mirror of
https://expo.survex.com/repositories/expoweb/.git/
synced 2024-12-20 23:42:25 +00:00
518 lines
28 KiB
HTML
518 lines
28 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
|
|
<html>
|
|
<head>
|
|
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf8" />
|
|
<title>1989: Cambridge Underground: 161 Description</title>
|
|
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/css/main2.css" />
|
|
</head>
|
|
<body>
|
|
<center><font size=-1>Cambridge Underground 1990 pp 13-20</font>
|
|
<h1>Description of 1623/161 (Kaninchenhöhle)</h1>
|
|
<h3>by Wookey</h3></center>
|
|
|
|
<b>Lat</b> : 47° 40' 40" <b>Long</b> : 13° 48' 50"<br>
|
|
<b>Altitude</b> : 1790 metres <b>Depth</b> : 499m<br>
|
|
<b>Length</b> : 4022m
|
|
|
|
<h4>Entrance:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>The entrance to 161 is located on the limestone ridge between the Hinterer
|
|
and Vorderer Schwarzmoos Kogels, about 200 metres up towards the Hinterer
|
|
from the col, and about 20m down the east side of the ridge itself. Due to
|
|
its location the cave has been unaffected by the large amount of rock
|
|
shattering usually found blocking shafts in the area.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The relatively free hanging 45m entrance shaft lands in a small chamber
|
|
with four ways on. The most obvious being a 20m shaft leading to a 3rd pitch
|
|
through an eyehole, being 10m in length landing on a boulder strewn floor,
|
|
with two ways on.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The left way continues as a 12m pitch landing on a loose boulder slope
|
|
ending in a choke. The right way through a small hole under a huge boulder
|
|
resting on a loose boulder slope, this continues at an angle of 30 degrees
|
|
to a further pitch, this has as yet not been descended due to the unstable
|
|
nature of the boulder slope.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Rabbit Warren Series:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>The second route out of the chamber at the bottom of the entrance pitch,
|
|
into the <b>Rabbit Warren Series</b> is a 2m climb after a stoop on the left
|
|
hand side of the chamber. This leads via a small phreatic tube and several
|
|
short climbs-down to a series of shafts and rifts - <b>Adrian's Route</b>
|
|
(after Adrian the Anaconda - the 130m rope used to rig it) - with pitches
|
|
10m, 40m, 46m in length eventually ending in a draughting sand-filled tube
|
|
with no way on at a depth of 170m. Halfway along the entrance phreatic there
|
|
is a blocked 12m pitch and just beyond that a fork to the right leads to a
|
|
tight stream rift and a couple of nasty but undescended pitches.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Big Sainsbury's:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>The key to the system is the third way out of the entrance chamber.
|
|
walking round the corner reveals the open space of <b>Big Sainsbury's</b> - a
|
|
very large passage about 100m long and 10m diameter. This is reached by a 20m
|
|
pitch (<b>Automatic Doors</b>) down to the boulder floor. The fourth way out
|
|
of the entrance chamber (a 1m diameter hole in the floor) comes out in the
|
|
wall halfway down Automatic Doors.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>At the lowest point of this end of Big Sainsbury's - to the right of the
|
|
foot of the pitch a rift leads back through to the '88 second pitch and on
|
|
through the floor (undescended but probably connected to <b>The Dungeon</b>
|
|
passages at base of said 2nd pitch). On the second pitch you descend approx
|
|
12m before penduluming off on to a ledge giving access to this connecting
|
|
rift.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>The Dungeon:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>At the bottom of the '88 second pitch is a chamber with an eyehole into
|
|
another short (4m) pitch. At the bottom of this a passage leads off to three
|
|
different pitch heads. Two of these pitches are short and choked but the
|
|
last goes, however the pitch head consists of a large pile of unstable
|
|
boulders and is accessed by crawling under one of the biggest and thus
|
|
remains undescended.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>walking 20m up the boulders of Big Sainsbury's takes you to the highest
|
|
point of the chamber. In the left wall is a pair of eyeholes overlooking
|
|
<b>Skull pitch</b>, a 10m pitch and high aven with two short blocked passages
|
|
at the bottom. A few metres further along the left wall is a short low
|
|
passage which chokes after 12m. Another 25m along Big Sainsbury's there is a
|
|
2m x 4m hole against the right hand wall. This is the start of <b>Drunk &
|
|
Stupid</b>, a steeply descending rift which goes down to -200m before
|
|
connecting with the Left Hand Route at French Connection Pitch.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Alternative Shopper:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>20m beyond this is a pair of very high avens with associated pitches.
