<p>Pushed a few C grade leads near the entrance series. Connected 2 loops. Met Becka and Ollie on the way out. Impressed by tunnocks entrance shaft in daylight.</p>
<p>We returned to push the pitch in 7/11 Chamber (01-68A) after our last failed attempt to reach the pushing front. The crawl to the pitch was not as bad as we expected (the survey suggested it became narrower after the point we got to last time; in fact, it got a bit wider), though it was still pretty awkward with tacklesacks. We made the mistake of being organised and packing all of our gear the night before. When we arrived at the pitch, we discovered that the drill bits that Nial had carefully packed had been snaffled by team tunnocks, so we couldn't use the drill that we had brought. Fortunately, we had also brought a spit driver, so all was not lost. The first part of the pitch was already bolted. A Y hang at the exit from the crawl leads to a rebelay on the far left wall. The rope rubs pretty badly - a rope protector is needed, and ideally it should be re-rigged. Nial put in two bolts for a rebelay under a large boulder on the far side of the chamber. This gives a clear hang down the pitch to the floor. The pitch is called 'no bits'. We used 62m of rope, and there wasn't much left.</p>
<p>At the bottom of the pitch, a rift leads off. There is a side passage to the left which becomes too tight after about 10m. The rift can also be descended using a thread and a single bolt to form a Y hang. The pitch is quite tight - you need to wiggle into the widest bit of the rift as you descend. The rift can be followed at various levels, but all ways become too tight. Down, the pitch continues with a Y hang at a ledge. This is followed by 2 deviations from the right wall - one from a very very tiny thread that looks like it should break, and the second from a bolting hammer wedged into a crack. The pitch is now called 'Hammer and thong'. </p>
<p>At the bottom of the pitch, the rift continues steeply down. We climbed down, though in future it might be better with a rope (we ran out). We placed one bolt in the floor for a handline, but this really needs to be rigged properly by traversing out further along the rift and placing bolts for a Y hang. After a few more climbs down the rift continues as a short pitch (QMA). The rift that starts at the bottom of 'No bits' and continues down to this QM is now called 'Pussyprance'. To the right at the pitch QM is a window into a large phreatic passage (~5m wide). Right down the passage continues for about 25m to two large (parallel?) shafts (QM A) There was a lot of water falling down the pitches, but could be rigged out of the spray down to the right. Left down the phreatic passage from the window from pussyprance slopes down to a very large chamber (20m across?). A rope is needed to descend (25m rope?) QMA. There is another pitch on the left just before the chamber (QMA) (connects to chamber?). The chamber extends out of sight to the left and right. Just after the entrance to the phreatic passage from pussyprance, on the way to the chamber in the left wall, a passage leads off and could be descended downwards (QMB, needs rope) or climbed upwards (QMB).</p>
<p>7pm, wanted to go for one last trip on the mountain bike before it gets taken back to the shop on mon. Set off up trail to Grundlsee. Aim: go around the lake. Cycled along road, past village and castle, past huge limestone walls with holes in them, to Gossl (village on end of lake). Lots of campers there - left over from the Seer concert? Carried on around lake, up slopes. Forestry roads 'closed'. Through village and to the track that links the final section of lake to the end of the loop. A sign post: 'Track closed due to rock falls and storm, track unwalkable'. Thanks a lot - now I have to cycle all the way back around! So near, yet so far... In fact the return ride only took 1/2 hr, the road is lovely and I'd recommend the ride to anyone, even without the loop.</p>
<p>Plan was to head in with empty tacklesacks, quickly bolt and push 06-1A then head out, de-rigging and have done with this shitty cave forever more. Unfortunately, we found some good stuff so the cave has risen from the dead and is still now going.</p>
<p>Spit and swallow opens out onto a window into a chamber. A backup spit and natural enable a 10m descent to the floor. At the far side are two ways on: The last chance saloon. The right fork winds for a bit before getting bigger and bifurcating: left soon chokes (QMC) and right passes a window onto a pitch (QMA) with passages opposite (QMBs) and then narrows, ending in another pitch (QMA). From the chamber, right is a bit scrotty, ending in a QMC, but it does pass over a hole which sounds like a big pitch (QMA). This bit of cave is vertically above Razordance, but lets face it, it probably craps out.</p>
