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<title>1991: Cambridge Underground report</title>
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<center><font size=-1>CTS 92.1952: Cambridge Underground 1992 pp 16-18</font>
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<h2>161's new bits 1991</h2>
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<h4>Wookey/Fran/Andy/Tony</h4></center>
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<p>Here are the new bits discovered in KHöhle in 1991: Burble, Dewdrop,
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Francophobia, Ambidextrous, and Trehala.
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<h3>Burble</h3>
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<p>At the 90 degree corner in CFN, where the passage changes into a canyon, a
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small streamway passage comes in on the left. A strong draught can be
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followed up here for 20m to a high aven. A waterfall comes down on the right
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(along with most of the draught). There is a traverse 2m up around the r.h.
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wall leading to a 2m climb into burble crawl, the most obvious way out of
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the aven. A tape assists the move up into the passage for shortarses. A
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difficult 2m climb above the burble entrance on the right (one bolt placed
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for security) gives access to 'shelf indulgence'. There is only an
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impassable rift (in back wall) and a small chamber here (on the left).
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<h4>Burble crawl</h4>
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<p>Burble passage starts at stooping height, but rapidly degrades to
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crawling, flat out in some bits. 90m of passage leads to the head of Vom
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pitch. A short traverse around to the right leads to 25m of walking passage
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to a boulder blockage. The traverse to the left has also been made (another
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bolt here for the retreat). It is a dead end. Vom pitch is 37m deep, rigged
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with a short traverse line, a rebelay 5m down and a deviation at 20m from
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naturals. Below this is a sort of ledge where the pitch intersects a hading
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section, forming a large convoluted chamber. This ledge can be accessed from
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'the maze'. Another natural rebelay, and a tensioned abseil reaches the
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boulder floor of the chamber. There is a way out in the eastern corner.
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<p>This passage is the way into the Leadmine/Maze area. This is a complex of
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joint-controlled passages, generally 0.8m wide by 2-3m high with sandy
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floors - very civilized. It comes almost immediately to a T-junction. Left
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is the Maze, right is the Leadmine.
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<h4>Maze</h4>
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<p>The maze passage goes uphill for 15m to a small chamber with a sandy ledge
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2m up on the right, and a crawl from the top of it connecting back to the
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roof of the passage just traversed. The obvious way out of the chamber is
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left in a very high, pointy rift, which is awkward to traverse along over
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holes, especially coming back. 15m of this comes to another T-junction. The
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crawl to the left winds back to ledge 8m up Vom Pitch, and thus to a climb
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back down into the chamber below it. Right, in larger passage, leads to a
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widening and a 3m climb down into 2m wide passage. To the right a crawl back
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towards the last junction is blocked by sand. To the left a stooping passage
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through a shallow pool and lots of gloopy slime leads, in about 30m to
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Exhaustion Pitch. This is a 25m deep hading pitch with a deviation on the
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opposite wall 10m down. The bottom is climbed from a ledge to some
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confusing horizontal passage & a way on.
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<h4>Leadmine</h4>
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<p>Turning right at the junction gives 25m of passage to a short drop and
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kink to the left, with a sand filled chamber down to the left. 5m beyond this
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is a passage off sharply back to the left, leading to Repton.
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<p>Carrying on forwards another 20m of passage leads round to the right past
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a 1m climb up on the left to a sand-filled chamber with a hole down through
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the sand in the far corner. The apparent dodginess of this 'sand
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pitch' means that it has not been investigated. The climb just before
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this chamber accesses 20m of high passage with a couple of 4m climbs up at
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the end to boulder chokes.
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<p>Back on the route to Repton 15m of passage leads to another passage
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parallel to the one just left. You can go left for about 5m to a dead end or
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right for 10m to a 2m climb down into 3 connected sand-floored chambers. The
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only way out is the 4m climb up the sloping R.H. wall.