|
|
There is a traverse line along the left hand wall which takes you to a col
|
|
between the two drops. Along this traverse is a passage in the left hand wall
|
|
which goes for 25m before choking. The first drop is <b>Checkout</b>, the
|
|
main route on. The second drop is <b>Alternative Shopper</b>, a funnel-shaped
|
|
30m pitch followed by a 10m pitch under a big boulder at the bottom. At the
|
|
bottom is a tight rift leading to a chamber where both the rifts out of it
|
|
are too tight.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Dreamtime:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>Descending the top part of Checkout to the second rebelay, it is possible
|
|
to stand on the rock ridge between Checkout pitch and the Alternative Shopper
|
|
30m pitch. Along the ridge turn left below loose boulders, traverse a few
|
|
metres, and climb 3m up a steep slab to gain the continuation of Big
|
|
Sainsbury's passage. This traverse should be lined.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The continuation descends for 30m past windows into a large rift on the
|
|
right, before closing down. The route continues to the right into a narrower
|
|
section, and soon leads to a pitch, with two ways down.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>A hole to the left descends a 30m pitch (measured but not surveyed beyond
|
|
a window on the left). At the bottom, this closes down to a tight rift to a
|
|
sharp corner and drop, which was not descended due to the near impossibility
|
|
of rigging and return.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Climbing off the pitch through the window, and continuing round to the
|
|
left, pass underneath jammed boulders which form the floor at the pitch head,
|
|
and enter a chamber. The second way down the pitch, ahead rather than to the
|
|
left, lands at this point.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Climb up a couple of metres at the back of the chamber and pass through an
|
|
eyehole. From here, a vertical climb down for some 6m in an elliptical tube
|
|
enters a bedding plane. To the left, the bedding plane continues to the top
|
|
of a pitch which has not been descended.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The examined route goes ahead, as the bedding plane opens into a rift.
|
|
From here on, the passable passages are widened sections within the rift,
|
|
until the limit of exploration is reached, where there are two or three
|
|
possible pitches.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Down to the Squeeze:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p><b>Checkout</b> is a 10m pitch followed by a very unstable boulder slope
|
|
leading to a further 26m pitch in an inclined rift - <b>Loose Bowels </b>-
|
|
the head of which is known as <b>Death's Door</b>. This is followed by a
|
|
free-climbable rift - <b>Rift Sans Nom</b> - ending in an 8m pitch <b>Becka
|
|
Falls</b> with a very tight hammered squeeze - <b>The Squeeze</b> - at the
|
|
top. This rift then enlarges and merges with another, entering a huge
|
|
phreatic passage. This gives two possible ways on. The <b>Left Hand
|
|
Route</b>, and the <b>Right Hand Route</b>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Drunk & Stupid:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>The beginning of this route is best rigged on one long length as pitch
|
|
follows traverse and so on. An 8m pitch to an uninspiring boulder slope,
|
|
ignored in 1988. This should be rigged with a traverse line to reach a tube
|
|
at the bottom leading into a large rift with a 20m hang to boulder strewn
|
|
floor. There is a possible route 10m down the pitch, and a tight side rift to
|
|
an undescended pitch at the bottom. The hole in the floor beneath the
|
|
boulders is about 10m deep to a dead end chamber.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>From the bottom of the 20m pitch, a traverse line is required to lead down
|
|
a slippery slope to the head of an excellent 30m pitch (rope pad for the
|
|
belay knot). The main route is now washed rift with traverse lines and a
|
|
couple of short hangs.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>At the bottom of the 30m pitch there is a very tight rift leading back
|
|
which is too tight, and also a parallel rift to the main one, reached by
|
|
climbing up 7m to find a bolt to rig it. This rift heads down and enlarges
|
|
with a 15m pitch at the limit of exploration in 1989.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The main route comes to a 20m pitch, where several alternatives are
|
|
possible. The continuation of the D&S route is across into another
