2003-07-08 17:25:38 +01:00
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<HTML lang=en><HEAD><TITLE>1623:204 -- Ariston Series</TITLE>
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2004-04-21 10:35:34 +01:00
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2002-05-26 13:58:07 +01:00
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<TH align=left width="30%"><FONT size=+2>204</font><br><font size=+1>(CUCC 1999/03)</FONT></TH>
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<TH lang=de><h1>Steinbr<62>ckenh<6E>hle</h1></TH>
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<TH align=right width="30%"><FONT size=+2>4/S x</FONT></TH></TR>
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</TABLE></CENTER></DIV>
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<h2>Deep routes via the Ariston Series</h2>
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<H3><A name=ariston>Ariston Series</A></H3>
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<P>The Ariston Series is the route to the current deepest point in the cave. The
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pitch series begins with a short pitch of 5m rigged from a large thread in the
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roof a few metres back, with a single spit for the vertical part, which is
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almost a scramble. This lands on a large ledge formed of boulders wedged across
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a narrow point; there are two choices of descent here, one to the north,
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2004-02-15 16:29:36 +00:00
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<B>You're So Veined</B> (15m), which was used in 1999, and one to the south,
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<b>Pot-U-Like</b> (~35m), which has been the trade route since 2000. One
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rebelay provides a good hang against the wall of You're So Veined to reach the
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foot of the pitch, which is in a spacious shaft, with an impressive aven above.</p>
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2002-07-16 16:52:33 +01:00
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2004-02-15 16:29:36 +00:00
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<p>From here, there are two ways on.</p>
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<p><i>To the
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2002-05-26 13:58:07 +01:00
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left, facing away from the pitch just descended, is a gully, which in 1999
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contained a thick layer of ice. Carefully traversing this rather slippery
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section leads to the head of a small pitch of 6m, which was rigged with a
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2004-02-15 16:29:36 +00:00
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Y-hang. From here a walking size phreatic passage ("Rainbow") leads off,
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carrying a substantial breeze. The passage initially descends, but then
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develops a narrow floor trench; as the trench deepens, the phreatic part of the
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passage rises, and then ends abruptly where the floor trench turns right and
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leads off as a too-tight rift while ahead the phreas pinches out.</i></p>
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<p>To the right leads into a small, very crumbly chamber, from which a short
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section of awkward rift leads to a fine crow's nest in the wall of a large
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rift. A very short pitch (5m) lands on a large ledge in the side of the
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Pot-U-Like shaft. From here a roped traverse along the left-hand wall gains the
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head of the next pitch of 12m, which avoids a large ledge which would have been
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in the way but for the traverse. This pitch currently requires a rope protector
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just below the Y-hang at the top. The landing is on another large ledge, where
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a pool can be used to refill water containers. This is also the landing of
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Pot-U-Like.</p>
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<P>The next pitch of 14m consists of a backup bolt followed by a Y-hang, which
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utilises one very cratered spit, which can only be used with a bollard type
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hanger. This pitch requires a deviation from the opposite wall or a rebelay to
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be installed as there is currently a rub point just below the Y-hang. The ledge
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that this pitch lands on consists of boulders wedged across the shaft, although
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it seems sound. A backup bolt protects the approach to the Y-hang at the head
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of the next pitch, <b>Steel Toecap</b> (35m). After a ledge 3m down, where a
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deviation optimises the hang, the walls of the shaft bell out dramatically and
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the rope hangs in stimulating isolation. About 5m from the floor a ledge is
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passed, which could be gained by a swing across, where there may possibly be a
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passage leading off [<A href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-20"
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name=qC1999-204-20>C1999-204-20 B</A>].</p>
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<P>At the foot of the pitch, the way on is a very chossy, sloping descent which
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will require either re-rigging or bypassing (which may be possible by a climb
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up and over) in future. This leads to a further short pitch (10m), which lands
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in an aven chamber of ample proportions. <i>From here drops an 8m pitch,
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landing on a rubble floor. The only way on is a tight rift [<a
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href="qm.shtml#C2000-204-60" name="qC2000-204-60">C2000-204-60 C</a>], which
