Survey
| 204 | Steinbrückenhöhle | 5/S x |
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The draughting phreatic passage leading off from near the base of Pendulum Pitch heads downhill at a comfortable walking size past a tight passage on the left, which leads back towards Wolpertinger Way. 5m further on a tube at roof level heads towards Bunny's Bowel. After 20m, a 3m climb up into a roof tube on the right hand side is the way into the White Elephant Series. The phreatic passage continues for a further 15m past a too tight inlet on the right and a traverse over a blind pit to a 3m deep hole in the floor leading to Merry Fucking Christmas. Traversing over the hole and up a loose climb with a too tight rift in the right hand wall leads into an uphill passage, which is choked with mud after 5m. A sandy crawl on the right just before the choke leads via a left hand bend with a too tight rift on the right (probably connecting to that at the loose climb) ending at a 2m climb down. There is a possible way on at the bottom of this, but it is very small and tall people at least would have to enter feet first [C1999-204-19 C]. There is a noticeable draught here blowing downhill (into the cave).
Climbing down through the hole in the floor for 4 metres lands at the entrance to a low crawl, Merry Fucking Christmas. While not actually tight, the crawl continues awkwardly for 20m to a small chamber with QM [C2001-204-71 C]. The crawl continues slightly larger for another 25m, past [C2001-204-70 B], a hole in the floor.
The crawl opens out in the wall of 7-11 Chamber. This is part of a large shaft, with high aven (>40m?) [C2001-204-72 X] and deep main pitch (35m). The chamber floor is reached by a y-hang followed by a single bolt rebelay and rope protector. Traversing across the blocks on the floor leads to a short climb up (rope advised) over a ridge into a parallel shaft (7m deep). The base of this is choked with boulders; an uninviting wriggle between these leads back towards the main pitch.
Back at the entrance to 7-11 Chamber, an exposed traverse around the north-western corner of the shaft leads to a small muddy window. This is a small chamber with small muddy passage sloping downwards. Following this for a short distance arrives at a loose funnel; rocks thrown into this rumble down into the main pitch.
The main pitch, No bits, is descended by continuing on the rope to a Y-hang using two bolts under the large boulder above the pitch. This gives a free hang to the floor (see: rigging diagram). At the bottom of the pitch, a rift leads off. There is a side passage to the right which becomes too tight after about 10m. The way on is down the rift, which can be descended using a thread and a single bolt to form a Y hang (the beginning of Hammer and thong). At the bottom of this initial narrow descent, the rift can be followed at various levels, but all ways become too tight. Down, Hammer and thong continues with a Y hang at a ledge. This is followed by 2 deviations from the left wall - the first from a tiny thread, and the second from a bolting hammer wedged into a crack (see rigging diagram).
At the bottom of Hammer and thong, the comfortably-sized rift, Pussyprance continues steeply down a number of climbs (rope might be wise in future), and ends at a short pitch [C2008-??A], after which it can be seen to continue sloping downwards. To the right at the top of the pitch is a window into a large phreatic passage (~5m wide). To the right, this passage continues for about 25m to two large, wet, (parallel?) shafts [C2008-?? A]. To the left, the phreatic passage passes a passage in the left hand wall, which could be descended downwards [C2008 ?? B, needs rope] or climbed upwards [C2008 ?? B]. The main passage slopes down to a very large chamber (20m across?). A rope is needed to descend into the chamber, which extends out of sight to the left and right [C2008 ?? A, 25m rope?]. Just before the chamber, there is a pitch on the left [C2008 ?? A], which may connect to the chamber.
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. 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.