2020-02-21 16:01:18 +00:00
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<cave>
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<non_public>False</non_public>
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<caveslug>1623-107</caveslug>
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<official_name>Gemshöhle</official_name>
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<area>1623</area>
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<area>1c</area>
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<kataster_code>4/S/T +</kataster_code>
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<kataster_number>107</kataster_number>
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<unofficial_number></unofficial_number>
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<entrance>
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<entranceslug>1623-107</entranceslug>
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<letter></letter>
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</entrance>
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<explorers>CUCC 1978, 2013: opened and Big Rift explored by Team Youth. Team
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Geriatric explored the Big Pitch and reached the bottom. Olly and
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Jenny extended in 2012/2013</explorers>
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2022-03-18 22:35:41 +00:00
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<underground_description><p>Small entrance in boulders in a dry gully drops into a small chamber, in the bottom corner of which is the
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excavated head of a pitch. This quickly bells out to 6m diameter and lands after 18m in a large passage which contains ice-formations early in
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the season (or at least did in the late 1970s). This large, phreatic passage leads to 83 (via Down Under) to the southwest (by climbing up the
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hading left wall into a higher level passage) and Ropeless to the northeast. The 1970's way on is down pitch in a rift almost opposite the
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entrance pitch, from which some of the draught pours.</p>
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<p>To the northeast, the passage is smaller and is soon broken by a 5m deep rift. Upstream (right) ends in a boulder choke below 2012-70,
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downstream (left) appears to connect to the 1970’s pitch series. To continue, the rift is crossed by a pendule to a chossy slope up on the
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other side. From the top of this slope a series of short dusty ramping pitches lead down. In 2012 a rope was only used at the top, but in 2013
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it was rigged down to the bottom (p10, c3). At the bottom a short section of dusty crawling passage (draft in your face) leads to another rampy
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pitch. This is initially freehanging, but becomes more rampy (p10, c7). At the bottom of the rampy section, a rifty pitch continues below, and
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a traverse level heads off to the NNE and into <b>Ropeless</b>. There are two ways Ropeless can be gained. In 2012 the rigging ended when all
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available gear was used, and a bold traverse continued until it was (just) possible to climb down into the sandy passage. In 2013 more gear was
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available, and the drop was rigged down from the end of the traverse followed by a short (rigged) down and up to gain the same sandy passage.</p>
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<p>This sandy passage is followed against a strong draft. Shortly (~15m later) the passage bends to the right, and a smaller walking sized
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side passage leaves on the left (which is more obvious when going out) - this leads to Wonderland via Sea of Fudge and connections to the
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1970’s route.</p>
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<p>Continuing east along the main Ropeless passage, a short climb down (rigged in 2013) and traverse across brings you into a large, drippy
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chamber with rocks all over the floor. At the end of this a small rift is descended (rope) down a narrow rubble slope which isn’t very stable,
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so beware of dislodging rocks onto people or the rope below (this may in fact be better rigged by traversing at a higher level from the chamber
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and then dropping when it opens out). After a few metres you land on a col with pitches to each side. West quickly ends in a too tight rift,
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East is descended to a rubble slope. Facing down the slope, <b>Ropefree</b> is through a window on the left-hand (north) wall, reached by a
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short rope traverse. From the top of this it is possible to scramble down the other side into another chamber. A strong draft emanates from a
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far too-tight right in the floor on the right. At the end of the chamber a tight rift can be gained at floor level, but it is better to bridge
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up and along, traversing over some rocks (avoiding one squeeze) to an unavoidable short squeeze (<b>Pushing the Envelope</b>). This is best
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entered feet first - there is a convenient ledge the other side (but do keep in mind there is a pitch below). Tackle is best passed through
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with at least one person on each side.</p>
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<p>Immediately through Pushing the Envelope, is a rift pitch that appears to continue down a fair way. Descend the top narrow part of the rift
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(rope) until it opens out where a traverse ledge takes you around the left side of the continuing pitch into <b>Sleepless</b>.</p>
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<p>Sleepless is a fairly high passage. It is best to follow it at floor level - there is an upper level but this ends in a tricky climb down
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through the boulders. Following the lower level (which soon splits off down a sloping climb on the right side of the passage) a short section
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of straight rift is soon followed by some pretty mud banks. The passage opens out and narrows again and continues until it is broken by a small
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hole. This can be crossed with a short traverse (rope). Beyond this, Sleepless appears to continue north with a pitch. The main way on is to
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ignoring this and follow ledges round to the right into a short section of curving phreatic passage. Shortly this hits the end of a large cross
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rift which heads off to the South. At this intersection, the draught is really strong and cold - this is the <b>Coldest Place in Earth</b>.
