2002-05-26 13:58:07 +01:00
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<HTML lang=en><HEAD><TITLE>1623:204 -- Entrance and The Near End passages</TITLE>
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<TABLE border=0 width="100%">
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<TR>
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<TH align=left width="30%"><FONT size=+2>204</font><br><font size=+1>(CUCC 1999/03)</FONT></TH>
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<TH lang=de><h1>Steinbr<62>ckenh<6E>hle</h1></TH>
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<TH align=right width="30%"><FONT size=+2>4/S x</FONT></TH></TR>
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<TR>
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</TABLE></CENTER></DIV>
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<h2>Entrance and The Near End passages</h2>
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The 204a entrance is directly opposite a 10m x 3m stone bridge
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from which it derives its name. The entrance itself is approximately 8m high and
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5m wide, and leads down a boulder slope and round a right hand bend to the top
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of the first pitch. The 204b entrance is 15m away to the west, and this is the
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entrance which is rigged.
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<h3>First Pitch</h3>
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A 3m climb down (handline useful) leads into the
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entrance gully and a ledge at the head of the first pitch, <B>Trick or
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Treat</B>, opposite 204a entrance. This loose, sloping pitch of 20m is rigged
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from a Y-hang on the right hand wall, with a rebelay and deviation. The pitch is
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tedious to prussik on return and is best climbed. The landing is by a large snow
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plug with an ice corridor round the edge leading to the top of a
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boulder slope. A rift passage on the right becomes too tight.
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The snow level varies: in 2000 it was much higher than in 1999, rendering the
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original route impassable (see <a href="#1999">here</a>). A revised route was
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explored, which was the main route in 2001.
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<h3><a name="jim">Second and Third Pitches</h3>
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<P>Descending the boulder slope (care required to avoid kicking
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rocks off) leads to the head of the second pitch, <B>Jim'll Fix It</B> (18m in 1999 but
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only about 10m in 2000/2001 due to increased snow levels). An
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unexplored passage is visible from the pitch head, which could be accessed by a
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bolt traverse round the right hand side of the pitch head
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2002-05-26 14:03:59 +01:00
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[<A href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-01" name=qC1999-204-01>C1999-204-01 C</A>] (explored by Brian?).
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The pitch is rigged from a bolt in the
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left hand wall with a deviation from a spit immediately after the pitch head
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bolt. This protects a marginal rub point and also avoids a jet of water which
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spurts from a crack in the wall after heavy rain.
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The landing is on a large snow plug. Following the wall around to the right (facing the
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wall on which the pitch is rigged) leads to a 2m
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climb into a rift, which quickly descends to the head of the impressive third pitch,
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<b>Stitch This</b> (30m). A Y-hang rebelay on the left wall is shortly
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followed by a deviation from the opposite side of the shaft to obtain a free-hang into
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<a href="midlevel.shtml#wolp">Wolpertinger Way</a>. This pitch is in fact
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an (upwards) continuation of <b><a href="#thread">Thread Pitch</a></b>.
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<h3><a name="1999">1999 route to Wolpertinger Way</a></h3>
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In 1999, the landing of Jim'll Fix It was by a large
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pointed snowplug.
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There was sufficient gap between snow and wall to complete the
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descent and emerge in a sloping phreatic passage. There are two ways on: Right
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leads uphill as stooping/crawling height passage for 30m to emerge at the top of
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<A
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href="#umshit">Umshitshimbo</A>.
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Left leads downhill into <A
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href="#nearend">The Near
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End</A> and is the main way on. There is a further unexplored passage in the
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wall above the gap between the snow plug and the rock [<A
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href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-03"
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name=qC1999-204-03>C1999-204-03 C</A>].
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<H3><A name=nearend>The Near End</A></H3>
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<P><B>The Near End</B> is a collective name for a complex network of high level
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phreatic passages which slope approximately 20<32> following the dip of the beds.
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Heading downhill from the base of <B>Jim'll Fix It</B> in a stooping height
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passage leads round a double bend to a 2m climb down to a junction. Right leads
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to more <A
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href="#nearside">side
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passages</A> whilst the main route is straight ahead to a crossroads. Right
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leads into the same <A
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href="#nearside">side
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passages</A> as the previous right turn. Left is <B>Needle Crawl</B> past an
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unexplored passage on the left [<A
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href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-04"
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name=qC1999-204-04>C1999-204-04 C</A>] and a crawl on the right (feels like
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straight ahead) which becomes too small after ~8m. Straight ahead (feels like a
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left) leads to the head of a fine 4m diameter circular shaft, <B><a name="thread">Thread</a>
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Pitch</B>. This pitch of 17m leads into <A
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href="midlevel.shtml#wolp">Wolpertinger
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Way</A>. A continuation of the
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crawl is visible at the opposite side of the pitch head [<A
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href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-06"
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name=qC1999-204-06>C1999-204-06 C</A>].
