204Steinbrückenhöhle4/S x

Treeumphant Passage area

Survey --  204 index

The Colonnade

Bonsai Crawl emerges into The Colonnade, a wide walking passage with a boulder floor, at a sharp turn, from which one can continue right or straight on.

To the right the passage comes to a chamber-like crossroads. To the left is an initially walking-sized tube, Sucker, and to the right a low draughting crawl, Flopsy the Bunny Rabbit's Lair, which connects back to Insignificant Chamber. The Colonnade continues straight on, and a stream joins from the left. Further along on the left is a pile of stones which must originate from a passage [C2000-204-43 Dig]. The passage then becomes small with a possible aven [C2000-204-44 X], a tight rift [C2000-204-45 B], and a crawl down and to the right. The crawl emerges into a chamber, with a possible way on over rocks directly ahead [C2000-204-49 C]. The chamber gets larger to the right, where there are two tight rifts leading off [C2000-204-46 C], [C2000-204-47 C] and an aven [C2000-204-48 X]. Water was flowing down one of these, possibly to the waterfall entering the chamber in No Pain No Gain. At this time in 2000 it had not rained on the surface for 8 days.

Back where Bonsai Crawl enters, the main route continues straight on for around 70m, with a number of minor passages to the sides. These are:

The main passage then forks: to the left is [C2000-204-20 C] whilst to the right the passage continues past a high up crawl [C2000-204-21 C], and then possibly [C2000-204-22 C]. The main passage then pops out into Treeumphant Passage.

Treeumphant Passage

The Colonnade meets Treeumphant Passage at a narrow angle. Doubling back sharp left leads to a boulder slope. Ascending this leads to a fork; the left branch is blind and the right branch ends shortly afterwards in a choked chamber. In the other direction, Treeumphant Passage continues over large boulders, sloping slightly upwards. There is a walking passage off to the left which goes to Crowning Glory, as well as a high up crawl to the right [C2000-204-25 C] and then a tight high passage to the left [C2000-204-26 C]. The passage then increases in height approaching a sharp turn to the right. Here a walking size passage continues straight on, connecting with Crowning Glory, and there may be an aven in the ceiling [C2000-204-27 X]. The main passage passes possibly diggable holes at floor level [C2000-204-29 Dig], and continues into Great Oak Chamber.

Great Oak Chamber

Great Oak Chamber is a substantial chamber, with a 5m drop in the floor [C2000-204-32 B]. There is also an aven above [C2000-204-33 X]. A traverse across the left-hand wall reaches a passage on the far side which is choked after 40m. There is also as a passage to the right [C2000-204-30 C]. Just before the drop there is a bouldery slope up to another, smaller, walking size passage. There is an oxbow to the left, with a possible passage leading off it [C2000-204-34 B], as well as an aven [C2000-204-35 X]. There are a couple of digs to the left slightly further on; the first has not been explored [C2000-204-36 C], while the second led to 15m of passage with no further leads. The main passage continues into Cave Tree Chamber.

Cave Tree Chamber

This is another substantial chamber, accessed by a climb down of about 2m. It has a bouldery floor on the left, and a pitch on the right [C2000-204-39 B]. An aven extends above [C2000-204-38 X], which is the 204c entrance discovered by Duncan and MikeTA in 2000; this has not been used since as it is exceedingly loose and dangerous. The passage continues over the pitch (via a traverse that needs rigging) to Chocolate Salty Balls.

Chocolate Salty Balls

Duncs... [C2000-204-34] [C2000-204-35 Dig] [C2000-204-36 C] [C2000-204-37] [C2000-204-38] [C2000-204-39 C] [C2000-204-40 C] [C2000-204-41] [C2000-204-42 X] [C2000-204-43 Dig] [C2000-204-44]

Crowning Glory

A phreatic passage with a stream flowing down it, which heads upwards from Treeumphant Passage. Near the beginning a high up crawl heads off to the left [C2000-204-8 C]. Another 20m leads to a bolder infall which can be climbed over, or the stream can be followed around to the right. A 2m scramble climb is reached, and Boulder Coaster, on the left, can be accessed by traversing from the pitch head. Further up the passage boulder infall from the left leads to a connection back to Treeumphant Passage. The summit of a boulder is soon reached, as the passage becomes smaller. Going down the boulders goes into a chamber, with an aven [C2000-204-11 X], and a 4m climb up at the end, followed by a pitch, which has been started down [C2000-204-10 A].

