| 2006-04 - a b | Tunnockschacht | 2 ?? |
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From the stone bridge, follow the cairns towards 204e entrance. Upon +reaching the final gully, where the path turns up to the right towards +that entrance, continue straight across and then work to the right, +traversing around +the rear lip of a hole. This leads to the bottom of a loose climb, which +is ascended to reach another level. A prominent Christmas tree style fir +marks the point where another climb is made to the next level up. It is +then necessary to ascend to the next level above this, either by a short +traverse and then a narrow climb between two blocks, or by heading right +and then heading back up to the left. Having done this, a short ascent +on small loose stones brings one to the uppermost level, marked by a +prominent cairn (visible from the stone bridge). +
+ +Follow the cairns around to the left, descending slightly at first and +then maintaining the same level, to eventually reach a cairned point +overlooking a large broken gully running from right to left. Descend +into the gully (passing the shaft of 2004-18) and cross to the other side +where an obvious level ascends upwards and to the right. Having reached +the top, follow the cairns to the right to arrive quickly at an area with +a hole to each side. The shakehole to the left, containing a cairn some +two feet high, contains the A entrance; the B entrance is the other hole. +
+ +Warning: There are a fair number of loose rocks on the entrance +pitch, particularly in the top section. Rocks that have been dislodged +could fall almost all the way down the shaft. +It is advisable for one person to +descend at a time and for the others to cower in the places marked below, or +wait at the very bottom by the ice stals. +
+ +The entrance, of moderate proportions, gives onto a +steeply-sloping shaft that descends for a total of 70m depth. The +shaft is imposing, and the view up from mid-descent is impressive. +A thread in +the bottom of the shakehole is succeeded by a bolt on the left wall under +the dripline, enabling a descent for several metres to a small ledge. +Working around to the right here gains a rebelay, succeeded by another under +a small nose of rock just where the shaft becomes vertical. +
+ +The landing after the rebelay is on a large ledge, partially occupied by +a large area of snow. There is a bolt here to anchor the rope. +Upslope leads to an alcove, where it is possible +to shelter whilst people are on the upper part of the pitch. The rear of +this alcove opens onto the top of a pitch that appears to be of quite +some depth [QM B]. Downslope from the landing a traverse is followed on +the left wall; a bolt low on the wall just before the end provides the +belay for a scruffy descent of only two metres to another rebelay on a flat +wall. From here, the descent continues either on top of or alongside a +large snow plug to a rebelay on the left wall. After this, one continues +over a section of loose boulders and then drops in an awkward crack to +a crows' nest known as the Col, where there is a further rebelay. (The +rigging just above the Col is sub-optimal, and could do with further +work.) Care should be taken at the Col not to bang one's head on the +boulders above, as their undersides look loose. The Col provides a further +place where shelter can be taken from falling debris.
+ +Continuing the descent in the main shaft from the Col gains another +snow plug and the base of the rift holding the Col. It is possible that +this rift could lead to further passage [QM B], either accessed from this +point or by descending the pitch on the other side at the Col. +Abseiling over the snow plug towards the right wall, a high bolt provides +the belay for the final section of the pitch. The rope rubs on a boulder +here and a deviation should be installed. The final section drops +near-vertical for a short distance and then becomes steeply-sloping +over snow. Gradually, the snow flattens out, and the bottom is reached +at a pool of ice. There is an ice stal on the right and another in an +alcove to the left. The one in the alcove could be ascended with ice and/or +climbing equipment to reach a passage [QM C]. +On the existing rigging, reaching this point requires +approximately 100 metres of rope, a long sling, and nine hangers.
+ +The main way on from the ice pool is a hole at floor level that leads +into a chamber. Another small hole to the right gives access to +Bauernkrapfen Passage, a well-formed 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 faulted phreatic tubes in the left wall, +leads to an opening in the right wall. This sucks strongly and +continues as a phreatic passage past a delicate traverse over a hole [QM C] +to eventually arrive at a further hole in the floor. This will require +rigging to traverse or descend.
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