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< title > 1623/204 -- No Pain No Gain and the Pleasuredome< / title >
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< table id = "cavepage" >
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< tr > < th id = "kat_no" > 204< / th > < th id = "name" > Steinbrü ckenhö hle< / th > < th id = "status" > 5/S x< / th > < / tr >
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< / table >
< h1 > No Pain No Gain and the Pleasuredome< / h1 >
< div >
< b > < a href = "#survey" > Survey< / a > < / b > --
< b > < a href = "204.html" > 204 index< / a > < / b > < / div >
< hr / >
< h3 > < a id = "nopainnogain" > No Pain No Gain< / a > < / h3 >
< p > < b > No Pain No Gain< / b > is a low tubular crawl branching off < a
href="midlevel.html#onetenbidet">110 Bidet< / a > in the Mid-Level Series, which
emerges to a mud-floored chamber. (Please try not to disturb the remaining flow
patterns in the mud). A crawly mud floored passage leaves the chamber to the
right. To the right near the end of the crawl is a bedding plane that continues
uphill leading back to < a href = "midlevel.html#onetenbidet" > 110 Bidet< / a > ,
whilst to the left is a small stone floored pit. There is a 2m climb up from
the top of the pit. This has a stalactite formation at the top on the right,
and threads on the left
where a sling may be attached to assist. The crawl then continues to a junction
with two connecting passages to the left leading to < a
href="#kingcarbide">'King Carbide< / a > and two connecting passages to the right,
which re-emerges on the right at a T junction slightly down the passage. To the
left of this T junction, the passage enlarges
slightly, and there soon is a chamber that is intersected by a tight rift with
flowing water. Downstream is [< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-05"
id="qC2000-204-05">C2000-204-05 C< / a > ]. Upstream a key hole passage slopes
upwards, to a T-junction with a chamber to the right, and an short, almost
flat-out crawl to the left. The chamber, which has an aven [< a
href="qm.html#C2000-204-55" id="qC2000-204-55">C2000-204-55 X< / a > ], can be
dropped into. A rift at the other end of the chamber leads to a waterfall which
feeds the stream that runs through the chamber. Climbing up before the rift
gives access to a crawl [< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-06"
id="qC2000-204-06">C2000-204-06 C< / a > ]. The flat out crawl, to the left,
emerges to a small angular chamber, at the top of which, to the right, is a
hole [< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-07" id = "qC2000-204-07" > C2000-204-07 C< / a > ].
To the left a low passage runs above a 4m drop [< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-08"
id="qC2000-204-08">C2000-204-08 B< / a > ]. This then turns right and continues to
a fork in the passage. To the left is < a
href="#insignificantchamber">Insignificant Chamber< / a > , and to the right is a
smaller chamber with a blind hole in the floor, windows to Insignificant
Chamber, and a bedding plane continuing up at 10° , which again connects
into Insignificant Chamber.< / p >
< h3 > < a id = "insignificantchamber" > Insignificant Chamber< / a > < / h3 >
< p > < b > Insignificant Chamber< / b > , so named because it is probably the most
important junction in Steinbrü ckenhö hle, is a moderate sized chamber
which can be entered at floor level from < a href = "#nopainnogain" > No Pain No
Gain< / a > .< / p >
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< p > < i > To the left it turns into a passage. There are a number a interconnecting
holes on the right, which drop down into < a href = "rhino.html#rhinorift2" > Rhino
Rift 2< / a > . This passage gets smaller and reaches a junction: on the left is a
walking size passage with a small pit in the floor that continues to a large
pitch, < b > < a id = "allroads" > All Roads< / a > < / b > , which drops into < a
href="#pleasuredome">Pleasuredome< / a > . <!-- Martin - description? --> Straight
on leads to < a href = "#drillingdelight" > Drilling Delight< / a > , and to the right is
a small passage that connects to the < a href = "#bonsai" > Bonsai Crawl< / a > . Half
way along this small passage there is a small pitch [< a
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href="qm.html#C2000-204-59" id="qC2000-204-59">C2000-204-59 C< / a > ].< / i > < / p >
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< p > Straight on, upslope from where No Pain No Gain enters, is a bedding plane
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which splits left to < a href = "#bonsai" > Bonsai Crawl< / a > and right to < a href = "#dontstep" > Don't Step< / a > .< / p >
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< p > To the right upon entering Insignificant Chamber one can climb up to a point
above the small chamber in < a href = "#nopainnogain" > No Pain No Gain< / a > .