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<p>At the top of this climb the obvious route to the left goes dead straight
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for 25m to foot of a wide inclined bedding full of boulders. To the right a
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traverse around the top of the pitch leads to a small chamber with a hole
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connecting back to the chambers below and a crawl up in the roof going
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nowhere.
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<p>The wide bedding leads for 10m up into the huge Repton chamber. It
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debouches into the smaller Repton I half. There is a steep rock pile up to
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the left leading into Repton II and a descending slope to the right. About
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10m downslope a huge block forms a 2m high step across the chamber. This can
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be passed by a hard climb on by the far wall, or an easier chimney behind a
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rock against the wall just below where the bedding enters the chamber. 20m
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below this step is a 30m pitch down into hyper gamma spaces. Halfway down
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this pitch is a ledge/col, one side leading down into HGS, the other down
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into a complex rift/collapse area which probably connects with the passages
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below HGS.
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<p>Climbing over the rockpile from Repton I (beside a 10m cubed block) leads
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into the huge 20m high & wide space of Repton II, sloping down to an
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obvious large passage going out of LHS of the end wall. 15m down here a
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climb/slide down a sandbank leads to a window into a 10m diameter chamber.
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The sandy passage can also be followed round to the left to overlook this
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chamber.
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<p>There are three more ways out of the chamber. On the right is a very tight
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passage which can be followed 5m to a junction where the left branch is too
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tight. Right here leads back through a tortuous crawl to the window. The
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second exit is climbing up high on the right. There is a way on here beyond
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a sandy climb. The third exit is the obvious passage ahead, with a small
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stream flowing in the bottom. 15m down here is a 3m climb up into a chamber
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where the water comes out of the roof. A further 5m of passage can be
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climbed down into beyond this.
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<p>The only other way out of Repton II is an obscure 8m climb down through
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boulders under a drip against the RH wall about 8m back up from the foot of
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the slope. At the bottom of this climb a couple of rocks have been moved to
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reveal a stooping passage with a howling draught. This zig zags for 25m to
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an apparent dead end. 4m back from this a crawl on the left comes out to a
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T-junction with a chamber off to the left. This is two very promising
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QM's.
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<h3>FRANCOPHOBIA</h3>
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<p>The 161c entrance angles in to a rift. A low bedding ahead leads to 161b.
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On the right are a couple of holes. The second of these is rigged down about
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15m in a complex rift, 2-3m wide, to a steeply descending 12m traverse. From
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the end of this the pitch drops in a spacious rift. At the second rebelay
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about 30m down it is possible to swing off 2m to the right into Robinson
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Crusoe (don't let go of the rope!), a 2m diameter tube heading straight
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down-dip, parallel to the one into France, 10m below. After 30m this comes
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out into the FCII rift. It is (just) possible to traverse round on the left
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to get into the continuation of the passage (Man Friday) on the other side of
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the rift. There was a footprint found here. It is blocked by boulders after
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about 10m.
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<p>The Francophobia pitch drops another 10m into France. There are two
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passages out of here back to FCII. Below the 5m cubed block is 'Roll of
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the Dice', a 25m pitch down to a shelf. A 3m climb down through rocks to a
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sloping boulder floor is possible. There is a way off about 3m up the RH
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wall behind a boulder. At the foot of the slope a rift goes off to the left.
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This is accessed by climbing down under a wedged boulder. Another 20m pitch
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'Deja Vu' into hading rift is the current limit of exploration.
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<h3>AMBIDEXTROUS</h3>
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<p>About halfway along Ragnarök is a large side passage. A climb down
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over boulders leads to a short pitch. This can also be accessed by a 15m
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walking passage coming out 15m further along Ragnarök at a 2m climb. The
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6m pitch lands at the foot of a sandy slope. At the top of this the passage
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turn left & after 8m comes out at a col at the top of a deep rift
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passage. A direct pitch on the right of 20m into the passage is avoided by
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climbing down the left side of the col and doubling back underneath to a
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permanently rigged pitch of 11m. This section from Ragnarök to the pitch
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is 'Time Dilation'. At the foot of the pitch there are two ways on. Up a
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sandy passage to the left or down to the right.
