| 204 | Steinbrückenhöhle | 4/S x |
|---|
The Underworld
The Underworld is an area of horizontal development at 1580m, around 160m
deeper than the majority of the horizontal development in
Steinbrückenhöhle. Access is from Gaffered, although a connection from Merry-Go-Round is also suspected to exist.
The Underworld starts from the foot of Cerberus pitch. A hole down on the
left, [C2003-204-04 B]
leads to the head of a rift; this is likely to link to the rift
[C2003-204-02 B] leading
from the base of Trihang. Ahead is a blind pit around 4m deep. An obvious
path on the right in the mud floor leads along horizontal walking passage past
conservation-taped stalactites to a junction. Up and to the left a passage goes
of to Sirens, to the right the passage goes to PoohStyx.
Eeyore is a mud-floored stooping-height passage accessed by a
slightly exposed greasy sideways climb at the top of the upwards-sloping
traverse from the bottom of Trihang pitch, before the final pitch into the main
Underworld level is reached. This levels off and continues for around 15m. At
the end is a window into a large chamber, Kanga, with
the floor sloping down steeply to the left.
A Y-hang and deviation gain access to a ledge perched at the top of the
slope, where there is a Y-hang rebelay giving a clean hang down the slope to
the floor. At this point there is a narrow tube in the far wall, which turns to
the left and slopes upwards over loose powdery mud. After around 5m another
chamber is reached; climbing down around a large wedged boulder reveals a
narrow, unpromising-looking pitch-head, estimated at 10m
[C2004-204-69 B].
To the right at the junction of the underworld, Poohstyx and sirens, soon ends
in a mud choke. Straight ahead, the main passage soon drops down to the ledge
over Pooh Styx pitch (which descends 25m picking up spray towards the bottom,
to a flat floor with two too tight rifts leading off, there is also a possible
continuation through a window a couple of metres above the floor
[C2003-204-09 B]).
Traversing beyond the pitch leads on left to a chamber, with a large rock in
the middle. To the left out of this chamber is a passage
[C2003-204-10 C], straight
on above a climb passages slope upwards out of the chamber
[C2003-204-11 C], and to
the right a tight rift leads off. This rift leads past some places with sand
full of bat bones, half way along another tight passage leads of to the right
[C2003-204-12 C]
continuing along the tight rift leads to the small Beyond-PoohStyx pool which is
overlooked by the ledge in Sirens beyond Bracket Fungus passage. Extending high
above the sirens ledge, an aven goes up for a good 20 metres
[C2003-204-13 X].
Left at the main junction in the Underworld is the start of Sirens. From this
point into Sirens and Subsoil the cave consists mainly of phreatic tunnels
partially filled with mud or gravel banks with a strong draft coming out of the
cave. From the junction into Sirens the narrow but always walking passage
climbs steeply up a mud-floored passage to a ledge with conservation-taped
formations that overlooks Black Maria chamber (p.30). Just before the ledge,
two holes in the floor on the right drop steeply down, with rocks bouncing a
long way [C2003-204-14 B]
and [C2003-204-15 B].
Below and to the left of where Sirens enters Black Maria chamber, a passage
appears to lead off
[C2003-204-16 C]. Black
Maria chamber is rigged from a ledge that traverses around the right of the
chamber. Rigged from two bolted Y-hangs, this pitch lands in a moderate-sized
chamber with just one small passage leading off
[C2003-204-70 C]. At the
level of the pitch head for Black Maria and further around the chamber, a
moderate-size, horizontal mud-floored passage leads off
[C2003-204-18 B]. From
the ledge where Sirens enters Black Maria chamber, the main way on is over a
traverse on the right using naturals (15m rope; 2 slings) to gain a large
passage sloping up. Straight ahead is a thin rift: Bracket Fungus passage, the
way on is up the steep mud slope to the left, oxtail oxbows.
[DO NOT ENTER; CONSERVATION-TAPED OFF; USE OXTAIL OXBOW BYPASS ON THE LEFT
INSTEAD] which is well-decorated with bracket-fungus-like formations on both
walls and stalactites above. This leads straight to a ledge above the
Beyond-PoohStyx pool. To the right are two sloping mud chutes
[C2003-204-23 C] that
appear to drop into the chamber above the Beyond-PoohStyx pool.
