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<head><title>2004 Expo Logbook</title></head>
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<h1>Expo 2004</h1>
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<!-- <d> = date; <w> = who; <t> = trip title; <g> = time underGround, <b> = definition of new passage name. -->
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<d>5/7/04</d> <w><u>Mark S</u>, Olly M et al</w> <t>In Cambridge</t>
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<p>And so it was that at 12.41 on Monday 5th July did the weighbridge at Madingley Mulch pronounce one white Citroën C15D van, by the
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registration mark of L852 MFL, to be 400kg overweight – weighing in at nearly two tonnes. Mark and Olly were not best pleased, the
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previous days and morning having been spent cramming Expo goods into every nook and cranny about the van.</p>
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<p>It was a combination of the appaling handling and the measly < 1cm of suspension clearance at the rubber stop which persuaded us to
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have the van weighed. It was cearly far more overweight than in previous years – so much so that it was more than 200kg over the
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total maximum load on the tyres!</p>
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<p>We returned to the Tackle Store having summoned Martin and Dave, and soon began the tedious task of emptying about 300kg of shit out of
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the van – each item being monotonously weighed on Martin's bathroom scales. Many, many phone calls ensued and after various silly
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plans (including driving to Expo and then coming back the next day for a second load, utilising a cheap day return on the ferry from
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Calais!) we settled on a haulier who would transport it to Munich for 300 quid. Not too bad in fact, given it would cost well over 200
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quid to do the two-drives plan. (In fact, subsequently a cheaper company were found.) We declined one company's quote of three thousand
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pounds, refilled the van with lighter items and set off for Milton Tesco's, to collect journey food. At about 5.40pm all was ready (minus
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the various tasks which we hadn't had time to do due to the massive hiatus). We set off for Earl's place and arrived without mishaps,
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planning to leave for Dover at 4am. Expo had begun.</p>
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<d>6/7/04</d> <w><u>Mark S</u>, Olly M</w> <t>Driving to Austria</t>
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<p>Arose at 3.30pm and left Earl's place just after five past four on Tuesday morning. The ferry was at 6am and we arrived just at the
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right time after a stop for fuel. (Got to the port around 5.20am.)</p>
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<p>The ferry was on time and we set off about 8.20am French time onto the motorway. Driving in shifts, there were no mishaps until Mark's
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shift around Nürnburg.</p>
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<p><i>[The Nürnburg incident, which apparently involved a high-speed emergency stop with inadequate brakes, never got written up in
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the enormous space left for it on the page.]</i></p>
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<d>6/7/04</d> <w><u>Dave</u></w> <t>Dave's trip out</t>
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<p>All went v. smoothly; up at 3am (ouch!), coach to Stansted, Ryanair to Salzburg, tram, train etc to arrive at Bad Aussee at around 3pm.
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Bus timetable appears to be beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, so I walked. Then fell asleep, woke up and spent four hours watching
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German TV. (Something important has happened to the state governor of Steiermark, but I have no idea what.)</p>
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<d>7/7/04</d> <w>Olly M, Mark and <u>Dave</u></w>
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<p>Walked up hill. Snow level very high. Had considerable fun hauling gear out of Traungold (caving gear + some digging were needed).</p>
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<g>T/U: Dave 1hr</g>
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<d>8/7/04</d> <w>Olly M, Mark and <u>Dave</u></w>
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<p>More getting stuff out of snow-choked holes.</p>
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<g>T/U: Olly M 1hr</g>
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<d>10/7/04</d> <w><u>Dave</u>, Olly M</w> <t>204A rigging</t>
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<p>Rigged down to bottom of A ent pitch. Owing to lack of rope we didn't get any further than that + ran out of excuses for walking
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downhill in the rain.</p>
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<g>T/U: Dave 1.25hrs Olly 0.75hrs</g>
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<d>??</d> <w><u>Julia</u> and Anthony...</w> <t>..are here</t>
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<p>Det er veldig variskelig â snakke [illegible]. Men jeg mâ prøve. We left Anthony's office at 3.00pm on Friday (I
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remembered the guitar). Getting out of Norge not easy, but achieved eventually. 6 hours Oslo to Gøteborg. Then lots more hours
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through Sweden, Denmark and Germany. Sweden + Germany go on far too long especially. Our stereo died, but it only cost 20 NOK so it's fair
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enough. No traffic jams once outside Sweden. It took ages, Dour ate lots of chocolate, I didn't fall asleep too much, Expo is great + so
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is Gösser.</p>
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<p><i>[In different pen and Dour's handwriting]</i>I say chaps, it's a dashed long way from Oslo to expo, what?</p>
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<d>13/7/04</d> <w><u>Julia</u></w>
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<p>Oh, so caving songs get written in the rain, right. Well, plenty of rain here, so let's have some inspiration. There's Duncan's first
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bit:</p>
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<blockquote>
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When I first came to Cambridge I was only 18<br />
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With a fiver in my pocket and my old dangly bag<br />
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So I went down the Panton to check out the scene<br />
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But I soon ended up as a beardy old lag.
