<p>Headed off to Tunnocks with 200m of 11mm, a substantial pile of hangers, slings, krabs, Hiltis, drill, drill battery... so it took a while. I headed down with the intention of fettling the rig so that we could have more than one person on the pitch at a time without kicking rubble on each others heads. Jess sat on the surface and sunbathed for a bit (apart from when it was hailing). I put in a new rebelay that neatly avoided the passing hailstones, then spent ages trying to work out where I was going to put bolts in for the next bit since it was clearly going to be scary and hard. Eventually found a way to put in a particularly airy rebelay (that Jess later enjoyed). Managed to wrap myself round the rope multiple times in the process, so spent 40 minutes untangling myself, then descended landing on the lower end of the first boulder slope as intended. Jess joined me and I proceeded to rig a traverse to the head of the next drop, making use of a pre-drilled Hilti hole and an existing Hilti. By this time we were running out of time so headed out. </p>
<p>Joe on his 3rd day of looking for 107. This time armed with a text message from Wookey at the computer, sent @ 3am, saying to find Wookey's caving gear stash and thus 148, then 107 was 120m away on 220(degrees). Unfortunately this was copied from an area diagram(?) <i>from 107</i>, not <i>to 107</i>, so was backwards. Thus Joe & Aled spent about 3 hrs looking in the wrong place untul Wookey arrived from base camp with a map. Armed with correct info 83 was quickly found (has apit but no tag) and thus 107.</p>
<p><b>TA-DAA!</b></p>
<p>Then it thunderstormed (hail) whilst Aled and Joe werer collecting rope from stash at edge of plateau. Aled had left cag at 148 so had to hide in bivvi bag (correction - survival bag) for 30 minutes - "toasty"</p>
<p>Finally got underground around 3pm. 107 is a nice cave & O+J get full marks for documentation (rigging guide + desc + QMs + survey). Rigging and route-finding went well. Joe shimmied the ropeless traverse without gear. Aled followed with T-sacks before realising that <b>a)</b> this was foolish &<b>b)</b> he needed to come back & give Wookey hangers for rigging. Short period of excitement was survived.</p>
<p>Rigged down to Ropefree before going home. Cave is v. cold due to strong draught throughout. Bring woolies!</p>
<p>Two days after our previous effort, the same team returned to continue the attempted re-rig of the Tunnocks entrance pitch. I swang around in the shaft putting in an airy-fairy rig to avoid the loosechoss while Jess sat on a rubble slope providing moral support. One deviation and two y-hangs later, team 2 arrived with the intention of putting in a quick `n' dirty rig to the bottom so they could start rigging the rest of the cave. After a few hours sitting with six of us strung out along the pitch with much shuffling of gear, it became clear that this plan was not going to work, so team 1 exited.</p>
<divclass="trippeople">Becka, Neil, Rob A, &<u>Michael S</u></div>
<divclass="triptitle">Team 2 into Tunnocks</div>
<p>Turned up hoping that Team 1 would have finished rigging the entrance series, found to be far from the truth. After a bit of umming and ah-ing on the surface, decided to rig past Team 1 to get to the bottom. Ice plug at the bottom was found to be significantly lower than previous years so existing bolts could not be used exclusively in quick & dirty rig. Inherited drill & bolting kit from Team 1 to rig the bottom, a traverse across the ice slope. From [here] split in two:</p>
<p>Handline found in place at Ribs with Knoedel (?). Caramel Catharsis rigged then continued through Y KeyKey Beach & Max Pleasure. Back through Dubious Pleasure, where all 3 traverse lines were found in place. Reached String Theory top & deposited 100m rope & brew kit, then buggered off out again, picking up Rob on the way.</p>
<divclass="triptitle">Matt & Aled jolly in 107</div>
<p>Did a carry up to top camp with the newly arrived curries, then had a quick pootle round 107 so Matt could learn the way. Got as far as Too Bold for This Spit where met Sam David Jess and Andy. Dropped off bag of rigging gear for Aled's pushing project. Nice trip some of the rigging is a bit "rock and roll".</p>
<p>Came down hill after last trip as Joe needed to fettle phones. Wook kept getting asked nerding questions so didn't leave till 11ish. So underground by 2pm.</p>
<p>Lovely trip, partly as I had thick fleece furry instead of thin one so much warmer, but also [something, something] as 2 independent trips, with Joe rigging ahead & Wook following, sorting the `economical' rigging to ad backups to one-bolt-wonders & swap 51m rope on ropeless traverse(?) for 39m one.</p>
<p>Joe came back to report squeeze then ran off again to keep warm. Wook followed to be confused by implausibly tight crawl with rope for Austria.</p>
<p><u><b>Wookey's handwriting, at this point, is causing me incredible eyestrain :P. There are two more reports following this that need to be included in future.</b></u></p>
<divclass="triptitle">107: Alcove pop + Nipped down</div>