The way on, which bypasses bracket fungus passage is up a steep mud slope,
passing a phreatic tube which enters high on the left
[C2003-204-19 C],
which soon reaches a steep mud slope down (bolt and sling for hand line on right
wall). At the bottom of the mud slope, a thin rift leads off straight ahead
[C2003-204-15 B]
and there is a hole in the floor
[C2003-204-71 C] that may
link to this rift. At the bottom of the mud slope the main route around Oxtail
Oxbow continues as a scramble up a steep mud passage on the right. This
passage then leads steeply down a mud slope, past a tight rift in the floor
[C2004-204-67 C] and a
passage to the right going to Beyond-PoohStyx, to join a larger passage.
At this junction, the passage to the right leads to the ledge above
Beyond-PoohStyx pool which traverses along the right wall into Bracket Fungus
passage. Just before this ledge, a passage up to the left goes to a small
chamber with a very steep climb up from it
[C2003-204-24 C]. At
the junction with the main passage, the main route is to the left, up a steep
mud slope to a further junction. At this junction, straight ahead leads to
Terra Firma, and to the right leads to Quiz Rift.
Straight ahead is a narrow passage which
opens onto a small chamber, Terra Firma, with mud banks and a blind pit in the
floor. Above the pit, a passage appears to lead off
[C2004-204-18 B] and on
top of the mudbank above the entry-point into chamber another, larger passage
appears to lead off
[C2004-204-17 B]. A small
passage on the left before Terra Firma is reached leads down to a
conservation-taped crystal pool which can also be seen from above from Terra
Firma, across the pool is
[C2004-204-16 C].
I think the following qms from the upper tube survey should be in here.
[C2004-204-19 C]
[C2004-204-21 C]
At the junction before Terra Firma, turn right and clamber over large wedged
boulders [CARE - deep, undescended rift below
[C2003-204-25 B], to a
small mud chamber. Duck under the low arch, avoiding contacting the
conservation-taped stalactites, to a further small mud chamber. Crawl down
again under a second low arch, up a mud slope on the right and turn left into
Quiz Rift. To the right a narrow rift goes up to a ledge which is the start of
the Generation Game bolted traverse. This leads over the top of Quiz Rift to
the passage the far side; this appears to have no way on. On the other side of
this ledge are a series of phreatic roof tubes and passage which overlook the
mud slopes and chambers just described. Quiz Rift soon turns right down a
mud slope (traverse line on naturals and one bolt) to the Gardener's World
pitch (p25). This descends via awkward rigging (not perfected in 2004) to a
ledge in a moderately large chamber. From this ledge the University Challenge
pitch (p15) descends to land partway down the large, confusing Subsoil Chamber.
[C2004-204-23 C]
[C2004-204-24 A]
[C2004-204-25 B]
[C2004-204-26 B]
[C2004-204-27 A]
[C2004-204-28 A]
[C2004-204-41 ?]
[C2004-204-42 ?]
[C2004-204-29 X]
[C2004-204-30 X]
[C2004-204-31 C]
[C2004-204-32 X]
Do not know what this passage is called
[C2004-204-33 A]
[C2004-204-34 A]
[C2004-204-35 A]
[C2004-204-36 A]
[C2004-204-37 A]
[C2004-204-38 B]
[C2004-204-39 B]
[C2004-204-40 B]
These are the northly qms that happened on the same trip as underware, do not
know if passage is called underware
[C2004-204-43 C]
[C2004-204-44 B]
[C2004-204-45 X]
[C2004-204-46 C]
These are the southly qms of underware
[C2004-204-47 C]
[C2004-204-48 X]
[C2004-204-49 A]
Don't really know what the passage is called that these qms are in:
[C2004-204-20 X]
[C2004-204-22 A]
[C2004-204-56 C]
[C2004-204-50 A]
[C2004-204-51 B]
[C2004-204-52 C]
[C2004-204-53 B]
[C2004-204-54 C]
[C2004-204-55 ?]
[C2004-204-58 B]
[C2004-204-59 B]
[C2004-204-60 A]
[C2004-204-61 A]
[C2004-204-62 B]
[C2004-204-63 A]
[C2004-204-64 C]
[C2004-204-65 B]
[C2004-204-66 C]