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<title>1623/136: Steinschlagschacht underground description</title>
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<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" />
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<body>
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<p><center><a href="top.htm"><img alt="Overview "
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<img alt="Rigging" src="rigbut.png" width=40 height=40>
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<a href="names.htm"><img alt=" Glossary "
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<a href="../index.html#id161"><img alt=" Desc "
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<a href="../../../index.htm"><img alt=" CUCC"
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<h2>1623/136: Steinschlagschacht</h2>
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<h3><a name="forbidden">Overview</a></h3>
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<p>1983 description is : shaft -194m. The bottom was reached in 1984, at depths variously
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estimated -240m, -260m and -285m, when the rift became too narrow. 1983 survey (which
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was never drawn up) only goes to -194m.</p>
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<p><i><a name="id136p1" href="../../years/1997/index.htm">1997</a> rigging</i></p>
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<div class="onleft"><a href="fullsize/136elv.png">
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<img alt="Elevation - 26k GIF" width="300" height="709" src="inline/136elv.png" />
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</a></div>
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<div class="centre"><a href="l/jh97-3.htm">
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<img alt="Photo - 57k" src="t/jh97-3.jpg" width="150" height="225" /></a></div>
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<p>The rope (60m used in 1997, though this is not generous) for the first pitch is belayed
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to the 3m boulder. A short drop from the surface (c.3m) leads to the top of a steeply
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inclined boulder slope which is also very loose. The head of the main entrance pitch hang
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used to be immediately at the foot of this slope, however it has now been rigged from the
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right hand wall, out of the immediate line-of-fire from the boulder slope. A traverse line
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of around 10m at 30° is rigged on the right hand wall to reach the pitch head. The
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main hang is around 35m almost free-hanging, but for a minor deviation about 8m below the
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pitch head.</p>
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<div class="centre"><a name="p1" href="l/jh97-7.htm">
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<img alt="Photo - 38k" src="t/jh97-7.jpg" width="148" height="225" /></a></div>
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<p>From the foot of the entrance pitch, a fairly narrow slot with a short climb down
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(c 1m) connects to a large boulder-strewn chamber. This chamber is entered from the top
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left corner (standing looking down the slope) and the main way on is around 10m down the
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slope, under a very large boulder towards the right hand wall. At the foot of the chamber
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are two large holes of around 5m depth, one in each corner. One of these holes has a spit
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above it, suggesting it was descended in 1983/4, however no descent was made of either
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hole in 1997. It is speculated that these may connect to the second pitch at a lower
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point than that used as the pitch head in 1997.</p>
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<p style="clear: both"><i><a name="id136p2">Second</a> Pitch</i></p>
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<p>Returning to the main route down, the head of the second pitch is a belay point on the
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right hand wall of the chamber immediately above a very large perched boulder at "floor"
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level. A 130m rope was initially used here, though some spare was later cut off. Beware
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of apparently sound footholds here as they have a habit of falling off down the next 70m
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or so of the pitch series! A rebelay is required just below the take-off point on the
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boulder to avoid rubbing the edge of the block on the way up. This rebelay is particularly
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awkward on the way up since the rope tends to pull into the crack between wall and boulder.
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The shaft continues down more or less vertically for a further 3 rebelays (50m) until the
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first substantial ledge is reached. (A deviation is required below the 3rd rebelay from
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the pitch head to avoid an otherwise serious rub just below the rebelay bolt).</p>
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<div class="centre">
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<a href="l/jh97-9.htm"><img alt="Photo - 55k" src="t/jh97-9.jpg" width="225" height="150" /></a>
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<a href="l/jh9711.htm"><img alt="Photo - 60k" src="t/jh9711.jpg" width="150" height="225" /></a>
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</div>
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<p>From this ledge, a further pitch descends, rigged from two bolts on the
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left hand wall with an immediate deviation off the right hand wall. Traversing
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ahead over the pitch, it appears that there is a parallel shaft visible through
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an eyehole in the left hand wall. It is believed that this is the shaft
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described as being accessed by a "desperate step across" which was descended
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in 1984 and found to reconnect to the wet route lower down.</p>
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<p>Descending from the ledge, a further substantial ledge is reached after c8m.