Germknödels' Revenge

E entrance rigging guide Germknödels' Revenge is the short connection between the 204e and 204f entrances and the Treeumphant end of Boulder Coaster. 204e is a low square hole in the face of a cliff. From here a low passage leads down and to the right. A short climb down and up again brings one to the top of the pitch. The (awkward) passage from 204f is a small tube sloping uphill at ~45° on the right, and a possible QM from across the top of the shaft.

204f is a hole in a pile of boulders a few metres up the surface gully from 204e. A small tube descends towards 204e via a couple of bouldery squeezes. The tube becomes steeper with a black space beyond. A light shone down this tube reveals that it connects to the top of the pitch reached from 204e; it was not thought worth the considerable bother of rigging this route.

A backup and Y-hang are followed by a rebelay or short deviation next to a window into a parallel shaft (There may be undocumented QMs in this shaft). The pitch narrows below the deviation, to a rebelay where it bells out to several metres diameter. The remaining drop is in a fine open shaft, passing a ledge a few metres off the floor, into Crowning Glory Chamber in Boulder Coaster near its connection to Crowning Glory Passage.

Boulder Coaster

A walking sized passage goes from Crowning Glory Passage to Crowning Glory Chamber where 204e and 204f drop in from Germknödels Revenge, daylight being just visible. A rift intersects the chamber at the north end [C2001-204-12 C], [C2001-204-13 C]. The obvious way out of the chamber continues for 15m before choking, passing under avens [C2001-204-18 X] and [C2001-204-19 X] at a cross junction. To the left is too tight, and to the right, along with the next passage to the right join up at a chamber with an aven [C2001-204-20 X]. The passage continues from the bottom of the chamber and passes a pocket on the right with an aven [C2001-204-21 X]. The passage continues to a a staggered crossroads; to the right there is a sandy crawl [C2001-204-14 B]. The other two ways on later rejoin; the left route has a phreatic tube going into the roof [C2001-204-22 X]. Continuing downslope, the passage splits in two, to the left is [C2001-204-15 C]. The right way leads to a chamber with a pitch [C2001-204-16 A] and an aven [C2001-204-23 X]. The passage continues opposite the entrance, in walking sized downhill passage, passing a crawl to the left [C2001-204-17 C], then a too tight passage to the right.

Further down, the passage turns a sharp left, then turns around to the left, after which a small passage goes of to the left [C2001-204-56 C]. Further on a passage is reached, with a climbable aven [C2001-204-55 X]. The passage to the right soon turns left, going downhill to a junction. Straight on is a small passage [C2001-204-57 C]. Turning left leads to a junction with the downhill passage of the previous chamber. Continuing downwards, a small passage leads to the left [C2001-204-58 C]. Further down Helterskelter Pitch is reached. At the pitch head passages go to the left and right but are too tight. The pitch is 8m deep and can be climbed down, and spirals around on itself, ending in boulders, and a visible way on through the boulders [C2001-204-59 B].

Sucker

An initially walking passage branching off from The Colonnade, which soon degenerates to crawling. After 15m, a 1m diameter tube continues straight on [C2001-204-33 B], whilst the explored route turns right. After another 30m a small passage bears to the right [C2001-204-24 C]. A further 15m leads to a small chamber with large dubious boulders on a sloping floor. Straight on is [C2001-204-25 C], and there is a pitch in the floor [C2001-204-101 B], which can be stepped over. This leads to a key hole passage with a rift disappearing on the right [C2001-204-32 C], which may be descendible. The key hole passage then turns right, straight on at this point a small stream enters, where there is an aven above [C2001-204-27 X], and a flat out crawl entering from the right [C2001-204-26 C] , this ends in a mud floored chamber with an aven [C2001-204-28 X]. Continuing along the key hole passage, a passage intersects, and the keyhole passage becomes blocked. To the right, another passage intersects which quickly becomes too tight in both directions, the passage continues straight on to a small partially mud filled passage [C2001-204-29 C]. To the left a body sized passage continues to a T junction with continuations [C2001-204-30 C], [C2001-204-31 C].


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