|
|
passage at the head of the pitch.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>10m down the pitch is a ledge and a good natural rebelay. From this ledge
|
|
a 1m diameter tube descends a series of climbs and is unexplored. At the
|
|
bottom of the 20m pitch is a 3m diameter chamber with nice fossilized
|
|
bivalves set in the floor. A very tight damp rift heads off from one side. At
|
|
the other side is a very tight squeeze through an eyehole, <b>White Hole</b>,
|
|
into a neighbouring shaft - the continuation.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Follow the passage from the head of the 20m pitch (minding holes in floor)
|
|
to reach a superb natural belay with natural backup in the roof - <b>Parallel
|
|
Universe</b>, a 20m pitch (the rock is too rubbish to bolt). Again incredibly
|
|
sharp, stream-washed passage down a couple of 5m climbs/pitches to a Y-hang
|
|
for <b>YATMP</b> (yet another 20m pitch). Finally the rift is done with one
|
|
5m pitch into a 10m x 5m chamber, <b>Wet Nappy Chamber</b>. The water way
|
|
becomes too tight, the continuation is a climb up on the left into a nasty,
|
|
muddy hading rift, <b>Bacon Slicer</b>, which requires a traverse line to
|
|
reach a ladder pitch some 15m down. The walls of the rift slope at 65°.
|
|
The rift is relatively tight and awkward although a reasonably easy route was
|
|
eventually discovered that involved doubling back to the streamway 15m below
|
|
the head of the ladder.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>A short climb out of the rift leads to a larger section with a trench in
|
|
the floor. Within 20m the passage closes down into a very loose looking
|
|
boulder choke. Beneath this is a short section of narrow rift leading to the
|
|
head of a fifteen metre pitch, <b>Darkness Dooms</b>. At the base of the
|
|
pitch, the stream disappears down a 3m trench that slopes steeply downwards
|
|
for about 15m. A handline is useful here. The trench gradually widens until a
|
|
sharp right turn where large rift passage is again entered.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>After a short section of wider passage, a 2m boulder climb leads to the
|
|
head of another hading rift. This is much larger than the Bacon Slicer
|
|
although the walls slope at the same angle of 65°. The boulder climb
|
|
marks the start of a spectacular climb down a boulder slope with a vertical
|
|
descent of 18m. The boulder slope ends in:-</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>The Helipad:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>This chamber is approximately 10m across and 20m along. Along the left
|
|
hand wall is a sandy shelf approximately 1.5m above the floor of the chamber.
|
|
There are several routes from the chamber. At the far end is a stream inlet.
|
|
However, the rocks in the inlet look extremely loose and it has never been
|
|
ascended. The stream disappears into boulders in the floor and it is possible
|
|
to climb down through the boulders to an undescended pitch. Immediately to
|
|
the left of the boulder climb is a 5m section of 2m high passage that ends at
|
|
an 8m pitch, <b>Dead and Buried</b>. All ways on from the bottom of the pitch
|
|
were too tight.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>To the right of the waterfall in the Helipad is a short climb up leading
|
|
to a section of small, twisting phreatic tubes. These were not surveyed but
|
|
were explored to the head of an 11m pitch that landed in <b>French Connection
|
|
Chamber</b>, thus connecting the Left Hand Route to Drunk and Stupid.
|
|
Immediately behind the French Connection Pitch is a large phreatic passage
|
|
approximately 5m high. This leads to a small sandy chamber. A climb into a
|
|
rift from the chamber leads to a small section of ever diminishing rift that
|
|
ends at a pitch; this is in fact the other side of Dead and Buried and thus a
|
|
survey connection was made between Left Hand Route and Drunk and Stupid.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3>Left Hand Route:</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>This starts as an inclined rift (crawling continuation at first corner
|
|
explored for 25m to undescended pitch) and becomes a zig-zagging keyhole
|
|
passage with a very deep narrow canyon in the floor. Two sandy passages off
|
|
on the right after 30m lead to the Left Hand Route camp-site and a climb up a
|
|
boulder slope to a choked aven.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Arrow Chamber:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>Along the main passage you continue, avoiding the many holes in the floor.
