<non_public>False</non_public><!-- 'False' or 'True'. True if the cave should only be visible to logged-in users. Caves are normally public, so enter 'False' unless you know otherwise. -->
<caveslug>1623-113</caveslug><!--(Ignored). Internal I.D. used to refer to this cave in entrance data files. Typically the same as the filebase, e.g. '1623-195' -->
<official_name>Sonnenstrahlhöhle</official_name><!-- Name of the cave (normally in German) Use ü for u+Umlaut and ö for o+umlaut eg Höhle for Hohle and Glück for Gluck-->
code used in the Austrian kataster e.g '1/S +' - https://expo/.survex.com/katast.htm
T Trockenhöhlen (Dry caves)
W Wasserhöhlen (Caves with water)
(W) Zeitweilig aktiv Wasserhöhlen (Caves with seasonal water)
E Eishohlen (Caves with ice formations)
S Schachthöhlen (Caves with pitches)
H Halbhöhlen (Rock shelters ?)
- unerforscht (unexplored)
= befahren (visited)
× teilweise vermessen (partly surveyed)
+ erforscht (exploration considered complete)
-->
<kataster_number>113</kataster_number><!-- (Either this or unofficial_number is required). Official number in Austrian kataster if one has been allocated -->
<unofficial_number></unofficial_number><!-- (Either this or kataster_number is required). Initial temporary cave ID used until kataster number is allocated e.g. '2012-DD-01'-->
<entranceslug>1623-113</entranceslug><!-- Internal ID to refer to each entrance instance in the entrance files (typically the same as that filename (e.g. 1623-161c). Matches the 'slug' field in the entrance file -->
<!-- DEBUG 1623-113+1623-113 'Z' == -->
<letter></letter><!--Leave blank for single-entrance cave. If there is more than one entrace then the letter needs to be given. Generally matches the entranceslug ID. -->
<explorers></p><ul><li>CUCC 1980 (Team Sunbeam) to bottom</li><li>1982 to push bottom, but no new passage found.</li><li>Entered from 152 in 1985, Ibbeth Perilous Pot route connected 1987</li></ul><p></explorers><!-- 'CUCC Expo' and year(s) of exploration. To distinguish from caves explored by foreign groups. Individual names can be given too if it was a small cave. -->
<survex_file>caves-1623/113/113.svx</survex_file><!-- Name of top-level survey file for this cave. Relative to the 'loser' survex repository. So for most caves that's "caves-162x/cavenum/cavnum.svx". (e.g. caves-1623/204/204.svx -->
<underground_description>Entrance is <b>huge</b>. A sizeable dry valley develops into a canyon which is full of snow. The canyon ends downstream in a solid wall, where the rigging point for the entrance pitch starts by the aforementioned tree. A short drop leads to a ledge where a stretch to the left (facing the rock) reaches a rebelay in a fine position on the impending wall. From here, drop 21m onto a large snow slope, then 10m further to the flat snow floor of a large chamber lit from above by the shaft.</p><divclass="centre"><ahref="/1623/others/l/113day.htm"><imgsrc="/1623/others/t/113day.jpg"alt="(photo (23k jpeg))"width="130"height="200"/></a></div><p>The way on is up a climb of 3m to a horizontal passage. There is an area of hading rifts, not fully explored. The first hole descends a ramp over treacherous ice and rubble for 30m to the head of a pitch, <b>Ibbeth Perilous Pot</b>. A second parallel ramp connects to the same point. Both these ramps suffer from loose rock and are best tackled with a handline. The main pitch drops for 20m in a series of steps, best rigged. A final 13m drop then lands on a rock/ice blockage <b>Marathon Ledge</b>, which at one time contained the original explorer's helmet and lights, dropped from the head of the pitch. A hammered route past the blockage leads to two short drops, then a 6m pitch into the Opera House (see below).</p><p>A descent of the second major hole from the entrance is the normal route and leads to a ramp down, traverse across and the head of <b>Point Five Gully</b>. The gully is decorated with ice formations early in the season, as are all the useful hand- and footholds on the following ramp, so a rope is recommended to descend <b>Fox's Glacier</b>. At the foot, about 60m below the entrance chamber, is a low bouldery chamber, and a low arch leads to a larger chamber, <b>Barnsley Methodist Chapel</b>, which is 20m high and 30m long.</p><p>The Chapel is floored with large boulders at one end, but an obvious low sandy passage to the left leads to the head of a 14m dry rift pitch with a bouldery takeoff. The pitch is free-hanging after the first two metres, to a gravel-floored chamber opening off the rift. Water entering high on the right takes a floor trench 10m deep which may be traversed above to gain the <b>Balcony</b> of the <b>Opera House</b>, an impressive 20m diameter, roughly circular chamber. A 12.5m pitch (awkward takeoff as rigged in 1980) gains the bouldery, sloping floor. A scramble down boulders and a further 7m pitch over a very large boulder leads into a rift, where an awkward 10m pitch with natural belays and joke bolts leads to a flat mud floor at a larger section at the head of a pitch. At this point the draught changes direction, the cave becomes clean, and a stream is met falling from an inaccessible (and out of sight) passage, apparently at the same level as the pitch head.</p><p>Down the pitch, a rebelay (which is a very long stretch to rig unless you're very tall) avoids the worst of the water on <b>Purple Pit</b>. Quite possibly this could be rigged as a deviation (we didn't do these in 1980). There is a long section to a large ledge, from where the pitch leaves the fault it has been following and heads down a series of short steps with rebelays a few metres apart. At the bottom of this section, 60m below the start, a further fault is met at right angles, with twin holes in the floor. The first one is wet and nasty, while the second is tolerable. Both unite and go off to the left in a diminutive streamway. To the right above the holes is the entry point from <ahref="152.htm">Bananehöhle</a>(152), explored in 1985.</p><divclass="centre"><aname="ppitbot"href="/1623/others/l/purple.htm"><imgsrc="/1623/others/t/purple.jpg"alt="(B/W photo (58k jpeg))"width="134"height="200"/></a><p>Simon Kellet at the top of the short dry pitch below Purple Pit </p></div><p>The diminutive streamway ends shortly in a tight sump, but before this, a climb up leads unobviously to a traverse and then a crawl trending back over the entry point, <b>M&
<equipment></equipment><!-- For a small cave, summary of gear needed to descend. For longer caves it could be blank, a table, or just refer to the description/topos. Leave blank if this info is in the description. -->
<references></references><!-- References to documentation. Could be Journal articles or Logbook entries. Can be links if the docs are online. -->
<survey>? MISSING (grade 3)</survey><!-- Drawn-up surveys. Scans of paper surveys or images/PDFs of electronic surveys. Should include HTML to display current plan and elevation, with links to larger versions (See section on URLs and files). Could list links to multiple years of survey, or even a separate survey page if it's complicated enough. -->
<underground_centre_line></underground_centre_line><!-- 'In dataset' if it is in the survex dataset. Blank if not, or notes about status such as 'surveyed, but no entrance fix so not yet in dataset'. -->
<notes></notes><!-- Normally empty, but place for anything else that should be noted, such as info on cave maybe being a duplicate, or lost -->
<length>including 152</length><!-- Cave length. Can be left blank and system should fill it in automatically from survey data (it doesn't yet) -->
<depth>to limit of survey at Müsli Crawl; total depth ~330m</depth><!--Cave depth. Can be left blank and system should fill it in automatically from survey data (it doesn't yet) -->
<url>1623/113/113.html</url><!-- (Required). Relative URL of this cave. i.e the URL this cave appears at on the website, not including 'https://expo.survex.com/. Normally area/cavenum., e.g ('1623/000')-->