<p>Returned to the "Too bold for this spit" traverse. Andrew climbed up above the traverse to the lead spotted the previous day and put some bolts in so Jess could climb up and survey the small passage found - "Alcove pop", which split after a few meters with both ways ending in mud. Small roof tube ran back into the main rift split into many tiny holes. Meanwhile Sam + David retrieved the rope from Korea.</p>
<p>David replaced the bolt which popped out the previous day, and all returned to the passage and pitch found the previous day</p>
<p>Andrew then finished rigging "nipped down" and David and Jess surveyed it, linking it into Chine before heading out. Possible passage continuation across pitch - QMC. On the way back up the pitch, Andrew noticed the single bolt above the 30m hang and blow the dodgy sling rebelay was pulling out as he prussiked - when he got there, he could pull it out of the wall!</p>
<p>Everyone headed out, Sam having some tight trouble in the squeeze - this is easiest using the low route now most of the popcorn has gone. All out by 20:15, and all headed down to base camp.</p>
<p><b>QMC - Possible passage continuation of popped across on the opposite wall of nipped down - bolt traverse required.</b></p>
<divclass="triptitle">258 - Tunnocks - Rig String Theory + to Beast area</div>
<p>Used rope previously deposited to rig String Theory which was a breeze due to refelctor bolts placed on last year's derig - top gear! Continued on + I rigged Pidgeons in Flight but it needed further tweaking. Anthony + I then went for a [something] checking the in situ nasty red rope on the short climb up + traverse + to look at the Beast pitch + pitch below Bob Om.</p>
<divclass="trippeople"><u>Becka</u>, Neil, Rob A</div>
<divclass="triptitle">258 - Tunnocks - Pidgeons in Flight -> Pidgeon Droppings</div>
<p>Looked at the pitch beloe Bob On but decided to rig the one below the traverse just beyond Pidgeons in Flight. Neil rigged whilst Rob + I surveyed down. Neil's pitch ("Pidgeon Droppings") is nicely rigged in 3 short drops (bit loose at pitch head). This lands next to a wet, undescended pitch but we went for the blowing horizontal lead. It was crawly, past 2 fairly freshly dead bats to a bad step traverse. Neil put in a couple of bolts to drop below the traverse which was blind, + then to put a handline over the traverse, we wrapped up the survey here + headed out. En route I replaced the nasty, slippy red 9mm on the climb up to the Balcony (just beyond String Theory) with thicker rope + put the red 9mm as a handline up to that climb.</p>
<p>Headed down to where we left off yesterday, Katey + Nat breezing down all the airy entrance rigging with all of 9 months caving experience a-piece (though they'd just come from the [--] expedition so are expo-seasoned). We set off surveying, following the draft, but quickly got to a pitch, Nat went back to fetch the gear whilst Katey + I surveyed side leads. When we got back to Nat he shame-facedly confessed that one of the drill batteries had rolled out of the bag he was unpacking + down a small hole. He tried to persuade Katey to go in after it but she's no fool so he wiggled in head first, managed to retrieve the battery, attempted to turn around, failed, tried to back out, failed, started to sound a bit stressed + finally begged for assistance. Katey + I got a leg each + he finally was hauled out. After that he needed a while to compose himself so Katey rigged the pitch ("Flying Rats") with 2 spits at the top + a rebelay then we surveyed down to a traverse with a bad step + then teeter along a ledge with loose rock where we ended the survey having decided that it really should have been rigged. Packed the loose gear up + left it at the top of Pidgeon Droppings + went for a quick check on Neil + Rob below Bob On who were surveying out + then exited steadily.</p>
<divclass="triptitle">Prospecting ~NE of Tunnocks</div>
<p>A pleasant day ambling in the sunshine trying to hit Mike's main goal areas. We found surprisingly little given the 5-person comb but we refound <u>CUCC-2005-05</u> which seemed promising <u>unless</u> the air in it is just circulation from the fractured bowl beneath the entrance. Mike, Andrea + Katey surveyed it whilst Nat bolted the right hand pitch to a bridge before running out of rope (we only had 11m + 12m; the only other tope at Top Camo was 200m!) + good rock. This should be returned to + checked out properly.</p>
<p>We also refound <u>2006-05</u> which appeared to have spits to descent but Base Camp couldn't find a report of what happened there, it looks pretty good.</p>
<p>Finally, we found a new cave which we ineptly tagged as <u>CUCC-14-876</u> ("Hot Tub"). Katey rigged this with a backup then y-hang down perhaps 15m to a snow plug which might have a way on beyond. It seemed to have a good draft + is in an interesting position above 258/204 so, again, this would be worth returning to.</p>