|
|
The passage changes back to a hading rift at the last corner and eventually
|
|
leads to <b>Arrow Chamber</b> where there are three shafts and a passage off
|
|
to the right leading to two short undescended pitches after about 15m. The
|
|
three shafts are <b>Butcher, Baker</b> and <b>Candlestick Maker</b> and only
|
|
the easiest to rig one (Butcher) has been descended, although they are
|
|
thought to all be parallel shafts to the same place.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Butcher is found by climbing down under some boulders by the left hand end
|
|
of the far wall of the chamber (the arrow of the chamber name points to the
|
|
relevant boulder). This 45m pitch lands on a choked shaft floor where a
|
|
further parallel shaft can be seen at each side through slots in the walls.
|
|
A large eyehole into the shaft on the right shows the way on, being a
|
|
traverse followed by a 10m pitch.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Niflheim:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>walking across below a huge aven and sliding left behind a rock into a
|
|
tight rift takes you into a series of shafts which continues down with ledges
|
|
hindering your descent, until a large, wet, black hole is found. This is
|
|
<b>Niflheim</b> - "A realm of freezing mist and darkness under one root of
|
|
Yggdrasall (the world tree) which hell lies within" - a 51m very wet
|
|
pitch which lands on a rock bridge about 45m down. Here the shaft splits -
|
|
most of the water goes down the French Connection side and the rope goes down
|
|
the other side to land on a ledge about 7m above the floor.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>French Connection:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>From this ledge traversing round to the right leads into a 5m canyon
|
|
passage which emerges in the other part of the shaft at the head of <b>French
|
|
Connection</b> pitch descending to French Connection Chamber where the water
|
|
coming down the pitch has cut a small canyon across the chamber floor to the
|
|
6m pitch into rift at the other side. At the foot of this pitch the rift goes
|
|
5m round to the left before becoming too tight. Also in French Connection
|
|
Chamber there is a hole in the wall about 2m up on the same side as FC pitch.
|
|
This leads through to an aven with a 4m pitch and a 2m climb up into another
|
|
too-tight rift.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Ragnorok:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>A ladder gets you down the pitch/climb from the ledge at the foot of
|
|
Niflheim to where there is a 1m diameter hole which goes 10m to a 6m pitch
|
|
(undescended). This hole takes the rest of the Niflheim water. From the foot
|
|
of the ladder you can walk 5m through some large fallen blocks to gain a
|
|
large fossilized phreas, <b>Ragnorok</b>, at a T-junction. Turning right
|
|
takes you to a large sand ramp which reaches the roof after 10m. Turning left
|
|
takes you into a narrower canyon section for 10m which is choked with
|
|
boulders at ground level, but an easy climb up 2m at the start of the
|
|
boulders takes you into the passage proper. It is about 8m wide with sides
|
|
sloping down towards a central 0.5m wide canyon in the floor which can only
|
|
be seen occasionally as it has largely been covered with rock fall and sand.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>About 25m after the climb there is a boulder slope down to the left.
|
|
Climbing under these boulders gives access to a 17m pitch followed by a 10m
|
|
pitch with two ways on at the bottom. The first goes through a small chamber
|
|
(2m high) and then chokes, the second goes along a descending rift for about
|
|
25m before becoming too tight.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>At the foot of the boulder slope there is a walking passage which joins
|
|
back to Ragnorok in about 15m and a 4m pitch down to the foot of a sandy
|
|
slope. Climbing up this slope and around a corner to the left leads to an
|
|
open area with a pitch/climb down about 10m to the left and a sizable stream
|
|
canyon to the right. This is a major way on.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Back in Ragnorok just beyond the pitches is another small wet hole in the
|
|
floor (undescended) and then another 30m of passage (with a choice of either
|
|
a 2m climb or a squeeze through large blocks to get past one particularly
|
|
large boulder) leading to the <b>Black Lagoon</b> - a perfectly flat area of
|
|
cracked mud at the end of the passage, presumably a silted-up sump. A 1m
|
|
diameter hole in the right hand wall at the edge of the Black Lagoon is the
|
|
start of <b>Hellgrind</b>, a tortuous tube going for some distance with a few
|
|
unchecked offshoots, leading to a 12m pitch into a boulder-floored rift.
