204
(CUCC 1999/03) |
Steinbrückenhöhle |
4/S x |
Entrance and The Near End passages
The 204a entrance is directly opposite a 10m x 3m stone bridge from which it
derives its name. The entrance itself is approximately 8m high and 5m wide, and
leads down a boulder slope and round a right hand bend to the top of the first
pitch. The 204a entrance is 15m away to the west.
From 1999 until 2001 inclusive, the 204b entrance was rigged. However,
this involved a rather shoddy decent down a gully, and so from 2002
the 204a entrance has been used.
The 204a entrance leads, via a short climb down, to a ledge overlooking
the first pitch, Trick or Treat. This is rigged with a traverse line
and a Y-hang in the roof, giving a superb and very airy free-hang to the
bottom.
The landing is by a large snow plug with an ice corridor round the edge leading to the top of a boulder slope. A rift passage on the right becomes too tight.
The snow level varies: in 2000 it was much higher than in 1999, rendering the
original route onward impassable (see here). A revised
route was explored, which was the main route in 2001.
Descending the boulder slope (care required to avoid kicking
rocks off) leads to the head of the second pitch, Jim'll Fix
It (18m in 1999 but only about 10m in 2000/2001 due to increased
snow levels). An unexplored passage is visible from the pitch head,
which could be accessed by a bolt traverse round the right hand side
of the pitch head [C1999-204-01 C] (explored by Brian?). The
pitch is rigged from a bolt in the left hand wall with a deviation
from a spit immediately after the pitch head bolt. This protects a
marginal rub point and also avoids a jet of water which spurts from
a crack in the wall after heavy rain.
The landing is on a large snow plug. Following the wall around to
the right (facing the wall on which the pitch is rigged) leads to a
2m climb into a rift, which quickly descends to the head of the
impressive third pitch, Stitch This (30m). A Y-hang rebelay
on the left wall is shortly followed by a deviation from the
opposite side of the shaft to obtain a free-hang into Wolpertinger Way. This pitch is in
fact an (upwards) continuation of Thread
Pitch.
In 1999, the landing of Jim'll Fix It was by a large pointed snowplug. There was sufficient gap between snow and wall to complete the descent and emerge in a sloping phreatic passage. There are two ways on: Right leads uphill as stooping/crawling height passage for 30m to emerge at the top of Umshitshimbo. Left leads downhill into The Near End and is the main way on. There is a further unexplored passage in the wall above the gap between the snow plug and the rock [C1999-204-03 C].
The Near End is a collective name for a complex network of high level phreatic passages which slope approximately 20° following the dip of the beds. Heading downhill from the base of Jim'll Fix It in a stooping height
passage leads round a double bend to a 2m climb down to a junction. Right leads to more side passages whilst the main route is straight ahead to a crossroads. Right leads into the same side passages as the previous right turn. Left is Needle Crawl past an unexplored passage on the left [C1999-204-04 C] and a crawl on the right (feels like straight ahead) which becomes too small after ~8m. Straight ahead (feels like a left) leads to the head of a fine
4m diameter circular shaft, Thread Pitch. This pitch of 17m leads into Wolpertinger Way. A continuation of the crawl is visible at the opposite side of the pitch head [C1999-204-06 C].
From the crossroads, the main route in 1999 was straight ahead, downhill in mostly stooping height passage with a short section of sandy crawling. After 15m is a short climb down to the top of a 4m deep pit with a too-tight passage at the bottom, with the phreatic passage continuing to the right. After a further 10m the passage is intersected by a large rift with a big rock partially blocking the passage. Climbing up to the right leads back into a tall rift in
the side passages. A climb up to the left leads to a passage containing attractive white mud which was not entered, however a visual connection to the Pendulum Pitch was established.
Straight ahead leads to a further junction after 15m. Left opens out to the head of Pendulum Pitch, the main route to the bottom of Wolpertinger Way used in 1999. Right leads to a narrow stooping height passage which continues for 25m with several clear pools in the floor to a widening. Around the widening, most routes ahead and to the left are choked with boulders. There are two ways on: down over a few boulders leds to the previously concealed short pitch called 'king carbide, while on the right a body sized tube leads upwards for ~15m before twisting left into a low chamber 'Kidneybean'. Kidneybean, perhaps an enlarged bedding plane, has possible QMs in a hole in the floor [C2000-204-71 C] and in a narrow passage at the nothern corner of the chamber [C2000-204-70 B]. Round to the left it is bounded by an area of breakdown, possibly the far side of a boulder choke visible from the widening. Back at the entrance Kidneybean, the main way on continues through a low gap. This opens to stooping height and winds upwards. The passage continues over some old gower pools to a flat out section (not really a squeze, except for lardarses) not pushed, but running water could be heard [C2000-204-69 A].
The first two right turns encountered when heading downhill from the foot of Jim'll Fix It unite in a walking sized passage. After 10m the bottom of Umshitshimbo is passed on the right, whilst straight ahead leads to a junction with a large
keyhole passage. Left leads after 15m to a climb up behind a precariously placed boulder, to an immediate climb down of 4m which emerges in the 1999 main route through the near end before Pendulum Pitch. Right leads immediately to a 8m pitch. A difficult and exposed traverse round the left hand wall leads to a further 30m of passage with a steadily lowering roof culminating in a boulder choke.
Umshitshimbo is a fine phreatic ramp, 2m wide and about 4m high, which heads uphill in a straight line for 40m. At the top a passage doubling back on the right leads back to the base of Jim'll Fix It and there is a climb up into a rift passage heading south over the top of Umshitshimbo which becomes too narrow. Large passage continues uphill past a 2m deep blind pit on the right to a junction.
Left leads uphill past a choked inlet on the left to a steep uphill section with a crawl on the right, which leads shortly to a 2m climb down and immediate choke. At the top of the steep section the passage to the right immediately chokes, whilst left is Dolly Parton climb, a 2m climb up with huge jugs, to a further 15m of upward trending phreatic passage, terminating in a boulder choke with a slight draught (air coming into the cave). There are two small
steep phreatic ramps on the left hand side of this passage, both very small and both choked.
Straight ahead at the junction leads through a short section of rift to an enlargement with an alcove on the right and a keyhole passage ahead. The rift section at the bottom quickly becomes choked, with a slight draught coming in. A 3m climb gains access to the phreatic section which goes over the top of the choke, and about after a further 3m reaches a large boulder, which almost blocks the passage with a strong breeze blowing through the gap (into the cave.) Squeezing through yields a steeply ascending rocky crawl which chokes after about 5m.