<p>Picked up the gear at the top of Pidgeon Droppings including Rob + Neil's 80m rope so we were fairly laden + headed down to Flying Rats pitch. Rigged the traverse off a couple of so-so naturals (trying to conserve hangers due to the hanger-draught at Top Camp) then Nat put a couple of spits in the far side (+another one which completely fractured the rock when he set it) + then another natural. We surveyed on from yesterday + then in loops under ourselves. Nat rigged on naturals down a short pitch. The passage looked big + phreatic + exciting but I went up the nasty loose climb at the end + it just fizzled out, grrr. We surveyed a final loop back to the short pitch then reluctantly decided to derig, slogged out with 2 tacklesacks a-piece so left Pidgeon Droppings rigged + left rigging gear at the top then we plodded out. I think it was 3 hours in + ~4 hours out, emerging just gone midnight + snuck home before the rain really started.</p>
<divclass="triptitle">107 - Gemshohle - Finalising Nipped Down rigging + Pushing lead in Southern China - "The Last TSA"</div>
<p>Nipped down had been rebolted the rpevious trip, but the ropes needed switching to ensure the rope reached the floor. Wookey sorted this while Jess and Michael passed 5m of slack rope along the popped across traverse back to the pitch at too bold for this spit:</p>
<p>Too Bold for This Spit: (computerised image can be found in expoimages in rigging_topos, 107_tooboldforthisspit.svg)</p>
<p>Popped Across Traverse: (computerised image can be found in expoimages in rigging_topos, 107_poppedacrosstraverse.svg)</p>
<p>Nipped Down: (computerised image will soon be available in expoimages in rigging_topos, 107_nippeddown.svg)</p>
<p>Rigging now fettled, the team departed for the N end of China + Korea and spent some time checking for leads at and below floor level - Wookey moved some [scary] boulders under Korea but all that was found was the pitch pushed by O+J the previous year. However, the climb to the alcove 20m up the N wall of the Aven at the N end of China looked promising.</p>
<p>Having so far found nothing new, the three now departed for the A lead at the S end of China - <u>13-CH-11A</u>(?). 7m climb was rigged with a handline from a single bolt 1/2 way down:</p>
<p>[picture]</p>
<p>Large smooth-walled high rift passage was found heading S to a 20m pitch, which J+W bolted:
<p>[picture]</p>
<p>The passage was found to continue as [something corrected by Wookey] until a final chamber with an aven was reached. Due to time now being short, all 3 exited and a return was planned the next day to complete the surveying, though the passage was given the name "The Last TSA" courtesy of Michael wearing his Dad's old TSA oversuit.</p>
<divclass="triptitle">107 - Gemshohle - The Last TSA, Climb N end of China</div>
<p>The return trip to The Last TSA, to finish the survey. Large mud and stone floored phreatic hading(?) rift, heading S and down, with a chocolate mud river flowing down the floor. Large amount of wall peelage LHS - in one place a huge section has flaked off (20m? long) - "the battleship Potempkin". Wookey shinned up into the ceiling after the battleship, finding a window out into the end chamber with the rift continuing up with a slight draft at 30m above the floor - Wookey realised how high he was, got scared and came back - continuing climb up rift QMB. W rigged a handline down the washed out mud and boulder cliff into the final chamber whereon aven enters - QMX. Far wall is solid, W poked around in the boulders and found that the RHW is undercut and could be the continuation, but no way through the very precarious boulderchoke filling the chamber floor and bottom part of 2 walls (RHS, nearside).</p>
<p>De-rigged back into China, and Wookey proceeded to climb up to the alcove visible in the N wall of the aven at the N of China, ~20m up. The climb drafted, but the alcove was a sand-filled passage and didn't go (13-CH-1B). On his way back down, on the RHS of a boulder he had passed on the L on the way up, hefound a rift + small hole below which drafted V strongly out! The rift would be tight and looked like you would need to wedge yourself in then descend a pitch. The small hole below may give easier access if dug?</p>
<p><b>QMA!!! - the way to kH?</b></p>
<p>Due to time + J being tired, plus the lead looking like a trip in and of itself, both headed back out at this point.</p>
<p><u>The Last TSA:</u><UL>QMB - 30m+ climb up hading rift in ceiling between the battleship wall flake and the final aven.</UL><UL>QMX - the aven entering the final chamber.</UL></p>
<p><u>N end of China:</u><UL>QMA - Rift small hole with strong outward draft in N wall of aven 1/2 way up climb to alcove, may require pitch bolting once into rift.</UL></p>
<divclass="trippeople"><u>Michael</u>, Katey, Mike, & Andrea Futrell</div>
<divclass="triptitle">258 - Tunnocks - Sightseeing and C lead at the top of String Theory (09-44C)</div>
<p>The Futrells wanted a sightseeing trip where they could take photographs without being pressured to go fast, and us others wanted an easier trip. Also given to us was the choices of a C-lead at the top of String Theory (09-44C). Took the standard roure to ST (Entrance -> Caramel Catharsis -> Pleasure Series -> ST). C-lead was along a rift out the top of the scree slope at the top of ST heading West. Floor of boulder choke, after ~20m the floor falls out. There is a ga wide enough to fit a person, an 11m tope allowed descent to a second level of boulder choke floor. A third and final level of boulder choke floor was reached by another ~6m pitch. Both ends of the rift choked up at each level. The lowest level was at ~45(degree) angle, any step sent a cascade of rocks down.
