From 7a009c513e9c5ef72d80aa5092195372c4a1b23e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: expo Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2004 22:10:29 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] [svn r6320] DL: Added description of 2004 finds in Razordance --- smkridge/204/ariston.html | 135 ++++++++++++++++++++++---------------- 1 file changed, 79 insertions(+), 56 deletions(-) diff --git a/smkridge/204/ariston.html b/smkridge/204/ariston.html index 44e721112..783c5dd50 100644 --- a/smkridge/204/ariston.html +++ b/smkridge/204/ariston.html @@ -27,17 +27,16 @@ id="status">4/S x The pitch series begins with a short pitch of 5m rigged from a large thread in the roof a few metres back, with a single spit for the vertical part, which is almost a scramble. This lands on a large ledge formed of boulders wedged across -a narrow point, with impressive aven above. -There are two choices of descent here: one to the north, -You're So Veined (15m) which was used in 1999, and one to the south, -Pot-U-Like (~35m) which has been the trade route -since 2000.

+a narrow point, with impressive aven above. There are two choices of descent +here: one to the north, You're So Veined (15m) which was used in 1999, +and one to the south, Pot-U-Like (~35m) which has +been the trade route since 2000.

You're So Veined route

-

One rebelay provides a good hang against the wall of You're So Veined to reach -the foot of the pitch, which is in a spacious shaft, with an impressive aven -above. From here, there are two ways on.

+

One rebelay provides a good hang against the wall of You're So Veined to +reach the foot of the pitch, which is in a spacious shaft, with an impressive +aven above. From here, there are two ways on.

To the left, facing away from the pitch just descended, is a gully, which in 1999 contained a thick layer of ice. Carefully traversing this rather @@ -65,26 +64,26 @@ of a sloping rock wedged across the rift, from where an entertaining Y-hang on the left-hand wall provides a free-hang to the base of the pitch. A ledge is passed a few metres from the bottom.

-

Crossing an ice floor leads to the head of the next pitch of 14m. A backup -bolt is followed by a Y-hang, which utilises one very cratered spit only usable -with a bollard type hanger. This is succeeded by a deviation from the opposite -wall, providing a clear hang to the bottom. The landing is on a floor of -boulders wedged across the shaft, although -it seems sound. A backup bolt protects the approach to the Y-hang at the head -of the next pitch, Steel Toecap (35m). After a ledge 3m down, where a -deviation optimises the hang, the walls of the shaft bell out dramatically and -the rope hangs in stimulating isolation. About 5m from the floor a ledge is -passed, which could be gained by a swing across, where there may possibly be a -passage leading off [C1999-204-20 B].

+

At the foot of this pitch is a pool of water, or an ice pan, depending on +the conditions that year. Crossing this leads to the head of the next pitch of +14m. A backup bolt is followed by a Y-hang, which utilises one very cratered +spit only usable with a bollard type hanger. This is followed by a deviation +from the opposite wall, providing a clear hang to the bottom. The landing is +on a floor of boulders wedged across the shaft, although it seems sound. A +backup bolt protects the approach to the Y-hang at the head of the next pitch, +Steel Toecap (35m). After a ledge 3m down, where a deviation optimises +the hang, the walls of the shaft bell out dramatically and the rope hangs in +stimulating isolation. About 5m from the floor a ledge is passed, which could +be gained by a swing across, where there may possibly be a passage leading off +[C1999-204-20 B].

At the foot of the pitch, the way on is a very chossy, sloping descent which will require either re-rigging or bypassing (which may be possible by a climb up and over) in future. This leads to a further short pitch (10m), which lands in an aven chamber of ample proportions. From here drops an 8m pitch, landing on a rubble floor. The only way on is a tight rift [C2000-204-60 C], which -was penetrated for only a short distance. More progress might be possible by +href="qm.html#C2000-204-60" id="qC2000-204-60">C2000-204-60 C], which was +penetrated for only a short distance. More progress might be possible by someone small and imaginative. Not surveyed in 2000. From the aven chamber, a crawl leads off, followed by a descending rubble slope. The rubble slope curves round to the right, passing a tight rift on the left [ +even during one epic trip in 2004 when water levels throughout the cave were +extremely high this area was no more than drippy. The floor is reached after 54 +metres of descent. The way on is a short traverse, an 8 metre pitch, another +short traverse, and then a 20 metre pitch to a ledge. The final pitch from this +ledge is an impressive rift of 47 metres depth, rigged from a Y-hang backed up +to the pitch above. This is also slightly drippy at the bottom if the water +levels are high, but this is not problematic.