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</blockquote>
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<p>Still Duncan:</p>
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<blockquote>
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When the Mornflake + the Tunnocks bars were stacked in great piles<br />
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With the old Expo trailer we would drag them for miles
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</blockquote>
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<p>Then me:</p>
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<blockquote>
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To the arse-end of Austria we carted our load<br />
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Knowing free schapps awaited at the end of the road
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</blockquote>
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<p><strong>INSPIRATION NEEDED HERE</strong></p>
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<p>Last verse:</p>
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<blockquote>
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And now I am lying here, I ain't had no booze<br />
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I've been pushing and caving, and I'm all sore and bruised<br />
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I feel like I'm dying, and I wish I could beg<br />
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For a stretcher to carry me to old base camp.
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</blockquote>
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<d>12/7/04</d> <w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly B</w>
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<p>We set off for our 3<sup>rd</sup> carry to Top Camp, and for the first time it wasn't raining. As we got to TC it got much darker, and
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just as we started pitching the big expo tent it started to hail horizontally which was really quite grim... Eventually we got the tent up
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and went to look for Eislufthöhle (76), Olly knew where it was, but couldn't remember quite how to get there so we walked around a
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lot in the erratic boulders just below where 76 turned out to be.</p>
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<d>13/7/04 <w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly B</w>
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<p>Carried up our final load to TC, noticed that the tent had lots of big puddles. Perhaps optimistically, I assumed it had come into the
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tent whilst we erected it in the hail storm, so I bailed out the water + we set off for 76, armed with a GPS. We got the [illegible] the
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GPS point and wandered around and found 97 which still had paint marking it. This gave us an idea of where 76 was which we then found.
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About 50m from 76, towards the ridge, was a very very good potential bivvy site – a big arched entrance maybe 15m across and 1.5m
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high with a snow patchand a skylight. Probably room for ~6 people without too much rock moving + more people with more work, quite
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sheltered as well as it opens out into a small sheltered valley (with room for a small tent). We walked back to TC laying cairns as we
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went.</p>
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<d>14/7/04</d> <w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly B</w>
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<p>Woke up to find just how un-waterproof the tent was – lots of leaks through the ceiling and 3 puddles a couple of inches deep,
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wet sleeping bags and other wet stuff which wasn't nice at all. Eventually got going after a short delay to dry out the lighter before we
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could make breakfast. We walked back to 76 carrying lots of gear to relook at the bivvy with a view to actually using it – and it
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looked a whole better <i>[sic]</i> than the tent. We carreid another load from TC adding more cairns as we went.</p>
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<p>Olly taught me how to bolt by demonstrating to drill a tag spit for 97, then I put ones in for tags for 76 and 76b (76a was already
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tagged). Then I went underground in the 76a entrance, it goes approximately horizontally for about 15m over a step on the way, there was
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quite a lot of soft snow on the floor but no ice visible till near the pitch, where there was a small ice-shell. The pitch continues down
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below where the 76 ent shaft comes in (but this looked too loose to be worth using). I placed my first two underground bolts, then looked
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round the corner and saw an old spit which suggested that in the 70s the snow level was higher. I carried on down the sloping gully with
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snow on the floor, the gully flattened out to a ledge with loose rocks. Just round the corner was a nice looking 10-20m pitch which looked
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to land on a big snow ledge. Time was running out so I came back up and added a bolt to the top to make the rope hang in a nicer place.