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<P>From the crossroads, the main route in 1999 was straight ahead, downhill in
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mostly stooping height passage with a short section of sandy crawling. After 15m
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is a short climb down to the top of a 4m deep pit with a too-tight passage at
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the bottom, with the phreatic passage continuing to the right. After a further
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10m the passage is intersected by a large rift with a big rock partially
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blocking the passage. Climbing up to the right leads back into a tall rift in
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the <A href="#nearside">side
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passages</A>. A climb up to the left leads to a passage containing attractive
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white mud which was not entered, however a visual connection to the <A
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href="midlevel.shtml#pendulum">Pendulum
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Pitch</A> was established.
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<P>Straight ahead leads to a further junction after 15m. Left opens out to the
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head of <A
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href="midlevel.shtml#pendulum">Pendulum
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Pitch</A>, the main route to the bottom of <A
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href="midlevel.shtml#wolp">Wolpertinger
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Way</A> used in 1999. Right leads to a narrow stooping height passage which
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continues for 25m with several clear pools in the floor to a widening where most
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routes ahead and to the left are choked with boulders. To the right, a body
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sized tube leads upwards for ~15m before opening out into a low chamber on the
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left. The continuation of the crawl is immediately opposite the entry point and there is a climb down into a rift on
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the far side of the chamber to the left [<A
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href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-07"
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name=qC1999-204-07>C1999-204-07 B</A>]. The continuation is a winding passage which continues upwards. It then increases to stoping
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heightand goes over some old gower pools. The passage continues to a flat out section ( not really a squeze, except for lardarses) not
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pushed, but running water could be heard. Back in the chamber, it doubles back on itself to
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the left and encounters an area of breakdown which was not fully investigated,
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but is presumed to be the opposite side of the boulder choke.
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<H3><A name=nearside>The Near End: Side Passages</A></H3>
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<P>The first two right turns encountered when heading downhill from the foot of
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<A href="#jim">Jim'll Fix
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It</A> unite in a walking sized passage. After 10m the bottom of <A
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href="#umshit">Umshitshimbo</A>
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is passed on the right, whilst straight ahead leads to a junction with a large
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keyhole passage. Left leads after 15m to a climb up behind a precariously placed
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boulder, to an immediate climb down of 4m which emerges in the 1999 main route
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through the near end before <A
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href="midlevel.shtml#pendulum">Pendulum
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Pitch</A>. Right leads immediately to a 8m pitch. A difficult and exposed traverse round
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the left hand wall leads to a further 30m of passage with a steadily lowering
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roof culminating in a boulder choke.
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<H3><A name=umshit>The Near End: Umshitshimbo and Updip Passages</A></H3>
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<P><B>Umshitshimbo</B> is a fine phreatic ramp, 2m wide and about 4m high, which
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heads uphill in a straight line for 40m. At the top a passage doubling back on
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the right leads back to the base of <A
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href="#jim">Jim'll Fix It</A>
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and there is a climb up into a rift passage heading south over the top of
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Umshitshimbo which becomes too narrow. Large passage continues uphill past a 2m
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deep blind pit on the right to a junction.
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<P>Left leads uphill past a choked inlet on the left to a steep uphill section
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with a crawl on the right, which leads shortly to a 2m climb down and immediate
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choke. At the top of the steep section the passage to the right immediately
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chokes, whilst left is <B>Dolly Parton climb</B>, a 2m climb up with huge jugs,
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to a further 15m of upward trending phreatic passage, terminating in a boulder
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choke with a slight draught (air coming into the cave). There are two small
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steep phreatic ramps on the left hand side of this passage, both very small and
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both choked.
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<P>Straight ahead at the junction leads through a short section of rift to an
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enlargement with an alcove on the right and a keyhole passage ahead. The rift
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section at the bottom quickly becomes choked, with a slight draught coming in. A
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3m climb gains access to the phreatic section which goes over the top of the
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choke, and about after a further 3m reaches a large boulder, which almost blocks
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the passage with a strong breeze blowing through the gap (into the cave.)
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Squeezing through yields a steeply ascending rocky crawl which chokes after
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about 5m.
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<p><HR>
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<p><ul>
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<li><a href="204.shtml">Back to 204 index page</a>
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