<p>We took the newly chopped 100m rope through Saurkraut to Patin Sales Pitch area, planning to tick off 06-31A and drop PS and ? pitch trying to bolt around the side of 2nd pitch and get into rift beyond it [that] closes up at [the] bottom.</p>
<p>06-31A turned out to lead to dodgey narrow ledge over main pitch. Traversed with 3 bolts and a natural. On the other side a short pitch with a QMC crawl with little stream. Last bolt took ages - crap battery dying or blunt bit, finished with hand bolted spit/ Patin sales pitch left rigged but not next pitch.</p>
<p>Worked on tunnel all day until Robert Seebacher showed up. Then worked with Aaron till late replicating Robert's outline of how to draw up a cave survey [tube??].</p>
<p>Having typed in the correct co-ordinates (one digit wrong for last time), Julian led Nial, Jess, Tony and others over the Hinter col, down onto the lower plateau and then left down the steep shelves to the flat out entrance perched on a shelf. Julian brought his oversuit, while Jess and Nial followed in T-shirt and fleece. There was no ice in Iceland. All 3 got to nearly below 161G. Nial said it was quite warm. The crawl inside 161h, which was dug to make the connection was quite tight. Julian split from the group on the way back and went over the ridge behind the Stone Bridge, arriving after 1/2 hr.</p>
<p>The mission was to tick of some easy QMs at the far north of Tunnocks left by Becka and co from 2007. We surveyed into 07-70A up an easy passage, across a slippery hole (08-?A) and out of 07-68A. Which was a relief because I didn't want to cross that hole again. Lucky to find a survey point to link into. After some deliberation we surveyed into the rifty 07-69A thrutching about 4m above the bottom of the canyon until a widening and a free that was bottom to top chocked with boulders. Finally we headed to 07-82B, with Becka as usual screaming if we went so much as half a leg beyond the survey front to optimise the position of the next station, and therefore scooped - in spite of the fact that Andy A and Wookey had had a pass on doing such on her 2007 trip as evidenced by muddy footprints and notice of a lake on the 2007 survey several corners beyond the nearest survey station. Steve crossed the lake, which he thought contained dissolves insects, and I thought was bat poo, got his hands wet and was able to confirm that the unexplored crawl next to it that we daren't stick our heads into bypassed it. Several corners and tight bits led to a rift (also noted on the 2007 survey) where we left 3 crappy grade C leads, setting the score at 4 killed and 4 made. Passed the stone monkey team emerging from random holes on the main route on the way out.</p>
<p>On a mission to tick off the QMs off Hedonism Highway. First two QMAs connected together but left a QMB smallish pitch half way along. Next (uppermost) QMA up tight, thin rift and ended in a boulder choke. This is the same rift that continues right under Hedonism Highway. Then up to corner to do drafting crawl. Only Steve crawled through the pool as we found a bypass. Onwards up to a chamber/rift with a QMB climb (needs protection?) which is very close to Flying High. Then back to junction at pool and downslope. Quickly to a c3 down which Steve went down to a small chamber with two QMs off both up short climbs. Cold by now so tramped on out.</p>
<p>Much confusion about who to go with and when was best, as well as a lot of pressure on Becka to experience a rare instance of Julian being keen on a caving trip. As one of the original 1996 explorers of that part of the cave (purile humour) some bits might jog her memory. The log book suggested that we would encounter a pitch in Dead bat chamber, and we would have to retreat to 161C, go over the surface to 161d to rig it from the high side. As it turned out, the hardest part was the walk down to h with big packs (Becka very cross at Julian's lack of a good route) and the cave passage to 161d. The nearly freeclimbable bounce rift (with lots of loose rock) had a rope on it. We put the 9mm we carried, but the 1994 11mm line looked better than it. From there to Triassic was easy walking,k with a clamber up (lined) in Dead bat chamber up a cascade of bat bones and 2 further fixed line traverses. Triassic was so large it had its own weather system. We visited the pitch to Knossos, and climbed out and sat on the hillside of 161d watching the rain clouds gather. We walked part-way back from 161h in the drizzle in caving gear, then changed when the sun came out. It's a difficult route to optimise. Should this be considered as a way from the Stone Bridge to 161 far north connection to Razor Dance, thus saving the stone bridge from being a liability, the timings are:</p>