|
|
Climbing up the sloping floor and then down the other side leads to a 20m
|
|
pitch down to a wet passage. A couple of metres to the left is <b>Thumper the
|
|
Talking Sump</b> and to the right is a couple of short climbs up to an aven
|
|
where the sump water comes down.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3>Right Hand Route:</h3>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Chunnel:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>This takes the form of a large phreatic passage - <b>The Chunnel</b> -
|
|
which is covered by a thin layer of moon milk. After walking round to the
|
|
right for 30m a short 5m pitch breaks up the passage. At the foot there is a
|
|
5m climb down to the right which leads to a deep hading rift pitch
|
|
(undescended) via a small 1m long tube. Continuing along The Chunnel for
|
|
another 30m brings you to an area with large rock pinnacles, odd water-worn
|
|
clefts. At the start of this there is a small sandy passage in the right hand
|
|
wall which goes downhill for 15m before reaching an undescended (but bolted)
|
|
large rift pitch.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Over the Rainbow:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>A 3m climb down from the end of The Chunnel puts you in an open area of
|
|
fallen boulders and several holes in the floor. At the foot of the climb, by
|
|
the left hand wall is <b>Pot of Gold</b> and across the chamber is a wedged
|
|
block allowing a traverse over a deep pitch followed by a steep slope
|
|
upwards; this is <b>Over the Rainbow</b>. To the right of this hole is a rock
|
|
pillar and the other side of it allows a safe bypass. Two other holes in the
|
|
floor in this area connect to <b>Rainbow Pitch</b> which becomes too tight
|
|
10m down.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Pot of Gold:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>A short climb down through boulders about 4m before Over the Rainbow leads
|
|
into a small maze of phreatic passages. Down and to the left is a short pitch
|
|
to a false floor. A rift to the right has not been descended yet. The way on
|
|
is through the floor below the pitch leading to another slightly bigger pitch
|
|
which can be entirely rigged using very small and dodgy belays to a small
|
|
chamber which has not been extensively explored. The way on is to the left
|
|
and down a steep and quite long climb to a fossilized streamway -
|
|
<b>Trembling</b>. It is tight in places and leads to a 25m pitch ending in an
|
|
impossibly tight rift. An inlet off the streamway leads to a maze of phreatic
|
|
tubes, <b>Free Attics</b>, and an active streamway that is too tight to
|
|
follow.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Poxy and Bungalow pitches:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>The large phreas now continues with a step at an oxbow to a wider boulder-
|
|
floored section with avens coming in by the left hand wall. A short pitch
|
|
<b>Bungalow Pitch</b> on the right hand wall goes down 7m under a HUGE wedged
|
|
boulder (The Bungalow). The passage has now become a wide boulder-floored
|
|
rift. 10m on is the 6m <b>Poxy Pitch</b>, again on the right hand wall. You
|
|
then climb down through a massive boulder collapse area to a flat slab and an
|
|
apparent junction. To the right it merely chokes in about 5m but it looks
|
|
like the obvious way on when returning so most people have checked it out in
|
|
detail!</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Boulder Alley:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>Continuing round up to the left takes you to the top of a large 45°
|
|
boulder slope <b>Boulder Alley</b> which descends for 45m passing a pitch in
|
|
the left hand wall. At the bottom there is an extremely high aven with about
|
|
15m of pitch below it which can be seen where it intersects with the right
|
|
hand wall 3m above the floor. A short sandy slope goes up from the foot of
|
|
Boulder Alley and then the steeply descending boulders continue, passing a 4m
|
|
climb down into a stream canyon in the left hand wall. A traverse line starts
|
|
just after this climb, taking you down what is now a false floor, past a
|
|
couple of holes to the edge of the huge open space of <b>Knossus</b>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Knossus:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>A 30m mostly free-hanging pitch deposits the intrepid caver on the sloping
|
|
boulder floor of a 60m diameter domed space. Up in one corner the rift that
|
|
has just been traversed comes down a smooth sloping wall to the chamber
|
|
floor, and a very loose continuation can be seen beneath large boulders.