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Then we got changed and walked back to the car via TC to collect our wet sleeping bags to dry them. On the way back we realised that
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Olly's GPS was still getting a fix by the bivvy... Oh, whilst I was caving Olly cairned a path from the bivvy to the 204 path.</p>
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<g>T/U Jenny 3.5hrs</g>
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<p>3rd verse</p>
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<blockquote>
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Oh, the chill winds at night through the bivvy would blow<br />
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But there were boys at the stone bridge to guide you below<br />
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If you didn't fancy caving you could go and get drunk<br />
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There was always lots of festering down at old base camp
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</blockquote>
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<d>14/7/04</d> <w><u>Dave</u>, Olly M, Stuart, Dour</w> <t>Ariston rigging</t>
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<p>Wandered in down 204A re-rigging on Dave Brindle's rope. Dour put in a bolt enabling me to get close enough to the 2nd pitch to see
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that it was open, which was a pleasant surprise seeing how much snow was around generally. At this point Dour returned to the surface
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while Olly, Stuart and I wandered down Ariston. Ran out of rope at Steel Toecap and headed out.</p>
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<g>T/U Dave, Olly, Stuart 6.5hrs, Dour 1hr</g>
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<d>15/7/04</d> <w><u>Olly M</u>, Stuart, Peter</w> <t>204E rigging</t>
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<p>Had much difficulty finding the entrance, it was further than I remembered. Took ages to rig the pitch, then went out.</p>
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<g>T/U Olly, Stuart, Pete 2.5hours</g>
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<d>15/7/04</d> <w><u>Dave</u>, Mark D, Nial</w> <t>Kiwi Suit rigging</t>
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<p>Continued rig down bottom pitch of Ariston (which is shite) and 54m pitch in Kiwi Suit. Realising we had only three hangers left, we
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put in the next 8m pitch but didn't descend, + buggered off out. Nial + Mark apparently got lost in the crawls at the bottom of
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Wolpertinger Way and were out an hour after I was; I really ought to have hung around to point out the route – sorry guys, but I was
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cold + knackered + wanted to go downhill.</p>
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<p><i>[Mark D's handwriting]</i> Scientific note: air temp measured at Pot-U-Like 2°C.</p>
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<g>T/U Dave 5.5hrs, Nial, MarkD 6.5</g>
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<d>18/7/04</d> <w>Dour, <u>Mark D</u></w> <t>Razor Dance rigging</t>
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<p>Early start – underground by 10:00! Speedy descent to Kiwi Suit, where we picked up the bag of rope left on the 15th. We now had
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3 1/2 bags of rope between us, which was considered A LOT. Mark rigged the bottom 2 pitches of Kiwi Suit, then Dour took up the cudgels
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and proceeded to rig Razor Dance down to the 2002 limit – the Steady Now pitch. Left the rest of the rope at that point and turned
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round at 16:00. Uneventful ascent, Mark D out at 19:45, Dour 21:15. Dour must buy a magic foot jammer!</p>
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<p>Scientific note: the gravel in the crawl between Ariston + Kiwi Suit is very interesting and is in different sizes in different
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passages, which gives some indication of the water flow during phreas. This should be (a) recorded and (b) taped off to avoid damage.