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Skirt around the end of the cross rift on the left (rope) to where a short pitch descends to a gloopy muddy floor.</p>
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<p>The Coldest Place in Earth is followed until a large pitch is reached. This is crossed by <b>Easy Traverse</b> (rope) round ledges on the LH
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wall. Beyond this, the passage is followed until a pitch is reached. The <b>Twin Pitches</b> are split by a wet muddy pool. At the bottom of
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the second part of the pitch the cave becomes more rift like - <b>Restless</b>.</p>
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<p>From the base of the second of the Twin Pitches, a floor trench soon starts. The best route we found was (description written from memory
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nearly a year later) to descend about 2m into in it fairly soon, then traverse along at that level for a bit, climbing down about another 2m
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near a chock stone (if you descend too quickly the rift is very awkward to move along - and coming out, it’s quite easy to miss where to climb
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up and find yourself trapped in the bottom of the rift, unable to get higher - if this happens, just backtrack looking carefully for where to
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climb up). The rift widens as it kinks left, and you want to descend onto the large ledge which is (hopefully) not far below. Traverse round
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as the rift bends back to the right, and the short <b>Rift Pitch</b> soon follows. This pitch ends on some ledges (but there is a continuation
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below), follow these ledges on. Continue along the rift, traversing on ledges and climbing down when possible past a small pool. The passage
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now widens and is broken by a large undescended pitch, <b>Too Bold for This Spit</b>. This is thought to connect with China 68m below. A
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traverse is made along the right hand wall to reach a passage on the other side with a chossy floor sloping up. From the top of this slope,
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head down the other side and follow the passage as it bends to the NE.</p>
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<p>The passage is broken by a short pitch <b>Down and Up</b>, abseil down this and climb the other side (free-climbable to rig, but really
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deserves a rope for normal use) to reach Land of Confusion. The main rift passage is high, but in places narrow, and can be followed past
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several easy climbs and side passages to reach the head of a large pitch, <b>Korea</b>.</p>
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<p>Korea can be descended to land at the south end of a large breakdown chamber with several ways on. To continue deeper cross to the North end
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of the chamber and wriggle down through the rocks until it opens out further. A series of pitches can be descended through the rocks into a
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continuing rift. To reach China, follow the southern wall to the west through breakdown and down a short climb until you break out into a large
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passage, <b>China</b>. Turning right in China quickly ends in a large muddy/bouldery wall, with a passage on the right which connects back to
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the Korea chamber via a short pitch. Turning left, China can be followed along and down until the passage eventually narrows, and progress is
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blocked by a pitch.</p>
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<h2>Wonderland</h2><p>Following the side passage from ropeless leads down several short climbs to come out in the wall of a slightly larger
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passage. Left here leads to a connection with the 1970’s route, and to another with Ropeless. Right leads to Wonderland via a short wet and
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muddy duck, the <b>Sea of Fudge</b>. When going through the pinch point, beware of a stalactite. After this the passage enlarges until it
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ends at a junction with a cross rift. To the right this soon ends, but left can be followed down a couple of climbs (the second is easiest if
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you follow the LHW) to land at the bottom a drippy aven. Climb up into a tall narrow rift on the other side, and wriggle through <b>The Rabbit
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Hole</b> (the wide point in an otherwise too narrow rift). This quickly becomes a keyhole passage with a walking sized phreatic part which is
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followed. The floor trench quickly leaves the main passage on the right (following the departing floor trench is awkward at first, but opens
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out at an undescended pitch).</p>
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<p>The main Wonderland passage is followed, past a small chamber on the left (with side passage doubling back), and then a second larger
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chamber. The is a climb up on the back wall of this chamber which appears to gain a passage above. A low way on at the end of the chamber
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reconnects with the main passage further west. The main passage suddenly gets much smaller and splits with a choked passage on the right and a
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small aven on the left.</p>
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<h2>Big rift series</h2><p>A pitch of 23m has an inlet entering part way down, which makes the rest of this pitch and the following one of 19m
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unpleasant in wet weather. Two ways then lead on, either down with the water or by traversing round this drop to another
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passage.</p><p>Climbing down with the water leads to a short passage with the water in a rift below. Round a sharp corner is a short drop to
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the head of a larger rift. A 5m pitch down this leads to another rift which, in turn, leads out to the side of a large shaft. Stones dropped
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from a small hole in the corner of the passage above the 5m pitch also fall into this shaft. Laddering from the side, the pitch is 67m with a
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large ledge just above half-way, and is unpleasantly wet in poor weather. From the base of this pitch, the continuing rift/canyon trends south
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west and has pitches of 5, 9 and 8m before the other route drops in from above.</p><p>Over the traverse, a short pitch of 4.5m, followed by a
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short climb up, leads to the head of a pitch of 10m to a boulder floor. Two ways on from here are down through the boulders into a shaft, or
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across the shaft and into a narrow rift. The way through boulders soon chokes, but the narrow rift soon opens into a massive shaft of 100m with
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a rebelay roughly halfway. This drops directly into the rift reached by the original route.</p><p>Below the junction, the rift continues with a
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5m climb and pitches of 5, 14 and 44m, this last pitch being quite wet and emerging into a massive cross-rift trending south east. The water
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disappears into the choked floor of this rift via a nasty wet crawl, rapidly becoming too small.</underground_description>
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2020-02-21 16:01:18 +00:00
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<equipment></equipment>
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<references></references>
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<survey><p>2013 Plan<br /><a href="../expofiles/surveys/107/107-plan-2013.pdf"><img src="107/plan.png" alt="2013 plan survey"></a></p>
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<p>2013 Elevation<br /><a href="../expofiles/surveys/107/107-elv-2013.pdf"><img src="107/elevation.png" alt="2013 elevation survey"></a></p>
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<hr />
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<p>1978 (grade 5) survey<br /><img src="107/survey-1978.png" alt="1978 107 survey"></p></survey>
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<kataster_status></kataster_status>
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<underground_centre_line></underground_centre_line>
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<notes></notes>
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<length></length>
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<depth></depth>
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<extent></extent>
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<survex_file>caves-1623/107/107.svx</survex_file>
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2021-04-14 18:59:48 +01:00
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<description_file></description_file>
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2020-02-21 16:01:18 +00:00
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<url>1623/107.htm</url>
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</cave>
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</body>
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