expoweb/handbook/rigit.htm
2001-08-15 20:29:27 +02:00

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<title>CUCC Expedition Handbook - Pitch Rigging</title>
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<center><h1>Rigging Pitches in Austria</h1></center>
<p>Rigging pitches in Austria is a little different from rigging on a typical
vertical trip in Yorkshire. For a start, the pitch may remain rigged for a
whole expedition, so consideration has to be given not just to avoiding water
in current conditions, but under much wetter conditions during a thunderstorm
on the surface. The extra traffic on a rope over several weeks and the
general sharpness of the rock mean that rubs must be even more assiduously
avoided, and ropes checked for damage on each descent. Loose rock is much
more of a hazard on pitches which have seen little or no traffic, and natural
belays may be scarce or absent. On virgin pitches, new bolts must be placed
in the hard rock, whilst on previously explored pitches, old anchors must be
found and their safety assessed before screwing in new hangers.
<p>Often, new pitches will be rigged "quick and dirty" for a first descent to
see if they go anywhere, and then must be rigged to a much higher standard on
a subsequent descent if exploration is to proceed beyond. Rerigging is also
needed if the rope originally used was much too long or too short, as is
frequently the case when descending unknown pitches.
<p>Although progress is achingly slow, there are some bits of a CUCC-specific
rigging chapter for this expedition handbook. So far we have:
<p><img alt="&gt;" src="../../icons/lists/0.gif">
Expedition Handbook: Rigging Guide<br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../../icons/lists/1.gif">
Rigging Guide: Introduction<br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../../icons/lists/1.gif">
Rigging Guide: <a href="rig/boltin.htm">Placing Bolts</a>
<p>As this doesn't coiver very much, we recommend you look at Sherry Mayo's
<a href="http://www.cavepage.magna.com.au/cave/srtrig.html">Rigging for
alpine SRT (Beta version)</a>. This is aimed at users in Australia, but is
based on York and Oxford U.C.C. practices in the Picos de Europa (N.Spain),
which is in many ways similar to Austria. If you are reading this page from
a local disc or CD (rather than over the net from chaos) you may find that
there is a <a href="3rdparty/sherry/srtrig.htm">local copy</a> of this guide.
<p>It is intended to add rigging guides to the descriptions for each pitch
series in CUCC's major caves - these will be graphical, and based on sketch
rigging guides currently in various survey and log books. Look for the symbol
<br><center>Rigging Guide
<img src="../../icons/rigit.gif" align=middle></center><br>
in the descriptions, for a link. This is the next major long-term upgrade
for the website, and has hardly started yet. It is hoped to do the main
routes in <span lang="de">Kaninchenh&ouml;hle</span> which will be needed for
the 1999 expedition by early summer. The main routes down from the top
entrances will follow as effort permits. To help this along, it is essential
that rigging guides are drawn for any new rigging or rerigging each year.
Ideally, this should be done by the person who did the rigging the next time
he is at Base Camp (or even in the Top Camp log). It's also essential for
future years to record any gear left <span lang="la">in situ</span>, so that
we can keep the <a href="../fixaid.htm">Fixed Aids</a> list up to date.
<p><a href="l/rbelay.htm"><img alt="Rebelay photo - 32k"
src="t/rbelay.jpg" width=100 height=200 hspace=15 align=left></a>
Tina White approaching a typical rebelay in Austria - one of a series
of illustrations which will eventually form part of this Expo Handbook
section.
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