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On the way up it is advisable to cower under the overhanging wall of this ledge
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to avoid exposing yourself to rocks dislodged by people on the pitch above -
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the pitch head is especially loose.</p>
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<p><i><a name="id3rdp">Third Pitch</a></i></p>
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<p>From the ledge an awkward take-off to an almost immediate rebelay leads to a
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connection with a wet shaft - the main source of water below this point. The
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hang is fortunately almost dry, aided by a very wide rebelay about 12m below
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the ledge. A further 15m hang reaches another large ledge where water continues
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through a large slot in the floor at the foot of the pitch. It is at this point
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that the two routes diverge into <a href="#wetdream">Wet Dreams</a> (the way
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explored in 1983/4) and the <b>Eyehole Route</b>.</p>
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<h4><a
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name="eyehole">Eyehole</a> Route (<a
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href="../../years/1997/index.htm">1997</a>)</h4>
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<p>The Eyehole Route
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is to-date the main route in 136, leading eventually to the 1997 connection
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with the <a href="fbl136.htm">Forbidden Land</a> in 161, and the 2½km
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<a href="chile.htm">Chile</a> series, found in 1999.</p>
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<p>The eyehole is reached by means of a traverse over the slot in the floor
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(through which the water disappears) and is the obvious large hole on the
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right. A short horizontal rift, with a steeply-inclined hole in the floor,
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connects to the head of the fourth pitch series. This pitch series is about 30m
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of dry shaft, broken by three ledges and landing on a much larger ledge with a
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couple of large boulders jammed in the exit rift. A 54m rope was sufficient in
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1997. From the foot of the fourth pitch, the head of the fifth is only a few
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metres away over the jammed boulders.</p>
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<p><a name="pitch4">The head of</a> the fifth pitch does an extremely good job
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of hiding the enormous cavern into which it breaks some 10m below. Do not be
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mistaken into believing that the floor, as it appears, is only 5m below your
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feet, nor that your light will be even remotely adequate for ensuring maximum
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exposure on the multiple hanging rebelays below. The pitch starts with a large
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Y-hang across the rift at the pitch head.</p>
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<div class="centre"><a href="l/jh9715.htm"> <img alt="Photo - 21k"
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src="t/jh9715.jpg" width="150" height="225" /></a></div>
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<p><a name="over5">An airy</a> traverse around the corner to the left (<a
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href="../../fixaid.htm#over5">rigged rope</a>) leads eventually to the
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<a href="#footlight">Footlights Traverse</a>. (The eyehole immediately opposite
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the pitch head connects with the climb around to the left).</p>
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<p>Below the Y-hang is a large, mud-covered outcrop of rock, over which you
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must traverse before proceeding further to a very wide deviation, hated by
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those with short legs, just below the muddy "floor". A further 5m descent leads
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to a smallish ledge with another rock outcrop to cross to a hanging rebelay on
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the left-hand wall. This point is around 60m above the floor of the chamber
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and is where the <a href="#thegods">Gods' Traverse</a> begins. A 35m rope was
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sufficient to reach this point in 1997.</p>
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<p><a name="theatre">Continuing</a> straight down from the rebelay, first a
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parallel shaft is reached and the wall of the chamber becomes convex, requiring
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another hanging rebelay 21m below the last. A further 24m hang drops to a
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boulder floor at the top of a huge chamber - <b>The Theatre</b>. The landing
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point for the main route into the Theatre is at the top of the steeply inclined
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floor.</p>
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<div class="centre"><a href="l/jh9719.htm"><img alt="Photo - 38k"
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src="t/jh9719.jpg" width="150" height="200" /></a></div>
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<p><a name="orchestral">Standing</a> at this point, looking down the slope of
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the floor, an opening at the bottom of the chamber of the left-hand wall leads
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to the <b>Orchestral Pit</b>. From the foot of the chamber up a short (c 8m)
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climb over mud and boulders and then up another (c 8m) climb on steep rock,
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leads to a small opening. (The rope has been left <a
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href="../../fixaid.htm#opit">permanently rigged</a> on this climb). On the
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right hand wall at the foot of the chamber is a boulder choke through which it
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is possible to climb down around 10m. No recommendable leads were found here.
