Topless Dome is a 396 feet tall dome with a water fall coming down the center of it. This is the 2nd video about the project where Rachel Saker finished leading to the top of it and we rappelled next to the water fall. We were in the cave for 3 days, 2 nights for a total of 62 hours to complete this project. Rachel lead from Horsetooth pit up through Mushroom Forest and gets us to the top where we found the original anchor from 44 years ago including the original note in a cricket chewed zip lock bag. We then rappelled the entire dome making it the longest continuous rappel I have ever done. See the other two videos about the project The first episode's blog has a photo collage of amazing photos from the project! Tumbling Rock Cave is SCCI protected and permits are required to enter the cave Project leader: Rachel Saker https://www.instagram.com/petzlprincess Photo Credit: Ethan Reuter https://www.instagram.com/ethan_reuter_photography Video Credit: Derek Bristol https://youtu.be/OXVyEgixpWU https://www.instagram.com/kmichael500/ and Mark Wingard joined us in this episode. Behind the Scenes Since we didn't get to finish the project the previous time I went out to TAG, a few months later when Rachel said she was only 2 days from the top I went back out there and belayed her over the finish line. This episode shows the effort it took to get to her high point and get to the top of Topless Dome. I enjoyed Big Walling as a sport many years before highlining so I loved the idea of a multi day trip under ground. I saw the sun less during the time I was there than I saw dark since after 62 hours in a cave, we exited at night. It's amazing the geography under the earth but also the lack of color, specifically green. When I came back to the surface, it really amazed me how much color and sounds there were from all the life. After Posting Thoughts I'm so happy to see the video was popular and it got the attention it deserved. This was an amazing project Rachel Saker did on and off for 2 years. Over 250k views in 3 months is encouraging to me to make more caving content even if not everyone who watch is a caver.
Cross pollinating the different sports is one of my favorite things to do on this channel and this encompassed big walling and caving into one. I walked away with so many new tools I was able to use on other projects and will also be able to share on HowNOT2.

Topless Dome is a 396 foot tall dome with a water fall coming down the center of it. This is the 1st video about the project where I lead from Rachel Saker's "Disillusion Window" up to "Horse Tooth Pit" which is about half way to the top. The next episode we make it all the way. Tumbling Rock Cave in Alabama and protected by the SCCI (permitted required to enter the cave) has a 396 foot dome with a waterfall coming down the center of it. Topless Dome was first climbed in 1978 by Don Davison and Cheryl Jones where they climbed straight up the dome and then rappelled down two side pits named Mushroom Forest and Horse Tooth Pit. Allegedly, someone tried to climb back to the top in 1996 without a permit and got arrested right before they could top out and you can still see their rope up there (2nd episode). No one has officially been to the top since 1978. Rachel Saker loves vertical cave exploration and was exploring ceiling channels in the Hall of Great Mysteries until one of her discoveries, Disillusion Window, tied back into Topless. She installed a via ferrata to go to the other side where the map said the Mushroom Forest and Horse Tooth Pit existed only to find out they were behind her. I joined Rachel in this episode and lead aid climbed from her Disillusion window up to Horse Tooth Pit. See the other two videos about the project Tumbling Rock Cave is SCCI protected and permits are required to enter the cave Project leader: Rachel Saker https://www.instagram.com/petzlprincess Photo Credit: Ethan Reuter https://www.instagram.com/ethan_reuter_photography Video Credit: Derek Bristol https://youtu.be/OXVyEgixpWU Behind the Scenes This was my 3rd time entering a cave and i got to lead climb a portion of this dome that has never been climbed before to enter a space only 2 people have ever been before, and they only spent 15 minutes in it. It was amazing to have this opportunity to use my big wall skills under ground as most caves, once climbed, are just fixed ropes and no one lead climbs them again. I had to figure out what was solid limestone and what was just brittle flow stone to build an anchor for Rachel to follow. The trick was everything was under an inch of mud! The climax and crux of this was filming while moving from aid to free climbing in boots on mud while gripping a mud lip and pulling my glove off while hanging on still so I could pull out my cell phone and film. Overall, this was a very unique experience to me at the time. Be sure to check out the other two videos as it shows the entire project. After Posting Thoughts This and the 3rd video got 30k views after 3 months and the 2nd video got over 250k views so I do wish I made them into one full documentary instead of breaking them up but who knows, maybe it would have just got 30k views as a 40 minute film. It's really awesome to see that people really liked it in the comments, as I put in about 20-30 hours of editing into the 3 video series. It makes me want to put a lot of effort into more documentaries. Topless Project Photos