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MSD.</p>
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<g>TU Mark 10hrs Dour 11.25hrs</g>
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<d>16/7/04</d> <w>Jenny, <u>Olly B</u></w>
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<p>We bolted on down from the head of Draught Bitter (where the draught was so fierce it made my eyes water while drilling a hole for a
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bolt). A deviation off a 70s spit got us to a little rock bridge, and a rebelay off another unusually well preserved and flush 70s spit to
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the "rock bridge lead". Rebelay off a natural spike (shape enhanced with a bolt hammer), and we're at our first lead. I poked out the
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looser rocks, and peered down into a serpentine rift below. I put in a spit, gardened more, and squeezed in, Jenny feeding rope from above
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(the bag was too fat). Along the rift, an aven intersects, and goes down a shaft. Another spit, and another awkward squeeze, and I dropped
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the pitch, but it was blind. Back up, and the rift seems to form a U, both ends look like the end at snow slopes, presumably out on the
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pitch (though we're yet to confirm this). We ascend to the rock bridge, and head on down. I can see a ledge which will keep us away from
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falling snow & rocks, but after two spits I'm still not there and my legs are losing feeling. Jenny is cold too so we exit.</p>
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<d>17/7/04</d> <w>Olly + <u>Jenny</u></w>
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<p>Back down 76 again, this time it's my turn to bolt. I get down to the bolts Olly put in yesterday (after adding a spit for a deviation
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on the way down to stop the rope cutting through the big snow plug), and spend quite a while swinging around trying to work out what is
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attached to what (tacklesack, hangers, deviation...). Eventually I sorted it all out and follow Olly's advice to rig the deviation as a
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rebelay temporarily to enable me to swing onto the ledge more easily. The rebelay was all exciting and wide and free-hanging, but I
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managed to cope, then just as I start to swing I noticed the rope would rub, so had to go back up, pass the rebelay, add an extra maillon,
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pass the rebelay and start swinging.</p>
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<p><i>[Diagram of a stick-Jenny attempting to swing onto a ledge]</i></p>
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<p>I landed on the ledge and did some gardening of rocks, which boomed lots and made the ledge feel really rather exposed. Olly was
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complaining about the cold so I put in a bolt rather too quickly and he came down to the ledge. Olly took over the bolting so he could
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warm up, and started a traverse along from the ledge, passing a small lead up a tube on the left. Down and across a bit I think (I
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couldn't really see from where I was). After warming up outside + drinking some hot chocolate, we returned to survey from the A entrance
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to the pitches (draft bitter). Then returned to BC, racing darkness + an electrical storm.</p>
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<g>Total TU 6.5hrs</g>
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<d>5/7/04</d> <w><u>Martin</u></w>
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<p>I was phoned, "There is a problem", "Please bring your bathroom scales", "400kg overweight", "bollocks" (thought Martin).
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Solutions ...another car ... too crap .. another trailer ... too long ... DSL ... too expensive ...</p>
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<p>After some time trying to find someone to fit a tow bar to Mark's van for a non-existent trailer, a haulier was found to transport from
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Newton Hall to Munich. This required me to find cardboard boxes, twenty minutes after the bloke came to collect them.</p>
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<p>The next day Fast Freight hauliers gave a better quote. If I measured the height, width and girth of the pallet. So on Tuesday, I
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stacked a fine tower of boxes in the tacklestore. I got a quote, and on Wednesday I stacked a slightly dodgy pile of boxes. The van turned
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up to collect it, wiht his hydraulic tail gate and his pump hand truck. The pump truck did not fit under the pallet, leaving the truck
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driver and I to lift the 390kg pallet on to another pallet. After much grunting and straining we lifted the boxes on to a "decent" pallet.
