Pitch (ascent/descent) - Caving

Caving

The term 'pitch' is also used by cavers to refer to a very steep or vertical section (called a drop, pit, or shaft) in a cave that needs ladders or Single Rope Technique to descend and ascend (a drop that can be descended and ascended without equipment is a 'climb'). As caving rope lengths are not standardized, the length of a pitch is usually equal to that of the drop. The deepest underground pitch is 603 m (1,978 ft) in Vrtoglavica Cave in the Julian Alps, Slovenia.

In some cases, cavers may choose to split one drop into two or more distinct pitches. However in most cases a single rope or ladder is used for the entire drop, so in practical usage 'pitch' has become synonymous with the terms 'drop', 'pit' or 'shaft'.

While a pitch refers to a drop that can be descended, the term Aven is used to refer to a pitch when discovered from below. Avens can be ascended by means of a bolt climb, where a caver places an ascending series of bolts in the walls of the aven and gradually ascends to the top. A rope can then be rigged to the bottom allowing following cavers to pass the obstacle.