I have observed and participated in lots of vertical caving classes, sessions and seminars. I was not satisfied. They could be better. They needed to be simpler. I wanted to strip everything down to absolute basics—the essential skills that a vertical caver uses to complete a task. I got it all down to one page. From that one page of skills, I created a challenge to gauge a caver’s progress. Some people have breezed right through it, while others, even experienced vertical cavers, struggled. Skills previously posted: Rappel Test and On Gear. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Basic Vertical Skills. PDF

Vertical Skills Challenge Directions. PDF

Vertical Skills Challenge Checklist. PDF