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Immediately behind the landing point and around 30m higher up the wall is the
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connection to the <a href="fbl136.htm">Forbidden Land</a> (161) which must be
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reached via the God's Traverse.</p>
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<p><a name="exitsl">Proceeding</a> up the 16m climb from the floor of the
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Theatre, a narrow opening leads to a precarious climb down the other side
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(c.5m) over the top of a large wedged boulder in a rift chamber, <b>Exit Stage
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Left</b>. There is an aven in the roof of this chamber, which can be descended
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as a pitch (the 30m continuation of Plughole Pitch) from the end of the <a
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href="#footlight">Footlights Traverse</a>. A second aven is reached by a short
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(c 3m) climb up opposite the entry climb. A small window (too small for human
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access) in the left hand wall of the chamber connects to the undescended pitch
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accessible from the <a href="#plughole">rock bridge</a> 18m down Plughole
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pitch, 26m above. Rocks can also be thrown in through a small gap in the
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boulder floor. This pitch continues below this level.</p>
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<p>In the Orchestral Pit, a number of wet shafts connect from the ceiling in
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addition to a number of dry avens. The dry avens nearest to the Forbidden Land
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have been connected to an eyehole on the God's Traverse around 15m above the
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connection to <a href="fbl136.htm#ealgor">Elin Algor</a>. The floor of the
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Orchestral Pit has a number of pools and also a considerable amount of brown
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powdery mud, similar to that found in the horizontal areas of
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Kaninchenhöhle such as <a href="offffr.htm#mmudpie">Mississippi Mud
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Pie</a>, <a href="triasp.htm#triasp">Triassic Park</a> etc. , of which the
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majority of 136 is devoid. No leads were found in the Orchestral Pit.</p>
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<h4><a name="thegods">The Gods'</a> Traverse (<a
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href="../../years/1997/index.htm">1997</a>)</h4>
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<p>The earlier (and lower) of two impressive traverse routes off the fifth
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pitch, The Gods' Traverse heads NE towards Kaninchenhöhle, to which it
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eventually connects.</p>
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<div class="onleft"><a href="l/godst.htm"><img alt="Photo - 48k jpeg"
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width="150" height="200" src="t/godst.jpg" /></a></div>
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<p>From the hanging rebelay 10m below the head of the 5th pitch (on Eyehole
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Route), a short (4m) descent with a swing leads to a small muddy sloping ledge,
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with precipitous drop. A bolt in the middle of the traverse "protects" a caver
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who teeters around the ledge and up a short (c.2m) climb over a corner bulge
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onto the main face of the traverse. This roughly horizontal section is about
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12m in length across a slab of limestone inclined at 70 - 80 °. Should your
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lighting equipment allow, you will be able to admire the enormous vertical
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rock-face which forms the opposite wall of the Theatre and the precipitous drop
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to the floor 40+ metres below. Hand holds (barring the rope) are non-existent
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on the second half of the traverse and most foot ledges were of the disposable
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type (single use only), now long gone. At the far end of the traverse a hanging
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rebelay just over the edge of the wall leads, with a wide swing, to a large
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eyehole on the opposite wall. A short (15m) pitch against the wall on the
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outside of the hole leads to a large muddy sloping ledge at the back of which
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is a hole into narrow traversy passage. This is the final impressive overlook
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reached in <a href="fbl136.htm#ealgor">Elin Algor</a> from the Forbidden Land
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in Kaninchenhöhle in 1996. The whole of the pitch - traverse - pitch to
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this point was <a href="../../fixaid.htm#gods">left rigged</a>.</p>
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<p>Back
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through the eyehole, a couple of pitches lead eventually to the Orchestral
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Pit.</p>
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<h4 style="clear: both"><a name="footlight">Fifth pitch and
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Footlights</a> Traverses (<a
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href="../../years/1997/index.htm">1997</a>)</h4>
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<p>The later traverse route off the fifth pitch (starting at the pitch head,
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some 10m higher than the Gods'). This heads generally SW, and is in two
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sections, split by a 16m pitch. The lower section is strictly the Footlights
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traverse, but the name has been applied to the whole route, causing some
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confusion.</p>
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<p>A short, unobvious (<a href="../../fixaid.htm#over5">roped</a>) traverse,
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<b>Service Duct</b>, starts from the left hand side of the Y hang at the head
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of the fifth pitch. It goes left round the corner into a window, then climbs up
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3m above a deep hole to a lip into a chamber with a large hole in the steeply
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sloping floor that drops down near the start of <a href="#thegods">Traverse of
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the Gods</a>. Traversing to the right of this chamber, past an eyehole with a
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view back to the Y hang, a pitch (<b>Ventilation Shaft</b> p.16, 1 bolt
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rebelay, -5m) descends to the <b>Box</b>, a platform with a fine view to the
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left across the Theatre to the Gods' Traverse. Looking out and to the right
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from the Box is the start of <b>Footlights Traverse</b>.</p>
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<p><a name="foottrav">This airy,</a> diagonal, section around and down the
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south-western corner of the Theatre, 30m off the floor was <a
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href="../../fixaid.htm#footl">left rigged</a> after the 1997 expedition, but in
