In late 1967 Stanley Ulfeldt, the Southern California Chairman of the National Speleological Society, proposed the making of the documentary film Cave of the Winding Stair. A shooting script was drafted and the first filming began in 1968. Ulfeldt’s selection of 16mm high-speed black and white film allowed the use of only one auxiliary light during filming. The bulk of the picture was made solely by the caver’s headlamp illumination. Ulfeldt’s dedication to authenticity produced one of the most realistic films on caving made to date and also the first major caving film ever made in the Western U.S. All of the vertical techniques and equipment in the film are authentic to the period and Cave of the Winding Stair is a remarkable historical document of the period of changeover from the 1950’s cable ladder era to the beginnings of modern single rope techniques. An actual rescue during one production trip also became the first confirmed cave rescue ever to be filmed in the U.S. Ulfeldt’s remarkable foresight has created a lasting document of the cavers and the techniques of 1960’s caving in the West. This film is now avaiable on DVD and VHS.
Orders may be made through:
Myke C. Ray
P.O. Box 5725
Mohave Valley, AZ
86446
$24.00 plus $4.00 shipping and handling
Make check payable to Myke C. Ray
Please allow three weeks delivery time.
You can see this on YouTube now: Cave of the Winding Stair Movie Intro on YouTube
“Cave of the Winding Stair is located near Mitchell Caverns in the East Mojave Desert of California. This rarely seen, but talked about caving movie was shot in 1968. All of the vertical techniques and equipment in the film are authentic to the period and are a remarkable historical document of the changeover from the 1950’s cable ladder era to the beginnings of modern single rope techniques.”
Uploaded on Feb 15, 2008
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