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<p>The sandy passage goes dead straight, sloping up dip for about 20m to a
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steep rift climb down into a chamber. The continuation can be seen at the
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top of a 10m pitch. It seems likely that this is close to the foot of
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candlestick pitch on the LH Route.
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<p>From the bottom of Time Dilation pitch the other route involves
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traversing out for 2m and then a step across into a slot on the right which
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leads into the continuation of the passage. A small inlet comes in at this
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step, opposite the pitch. The passage now widens to the size apparent at the
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top of the pitch, and goes for 10m to a squeeze on the left, following the
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water. A difficult climb on the right here apparently gives access to a dead
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end ledge, but it has not actually been done to confirm this. Beyond the 2m
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narrow section is a small chamber where the route almost doubles back. The
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stream goes off impassably to the right whilst the route is a 2m climb up.
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At the top is a sharp right (although the rift continues higher up). Here is
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wider passage and another parallel rift after 10m. On the right is about 5m
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of tight passage - only passable at the top - 'Pretty pointless'
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(it had a small stal in it).
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<p>To the left is an easy traverse giving a 6m pitch back down to the floor.
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This can be by-passed by climbing down 5m through boulders just after the
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corner. 5m beyond this climb the main passage turns sharp right, but a
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narrow route can be followed to the left to look out over an 8m diameter
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hole. A short stream passage (10m before it gets too small) comes in from
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the left.
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<p>The main passage is 5m wide here as it skirts round the hole to another
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view in from the opposite side. Quite a lot of water comes in from the roof
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above the hole & a short pitch can be seen at the bottom (5m down). This
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could be the water from the powerstation series.
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<p>The passage continues large to the right for 20m before closing down
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somewhat to 1m wide for another 10m to a small chamber. Beyond here is
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'the Wormhole'. The passage shrinks to crawling size and then
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executes a couple of tight bends. Two short down climbs follow, and the
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passage comes out in Wobbling on the RH Route.
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<h3>DEWDROP</h3>
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<p>Following downslope from the ledge at the foot of Automatic Doors leads to
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an obvious rift/hole. Just to the right of this an unobvious wiggle through
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boulders leads to the head of S'not Pitch. This is a 35m rift pitch with 3
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rebelays & a deviation. The pitch lands in a joint-controlled high
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passage. Uphill to the right a crawl can be followed for 5m to a parallel
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rift with a couple of blocked ways off.
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<p>Following the graded stones downhill leads via a sharp left to easy
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passage leading after 60m to the Left Hand Route. This passage (Dewdrop)
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splits for the last 10m, the LH route having rocks in it, the RH route being
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a bit smaller. About halfway along dewdrop there is a hading rift on the
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left which can be climbed up for 4m to the foot of a big aven (8m diameter).
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This may connect with the bottom of Dungeon Pitch.
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<h3>TREHALA</h3>
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<p>On the right of the Black lagoon, 5m from the end there is an obscure, low
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(0.3m) passage off. This leads after 17m to a large chamber in two sections,
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about 25m by 10m. It appears to have been filled to a depth of about 5m with
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conglomerate. This can be determined because it is possible to climb down
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against the RH wall to floor level in several places. It seems to be a dead
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end.
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<hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<ul id="links">
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<li>Cambridge Underground 1992,
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<a href="http://cucc.survex.com/jnl/1992/index.htm">Table of Contents</a></li>
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<li>1991 Expedition info:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="index.htm">Index</a> (more detail than in this list)</li>
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<li><a href="report.htm">Austria '91</a> Report</li>
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<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
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<li><a href="182.htm">Puffball & Icing Sugar Cave</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../1623/161/top.htm">current 161 guidebook</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1991">Index</a> to all publications</li>
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<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a></li>
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</ul>
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