<p>Rigging: Bounce rift - 29m rope for p4 down then p4 up - on naturals, needs spits. Rope traverse - 21m rope, protects bold step out of Dead bat chamber. Rope traverse - 10m rope, on naturals over hole in floor. Rope traverse - 10m rope, off single hanger and naturals - needs spit backups (and if so, a longer rope). All currently rigged on 1994 rope.</p>
<p>Rain and misery at the Stone bridge. Becka and Steve left early to do Gravity Always Wins, while Frank faffed and Julian enjoyed the hours of not being in the cave while at the same time looking forward to trying out his inspiration of pouring boiling water into his wetsocks. The first lot was poured out after a long soak and the fear that too many nasty bugs would have been breeding. Frank asked if I was using custard. The second filling scalded my toes. As Frank considered completing the whole cave in nice dry woolly socks, I realised I had made a mistake and had soggy wet feet for the whole trip. Frank rigged 2 pitches until scared off while I froze and took an action picture of the wrong drill. I looked into Andy As horrid lead at the north end. We derigged. I strolled down from starfish junction to Blind and Broken where Becka and Steve had dropped a pitch (blind) and now had rigged a free-hanging traverse across to a second pitch. I crossed, stupidly, and found rope on next pitch heading down at 45 degrees (it was pulled tight to get down next pitch) and shouted. Not much conversation with echoes. Frank arrived. I told him to go away as I crossed the 9mm rope traverse to prevent him from lighting the space below me. Technique was to have short cows tail from one bolt to next due to lack of faith in skinny rope. Took some funky pictures of self on ice shelf. Returned in the dark. Becka and Steve arrived within 10 mins of their callout.</p>
<p>Trip back to cropscicle (crosswords) to rig pitch. Put bolt in below boulder which is ok then on to pitch - lots of cracked rock and thin flutes put bolts in. </p>
<p>Wibbled off at 18.30 headed out to get back to top camp at 21.00 after some photos - spoke to Becka on pitch on way back 20.00 ish. Becka arrived back at camp 10.50 ish - callout 11pm - bit too close. All ok though.</p>
<p>Returned to crawl in Dubious Pleasure (cf 29/7/8); a descending crawl seemed a perfect intro to surveying...</p>
<p>Serena was improbably enthused as we surveyed 38 legs along the crawl. Clean phreatic passage descending ~30 degrees, average 40(w)x70(h) cm. Left wide open draughts outwards strongly (can often hear the wind!) - NB if coming out its much easier *not* to end up feet first... Crawl is called "Naughty Naughty" continues as QMA.</p>
<p>On the way into tunnocks there's a traverse line. It goes over a hole. It needed doing (Flapjack Choke). P8 off a single spit backed up to the traverse line into a fair-sized rift, leads to short damp pitch, short stretch of passage to 5m pitch, short passage heads to too tight streamway. On de-rig Serena tried to asphyxiate herself with flapjack...(series name - choking on flapjack...) On prussik back up 1st pitch swung off into passage. Leads to short (5m) passage leading to ~p10 (QMB).</p>
<p>Rigged pitch leading off monster[?] boulder in chamber with mud side (crapsides). Lobbed rocks into rattling rift beyond - clear draught and several seconds rattle into [can't read] rift.</p>
<p>Enthusiasm for caving 6/10. weather too good for caving. Intended to be quick pootle into tunnocks, got to end in good time. Intestines good choke [can't read] needs a spade but good choke feels as if it might go... might give it a few hours.</p>
<p>Later Steve found edge of floor to be supported by 2" of rock - nice. Decided to drop shaft via hole in end of rift. Decided to head back and look at pitch tomorrow - pitch off boulder needs at least one bolt. Suitable name - cropscicle.</p>
<p>Dropped 'Gravity always wins' - p20 off 3 spits; then short traverse line to Ollie's rig which gave a perfect free hang down to floor - stunning pitch to rubble floor choke ~p40, de-rigged as no QMs at bottom.</p>