Continuing climbing up to the left leads to an aven [< a
href="qm.html#C2001-204-2" id="qC2001-204-2">C2001-204-2 X< / a > ] and 5m of
horizontal passage, leading to a wet aven [< a href = "qm.html#C2001-204-1"
id="qC2001-204-1">C2001-204-1 X< / a > ] and a 2m climb down, to where the passage
doubles back underneath itself, becoming to tight. From above the small
chamber, a small crawl goes off to the right, and a phreatic tube emerges on a
wall slightly further along. Going along the small crawl, a small passage goes
of to the left [< a href = "qm.html#C2001-204-3" id = "qC2001-204-3" > C2001-204-3
C< / a > ], before emerging in a small chamber. To the right is the phreatic tube
seen part way up a wall in Insignificant Chamber. Straight on leads to a crawl
at floor level [< a href = "qm.html#C2001-204-7" id = "qC2001-204-7" > C2001-204-7
C< / a > ]. To the left, the passage turns left, with a crawl going to the left at
floor level [< a href = "qm.html#C2001-204-4" id = "qC2001-204-4" > C2001-204-4
B< / a > ], and a passage seen going off 3m up the wall [< a
href="qm.html#C2001-204-5" id="qC2001-204-5">C2001-204-5 C< / a > ]. Around this
corner a pitch is met, with a passage 4m up the wall [< a
href="qm.html#C2001-204-6" id="qC2001-204-6">C2001-204-6 C< / a > ].< / p >
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< p > This pitch, < b > < a id = "micturation" > Micturition< / a > < / b > , was descended
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into a small chamber at -5m with a small window looking out onto a large
chamber. The pitch was then descended via a rebelay after a sloping wall to
land in the north-east alcove of < a href = "#pleasuredome" > Pleasuredome< / a > .< / p >
< h3 > < a id = "drillingdelight" > Drilling Delight< / a > < / h3 >
< p > The first pitch of Drilling Delight is rigged with a back up in the downward
sloping floor, with a Y hang from bolts on a vertical part of the ceiling over
the pitch. This leads down to a ledge, which required a rebelay off a natural.
At the bottom of the pitch, a crawl leads to the left [< a
href="qm.html#C2001-204-62" id="qC2001-204-62">C2001-204-62 C< / a > ], a 1m climb
up to the right immediately leads to the next pitch. Near the bottom of this
pitch, a further small pitch continues downwards. < i > The pitch was descended
using the rope from the previous pitch and a rebelay; it continued for a
further 9m and ended in a blind pool or a sump, which was not investigated
further.< / i > A walking passage heads south-east for a short distance, and a
squeeze can be gone through to the left, to a small chamber. Straight on a
short climb leads to a rift with a too tight slot in the floor to an echoing
pitch. To the right is another climb which may need a few bolts for protection.
Further investigation through the squeeze revealed that the climb ended in
another short ascending aven with a blind roof. This was not surveyed as the
climb was not ascended coupled with the reluctance of other members of the team
to pass the squeeze.< / p >
< h3 > Bonsai Crawl< / h3 >
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< p > < b > < a id = "bonsai" > Bonsai Crawl< / a > < / b > is a wide bedding plane. A tall and
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thin passage to the right goes to < a href = "#flopsy" > Flopsy the Bunny Rabbit's
Lair< / a > . The main passage continues upwards to a fork. On the left is a
stooping-size passage, leading to < a href = "swings.html" > Swings and
Roundabouts< / a > . On the right is a walking-size passage with a boulder floor.