|
|
There are also a couple of drippy avens and a short canyon over at the
|
|
opposite side of the chamber, and a frozen manganese oxide stream.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Star Wars:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>Just downslope from the foot of the pitch, following around the wall is a
|
|
walking sized route through a boulder choke, <b>Star Wars</b>. Through this
|
|
is lots of jumbled rock and open space. Over to the left a gap looks over the
|
|
cliff into <b>Tower Blocks</b> and to the right is a steep, loose climb down
|
|
and a small rift passage in the right hand wall. At the foot of the climb you
|
|
can go left down a climb into Tower Blocks, or right over boulders into
|
|
<b>Tower Hamlets</b>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Tower Hamlets:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>The first part of Tower Hamlets is an 11m high chamber about 12m by 4m
|
|
with a boulder-strewn floor and a narrow passage coming in from Knossus about
|
|
3m up the right hand wall at the far end. Around to the left in the near end
|
|
there is a 3m climb up to a tube through to Tower Blocks and a steeply
|
|
sloping sandy passage connecting to the other half of Tower Hamlets. This
|
|
consists of a large sand ramp sloping up into the roof and a couple of steep
|
|
1.5m diameter tubes going up at the sides. walking back down the sand slope
|
|
takes you onto the col between Tower Blocks and the passage to <b>Waterfall
|
|
Chamber</b>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Tower Blocks:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>This large domed chamber is about 20m high in the centre and contains some
|
|
really big fallen blocks. It is normally reached by a 4m climb down from the
|
|
Star Wars boulder choke. Keeping to the right hand wall brings you to the
|
|
foot of the Tower Hamlets sand slope and the start of an 8m diameter phreatic
|
|
passage leading to Waterfall Chamber and <b>Carrefour</b>. Across the other
|
|
side of the wide open space there is a shelf leading to a short, choked,
|
|
sandy inlet, and just to the right of this is a climb over a boulder into
|
|
<b>Olympus</b>. Further around to the right the floor drops steeply down to
|
|
the foot of a high drippy aven. A dodgy climb up 10m by the left hand wall
|
|
will also bring you into the start of Olympus.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Olympus:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>This is nice walking passage for 40m to a junction with a big passage
|
|
coming in from the left - <b>B-Meal</b>. walking up the slope in a 10m high
|
|
arched passage for another 40m leads to a 3m climb up with a hole at the
|
|
bottom of it. Through the hole is a tight climb down 4m to a rift leading
|
|
after 5m to the bottom of a 6m pitch, choked both at floor level and at the
|
|
top. At the top of the climb you can turn right to jump down 1.5m onto sand
|
|
leading round a corner to another choked pitch extremely similar to the
|
|
first, or you can climb up another 3m to the left, to reach a high chamber. A
|
|
few metres walk further brings you to the edge of a 5m drop into a very high
|
|
chamber and round to the right you can look back down to where you just
|
|
climbed up from. Going down the pitch and walking down the sloping, rocky
|
|
chamber floor brings you to another 6m pitch into the foot of an active
|
|
stream pot. The water goes off down a rift by the foot of the pitch but
|
|
disappears into a boulder choke another 6m down in the bottom of the rift.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The main Olympus passage continues for another 30m, passing a turn off on
|
|
the right hand side. At the end of the passage is an impressive cemented
|
|
shingle bank on the right hand side and a narrow and steeply descending rift
|
|
on the left hand side. This continues for 25m before becoming too squalid,
|
|
too tight and blocked all at the same time. The way on is found up the
|
|
passage passed on the right hand side. This is another inlet blocked by
|
|
cemented shingle, but climbing over the shingle bank on the right through a
|
|
low arch leads into pleasant phreatic passage which is between half and
|
|
nearly full of sand and shingle at various points along its length. Passing
|
|
a couple of crawls with an aven between them brings you into larger passage
|
|
with yet another choked inlet on the right and a very unlikely-looking
|
|
zig-zag ending with a crawling passage to the left and a 3m climb up into a
|
|
rift straight ahead. This rift leads straight to the top of <b>Flapjack</b>,
|
|
directly opposite the way in from Carrefour.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The crawling passage leads to a 2m climb down after 15m with a phreatic
|
|
going left to a 2m climb into a high, choked rift, and right over boulders
|
|
to another view into the Flapjack pitch and a complex collapse chamber with
|
|
various climbs and passages through boulders.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Carrefour:</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>Coming over the col and down the boulder-floored passage from Tower Blocks
|
|
brings you into a wide open area - <b>Waterfall Chamber</b> with a deep
|
|
blocked pit to the left with a large wet window through the wall behind
|
|
looking over Flapjack. A lot of water is falling from the roof into the pit.