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1999 was deemed easy enough to rig afresh on each expedition, so the rope was
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taken off. Two bolt rebelays reach a Y hang, and descending from this a window
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can be reached by an entertaining pendulum to reach a rift in the wall. This
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window enters a choss-filled passage whose boulder floor is apparently
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suspended above a void (traverse line recommended). An old phreatic level was
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hypothesised to exist at a similar height to the connection with Elin Algor,
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and this seems to correspond roughly to that level, although at this point the
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morphology is a tall rift, passable at various levels, with many windows,
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climbs and pitches, difficult to explore exhaustively.</p><p><a
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name="plughole">The passage</a> leads, after a 3m climb up and a 2m climb down,
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to a narrow slot opening out into the spacious <b>Plughole pitch</b> below,
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which drops 18m to a rock bridge.</p>
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<p>At the rock bridge the single shaft splits into three. An inlet enters from
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an aven and goes down an undescended clean-washed shaft [99-xx A]. This
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descends about 8m to a ledge where a slot drops at least 30m, past the choked
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floor at the bottom of the Footlights pitch (determined by rocks thrown in from
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two points below). This apparently does not connect (at least directly) with
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the Orchestral Pit - rocks were not audible from there. The second of the
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shafts is more like a 3m blind pit, of little interest.</p>
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<p>The third, and biggest, of the dry shafts is a further drop of 30 m (bolt,
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tape deviation at -10m) and lands on the floor of <a href="#exitsl">Exit
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Stage Left</a> (originally reached by the 16m climb up from the
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Theatre).</p><p>Across the rock bridge, over a few boulders and through a
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smallish slot, is a short 5m pitch. This is the way on to <a
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href="chile.htm">Chile</a>, 1999's major find.</p>
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<h4><a
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name="wetdream">Wet Dreams</a> (1983/4)</h4>
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<p>Wet Dreams is the original
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route, explored first in 1983/4, but named in 1997 in memory of the anticipated
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connection with 161 by this route. In fact no such connection has yet been
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found, but the shaft series has not yet been bottomed and so it's still a
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possibility.</p>
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<p>Continuing from the foot of the <a href="#id3rdp">third
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pitch</a> and crossing the traverse to the point where the Eyehole Route
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diverges, a dry hang is possible to the bottom of the rift down which the water
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disappears. At the foot of this 15m pitch is a narrow rift, leading quickly to
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a further 12m pitch followed by another narrow rift to another pitch.</p>
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<p><a
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name="pfantasy">Around</a> the head of this pitch, <b>Phreatic Fantasy</b> -
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so called because of the anticipated large sloping ramps expected from a
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previous cave description - are a number of small, clean and fairly
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uninteresting roof tubes, probably phreatic in origin. The shaft at this point
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becomes roughly vertical and descends in a number of sections a further
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surveyed 35m, becoming increasingly wet towards the bottom. From the surveyed
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limit a further pitch of around 30m (estimated) can be seen descending
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immediately below.</p>
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<p><i>1983 rigging</i></p>
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<p>The split between Eyehole
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and Wet Dreams is about three quarters of the way down what the 1983
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description had as a broken shaft of c 100m. This was in sections of 14m
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vertical, 24m sloping, 13m vertical to a ledge. Here a desperate step across
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(worse on exit) attained a parallel shaft which apparently connected back lower
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down. The main way dropped 9m sloping, 29m vertical, to a 9m slope and a final
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3m vertical to what is assumed to have been the Phreatic Fantasy level -
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though the pitch lengths (mainly deduced from survey data) don't correspond
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well with the 1997 experience and this may be below the next pitch. 1983
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figures put the next pitch as 17m sloping, then 15m vertical to a bolt at
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-194m, which may be a similar point to that reached on this route in 1997, or
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not quite as deep.</p>
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<p><i>1984 series</i></p>
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<p>A further drop is 5m to "a very bad bolt" and either 15m total, or a
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further 15m from the bolt, to a spray lashed ledge with only one small alcove
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in which to cower and brew up. A rift in the floor leads 6m to a rebelay and a
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final 20-25m pitch into a chamber with two ways off. One was very tight to an
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aven and small drop which stones indicate ends blind in mud floor after c10m.
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The main way was a squeeze past a very large boulder, down a 10m pitch to a
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stream which flows into the classic too-narrow draughting rift. Logbook
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describes this as -260m, which fits with the non-existence of a 30m "virtual"
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pitch which is believed to be the result of an ambiguity elsewhere in the 1984
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log book.</p>
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<hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<ul id="links">
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<li><a href="names.htm">Glossary of passage names</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../areas.htm">Area/subarea descriptions</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../indxal.htm">Full Index to 1623 caves</a></li>
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