im just pondering some things and I was wondering, what is the deepest none SRT cave in the dales? or something that would require a couple of ladders at most?
To be honest, your question seems a bit odd to me considering ladders can actually be used for everything and anything if you want to.
As Dave says, if you want truly tackle-free deep caving then OFD is the cave to go to.
and - as a spin-off - what dales-ish bit of cave has the lowest known elevation?
Entering Boundary then heading to the downstream sump at the end of the main drain has to be about 100m depth? no pitches at all if you free climb the 8m pitch in boundary (I always have)
I sometimes find the term deepest quite contrived. Surely it’s the deepest point of a cave ie most rock above your head, rather than when you do a through trip and emerge at a resurgence. Many dales potholes, you’ve got a good idea when you get to the bottom, you’re at the deepest physical point. Ingleborough cave or white scar surely have plenty of rock above your head, and are so deep, without the need for gear. Maybe the total amount of descent is more suitable terminology?
I'm hoping from this thread that I can glean a few decent non-vertical trips for the ladder-phobic of us.
If you include diving then it is presumably Boundary Pot to the bottom of Gavel at about 180m, although I very much doubt it's ever been done. Roaring at 130m seems a pretty good candidate. Swinsto to valley entrance would come in at about 120m (if you allowed abseiling).Mike
Okay, I didn't know if there were pitches between the dives, so discount that one. That leaves Notts ll to bottom of Lost John's at 175m (if you include diving). How deep can you get without cylinders?
Depends if falling counts, because you could fall down that 40m pitch below flood to get lower but that's still only -140m. More seriously you can get to the bottom of mud hall which is about -130~m?