Razordance

At the bottom of the 47m pitch, a merry little stream is reached (similar volume of water to the Top Camp waterhole in spate). Upstream was not pushed, but reportedly leads quickly to the foot of a waterfall [C2000-204-63 B]. -Downstream quickly narrows to about 50cm wide, and progress is made by -constantly changing level to stay where the passage is wide enough. After about -40m a small cascade of about 4m is reached, which could probably be -free-climbed, but a handline here helps avoid getting soaked. The passage is -considerably wider for a few metres below the cascade, but soon resumes in its -previous manner. Suddenly, the head of a pitch, Black Lightning (13m), -is reached. The streamway continues past a 2m climb and 2m pitch leading to the -25m pitch of Mystery Wind; this is descended via a crow's-nest which -gives a dry sloping descent to the floor, protected by two rebelays. The -streamway continues to Easy There (p15) and Steady Now (p4), the -2002 limit. 2003 saw further pushing to a short down pitch (no more than 3m) -shortly followed by a climb up into a large chamber, God Loves a Drunk, -where an (impassably tight) inlet enters from the right. Immediately beyond -this are The Mash Tun (p8) and Copper[C2003-204-48 B] (p17). Beyond this the rift -becomes tighter and more awkward again, leading to the head of yet another -pitch, Yeast (p10). Shortly beyond this the bottom of the rift becomes -rather tight and an ascending traverse can be followed, as far as a local -widening; here it will be necessary to bolt, either for a pitch to the floor or -for protection to continue the traverse. A plumb was made at this point to the -floor 7m below, at 484m below the 204a entrance. Further exploration awaits in -2004 [C2003-204-86 A].

+href="qm.html#C2000-204-63" id="qC2000-204-63">C2000-204-63 B]. Downstream +quickly narrows to about 50cm wide, and progress is made by constantly changing +level to stay where the passage is wide enough. After about 40m a small cascade +of about 4m is reached, which could probably be free-climbed, but has been +rigged with an SRT line to avoid getting soaked; if the water level rises much +this is still rather aqueous, and probably needs at least one more bolt. The +passage is considerably wider for a few metres below the cascade, but soon +resumes in its previous manner; it is helpful to traverse quite high up in +this section.

+ +

Suddenly, the head of a pitch, Black Lightning (13m), is reached. +The streamway continues past a 2m climb and 2m pitch leading to the 25m pitch +of Mystery Wind; this is descended via a crow's-nest which gives a dry +sloping descent to the floor, protected by two rebelays. Immediately beyond +this is Dave Dives, an awkward roof-tube climb to bypass a tight spot; +this should on no account be descended head-first. A bolt here might render the +process safer. The streamway continues to the twin pitches of Easy There +(15m) and Steady Now (4m), the 2002 limit; the head of the latter is +difficult and tight, but it seems unlikely that the rig could be improved by +any alteration not involving a large hammer.

+ +

2003 saw further pushing to a short, rather damp down pitch (3m) shortly +followed by a climb up over boulders into a large chamber, God Loves a +Drunk, where an (apparently impassably tight) inlet enters from the right. +Immediately beyond this are The Mash Tun (p8) and Copper (p17). +In high water levels these are both very wet, dangerously so given the cold +and draughty nature of the passage. There may be a continuation at high level +via a loony bolt traverse across the head of Copper [C2003-204-48 B].

+ +

Beyond this the rift becomes tighter and more awkward again, leading to the +head of yet another pitch, Yeast (p10). Shortly beyond this the bottom +of the rift becomes rather tight and an ascending traverse can be followed, as +far as a local widening, the 2004 limit; dropping back to stream level rapidly +becomes tight again, but a traverse line across, Nordic Traverse, gives +access to a dry fossil passage to the head of Thirteen Year PitchPepper Pot (20m) back to stream level. Here the passage returns +to familiar rifty crappiness for a few metres; it is helpful to take a +relatively high level for a while until the passage widens again, at which +point a 6m pitch, (unnamed), regains the stream level. At this point +there is a convenient widening at a level that gradually ascends to the head of +yet another pitch, at which point the exploration team finally got +bored. (QM 04-XX)

Fledermausschacht

@@ -164,11 +187,11 @@ descended. Soon the pitch becomes vertical, and a rebelay on the far wall (at -5m) allows the next few metres to be descended. Unfortunately the shaft still hades slightly, and a further two rebelays (at -15m and -28m) are required before the magnitude of this 112m shaft starts to become apparent. A 40m -free-hanging section leads to a sloping ledge, where the shaft dog-legs again and -a scrappy descent down a gully, and a further two rebelays (at -68m and -80m), -reaches a sloping ledge overlooking the final section of the pitch. A chossy -traverse across the left hand wall appears to head into a parallel shaft [C2000-204-61 C]. A bolt +free-hanging section leads to a sloping ledge, where the shaft dog-legs again +and a scrappy descent down a gully, and a further two rebelays (at -68m and +-80m), reaches a sloping ledge overlooking the final section of the pitch. A +chossy traverse across the left hand wall appears to head into a parallel shaft +[C2000-204-61 C]. A bolt round the corner to the right allows a descent of the final 22m to the floor to be made, where a boulder choke is met, with no way on. The whole pitch, particularly the far wall, is rather loose and due care must be taken. A large