Ryan called me up asking if I had any VT Prusiks to do some testing with. I said, "yep, what size?" He responded, "there are different sizes?" I laughed and said, "yes, 7 and 8mm." He said, "bring em both!" And then said, "would you be interested in doing a video about VT's?" So here we are... I was introduced to the VT in a canyoning course I did with Rich Carlson and since then have seen the VT showing up in multiple rope disciplines. Arborists have been using it for a while and the SAR community is using it more and more. By weight, I think it is the single most useful piece of kit you could have on your harness. With a VT and the knowledge of a few knots, you can be a very capable rope technician. We pulled the 8mm and 7mm Bluewater VT Prusiks on 10mm, 8mm, and 6mm diameter semi-static nylon ropes. As a bonus, we pulled it on a Dyneema-sheathed rope that had very interesting results. I was particularly interested in how much force could be on the VT and still be able to release it. This is useful to know when using the VT in load-releasing situations. Secondly, I really wanted to know the limitations of the VT performance on different ropes. I demonstrate a use for it in canyoning and Cory Grossman showed us a few tricks that arborists do with it. Here is advice from Shane Wallace, a guide and instructor in the Southwest Tying the VT is where I see issues that lead to the VT not performing as expected. Tying it isn't complicated but requires attention to the process. The first part is wrapping the VT 3 times around the host rope. There is chatter about people using 2 wraps or 4 wraps but I always use 3. I have experimented with 2 or 4 wraps but that was when I was having issues in the beginning. Once I developed a specific process to tie it, I've always used 3 wraps and it works perfectly. That doesn't mean that 3 wraps is your number but I teach it with 3 wraps, watch it used with 3 wraps, personally use it with 3 wraps and when it is tied correctly, there has not been an issue. I recommend 3 is where you start. If the host rope is hanging vertically in front of me, I place the VT on the side opposite from me and wrap it. The wraps are snug but not tightly pulled. After 3 wraps the tails are also on the side opposite of me with one extending to each side of the rope. I let the tails hang down and parallel to the host rope, checking that they are the same length. This is one check I consider to be critical. If the tails are the same length when positioned in the direction they are to be loaded, in this case vertically, they will not be the same length when pulled perpendicular to the host rope. I see people checking the lengths perpendicular to the host rope. This leads to one strand being longer than the other when the braiding process begins. There are no tests that I know of but it is my belief that when one strand is longer than the other before braiding, it leads to unbalanced loading where the VT becomes too tight and binds up or never grabs. Once the tails are the same length the braids begin. But do you braid with the left strand or the right strand? It depends! As I wrote before, after wrapping the VT you will have a tail extending to each side of the rope and one of those tails will be higher on the rope than the other. Either the left or right tail is higher and this is determined by the process and direction you wrap the VT on the rope. The side that is on top is the side you start your braids with. As the braids commence, the braid will alternate from the side closest to you to the side away then back to the side closest to you until you run out of material. If the right side is the high side, after wrapping and matching the lengths of the tails, you will start the first braid with the right side. Cross the right side down and to the left and then cross the left side tail over the cross made by the right tail. Then hold the tails out perpendicular to the rope, one tail in each hand. I call this one braid. After each braid you will start the next with the right hand because the right strand was on top in the beginning. Make the next braid by crossing the right tail behind the rope and crossing the left tail over it, then hold tails out again completing another braid. Continue until you run out of material. Keep the braids stacked next to each other to maximize the number of braids. There is a simple check I use to inspect a Valdotain Tresse. I find the strand that is highest after the wraps and follow it down. The highest strand should cross over and touch the rope on the front side and cross over the other tail of the VT on the back. The same pattern occurs when looking at each braid. The result is a confirmation that each tail takes its turn contacting the rope. If one tail simply wraps around the rope and the other tail never contacts the rope, there is an issue that results in uneven loading of the VT. It is my belief that uneven loading such as this leads to a VT hitch that locks up or never grabs. So what size should you use? That depends of course. Hopefully after reading this you will be able to make the correct decision for YOUR needs as a recreational canyoneer or guide. What works for one person may not work for another. Anyone that specifically or absolutely recommends one size over the other is likely based on