<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" /> <title>1623:204 -- Deep routes via the Ariston Series</title> </head> <body> <table id="cavepage"> <tr><th id="kat_no">204</th><th id="name">Steinbrückenhöhle</th><th id="status">4/S x</th></tr> </table> <h1>Deep routes via the Ariston Series</h1> <div> <b><a href="ariston-rigging.html">Rigging diagram</a></b> -- <b><a href="#survey">Survey</a></b> -- <b><a href="204.html">204 index</a></b></div> <hr /> <h3><a id="ariston">Ariston Series</a></h3> <p>The Ariston Series is the route to the current deepest point in the cave. The pitch series begins with a short pitch of 5m rigged from a large thread in the roof a few metres back, with a single spit for the vertical part, which is almost a scramble. This lands on a large ledge formed of boulders wedged across a narrow point; there are two choices of descent here, one to the north, <b>You're So Veined</b> (15m), which was used in 1999, and one to the south, <b><a id="potulike">Pot-U-Like</a></b> (~35m), which has been the trade route since 2000.</p> <h4>You're So Veined route</h4> <p>One rebelay provides a good hang against the wall of You're So Veined to reach the foot of the pitch, which is in a spacious shaft, with an impressive aven above. From here, there are two ways on.</p> <p><i>To the left, facing away from the pitch just descended, is a gully, which in 1999 contained a thick layer of ice. Carefully traversing this rather slippery section leads to the head of a small pitch of 6m, which was rigged with a Y-hang. From here a walking size phreatic passage, <b>Rainbow</b> leads off, carrying a substantial breeze. The passage initially descends, but then develops a narrow floor trench; as the trench deepens, the phreatic part of the passage rises, and then ends abruptly where the floor trench turns right and leads off as a too-tight rift while ahead the phreas pinches out.</i></p> <p>To the right leads into a small, very crumbly chamber, from which a short section of awkward rift leads to a fine crow's nest in the wall of a large rift. A very short pitch (5m) lands on a large ledge in the side of the Pot-U-Like shaft. From here a roped traverse along the left-hand wall gains the head of the next pitch of 12m, which avoids a large ledge which would have been in the way but for the traverse. This pitch currently requires a rope protector just below the Y-hang at the top. The landing is on another large ledge, where a pool can be used to refill water containers. This is also the landing of Pot-U-Like.</p> <h4>Pot-U-Like route</h4> <p>The pitch is rigged with a steeply descending traverse line to a slightly gymnastic Y-hang against the left-hand wall, from which the rope hangs clear to the foot of the pitch.</p> <p>The next pitch of 14m consists of a backup bolt followed by a Y-hang, which utilises one very cratered spit, which can only be used with a bollard type hanger. This pitch requires a deviation from the opposite wall or a rebelay to be installed as there is currently a rub point just below the Y-hang. The ledge that this pitch lands on consists of boulders wedged across the shaft, although it seems sound. A backup bolt protects the approach to the Y-hang at the head of the next pitch, <b>Steel Toecap</b> (35m). After a ledge 3m down, where a deviation optimises the hang, the walls of the shaft bell out dramatically and the rope hangs in stimulating isolation. About 5m from the floor a ledge is passed, which could be gained by a swing across, where there may possibly be a passage leading off [<a href="qm.html#C1999-204-20" id="qC1999-204-20">C1999-204-20 B</a>].</p> <p>At the foot of the pitch, the way on is a very chossy, sloping descent which will require either re-rigging or bypassing (which may be possible by a climb up and over) in future. This leads to a further short pitch (10m), which lands in an aven chamber of ample proportions. <i>From here drops an 8m pitch, landing on a rubble floor. The only way on is a tight rift [<a href="qm.html#C2000-204-60" id="qC2000-204-60">C2000-204-60 C</a>], which was penetrated for only a short distance. More progress might be possible by someone small and imaginative. Not surveyed in 2000.</i> From the aven chamber, a crawl leads off, followed by a descending rubble slope. The rubble slope curves round to the right, passing a tight rift on the left [<a href="qm.html#C1999-204-22" id="qC1999-204-22">C1999-204-22 C</a>], to reach the bottom of a short climb up of 3m on the right, which is followed by a scramble down on the other side. <i>From here, straight ahead is a climb up into the foot of an aven, half-right is a short ascending passage leading to a chamber where a traverse around the right hand wall leads to a slope down to <b><a href="#fled">Fledermausschacht</a></b>.</i> Full right is a stooping/crawling height phreatic passage with a mud floor. This passes on the right the other end of the crawl which led off from the foot of the previous pitch, which provides a convenient shortcut.</p> <p>Some 50m of alternate crawling and stooping over soft crumbly mud, including a single point where the roof dips and the crawl is flat-out, leads to a small chamber. Here there are two holes in the floor. One leads to <a href="#kiwisuit"><b>Kiwi Suit</b></a>; the other drop is much shorter, and is split into two sections by ledges on each wall part way down. The first section of 8m reaches these small ledges, where a stream enters from the foot of a very large aven. The next section of 11m is wet, and lands on a small ledge overlooking Kiwi Suit just above the rebelay.