|
|
Continuing by the right hand wall leads to a junction with a very big
|
|
phreatic passage with a narrow floor slit containing water some 10m below.
|
|
This junction is <b>Carrefour</b>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>To the right is <b>YAPATE Inlet</b> (Yet Another Pitch At The End) which
|
|
goes for 100m with a couple of climbs up, an inlet on the left and a large
|
|
wet pit about half way along. At the end is a dodgy traverse over a hole in
|
|
the floor to a boulder-floored area with a way on 5m up the end wall and a
|
|
12m pitch <b>Gob on You</b> (due to a nasty spit) down a hading rift, to
|
|
reach a bedding plane going back to the foot of the hole that was climbed
|
|
over, and another 25m wet pitch - <b>Wish you were here (not me) pitch</b>
|
|
leading to a choice of ways on down a dodgy hole in the floor or over the
|
|
boulders around it into a tight rift.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Straight across Carrefour takes you into the <b>Toilet Block</b>, the
|
|
camp-site for the Right Hand Route. A short walking section leads into a very
|
|
high cross rift via a 2m climb. This rift is chocked at both ends, but going
|
|
straight across takes you into a 3m high 2m wide sandy floored passage to a
|
|
crawl into a chamber containing a damp climb down to a choked streamway.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Turning left at Carrefour leads past the very wet window into Waterfall
|
|
Chamber to <b>Flapjack</b>, a large pitch leading straight down 30m and then
|
|
down another 29m over a series of ledges to a ledge with a tight rift going
|
|
off 10m to the left to an undescended pitch and steps going down to a 28m wet
|
|
pitch. At the bottom of this the water goes down an 8m rift but you go over
|
|
this rift using a traverse line, over a 2m climb into a small sandy chamber;
|
|
<b>Bat Corner</b>. Carefully avoiding the bat skeleton on the floor takes you
|
|
into a traverse along a 1m wide rift to a 25m narrow rift pitch which comes
|
|
out into a big shaft, with the water falling down the opposite end of it.
|
|
This lovely freehang - <b>Bat Droppings</b> - is 36m long and lands in the
|
|
active stream at the bottom. This cuts down quickly until it disappears into
|
|
a very tight rift - <b>The Beehive</b>. 5m off the floor the rift is wide
|
|
enough for cavers and a very tight pitch descends 8m to a small chamber where
|
|
all the water goes through a .5m diameter hole in the floor. Passing through
|
|
this leads to a very wet steeply descending rift and 15m along at the end of
|
|
this is a ridiculously wet 32m pitch to a vertical sump, which is at least a
|
|
couple of metres deep. <b>The Bottom!</b></p>
|
|
|
|
<hr />
|
|
|
|
<!-- LINKS -->
|
|
<ul id="links">
|
|
<li>Cambridge Underground 1990,
|
|
<a href="http://cucc.survex.com/jnl/1990/index.htm">Table of Contents</a></li>
|
|
<li>1989 Expedition info:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><a href="index.htm">Index</a> (more detail than in this list)</li>
|
|
<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
|
|
<li>Cambridge Underground Expo Report:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><a href="diary.htm">Diary</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="rescue.htm">The Rescues</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="survey.htm">The 1989 survey</a> of Kaninchenhöhle</li>
|
|
<li><a href="camp.htm">Underground Camping</a> experience in 1989</li>
|
|
</ul></li>
|
|
<li><a href="sumup.htm">1976-89 summary</a> of caves found</li>
|
|
<li><a href="bcracc.htm">BCRA Caves & Caving Report</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="sponsr.htm">Sponsors</a></li>
|
|
</ul></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1989">Index</a> to all publications</li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a></li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
</body>
|
|
</html>
|