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was penetrated for only a short distance. More progress might be possible by
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someone small and imaginative. Not surveyed in 2000.</i> From the aven chamber,
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a crawl leads off, followed by a descending rubble slope. The rubble slope
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curves round to the right, passing a tight rift on the left [<A
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href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-22" name=qC1999-204-22>C1999-204-22 C</A>], to reach
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the bottom of a short climb up of 3m on the right, which is followed by a
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scramble down on the other side. <i>From here, straight ahead is a climb up
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into the foot of an aven, half-right is a short ascending passage leading to a
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chamber where a traverse around the right hand wall leads to a slope down to
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<b><a href="#fled">Fledermausschacht</a></b>.</i> Full right is a
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stooping/crawling height phreatic passage with a mud floor. This passes on the
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right the other end of the crawl which led off from the foot of the previous
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pitch, which provides a convenient shortcut.</p>
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<P>Some 50m of alternate crawling and stooping over soft crumbly mud, including
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a single point where the roof dips and the crawl is flat-out, leads to a small
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chamber. Here there are two holes in the floor. One leads to <a
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href="#kiwisuit"><b>Kiwi Suit</b></a>; the other drop is much shorter, and is
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split into two sections by ledges on each wall part way down. The first section
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of 8m reaches these small ledges, where a stream enters from the foot of a very
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large aven. The next section of 11m is wet, and lands on a small ledge
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overlooking Kiwi Suit just above the rebelay.</p>
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2002-05-26 13:58:07 +01:00
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<h3><a name="kiwisuit">Kiwi Suit</a></h3>
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2004-02-15 16:29:36 +00:00
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<p>The first pitch begins with a funnel-shaped opening. The initial approach is
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rigged from a large pillar at the edge of the funnel (the approach to this
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could be further protected by a traverse line tied round an even larger pillar
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a couple of metres back). Suddenly, at the base of the funnel, there is an
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impressive black space. In 2000 the descent was rigged New-Zealand style,
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entirely from naturals, which seemed sound, but worrisome for us bolt-junkies,
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especially given the record of 'Bomb-Proof' naturals in KH visiting the bottoms
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of pitches; the current rig uses a pitch-head deviation, and a Y-hang rebelay
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around halfway down, to keep the descent clear of walls and the small trickle
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of water which falls down the shaft. This looks worryingly like it would become
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a huge deluge after rain, drenching anyone on the rebelay, but apparently even
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in the miserable weather of 2002 there was only a very slight increase. The
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floor is reached after 54 metres of descent. The way on is a short traverse,
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an 8 metre pitch, another short traverse, and then a 20 metre pitch to a ledge.
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The final pitch from this ledge is an impressive rift of 47 metres depth,
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rigged in 2000 from a natural, one bolt, and the rope from the pitch above.</p>
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2002-05-26 13:58:07 +01:00
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2003-07-08 17:25:38 +01:00
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<h3><a name="razor">Razordance</a></h3>
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2004-02-15 16:29:36 +00:00
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<p>At the bottom of the 47m pitch, a merry little stream is reached (similar
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volume of water to the Top Camp waterhole in spate). Upstream was not pushed,
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but reportedly leads quickly to the foot of a waterfall [<a
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href="qm.shtml#C2000-204-63" name="qC2000-204-63">C2000-204-63 B</a>].
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Downstream quickly narrows to about 50cm wide, and progress is made by
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constantly changing level to stay where the passage is wide enough. After
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about 40m a small cascade of about 4m is reached, which could probably be
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2002-05-26 13:58:07 +01:00
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free-climbed, but a handline here helps avoid getting soaked. The passage is
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2004-02-15 16:29:36 +00:00
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considerably wider for a few metres below the cascade, but soon resumes in its
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previous manner. Suddenly, the head of a pitch [<a href="qm.shtml#C2000-204-64"
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name="qC2000-204-64">C2000-204-64 A</a>],
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estimated at about 10 metres, is reached. This was the limit of exploration in
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2000 [<a href="qm.shtml#C2002-204-01" name="qC2002-204-01">C2002-204-01 A</a>].