There is a hole in the right wall that has a couple of small passages leading
off [< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-13" id = "qC2000-204-13" > C2000-204-13 C< / a > ],
[< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-14" id = "qC2000-204-14" > C2000-204-14 C< / a > ]. The
passage then emerges into < a href = "treeumphant.html#thecolonnade" > The
Colonnade< / a > .< / p >
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< h3 > < a id = "dontstep" > Don't Step< / a > < / h3 >
[< a href = "qm.html#C2003-204-83" id = "qC2003-204-83" > C2003-204-83 B< / a > ]
[< a href = "qm.html#C2003-204-84" id = "qC2003-204-84" > C2003-204-84 B< / a > ]
[< a href = "qm.html#C2003-204-85" id = "qC2003-204-85" > C2003-204-85 C< / a > ]
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< h3 > < a id = "flopsy" > Flopsy the Bunny Rabbit's Lair< / a > < / h3 >
< p > The tall thin passage from < a href = "#bonsai" > Bonsai Crawl< / a > leads to a
chamber with a pitch [< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-52"
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id="qC2000-204-52">C2000-204-52 C< / a > ]. < i > To the right are two small passages
leading to < a href = "#dontstep" > Don't Step< / a > .< / i > A
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passage leads off to the left and gets lower, passing some pretties on the
floor, then opening out, to a pitch on the left [< a href = "qm.html#C2001-204-61"
id="qC2001-204-61">C2001-204-61 B< / a > ], with an aven above [< a
href="qm.html#C2001-204-60" id="qC2001-204-60">C2001-204-60 X< / a > ]. This pitch
can be carefully traversed around without a safety line, the passage emerges at
a cross junction at < a href = "treeumphant.html#thecolonnade" > The Colonnade< / a > .< / p >
< h3 > < a id = "kingcarbide" > 'King Carbide< / a > < / h3 >
< p > In the Near End series near < a href = "entrance.html#kidneybean" > Kidney Bean< / a >
a small awkward chamber was found by moving a large boulder and almost crushing
Simon Lee in the process. This revealed the head of an 18m pitch, which was
rigged with a bolt and a sling around a natural. A narrow rifty pitch was
descended with the aid of a deviation about half way down to arrive in a small
chamber, < b > 'King Carbide< / b > , with multiple ways on. The most obvious way
looked out on to a large chamber, < a href = "#pleasuredome" > Pleasuredome< / a > . To
the left whilst facing Pleasuredome, a crawl leads to a T junction. Here, the
left side leads to a pitch into Pleasuredome. The right leads to another pitch,
which presumably also leads to Pleasuredome. This pitch can be traversed
around, to a continuing crawl to the right [< a href = "qm.html#C2001-204-52"
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id="qC2001-204-52">C2001-204-52 C< / a > ] and passage that joins to the righthand
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way out of 'King Carbide. This passage, < b > < a id = "scroat" > Scroat< / a > < / b > ,
enters a moderately sized chamber, with a rift descending into the floor on the
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left [< a href = "qm.html#C2001-204-50" id = "qC2001-204-50" > C2001-204-50 C< / a > ],
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which may provide water for the waterfall into Pleasuredome. Over the rift, to
the left is a partially boulder filled passage [< a href = "qm.html#C2001-204-51"
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id="qC2001-204-51">C2001-204-51 B< / a > ], while to the right over the rift, and
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around the rift to the right, two passages emerge in < a href = "#nopainnogain" > No
Pain No Gain< / a > .< / p >
< h3 > < a id = "pleasuredome" > Pleasuredome< / a > < / h3 >
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< p > The landing at the bottom of < b > < a id = "perpetual" > Perpetual Motion< / a > < / b > ,
