Vertical caving terminology and methods > SRT basic terms
A potholing trip using two potholes that meet somewhere along their routes, or using two routes in the same pothole, where both routes contain pitches. The trip requires two separate teams, one following each route. Each team rigs their own pitches. Then they meet in the middle, swap routes, and typically derig the other route (though it may be left rigged if it will be used for other teams).
Exchange trips require planning to ensure that teams reach the middle at about the same time (unless there is something else to do while waiting for the other team), since if one route is more technical or has more pitches, the team rigging that route may need additional time. Before either team derigs, they must be certain that there are no obstacles on the other route, such as squeezes, that any member of the team derigging that route cannot get past. For that reason, the largest cavers may prefer to start on the route with the smallest squeezes. If the routes are within the same pothole, and there are pitches before the point where the routes initially split, then the teams will need a way to let the other team know that they have completed derigging their route and have exited from that point, so that the second team to reach that point will know that they can derig the upper pitches, without stranding the other team.
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