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On Friday I received a message saying the cheque I sent on Thursday had not arrived. So I ignored it, and it all turned up in Bad Aussee
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on Monday.</p>
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<d>19/7/04</d> <w><u>Martin</u>, Nial</w>
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<p>Went in E, noticed rubs (Olly says it wasn't his (threatened with hammer)). Rigged Taking the Piss, with PPE green string. Rigged Wot
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No Bolts, from first hole using two bolts! (Deviation needed). 03-67B pushed to conclusion, 03-68B, 03-69B pushed to beginning of Faith
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traverse. Pencil broke, so took some photos.</p>
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<d>18/7/04</d> <w>Olly B + <u>Jenny</u></w>
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<p>Walked back up to the bivvy, and sat around for a while feeling too hot. Eventually got underground with a plan of finishing surveying
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what we have found. We started at Draught Bitter, and surveyed downwards. I realised how crap surveying pitches was, especially really
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draughty pitches that twist around lots meaning you can't easily do plumbs. Only once did we both need to be hanging from the same rope
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for a little while. Got down to the higher rock bridge (the one with the rebelay) before we got cold and unenthused. Olly went out whilst
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I swung around looking at possible leads and so I could draw things better. The big snow plug appears to be partly resting on another rock
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bridge, with an alternative smaller route down behind it. There were also two smallish (~1 or 2m in diameter) aven tube type things going
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up from behind. I then checked out the small aven with ice near the top of Draught Bitter - this didn't appear to go too far. Once out we
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surveyed in the 76b entrance. This was less nice as the rocks are very sharp, the roof is a bit loose and there is a little climb in the
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middle. Definitely not worth using as an entrance when 76a is so much nicer.</p>
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<g>T/U 3hrs</g>
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<d>19/7/04</d> <w>Olly B + <u>Jenny</u></w> <t>76: Brave New World</t>
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<p>Went back down 76 with bolting gear with a view to ticking off Olly's lead on the ledge and then rigging on down. I lined Olly up the
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short but exposed climb, then couldn't see what was happening for ages. Olly got to the end of the rope and assured me it was safe to
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untie, and then went off exploring. I sat on a ledge with my light off (in case Olly's passage came back to the shaft). Ages later, and
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just as I was getting worried, Olly returned. I convinced him that seeing as he was there it was worth bolting and then surveying. So
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whilst he bolted the climb I prussiked out for the survey kit.</p>
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<p>45 minutes later I was back at the climb to find Olly had dropped my spanner after putting in the backup. I passed him up a maillon and
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he tightened the Y-hang bolts and I came up. The crawling passage led on past two sharp corners (Pool Sink fashion) and a passage off on
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the right to a pitch. We carried on, and after the odd lower bit some more passages branched off at a drafty spot: two more tube type
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things, one high on the left and one on the right, then a narrow (~50cm) crack on the left that appears after a few metres to lead to a
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snow slope. (Looking at the locations, we suspect this might be part of 99.) Continuing along the passage + past another low bit I
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suddenly emerged in the top of a big vadose passage, several metres high and going in both directions!</p>
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<p>Upstream led to a choke, so we sureveyed out from here, passing another couple of passages on the way. We had a quick look downstream,
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but didn't survey. Soon an aven joined and the passage increased in size and became looser. In front a pitch dropped down and the passage
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seemed to continue above. To the left another couple of passages left! Amazed and and pleased at our finds we continued to survey out,
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getting very annoyed with the crappy compass. After 35 legs we eventually tied the survey in with the previous one, and could leave the
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cave!</p>
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<g>T/U 8hrs</g>
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<d>18/7/04</d> <w><u>Dave</u>, Becka, Nial</w> <t>Gaffered rig + tourist</t>
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<p>Wandered down Gaffered, while Nial + Becka touristed up Swings and aparently pushed a QM somewhere. (Becka: where was it?) (<i>[Becka's
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handwriting]</i> By station 12 on RH wall, wasn't down as QM. Didn't go. Surveyed 2/8/04. Also looked at QMs on Colonnades, nothing
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easy.)</p>
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<p>Met up again at the bottom of Tape Worm pitch, where Becka and I just about contrived to find the bolts between us. (Becka added a bolt
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to the traverse below Tape Worm.) Ran out of hangers after Eyehole pitch, so turned around and came out.</p>
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<p>Becka suggested a wander up Treeumphant to Chocolate Salty Balls. It's very nice passage; we poked around for a while before heading
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out. On the way back, had a stare at what may be QM 00-34C - it's rubbish, a tube at roof level which might be climbable into with one or