</p> <h3><a id="kiwisuit">Kiwi Suit</a></h3> <p>The first pitch begins with a funnel-shaped opening. The initial approach is rigged from a large pillar at the edge of the funnel (the approach to this could be further protected by a traverse line tied round an even larger pillar a couple of metres back). Suddenly, at the base of the funnel, there is an impressive black space. In 2000 the descent was rigged New-Zealand style, entirely from naturals, which seemed sound, but worrisome for us bolt-junkies, especially given the record of 'Bomb-Proof' naturals in KH visiting the bottoms of pitches; the current rig as of 2003 uses a pitch-head deviation, and a Y-hang rebelay around halfway down, to keep the descent clear of walls and the small trickle of water which falls down the shaft. This looks worryingly like it would become a huge deluge after rain, drenching anyone on the rebelay, but apparently even in the miserable weather of 2002 there was only a very slight increase. The floor is reached after 54 metres of descent. The way on is a short traverse, an 8 metre pitch, another short traverse, and then a 20 metre pitch to a ledge. The final pitch from this ledge is an impressive rift of 47 metres depth, rigged in 2000 from a natural, one bolt, and the rope from the pitch above.</p> <h3><a id="razor">Razordance</a></h3> <p>At the bottom of the 47m pitch, a merry little stream is reached (similar volume of water to the Top Camp waterhole in spate). Upstream was not pushed, but reportedly leads quickly to the foot of a waterfall [<a href="qm.html#C2000-204-63" id="qC2000-204-63">C2000-204-63 B</a>]. Downstream quickly narrows to about 50cm wide, and progress is made by constantly changing level to stay where the passage is wide enough. After about 40m a small cascade of about 4m is reached, which could probably be free-climbed, but a handline here helps avoid getting soaked. The passage is considerably wider for a few metres below the cascade, but soon resumes in its previous manner. Suddenly, the head of a pitch, <b>Black Lightning</b> (13m), is reached. The streamway continues past a 2m climb and 2m pitch leading to the 25m pitch of <b>Mystery Wind</b>; this is descended via a crow's-nest which gives a dry sloping descent to the floor, protected by two rebelays. The streamway continues to <b>Easy There</b> (p15) and <b>Steady Now</b> (p4), the 2002 limit. 2003 saw further pushing to a short down pitch (no more than 3m) shortly followed by a climb up into a large chamber, <b>God Loves a Drunk</b>, where an (impassably tight) inlet enters from the right. Immediately beyond this are <b>The Mash Tun</b> (p8) and <b>Copper</b> (p17). Beyond this the rift becomes tighter and more awkward again, leading to the head of yet another pitch, <b>Yeast</b> (p10). Shortly beyond this the bottom of the rift becomes rather tight and an ascending traverse can be followed, as far as a local widening; here it will be necessary to bolt, either for a pitch to the floor or for protection to continue the traverse. A plumb was made at this point to the floor 7m below, at 484m below the 204a entrance. Further exploration awaits in 2004 [C2003-204-XXX A].</p> <h3><a id="fled">Fledermausschacht</a></h3> <p>The traverse round to the pitch head is protected by a thread belay at the start of the traverse. A substantial thread (requiring 2 slings due to its girth) at the pitch head enables the first, sloping section of the pitch to be descended. Soon the pitch becomes vertical, and a rebelay on the far wall (at -5m) allows the next few metres to be descended. Unfortunately the shaft still hades slightly, and a further two rebelays (at -15m and -28m) are required before the magnitude of this 112m shaft starts to become apparent. A 40m free-hanging section leads to a sloping ledge, where the shaft dog-legs again and a scrappy descent down a gully, and a further two rebelays (at -68m and -80m), reaches a sloping ledge overlooking the final section of the pitch. A chossy traverse across the left hand wall appears to head into a parallel shaft [<a href="qm.html#C2000-204-61" id="qC2000-204-61">C2000-204-61 C</a>]. A bolt round the corner to the right allows a descent of the final 22m to the floor to be made, where a boulder choke is met, with no way on. The whole pitch, particularly the far wall, is rather loose and due care must be taken. A large chockstone near the second rebelay could not be shifted, but should be treated with suspicion.</p> <p>Nature Note: A bat was observed flitting around in here on two occasions.</p> <p>At the start of the traverse to the head of Fledermausschacht is a small crawl leading off to the right. This is initially flat-out over crumbly mud, but enlarges after a short distance to enter a series of small mud-filled chambers. There is no obvious way on, other than to start excavations in the mud banks [<a href="qm.html#C2000-204-62" id="qC2000-204-62">C2000-204-62 Dig</a>]. Not surveyed in 2000.</p> <div class="centre"> <h3><a id="survey">Survey</a></h3> <img style="padding: 2pt; border: 2px solid #000" src="ariston.png" alt="Survey" /></div> <hr /> <ul id="links"> <li><a href="204.html">Back to 204 index page</a></li> <li><a href="../../smkridge/index.htm#id204">Schwarzmooskogel ridge area index and description</a></li> <li><a href="../../indxal.htm#id204">Full Index</a></li> <li><a href="../../areas.htm">Other Areas</a></li> <li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expedition Intro page</a></li> </ul> </body> </html>