The shaft of the 258b entrance, rigged with an initial belay, deviation and Y-hang just below the lip, gives onto the main entrance shaft just above a single bolt rebelay also accessible from the 258a entrance. (The 258a entrance, no longer used, was rigged with a thread in the bottom of the shakehole and a bolt on the left wall under the dripline. This enabled a descent of several metres to a small ledge, where working around to the right gained a rebelay, succeeded by the single bolt rebelay mentioned above). Several rigs have been used over the years due to variable snow levels. Originally, a hang of around 10 metres from this single bolt lands on a flat floor where there is sometimes a snow plug. Upslope leads to an alcove. The rear of this alcove opens onto the top of a pitch that appears to be of quite some depth [2006-258-1-B] which may connect with Stone Monkey below.
Following the left wall down an unstable boulder slope (care required), a traverse leads to a low bolt. From 2014, this was avoided by means of a traverse and two airy rebelays leading to a descent that lands near the bottom of the unstable slope. From here, the original route proceeds via a scruffy descent descent of only two metres to another rebelay on a flat wall to land on another unstable boulder slope that used to have a considerable snow plug. The 2014 route avoids this by means of a traverse along the left hand wall to a series of rebelays that ultimately land near the bottom of the unstable boulder slope.
The descent continues down the right hand wall of the shaft via a series of rebelays and deviations. (The original route used in 2006 descended via an undercut rift to the left known as The Col.) There is sometimes a snow plug here, and upslope, a rift leads off (under The Col) which could maybe lead to further passage [2006-258-3-B].
In 2006 the pitch culiminated at the head of a large snow slope, which has become progressively smaller over the years. Since 2014, the main route into the rest of the cave has been to double back under the entrance pitch and descend the remnant of the snow slope - Ducks on Ice.
From 2006 to 2013, Ducks on Ice was inaccessible, so the original descent continued from the same belay all the way to the bottom of the snow slope. Passing under an arch the slope terminated with ice stalactites in alcoves to either side and (depending on the year) an ice lake or pile of snow. The ice stal in the alcove to the left could be ascended with ice and/or climbing equipment to reach a passage [2006-258-5-C]. The alcove on the right contains an aven [QM 1417-1 X].
[Description needed 2006-258-2-B is missing - Dave Loeffler or Aaron Curtis or Mark Shinwell]
Original route to the main cave
The original route to the main cave proceeded from the bottom of the snow slope, where there is a hole at floor level that leads into a chamber. This chamber is on occasion occupied by a large ice stalactite and accompanying ice floor. A small hole to the right gives access to Bauernkrapfen Passage, a well-formed sloping crawl debouching into a large rift chamber, Three Fried Mice. Following the chamber around to the left leads to a choke at the bottom of a slope, although before this it is possible to climb up the wall and through a hole under boulders to gain a higher level, with a view over the chamber before Bauernkrapfen Passage but no other ways on.
Following the rift around to the right from the end of Bauernkrapfen Passage, passing some small faulted phreatic tubes in the left wall, leads to an opening in the right wall. The succeeding phreatic passage, Strudel Crawl, sucks strongly and continues sloping down past a delicate traverse over a hole [2006-258-12-C] to eventually arrive at a further hole in the floor. Descending the hole leads to Flapjack Choke. The main route in is to traverse over the top (rope required). Shortly after the traverse, there is an eyehole in the right-hand wall (facing downslope), which leads to the large passage of Ribs with Knödel. Strudel Crawl may also be followed down without going through the eyehole to reach the same point, although this route is not recommended for descent, due to a drop underneath.
[Description needed 2006-258-6-X, 2006-258-7-X, 2006-258-8-X, 2006-258-9-X, 2006-258-10-D, 2006-258-11-C is missing from below - Dave Loeffler or Aaron Curtis or Mark Shinwell]
