Cavechat.org

My previous partner and I were faced with twin forty foot vertical drops and bald limestone with no anchors.
We didn't bolt it but had the same solution pop into our heads almost immediately. Our 120 feet of static
rope had both ends lowered. We both used an Eight and took up the slack between us before our backward
walks entered each pit. It was easier than this reads. This probably isn't a new idea either. We had a plan
of rope pull signals to communicate after off-rope but then found a slot to yell through after looking around.

So let me see if I understand you correctly. You were in a cave that had two parallel pits, and no way to anchor the rope. So you and your buddy rapped simultaneously, one into each pit, with the center of the rope running over the dividing ground between the two pits. Is that what you're telling us? If I've got it all wrong, please help me to understand more clearly.

Trogman

That's how I read it....which worries me, because I'm quite a bit heavier than everyone I cave with. Also....did you ascend simultaneously as well?

My brother and I have done this, rappelling and climbing, while playing on cliffs. It doesn't seem like a very useful caving technique. How often do you run into two parallel pits with no anchor?

If it has rock you have an anchor. You just have to put a bolt in it ;) Weight wont matter. Friction of the rope on the ground will keep one caver from pulling the other to the top. What would worry me is you get to the bottom and one falls or gets incapacitated. now you are screwed ;)

Odd trick for caving but I've used it a number of times on very long climbs where numerous rappels are required to descend (simul-rappelling is the name I have heard). It saves time if you need to do 10 or 15 rappel/pull-down iterations but I'd really only recommend very experienced people try this as there are a lot of ways to mess up.