Issue 300: Behind the cover

Our cover for Descent 300 is of the main entrance to Sistema Cheve, located in the Oaxaca state of Mexico, taken by Kasia Biernacka.

Gosia Skowron-Suchodolska and Yuri Schwartz, visible in the photo, are members of the United States Deep Caving Team that has been exploring Cheve for many years under the leadership of Bill Stone. Descending down to -1529m, Cheve is currently the second deepest known cave in the Americas and the 11th deepest in the world, with the potential to be much deeper still. The total length of Sistema Cheve is now approximately 90km.

The exploration of that major, difficult and complex cave is an ongoing project. At first glance, the main entrance of Cheve is enormous. And with every step you take, it becomes even bigger and more overwhelming. There is often mist inside, especially in the morning, which adds to the mystical feeling of the place. Although it was not explored by cavers until 1986, it has been known among the local people for centuries.
Image data: taken with Canon 5D mk II, handheld, 1/20s, f4, ISO 1250, EF17-40mm L USM lens.

Kasia Biernacka is an expedition caver and outdoor photographer based in Poland. For over 20 years, she has taken trips to explore, photograph and film the underground world. Her favourite destinations are the deepest caves of the western hemisphere, located in the mountains of southern Mexico. She worked there as a camera person in two film productions about cave exploration – in 2013 for the Discovery Channel and in 2021 for a Nat Geo Special. Kasia also enjoys rainforests of Central America, snowy peaks of the Himalayas, deserts of Chile and long river trips in the US. Back home, she gives talks about her expeditions and runs cave photography workshops.
When not underground or in the woods, Kasia works as Film Program Director for the Ladek Mountain Festival. Kasia also translates outdoor films from English, French and Spanish into Polish and runs the Ladek Film Tour in her country.

Kasia’s photography website: www.kasiabiernacka.com

You’ll find more about her here: linktr.ee/KasiaBiernacka