their experience and possibly their inability to use it correctly. But if they say something like, "The VT binds if you use the 7mm so only use the 8mm" then they are blaming the VT for their possible inability to use it, teach it or tie it correctly. The properties of the core allow for the 8mm to be used on various diameters of rope including an 8mm. Although I find that using an 8mm VT on an 8mm rope requires diligence and precision when tying it to achieve the desired function. Typically what I see when the 8mm VT is used on an 8mm rope is that the VT slips because the initial wraps need to be more snug. I believe as rope diameters became smaller and smaller there became a need for the 7mm VT. I personally prefer the 7mm VT instead of the 8mm. When the 7mm VT came out I instantly liked it better than the 8mm and I think that is because I mostly use 8mm ropes. I carry one 7mm VT on my harness and an extra in my pack. If you use 9 or 9.5mm ropes then the 8mm VT may be your choice but I know I can use a 7mm VT without fail on any diameter 8mm to 9.5. Just as there are different rappelling devices there are different sizes of VTs. My suggestion is 7mm for recreational canyoneers for multiple reasons but you should decide for yourself. Tips for using the Valdotain Tresse. Make sure the wraps are snug. After wrapping, make sure the tails of the VT are the same length when positioned parallel to the host rope. Make sure the braids allow for alternating contact of the tails of the VT with the host rope. When using the VT as an autoblock above the device, DO NOT allow the VT to become partially engaged and used as part of your friction system. Pull the VT down close to your rappelling device and hold it there. Allowing it to partially engage while rappelling may lead to some tightening of the VT potentially causing it to lock up. Knowing how to self-rescue is a valuable skill if this occurs. Lastly, when using it as an autoblock, don't grab it with your entire hand and release it with your thumb and finger. The thought is that if someone panics, they will continue to grab the autoblock with their hand and it will never grab. I have coined the term "smoking the VT. When using the VT as an autoblock, hold it in its released position using the first and middle finger with the host rope between those two fingers. The thought is if someone panics and squeezes, the rope will burn the inside of the two fingers and they will let go. Not very scientific I know but maybe others have a technique they use? I'm open to suggestions. Here is a video of Shane tying the VT You will have to request to join the Utah Canyoneering Explorers FaceBook group Thanks for reading!! - Shane Behind the Scenes Ryan tried rappelling with a VT (on the auto belay of course) and found it is not that easy to get right the first time. Practice really does make better. 😂 After Posting Thoughts We did do all these same test with the VT tied in the Distal Hitch and Schwabisch Hitch. Hopefully these videos will be released here... ...someday. Comment from Rich Carlson - Here is a link to his VT video on Canyons & Crags - VT Prusik - versatile tool for ropework

The rumor is that wet ropes are significantly weaker. The instructions that come with the rope say that it is dangerous. Climbing magazine advises not to use a wet rope. UIAA supposedly got 3 falls instead of 7 like normal, before it broke. What are we supposed to think and do when we end up with a wet rope? Ropes Tested The dry treated rope was a 9.8mm Sterling Velocity dynamic rope with 28.8% elongation and is 62g/m rated for 6 UIAA falls ​ The non dry treated, standard rope, was Edelrid's Boa and is a 9.8mm dynamic rope with 32% elongation and is also 62g/m but is rated for 7 UIAA falls 10% Supports HowNOT2 Get your climbing, caving, or canyon gear here to support us. Absorption Tests We dropped the rope in a bucket of water and measured at 1 minute, then 4 more minutes for a total of 5 minutes and then 1 hour and 4 hours. The dry treated rope took longer to absorb water and it did only absorb 145% as opposed to 158%. We focused on % here because the rope lengths were different and the luggage scale was in lbs. Stretch Tests We measured the dry treated rope starting with a tight 0 kN and then pulled to 4kN which shocked me how much it stretches before the knots stop settling. The samples are too short and the knots too varied to draw any serious conclusions from this other than ropes stretch a LOT before they break. Slow Pull Tests We slow pulled with figure 8s on either end both types of ropes dry and wet. It did break about 15% lower and in our tests the dry treated rope broke lower than the non treated rope but that is probably just a fluke considering the variables in knot strength retention. Drop Tests Our drop tests were approximately 15 feet with an 84lb dummy named Decker (so you don't have to). He isn't heavy but he is heavy enough to show if we are going to get a much higher force for the same exact tests wet vs dry. We did both the treated dry rope and the non-dry treated rope. In a more realistic fall than a UIAA 80kg at a fall factor of 1.8, we did not get results that show wet ropes are a concern when doing general climbing forces. Gym climbs as seen in our other videos are getting even less forces than these because the belayer isn't a steel post. This graph is our Dry treated drop tests. Where does this gear fear come from? Here are links to the research we did. Sterlings instructions that come with the ropes. "Wet or frozen ropes will be seriously weakened and may stretch more. It is best not to use a wet rope"