the pitch from < a href = "#kingcarbide" > 'King Carbide< / a > , is on an unstable
boulder ridge on the floor of a chamber, < b > Pleasuredome< / b > , measuring about
10m by 20m. On one side is what looks to be a 3m deep blind trench which has
been observed to take a sizable stream in wet weather [< a
href="qm.html#C2000-204-66" id="qC2000-204-66">C2000-204-66< / a > ] and on the
other the chamber floor slopes away gradually, leading to the head of < a
href="#phat">Brian's Phat Shaft< / a > . On the right of the chamber (as one
descends the slope) there is a short climb up a large boulder into another
slightly larger chamber measuring about 25m by 12m with a fairly level boulder
strewn floor. In the far left hand corner after a small climb up was a small
passage with a false floor. After 10m crawling, a window was found which looked
out on to the head of a 30m pitch which was
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descended using a deviation in the opposite wall at 3m from the head of the
pitch. The pitch was mainly circular at the top, becoming more rifty as it was
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descended. The base of the pitch landed on a boulder floored chamber with two
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ways on. The route to the north was a narrow climbing rift passage leading to a
choke with no way on and no leads. The route to the south and east is a shorter
and wider passage with a dogleg to the left. In the left hand wall about 3m up
a short climb is a small body size tube through which water could be heard. [< a
href="qm.html#C2000-204-65" id="qC2000-204-65">C2000-204-65 B< / a > ] After
derigging the pitch to the pitch-head the top of the pitch was descended after
a short distance (4m) to a ledge which was then traversed round to the right to
gain a saddle between the pitch previously descended and a large diameter pot.
This was descended with difficulty due to the crap nature of the rock. The
pitch enters part way down the first pitch of the < a
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href="elephant">White Elephant Series< / a > after Millennium
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Dome. The pitch landed on a rubble floor next to a blind pit noted in the White
Elephant description and is almost certainly the parallel shaft noted in the
exploration of that series.< / p >
< h3 > < a id = "phat" > Brian's Phat Shaft< / a > < / h3 >
< p > At the bottom of the slope of the first chamber of Pleasure Dome, one can duck
under a drippy rock flake, leading to a mobile boulder slope. This heads
steeply down to the top of a 100m shaft. The pitch was rigged with a bolt
backup at the top of the slope and a Y-Hang at the pitch-head. By a back and
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foot traverse to the right a small passage can be accessed, < b > Obese< / b > , which apparently closes down. <!-- Martin, Brian --> The main pitch was descended by a
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series of rebelays and deviations. The shaft was essentially vertical and oval
in cross section belling out for the bottom 30m. Also in the bottom 30m were
various galleries with what looked like possible windows into passages although
the light used was not strong enough to say whether these were ways on or just
alcoves. These need further investigation by possible deviation or pendulum:
[< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-73" id = "qC2000-204-73" > C2000-204-73< / a > ]
[< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-74" id = "qC2000-204-74" > C2000-204-74< / a > ]
[< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-75" id = "qC2000-204-75" > C2000-204-75< / a > ]
2012-10-18 19:56:07 +01:00
[< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-76" id = "qC2000-204-76" > C2000-204-76< / a > ] One of these
windows, some 25m above the base of the shaft to the south, leads to Snow Leopard.