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In 2002, the streamway was pushed further, down <b>Black Lightning</b> (p13), to a 2m
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climb and 2m pitch leading to the 25m pitch of <b>Mystery Wind</b>; this is
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descended via a crow's-nest which gives a dry sloping descent to the floor,
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protected by two rebelays. The streamway continues to <b>Easy There</b> (p15)
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and <b>Steady Now</b> (p4), the 2002 limit. 2003 saw further pushing to a
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short down pitch (no more than 3m) shortly followed by a climb up into a large
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chamber, <b>God Loves a Drunk</b>, where an (impassably tight) inlet enters
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from the right. Immediately beyond this are <b>The Mash Tun</b> (p8) and
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<b>Copper</b> (p17). Beyond this the rift becomes tighter and more awkward
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again, leading to the head of yet another pitch, <b>Yeast</b> (p10). Shortly
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beyond this the bottom of the rift becomes rather tight and an ascending
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traverse can be followed, as far as a local widening; here it will be necessary
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to bolt, either for a pitch to the floor or for protection to continue the
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traverse. A plumb was made at this point to the floor 7m below, at 484m below
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the 204a entrance. Further exploration awaits in 2004. [C2003-204-XXX A]</p>
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2003-02-04 18:32:30 +00:00
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2002-05-26 13:58:07 +01:00
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<h3><a name="fled">Fledermausschacht</a></h3>
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<p>The traverse round to the pitch head
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is protected by a thread belay at the start of the traverse. A substantial thread
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(requiring 2 slings due to its girth) at the pitch head enables the first, sloping
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section of the pitch to be descended. Soon the pitch becomes vertical, and a
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rebelay on the far wall (at -5m) allows the next few metres to be descended.
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Unfortunately the shaft still hades slightly, and a further two rebelays (at -15m
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and -28m) are required before the magnitude of this 112m shaft starts to become
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apparent. A 40m freehanging section leads to a sloping ledge, where the shaft
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doglegs again and a scrappy descent down a gulley, and a further two rebelays (at
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-68m and -80m), reaches a sloping ledge overlooking the final section of the
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pitch. A chossy traverse across the left hand wall appears to head into a parallel
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2002-05-26 14:03:59 +01:00
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shaft [<a href="qm.shtml#C2000-204-61" name="qC2000-204-61">C2000-204-61 C</a>].
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2002-05-26 13:58:07 +01:00
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A bolt round the corner to the right allows a descent of
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the final 22m to the floor to be made, where a boulder choke is met, with no way
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on. The whole pitch, particularly the far wall, is rather loose and due care must
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be taken. A large chockstone near the second rebelay could not be shifted, but
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should be treated with suspicion.</p>
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<p>Nature Note: A bat was observed flitting around
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in here on two occasions.</p>
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<p>At the start of the traverse to the head of Fledermausschacht is a small crawl
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leading off to the right. This is initially flat-out over crumbly mud, but enlarges
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after a short distance to enter a series of small mud-filled chambers. There is no
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obvious way on, other than to start excavations in the mud banks
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2002-05-26 14:03:59 +01:00
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[<a href="qm.shtml#C2000-204-62" name="qC2000-204-62">C2000-204-62 Dig</a>].
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2002-05-26 13:58:07 +01:00
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Not surveyed in 2000.</p>
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2003-07-08 17:25:38 +01:00
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<H3><A name=survey>Survey and rigging</A></H3>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="ariston-survey.shtml">Area survey</a>
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<li><a href="ariston-rigging.shtml">Rigging guide</a>
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</ul>
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2002-05-26 13:58:07 +01:00
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<p><HR>
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<p><ul>
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<li><a href="204.shtml">Back to 204 index page</a>
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