Deep Cave Exploration with Bestard Mountain Boots

7 July 2022

Deep cave exploration: the biggest shoe abuse on the planet Earth

Photo credits: Kasia Biernacka, kasiabiernacka.com

Wet dreams passage, on the way to Sump

Caves are the last real unknown places on our planet. Highly unknown, mysterious world, where huge rivers are rushing their waters in complete darkness, falling into hundred meters long pits. All of this often happens under ceilings decorated in the most beautiful and bizarre crystal forms that nature can create. This water carves the way onwards – and by dissolving and eroding calcite, forms the cave itself.

We often walk in these rivers dry, ancient throughs, filled with fine sand, which makes it a pleasant walk. Sometimes, there are passages coated with clay – tiny insoluble particles which form an extremely slippery, and dirty cover on usually wet rocks. Sections, where the wild water runs through the passage, are not uncommon, making it an underground canyoning part in their characteristics.

Huge borehole, discovered when working from Pena Negra entrance- later connected to Cheve

Usually, the floor is covered in sharp boulders- from a TV size to a bus size, forcing us to navigate over and around them constantly.

The problem starts when… passages get too big, and simply collapse – creating an almost impenetrable obstacle called a breakdown. This is what held our progress in Sistema Cheve, potentially the deepest cave in the world, with a hydrologically proven depth of ~2600m. This means that water can pass this denivelation. Well, human progress was held for many years on -1500m level, by sumps, collapses, and mad, endless rockpiles where we had to crawl for hours to find the way on. And – hours, to find the way out.

Did I mention almost 3km of ropes that are rigged in the cave to just make it possible to move inside?

Shafts series, one of many in Cheve

These are the worst possible conditions for the shoes, that we can imagine. And very often our lives depend on their grip, durability, friction, and how they behave on muddy slopes

During the 2021 expedition, 20-day-long stays underground were not uncommon. Despite this part of the activity being a huge team effort (with 69 people from 9 countries who during 3-months of 21’ expedition worked in Cheve) – calling for a new pair of shoes is not really the option.

There are several approaches for cave shoes. Classic wellies are cheap, but terrible in the water sections, and during multi-day stays, feet are not finishing in the good condition. Classic canyoning shoes are surviving on average 15-20 days of work, and then they are done.

We often carry 16-22kg loads with ropes, supplies, and gear which does not make the sole’s life easier.

Often we are descending in the direct vicinity of the water stream

The way to cover is not a stroll – we often climb, and scramble through exposed slippery terraces and facets.

The ideal shoe would be a climbing-precision and friction shoe, working well on clay-covered floors, draining fast the water, not letting gravel inside, and being a heavy-duty durable bulletproof boot. And, the best- as light as possible.

I did not believe in miracles but decided to buy and try Bestard’s Wildwater Pro.

Despite kilometers of crawling inside the breakdowns, which led to incredible findings- they survived the whole expedition in a pretty good shape, with almost 40 days underground.

The sole texture gives a good grip on soft ground – like sand or mud. Vibram used has great friction, which is very appreciated on the wet rock, changeable shoe volume allows easily to pack inside a 5mm neoprene sock for water-sections work, or use regular sock in dryer condition, allowing the foot to breathe and keep in a good shape.

Simultaneously, all is still lightweight, and robust enough that after some gluing, shoes are still in use (which never happened before to Cheve expedition shoes)

Rigging a short pitch in highly decorated section of the cave

I am extremely happy from finally, finding a reliable shoe for such mixed terrain, with high expectations from such an important piece of equipment as one which allows us to move there.

In 2022 we explored over 20km of new passages and made the cave deeper – with the current terminus at -1536m. The newly explored route sets us in the perfect area to go even deeper, with the biggest obstacle laying in the fact that reaching this place requires 4-day travel – one way.

This is the first time when Cheve got deeper by dry cave discoveries, since 2003 – with expeditions working in this area almost every year. Did we find a way, to go even deeper? Only the future, time, effort, and dozens of pairs of destroyed shoes will tell. I am very sure, that many of the first steps in the never known passages will be marked with Bestard Wildwater Pro shoes.

A small part of the 2021 team, getting ready for the survey after discovering a key connection in Cheve, which allowed us to save 3h of transit. (Black Borehole bypass)

The whole 2022 expedition will be covered in the National Geographic movie – EXPLORER: THE DEEPEST CAVE, with a US premiere on 30th May.

Other interesting material: Cheve Expedition 2021