Why Zero Gravity?

Why Zero Gravity
How are slot canyons named?

Written By: Shane Burrows

I have had the privilege of naming numerous slot canyons over the years and people always ask, "how did so-and-so canyon get it's name". Many slot canyons and technical canyoneering routes with attention-grabbing names usually come with an interesting story and Zero Gravity is no different.

The Story:
          Zero Gravity, also known as Zero-G, is a short but spectacular slot canyon located on the eastern side of the San Rafael Swell.

          Zero Gravity is a relatively straightforward technical slot canyon until you reach the finish where the canyon ends in what can be a tricky "bomb bay" exit. A bomb bay exit refers to an open-ended bottom to a skinny slot that threatens to drop you like a bomb. It derives from old bomber planes where the bomb bay doors open, creating a gaping void.

          The first time we canyoneered the Zero Gravity I dropped through the bomb bay exit a little too early and became wedged between the canyon walls. I was stuck at my chest, but my feet were hanging down into space about 10-feet above the ground. I was suspended in midair and looked like Wily E. Coyote running in space, or zero gravity. After my friends finished laughing and making fun of my predicament they helped me escape the trap.

          This was the first time I had ever really been trapped in a slot canyon and the experience was a little unnerving. It took about ten minutes for me to extract myself from the predicament. Fortunately one of my smurf sized partners was able to squeeze down behind me an support my feet from below, this allowed me the leverage I required to escape the trap.

          I might have been the first person to become entangle in Zero Gravities web, but many other individuals have followed suit, several requiring full scale Search and Rescue efforts. Below is a news story of another Zero Gravity epic.

Overnight rescue in Zero Gravity Canyon
by John W. Yelland, KUTV
August 18, 2017

          A Salt Lake County woman is recovering after being wedged and suspended for nearly 12 hours in a narrow portion of Zero Gravity Canyon in the San Rafael Desert.

          The woman's husband called 9-1-1 at 4:30 p.m. on August 16, stating that his 24-year-old wife was stuck in a slot canyon and that he had been trying to get her out for nearly 2 hours.

          When he couldn't free her, he hiked until he had cell phone service and called 9-1-1. Emery County Search and Rescue rope team members and the State DPS helicopter were dispatched, as well as the Classic Air helicopter out of Vernal.

          The first rescuer on scene was able to make verbal contact with the woman. She was extremely distraught, in pain and was having difficulty breathing due to being wedged in.

          Responders rigged a rope system to lower a rope team member into the slot canyon. However, due to size restrictions in this part of the canyon and the way the canyon tapered inward as he went down, he could not get close enough to the woman.

          There was one rescuer in the group that was small enough to reach the woman, and he was lowered into the crevasse.

          The woman was wearing a harness, so rescuers rigged a system to pull her out. However, she was wedged in so tightly that pulling on her was causing more pain. One rescuer entered the slot canyon below the woman and was able to touch the bottom of her feet, giving her a way to push against him as she was being pulled from above.

          Moving her was causing further pain and making it difficult for her to breathe. At this point, rescuers considered calling for additional resources. They weighed options and reevaluated rescue efforts.

          Rescuers then set more anchors and set up a haul line above the woman, while others pulled from side to side in a see saw motion in an attempt to free her. Additionally, a gallon of dish soap was poured around the woman, a technique that had been successful in a prior rescue in the same general area.

          One of the rescuers was on a rope in the canyon for nearly 7 hours. Knowing that suspension trauma and compartment syndrome were issues for him as well as the woman and other rescuers on ropes, extreme caution was taken during the rescue.

          Rescuers were eventually able to free the woman and pull her up far enough that she could sit on a choke stone in the slot canyon while they fitted her with a better harness for extraction. She was loaded into the medical helicopter around 2:00 a.m., nearly 12 hours after becoming trapped.

          The woman was transported by air to a trauma center for treatment.

          The Emery County Sheriff's Office advises that you do thorough research on the areas you intend to hike before visiting.

          Some canyons come with size restrictions, including Zero Gravity. This is the second rescue this summer in Zero Gravity, and the first one was within 4 feet of the location of this rescue. What started out as a day hike for this couple became a dangerous rescue mission for all involved.

Related Link:
Zero Gravity Route Description