This route was used to access the < a href = "pussyprance.html" > Pussy Prance< / a > area
via < a href = "pussyprance.html#catwalk" > Catwalk< / a > in 2012. < / p >
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< p > The shaft ended with a rock strewn floor vaguely oval in cross section with a
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small streamway at one end which got too tight to pass.< / p >
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< h3 > < a id = "elephant" > White Elephant Series< / a > < / h3 >
< p > The White Elephant Series is a series of rift pitches which has not been
pushed to a definite conclusion, but does not appear especially promising,
despite carrying a considerable breeze. It was originally accessed via a 3m
climb up in the phreatic passage between < a href = "midlevel.html#veined" > You're
so Veined< / a > and < a href = "pussyprance.html#merryxmas" > Merry Fucking Christmas
< / a > , and can also be reached from < a href = "#pleasuredome" > Pleasuredome< / a > .< / p >
< p > From the head of the 3m climb up, a roof tube leads off. After 8m of crawling,
the passage opens out at the head of a 2m climb down by a large boulder. A too-tight
rift leads off on the left, but ahead opens out into a large space, the
< b > < a id = "millennium" > Millennium Dome< / a > < / b > .< / p >
< p > A 20m pitch rigged from a bolt on the left hand wall backed up to the big
boulder, with a rebelay and rope protector after 5m, lands on the boulder floor
of the Millennium Dome, which is an L-shaped chamber at the base of a large
aven, with each arm of the L being 15m long and 5m wide. There do not appear to
be any ways through the boulders, but a rift leads off at the western end,
quickly arriving at the head of a 10m pitch with a constricted take off, rigged
from boulders. An eyehole part way down this pitch appears to lead into a
parallel shaft. (This is almost certainly the connection through to < a
href="nopain.html#pleasuredome">Pleasuredome< / a > ). The pitch lands on a
rubble floor with a blind pit. Heading south quickly reaches a loose pitch
head, with a rift passage continuing beyond.< / p >
< p > The pitch is 28m, rigged from a bolt on the left hand wall and deviations
from natural threads after 4m and 12m. The second deviation is by a small rock
bridge, where descending either side appears to go to the same place, and an
eyehole opposite connects to the continuation of the rift at the top of the
pitch. The base of the pitch is an oddly shaped chamber formed from several
rifts (about 7m up the pitch, these rifts coalesce to form a single shaft.)
North from the base of the rope leads to a 3m climb down into an inlet rift
coming from the north which ends in a blank wall 8m from the base of the rope,
but the rift continues too-tight heading south beneath the 3m climb. South from
the base of the rope is another rift heading downhill which rapidly becomes
tight with running water clearly audible [< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-78"
id="qC2000-204-78">C2000-204-78 C< / a > ],
but not visible beyond. West from the
base of the rope leads to junction with a tight rift continuing to the west
[< a href = "qm.html#C2000-204-79" id = "qC2000-204-79" > C2000-204-79 C< / a > ],
and another inlet rift coming from the north which ends in a blank wall after
5m.< / p >
< p > Traversing over the top of the pitch (rope required) and a short descent
leads to a continuation of the rift passage. A hole on the left connects to the
28m pitch described earlier. After 5m the rift narrows and a constricted pitch
head is reached. The descent of 15m is rigged from a large boulder and leads
immediately to a further drop of 7m rigged from a bolt. This shorter drop may be
bypassed by an alternative free climb in a narrow slot immediately beyond the
pitch head. From the base the tall, narrow rift continues with two short climbs
and a slot in the floor which gradually widens to the head of the next pitch
after 6m. This is rigged from a Y-hang on either side of the rift, but soon
opens out to give a fine descent of 15m landing in a spacious rift at 182m depth
from 204b entrance. A narrow slot in the floor develops, which is just large
enough to descend, but stones thrown down sound dead [< a
href="qm.html#C1999-204-26"
id="qC1999-204-26">C1999-204-26 B< / a > ]. It is possible to traverse above the
slot for a short way before the rift becomes too tight.< / p >
< p > There is a noticeable breeze at the base of this pitch, as there is through
much of the series, with air blowing into the cave. From the base of the 7m
pitch, there is no roof visible. This area has potential, but there are no easy
leads, and some lunatic bolt traverses may be required to try to bypass the
tight sections.< / p >
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< hr / >
< div class = "centre" >
< h3 > < a id = "survey" > Survey< / a > < / h3 >
2006-02-13 22:08:05 +00:00
< img style = "padding: 2pt; border: 2px solid #000" src = "smallsurveys/nopain.png" alt = "Survey" / > < / div >
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< hr / >
< / body >
< / html >