<p>Went across Ollie's bonkers traverse (called delicious leak) to the 'chamber'. Ollie's 'chamber' was 3 holes each give ~ 40m drop. Rigged pitch in 'rift' - perfect Y hang drops 36m to boulder ledge down another beautiful shaft. 1 spit rebelay off left hand side (looking out) to 8m hang to floor. Rift heads off - tight but booms - QMC.</p>
<p>Up boulder slope leads to p10 with hole in floor that went 'boom'. Out of rope so put some bolts in (2 on right wall high above p10, 2 for Y hang under dribble ~2m down) and headed off out. V close to callout - oops.</p>
<p>Rigged from Y-kinki beach over big 'ole. Found last year's last station; Becka scrabbled over the top of Blind and Broken to disto across [can't read] hole hole to close the big loop. Rigged pitch head of 2nd stage of big 'ole (3 pits on overhang over pitch); 1 bolt rebelay ~ 18m. 2 crap spits placed at end of rope. Came back up for more rope and a good wibble. Back down, [can't read] rebelay (1 good spit on line) and another (2 good spits just above overhang on line ~ -32m). Straight down to 1 spit just above next hang on line ~ -45m; 10m to steeply sloping boulder slope with 2-3 sec booming drop below - put 2 spits in to start survey.</p>
<p>Becka: team enthused. Steve: team want-a-day-off-but-badgered... Over Ollie's traverse to 1st blind and broken pitch. Rigged it properly. Down to p10 left 05/08. Becka rigged this and muttered about dribbliness. Gardened 'big' pitch below, rigged 2 spits off BIG boulder at pitch head. Another stonking pitch - good free hand with 1 deviation to blind rubble choke, poor QMC rift outlet. De-rigged and cleared off; Ollie's traverse was fun for Becka to derig... Becka noted QMC on bottom pitch at level of small ledge - *small* tube going off ledge ~15m down/up.</p>
<p>Popped down to tunnocks again to look at small pitch off route between caramel catharsis and Y-kinky. Started to rig down pitch and found rope too short so climbed up and bolted up to known passage from last year - at end is big scary pitch with a 5 or 6 second drop - 40' diameter.</p>
<p>I do not feel like rigging this pitch despite Natalie's insistence that I should... I think this may be the wibble monster's lair.</p>
<p>We set off to tunnocks at noon. Frank went in and Serena and Nat followed (around 1pm for all). Frank went ahead. Serena and Natalie went slowly on. Serena dropped the surveys down the ribs with knoedel hole bacause she didn't have pockets [Serena's writing - True story: pockets on kingsdale oversuits are unaccessible]. We found Frank at Y-kinki beach junction, very cold from waiting for an hour. Went down the new pitch in the rift ('round the corner from big scary pitch') while surveying it. Found big chamber at the bottom ('Maya's veil'). Frank bolted the way on and climbed up to the right above the next pitch (in small rift on left of chamber) to find boreholes (QMA) that look like they go to big scary. The next pitch needs about 50m of rope to get down it. The climb up to borehole needs about 10m. To get to maya's veil you need 30m of rope and 3 hangers. Natalie photographed Maya's veil chamber, with Serena and Frank as models. There is a horrible boulder choke beneath the veil with a possible passage (QMC). The whole chamber is a pile of huge boulder that move!</p>
<p>After surveying the top of the next pitch and the first lef od the climb up, we were cold so we went out. Frank went ahead; Serena and Natalie followed slowly behind, taking their time. We came out at sundown (8.30pm?)</p>
<p>On a previous trip with frank and Serena (30/7/08) we had noticed that QM 06-17C, a sharply sloping up tube, looked promising. We returned to that QM and pushed it up the slope and into a small maze of loose boudery passage. the walls are shattered, so it is likely close to the surface. At the top of the tube network a snow slope leads up to an icy rift. Martin J was able to see the main entrance pitch but the ice was too thick to reach it. With more persistance this could be pushed through to close the loop.</p>
<p>At the bottom of the snow slope another tube leads into Stone monkey, popping out at a missed QM. We assumed this was virgin passage because it did not appear to match our survey, so we pushed up to a climb up then down. Djuke lead the climb down (originally marked as a pitch) and we reached very pretty sandy/muddy crawling passage. Exploration ended at a true ~10m pitch. As we surveyed out I happened to notice some nail varnish just beyond the 'dodgy' climb so there was luckily no overlap of survey thanks to the good marking of stations on the survey (once we had worked out where we were). Conclusions: ponies are good, distos are rubbish.</p>
