb for a system that is not adjusted to your height and weight. It is incredibly huge, over 200 feet across at the top if I remember correctly. I am thinking back to 1975 however. While it was not windy in there, if you are doing the pit very early or very late in the day you will have swallows and parrots flying by you. Thousands of them. Do it while you are young as possible. It is an experience you will never forget.

Golindrinas is a bit more than Fantastic will ever be. With 7 acres of floor space it is almost as wide open of a rappell as bridge day. The walls are so far away from the rope you cannot use them to judge your rappell speed. The rope weight your rack feels is approx 90 lbs, like rapelling with a belay on. I would suggest going to Mexico with someone who has prior experience in the pits down there and doing extensive training with weighted rope rappells of approx 90 lbs rope weight simulated with weights. Also practice climbing 1000 feet of rope from a pully in a tree for a few months. There is only one way in and one way out, not the place to go if you only think you can do it.
I usually go down for a week or two every Christmas/New Years. Would be willing to chat with you PM on including you on next years trip if you are willing to do the training,
TinY

I worked my way up to it. After I did The Bridge I knew I was ready for Golandrinas. I did Fantastic before I tried The Bridge. For some reason Golandrinas felt more "friendly" In terms of Awesome factor I felt more of that at Surprise ( awesome factor). I am sure many will disagree with me on that but is just my opinion. Looking up at the surface from the bottom of Golandrinas the pit did not look as deep as it is. Maybe because of the depth perception and the size of the opening. All are neat drops in their own way and are "destination " drops.