*Sterlings website
*Mountain project from 2010 with dead links inside of it
*Climbing.com article
*Edelrid information Here is some nerdy stuff on the topic. *Science Direct
*Intech Power
*UIAA Standards for dynamic ropes
*BSI Dynamic Rope Testing Methods
*Influence of moisture on functional properties of climbing ropes Thank you Celine Gissot and Michal Studniarek for the charts and graphs. Behind the Scenes This turned out to be quite a lot of work introducing slow pull and drop tests PLUS dry treated and none treated normal ropes. I didn't want to tell the world wet ropes were not a big deal if it actually was. So this was super diligent enough to conclude wet ropes in some normal use isn't showing any difference. Nylon, the chemical, does weaken when wet, but it isn't translating to real world results. After Posting Thoughts I thought the thumbnail was clever enough and the edit tight enough for this to be a 100k+ video. I think if it is too nerdy or too long it just doesn't get the traction a more simple break test video can get. However, some of our longer hour long film or course videos prove that longer content can be popular. The algorithm is tough to science but it's nice to have this content on the internet to let people relax if they are rapping off their climb in the rain. Now go see if frozen ropes are dangerous

How much force is on the climber, the belayer and the bolt when you whip at the gym? 2 years ago we did some tests at the gym and it was really popular, but people said our hertz, or rate in which the load cell reads was too slow to pick up the peak force. So we literally helped create the LineScale3 which is the only load cell to record internally and reads at 1280hz as opposed to 40hz. I sold @HardisEasy some of my LS3s and he did some tests at a climbing gym with Mr LineScale3 himself (Andy Reidrich). Below is all his data that he collected for the video that he made about it found at https://youtu.be/uoDN6SQog9g. His video only included the force on the climber but we went through all his data and organized it to compare the force on the belayer and the quickdraw. The spreadsheet includes the data from our two videos. Get a $20 off coupon for the LS3 on our GEAR page. Our first episode testing forces in the gym was either well timed with everyone getting locked down or actually intriguing to a lot of people. It was one of the few videos Thank you Celine Gissot for the bar chart. Thank you Rocco Fucetola for the graphing software. Michal Studniarek sent me this PDF and explained how rope stretch plays a big role in the difference between A+B. Check it out! LineScale 3 This was developed because of our first video. We helped design it with LineGrip INC to be faster, stronger and smarter than any all in one load cell on the market. After 18 months of development, they are now in stock and you can buy them. We have a $20 coupon code on our GEAR PAGE All 13 of Hard is Easy's Tests Behind the Scenes Besides designing the LS3 specifically for this test, collaborations take a lot of work and so does processing this much data for just 1 of 8 videos in a month. But it was totally worth it because this turned out really well having someone else do the tests and find out the numbers check out. At the time of Hard is Easy filming this, the LS3s were not available for purchase yet, but I intentionally invested in more than I needed so I could get them to people doing rad tests sooner. Ben bought two and it worked out that Andy Riedrich who made them was able to join in on the video. A total full circle. However, Ben only shared the force on the climber and I wanted to know all the forces so he sent me all the raw CSV files and I had some python program Rocco, a slackliner, wrote for this project and we were able to get these graphs and pull the peak forces off all the data points. This took about a day to process it to line up the 3 LS3 units. When I first got my LS3s, I went out and whipped for science but didn't have enough for an entire episode. Once Ben made his, it felt worth putting all the data together to make this episode. I also was experimenting with different backdrops since I don't live near my lab anymore and only visit to break stuff. Shooting off my balcony with my new fancy camera ended up making my face dark and to compensate we had to blow out the background which was good to not see where I am, but turned out to not be ideal. You can see the evolution of my narrative backgrounds throughout the months/years. After Posting Thoughts I was talking about what resting force to preset your LS3 at and I said "put it at 1kN because ideally no one is going to weigh more than that." OMG, apparently I offended a whole bunch of people who weigh more than 225lbs. I didn't think it was ideal to be taking big whippers if you weighed a lot. When someone reached out to me to say they like my work but don't like what I said, I asked him if he would whip for science. He was, and he got support from his climbing gym so I mailed him 3 LS3s and Tanner took some gnarly whippers for science and you can see that in this next episode.