<p>Excited by the upward trajectory of Flying High, we set out to extend it in hope of a new entrance. Walking out we ran into Olly M who was feeling ill and gave us his instruments which we took to his team in Stone Monkey - a longer detour than we expected. We brought rope and a drill but in fact discovered everything was free-climbable.</p>
<p>Pushed it a ways on - appeared to die but after squeeze through choke regained initial riftiness. Some promising QMs if climb down. One appears to intersect phreatic ways on left of passage if heading into rift. Left it with QMA climb up and QMA off to right at end which looks to be pitch. </p>
<p>A quick trip down 204d to show Eeva the upper levels of steinbruckenhohle. Started out by bolting suspended solution and left a permanent rig on it. given how hard the climb up is now (the floor has moved) this is needed to keep 204d as a viable free-climbable entrance. Only required 3 bolts.</p>
<p>Then went to magic roundabout chamber, threw some rocks down Gaffered, 204e, helter skelter/boulder coaster and then back out of s via Cresta run to derig it. Nice trip!</p>
<p>Went in 204d and through to Sand pit to look at 03-33B. On the way we stuck our noses down 03-32C and decided that is should definitely be an A lead! Hand bolted our way down a 15m pitch at 03-33B, but it rapidly became too tight, so we headed out of 204e, taking a quick tour of Sand pit on the way out.</p>
<p>Having seen how promising 03-32C looked the previous day (and with Julian doing a carry down the hill for me - thanks!) we returned to Sand pit with a power drill and 62m of rope. A series of sloping pitches lead to a more vertical section of about 25m. beyond this, the pitches continued with a seconds rattle - this looks like and excellent lead! Unfortunately we had run out of rope so we headed back out, meeting up with Aaron and Serena on the way who offered to carry out the drill and rope - excellent!</p>
<p>This lead is definitely worth another look. A better rig is probably needed as it looks like it might take water in the wet, but the existing bolts should at least provide a good start!</p>
<p>Sent Ollie off with a bag of 62m rope and the makita drill but the rain from the past day was still pouring down and when he emerged two hours later he was soaked... and had run out of rope. Actually there was a second rope already down there he could have used but retreat seemed a more sensible plan.</p>
<p>Two trips rolled into one! We wanted to let Thin red line get as dry as possible before heading down so I persuaded Ollie to take a look at Naughty Naughty. The initial squirm probably didn't impress him and then surveying in the howling cold draft led us to a near jack but it gradually got larger, still heading down at a steady 30 degrees. After a few long legs we really thought it was going to break into something... but no, we finally killed it in a small sumpy chamber - deepest point of Tunnocks in 2008! then we slogged back up out, warming up to bearable and I sat on the same sodding ledge for the third trip in a row waiting for thin red line to be rigged... but this time Ollie cracked it and hit the floor, -123m down. We got it surveyed and derigged and dragged ourselves out of the cave.</p>
<p>Derigged the rope from Patin sale pitch and then derigged Frank's pitch rope. Still some time to spare so we hummed and ha-ed at the head of the poxy 6m pitch along the crawl to the left from Caramel Catharsis. Two dodgy naturals then Ollie put in a handbolt to land on a false floor in boulders with a pitch running under the passage we'd entered along and another pitch beyond a giant vertical boulder. Short survey then hauled rope out. At the next to last rebelay (of the 9...) on the entrance I noticed the huge boulder you stood on rocked so Ollie came up and kicked it down.</p>
<p>Took tablet PC and second datalogger down 204e. Serena got sponsorship snaps while I downloaded and relaunched datalogger A in Chocolate Salty Balls which had a full year of temperature data for 3 thermistors (one shagged). Put a second datalogger in crowning glory passage, logging 2 thermistors. Then went to try and find Nial and Eeva in Sand Pit. Couldn't remember exactly which QM they were in, so went past them and explored all of Sand pit. Gave up and found them on the way back. Took drill and rope and went to push 03-38B. It was a small rift which dropped in steps just long enough to need a rope. Still going as a C lead when we decided to turn around. New section called 'I nood noodles' because that better than 'I need needle', the actual verbal slip.</p>
