From fe3b69f2365555bc8d70dec44e7d4a9e71469def Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: anthony Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:56:07 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Moved White Elephant description here, plus added link from Phat Shafdt to Pussy Prance --- smkridge/204/nopain.html | 71 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 70 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/smkridge/204/nopain.html b/smkridge/204/nopain.html index 230daba1a..3f1848726 100644 --- a/smkridge/204/nopain.html +++ b/smkridge/204/nopain.html @@ -223,10 +223,79 @@ alcoves. These need further investigation by possible deviation or pendulum: [C2000-204-73] [C2000-204-74] [C2000-204-75] -[C2000-204-76] One of these windows, some 25m above the base of the shaft to the south, leads to Snow Leopard. This route was used to access the "Cats" area in 2012. +[C2000-204-76] One of these +windows, some 25m above the base of the shaft to the south, leads to Snow Leopard. +This route was used to access the Pussy Prance area +via Catwalk in 2012.

The shaft ended with a rock strewn floor vaguely oval in cross section with a small streamway at one end which got too tight to pass.

+ +

White Elephant Series

+

The White Elephant Series is a series of rift pitches which has not been +pushed to a definite conclusion, but does not appear especially promising, +despite carrying a considerable breeze. It was originally accessed via a 3m +climb up in the phreatic passage between You're +so Veined and Merry Fucking Christmas +, and can also be reached from Pleasuredome.

+ +

From the head of the 3m climb up, a roof tube leads off. After 8m of crawling, +the passage opens out at the head of a 2m climb down by a large boulder. A too-tight +rift leads off on the left, but ahead opens out into a large space, the +Millennium Dome.

+ +

A 20m pitch rigged from a bolt on the left hand wall backed up to the big +boulder, with a rebelay and rope protector after 5m, lands on the boulder floor +of the Millennium Dome, which is an L-shaped chamber at the base of a large +aven, with each arm of the L being 15m long and 5m wide. There do not appear to +be any ways through the boulders, but a rift leads off at the western end, +quickly arriving at the head of a 10m pitch with a constricted take off, rigged +from boulders. An eyehole part way down this pitch appears to lead into a +parallel shaft. (This is almost certainly the connection through to Pleasuredome). The pitch lands on a +rubble floor with a blind pit. Heading south quickly reaches a loose pitch +head, with a rift passage continuing beyond.

+ +

The pitch is 28m, rigged from a bolt on the left hand wall and deviations +from natural threads after 4m and 12m. The second deviation is by a small rock +bridge, where descending either side appears to go to the same place, and an +eyehole opposite connects to the continuation of the rift at the top of the +pitch. The base of the pitch is an oddly shaped chamber formed from several +rifts (about 7m up the pitch, these rifts coalesce to form a single shaft.) +North from the base of the rope leads to a 3m climb down into an inlet rift +coming from the north which ends in a blank wall 8m from the base of the rope, +but the rift continues too-tight heading south beneath the 3m climb. South from +the base of the rope is another rift heading downhill which rapidly becomes +tight with running water clearly audible [C2000-204-78 C], +but not visible beyond. West from the +base of the rope leads to junction with a tight rift continuing to the west +[C2000-204-79 C], +and another inlet rift coming from the north which ends in a blank wall after +5m.

+ +

Traversing over the top of the pitch (rope required) and a short descent +leads to a continuation of the rift passage. A hole on the left connects to the +28m pitch described earlier. After 5m the rift narrows and a constricted pitch +head is reached. The descent of 15m is rigged from a large boulder and leads +immediately to a further drop of 7m rigged from a bolt. This shorter drop may be +bypassed by an alternative free climb in a narrow slot immediately beyond the +pitch head. From the base the tall, narrow rift continues with two short climbs +and a slot in the floor which gradually widens to the head of the next pitch +after 6m. This is rigged from a Y-hang on either side of the rift, but soon +opens out to give a fine descent of 15m landing in a spacious rift at 182m depth +from 204b entrance. A narrow slot in the floor develops, which is just large +enough to descend, but stones thrown down sound dead [C1999-204-26 B]. It is possible to traverse above the +slot for a short way before the rift becomes too tight.

+ +

There is a noticeable breeze at the base of this pitch, as there is through +much of the series, with air blowing into the cave. From the base of the 7m +pitch, there is no roof visible. This area has potential, but there are no easy +leads, and some lunatic bolt traverses may be required to try to bypass the +tight sections.

+