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two bolts, but all the rock is awful.</p>
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<g>T/U 8.5hrs</g>
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<d>19/7/04</d> <w>Olly M, <u>Dave</u></w> <t>Razor Dance</t>
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<p>Carried in the pushing rope, and rigged the pitches beyond Steady Now. Ran out of hangers at the top of Yeast. Also placed a hand bolt
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at the top of Mystery Wind, so as to replace existing dodgy thread, but didn't have a hanger for it. Headed out without a great deal of
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speed (I was very cold and Olly very knackered).</p>
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<p><strong>NB</strong> The roof tube below Mystery Wind could do with a bolt and a sling or something as a handline - climbing out of it
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on the downstream side is very awkward if you don't get yourself into the right orientation to start with. (I did a bizarre Superman-style
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dive out of it which could have been very nasty. Fortunately I succeeded in landing on the tacklesack!)</p>
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<g>T/U 12hrs</g>
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<d>21/7/04</d> <w><u>Mark D</u>, Dour</w> <t>Razor Dance</t>
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<p>An exceptionally early start (9.30 am!) and a quick trip down to the start of Razor Dance. Reached the pushing front at about 13:30
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after rigging Yeast pitch. Dour bolted the traverse while Mark quickly dropped the pitch on naturals. The continuation at stream level was
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really nasty. So we voted for the high traverse, which goes into a level with a real floor, <b>The Nordic Traverse</b>. We surveyed into
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this, eventually reaching a small climb/pitch down (approx 5m). This was duly rigged and it lands in a small chamber, <b>Thirteen Year
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Itch</b>. From here a further pitch of 18m was dropped back into the streamway. This pitch, <b>Pepper Pot</b>, was a real stunner - best
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pitch in the cave (imho)! Below the pitch, the rift continues in the same awkward style. By now it was 16:30 so we quickly surveyed the
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pitches and then headed out. Mark was out 20:15, Dour at about 22:45. See my note from the previous trip about Dour needing a foot
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jammer!</p>
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<p>This was a fantastic trip, one of the best I have ever done in Austria. Home tomorrow, but a great memory to take with me!</p>
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<g>T/U Mark D 10.75hrs Dour 13.25hrs</g>
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<d>19/7/04</d> <w><u>Becka</u> + Earl</w> <t>Gaffered rig to Underworld</t>
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<p>Earl put in a Y-hang about 40% down from the top of Gaffered to help speed up using it + take us a bit further from the spray. Becka
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replaced the two ropes Dave rigged yesterday with a 9mm (bit too skinny) 91m then Earl continued to rig down Gaffered, adding a backup
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bolt to Eyehole and bolting the traverse up to Gaffered. Not long at bottom so we surveyed <b>QM 03-8A</b> which soon choked and went out.
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Takes ~2hrs from bottom.</p>
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<g>T/U 9hrs</g>
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<d>20/7/04</d> <w><u>Becka</u>, Nial + Earl</w> <t>Underworld / Sirens push + survey</t>
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<p>Finally ready to roll pushing: looked at <b>03-29A</b> rigged handline to edge of large chamber - no rope so leave that, plus
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<b>03-30B</b> which needs a high-level traverse. (See our 22nd July trip.)</p>
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<p>Ticked off + surveyed <b>03-28B</b>, <b>03-27B</b> and <b>03-26B</b>. I think <b>03-25B</b> can be downgraded to a "C" QM. Then up to
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crystal pool. Surveyed chamber at <b>03-31B</b>. Nial climbed up to the mud filled pocket on the left of the chamber - apparently choked
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with mud. The small pit in the floor of the chamber is blind except for a miserable boulder-filled hole whcih you can get to the other
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side of from a small passage on the opposite side of the passage as 03-25B. There is a hole over your head in the chamber but Nial said
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the banks of mud would make it very hard to get into, plus a miserable little hole on the opposite wall. Then surveyed from 03-21B to
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03-22C to complete a small loop. <b>03-20B</b> doesn't exist, just mud-filled, though there is a miserable thin rift in the floor of the
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chamber it's in. <b>03-19C</b> is still there (actually there are two roof tubes but the more promising, higher one would be tough to get
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into). Re-checked <b>03-23C</b> - not at all promising, and <b>03-24C</b> likewise - a v.steep climb.</p>
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<p>That seemed to tick off all the horizontal leads in Sirens (boo-hiss) so we went back to Eeyore and Earl started to bolt <b>03-3B</b>.
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Whilst he started, I checked <b>03-5B</b> - it's a blind pit, only 4m down. I also went down to <b>03-4B</b> - it's a smallish pitch/rift
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whcih looks like it would connect to <b>03-2B</b> + big, chossy boulders at the top. Once again not at all enticing. Neither <b>03-7C</b>
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or <b>03-6C</b> look to be much.</p>
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<g>T/U 9hrs</g>
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<p><i>[Extensively annotated copy of 2003 Underworld survey with ticked-off leads noted.]</i></p>
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