<UL><i>Drawing of passage with rigging guide (Trireme Rift)</i></UL>
Craps out in all directions, not worth returning to. On the way out, the Futrells took time on the entrance series to take a lot of photos.</p>
<divclass="trippeople"><u>Anthony</u>, Rob A, Rob W</div>
<divclass="triptitle">Rig 161g</div>
<p>After a week of effort in 107, the general consensus was that it would be easier to find a connection from the 161 side, so Dr Day's Entrance Pitch Rigging Service was called into action. Trundled over with Rob and enough gear to rig to Strange Downfull, placing a minimal set of reflectors en route. Rigging in proceeded smoothly with few surprises (apart from one handline that had been removed near the start of Peurile Humour - reinstated) and flawless route finding as far as the top of [something starting with k]. Here I discovered that one of the bolts I wanted to use for the pitch head y-hang had been deliberately disabled, so the new rig looks like this:
<UL>Lovely Drawing</UL>
Route finding through [that thing starting with k, again]/Star Wars/Tower Blocks proved to be a bit more tricky - some reflectors would be useful - but we eventually made it to Staircase 36. The rope for the traverse over a big hole near the bottom of Staircase 36 has been removed and should ideally be reinstated. I rigged Strange Downfull unlike Rob and Rob nosed around in Chicken Flied Nice without finding any obvious route through to Runnel Stone. With that we headed out - a most efficient trip.</p>
<divclass="trippeople"><u>Anthony</u>, Rob A, Rob W</div>
<divclass="triptitle">161 - Reconnaisance trip to Runnel Stone</div>
<p>Following a quick and effective trip the previous day, the same team returned to rig the long way round to the leads near 107. We thought that the trip shouldn't take too long so were in no hurry to leave Top Camp. The flaw in this logic should have been obvious and our failure to get underground before 14:00 proved to be a mistake. Trundled along to Strange Downfull, Rob W prussiked up Strange Upfull to find that the traverse line(?) at the top was (thankfully) still in place. Up Irony of Time and into Country for Old Men, we had a pleasant surprise that the Sudelenland pitch was still rigged - the 100m of rope we had with us was starting to look like overkill. All enjoyed the interesting rig on the Mordor pitch, then along the extreme horizontal stuff at the bottom. By now it was becoming clear that, despite minimal route-finding hassles, the trip was going to take quite a long time.</p>
<p>Arriving at Holey Cow, we finally found something that needed rigging. Rob W rigged down the little climb, then put in a hanger to protect the walk across the ridge to the little traverse on the other side. It turns out that this bolt is pretty good since when Rob made it to the location of the y-hang bolts, the ledge he was standing on disappeared and he took a swing and smacked into the ridge.</p>
<p>After that bit of excitement, we headed off to the Runnel Stone. Survey station 56 looked like the most promising area: there is an undescended pitch with a faint draught. Climbing up into the roof (looks like we are in the bottom of a keyhole) to see if the passage continues at roof level might also be worth a try. The survey puts us 23m laterally and at the same level as a parallel passage to Chicken Flied Nice, so there are a few possibilities here for cutting a significant chunk off the commute.</p>
<p>Next we went to the end of Bundestrasse. The continuing rift at the end goes to a pitch after ~15m. There is a draught, but it is small compared to that in the phreatic passage. This suggests that most of the draught disappears up the aven, which looks like a phreatic tube and Rob A believes might be climbable.</p>
<p>By now it was getting very late, so we returned to the junction at the end of [something] Republic and ditched the rope. From here it took about 5 hours to get out, with the only significant delay being to install a sling on a greasy climb in Sudelenland that we had waltzed past on the way down. Emerged to steady rain at 03:50. We were very glad of the extra reflectors that had been installed on the walk out during the soggy walk back. Arrived at Top Camp at 05:00 in time for a dawn curry.</p>
