expoweb/smkridge/258/desc.html

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<title>258: Underground description</title>
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<table id="cavepage">
<tr><th id="kat_no">258 - a b</th><th id="name">Tunnockschacht</th><th id="status">2 ??</th></tr>
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<h2>How to find it</h2>
<p>From the stone bridge, follow the cairns towards 204e entrance. Upon
reaching the final gully, where the path turns up to the right towards
that entrance, continue straight across and then work to the right,
traversing around
the rear lip of a hole. This leads to the bottom of a loose climb, which
is ascended to reach another level. A prominent Christmas tree style fir
marks the point where another climb is made to the next level up. It is
then necessary to ascend to the next level above this, either by a short
traverse and then a narrow climb between two blocks, or by heading right
and then heading back up to the left. Having done this, a short ascent
on small loose stones brings one to the uppermost level, marked by a
prominent cairn (visible from the stone bridge).
</p>
<p>Follow the cairns around to the left, descending slightly at first and
then maintaining the same level, to eventually reach a cairned point
overlooking a large broken gully running from right to left. Descend
into the gully (passing the shaft of 2004-18) and cross to the other side
where an obvious level ascends upwards and to the right. Having reached
the top, follow the cairns to the right to arrive quickly at an area with
a hole to each side. The shakehole to the left, containing a cairn some
two feet high, contains the A entrance; the B entrance is the other hole.
</p>
<h2>Entrance shaft</h2>
<p><b>Warning:</b> There are a fair number of loose rocks on the entrance
pitch, particularly in the top section. Rocks that have been dislodged
could fall almost all the way down the shaft.
It is advisable for one person to
descend at a time and for the others to cower in the places marked below, or
wait at the very bottom by the ice stals.
</p>
<p>The entrance, of moderate proportions, gives onto a
steeply-sloping shaft that descends for a total of 70m depth. The
shaft is imposing, and the view up from mid-descent is impressive.
A thread in
the bottom of the shakehole is succeeded by a bolt on the left wall under
the dripline, enabling a descent for several metres to a small ledge.
Working around to the right here gains a rebelay, succeeded by another under
a small nose of rock just where the shaft becomes vertical.
</p>
<p>The landing after the rebelay is on a large ledge, partially occupied by
a large area of snow. There is a bolt here to anchor the rope, and above
is visible the shaft of the B entrance.
Upslope leads to an alcove, where it is possible
to shelter whilst people are on the upper part of the pitch. The rear of
this alcove opens onto the top of a pitch that appears to be of quite
some depth [QM B]. Downslope from the landing a traverse is followed on
the left wall; a bolt low on the wall just before the end provides the
belay for a scruffy descent of only two metres to another rebelay on a flat
wall. From here, the descent continues either on top of or alongside a
large snow plug to a rebelay on the left wall. After this, one continues
over a section of loose boulders and then drops in an awkward crack to
a crows' nest known as the Col, where there is a further rebelay. (The
rigging just above the Col is sub-optimal, and could do with further
work.) Care should be taken at the Col not to bang one's head on the
boulders above, as their undersides look loose. The Col provides a further
place where shelter can be taken from falling debris.</p>
<p>Continuing the descent in the main shaft from the Col gains another
snow plug and the base of the rift holding the Col. It is possible that
this rift could lead to further passage [QM B], either accessed from this
point or by descending the pitch on the other side at the Col.
Abseiling over the snow plug towards the right wall, a high bolt provides
the belay for the final section of the pitch. The rope rubs on a boulder
here and a deviation should be installed. The final section drops
near-vertical for a short distance and then becomes steeply-sloping
over snow. Gradually, the snow flattens out (passing a possible way on
to the side of the snow plug on the left wall [QM C]),
and the bottom is reached
at a pool of ice. There is an ice stal on the right and another in an
alcove to the left. The one in the alcove could be ascended with ice and/or
climbing equipment to reach a passage [QM C].
On the existing rigging, reaching this point requires
approximately 100 metres of rope, a long sling, and nine hangers.</p>
<h2>First horizontal level</h2>
<p>The main way on from the ice pool is a hole at floor level that leads
into a chamber. Another small hole to the right gives access to
<b>Bauernkrapfen Passage</b>, a well-formed crawl debouching into a large rift
chamber, <b>Three Fried Mice</b>. Following the chamber around to the left
leads to a choke at the bottom of a slope, although before this it is possible
to climb up the wall and through a hole under boulders to gain a higher level,
with a view over the chamber before Bauernkrapfen Passage but no other ways
on.</p>
<p>Following the rift around to the right from the end of
Bauernkrapfen Passage, passing some faulted phreatic tubes in the left wall,
leads to an opening in the right wall. This sucks strongly and
continues as a phreatic passage past a delicate traverse over a hole [QM C]
to eventually arrive at a further hole in the floor. This will require
rigging to traverse or descend.</p>
<p>Beyond the fine traverse of Caramel Catharsis a large sandy passage slopes
gently down to a junction. Ahead is a stoop leading though into the Littoral North.
</p>
<h2>Littoral North</h2>
<p>Beyond the stoop is a 3m climb down in a rift below an aven. At the bottom is wide stony passage with abvious ways off to West and North.</p>
<p>West, there is a stepped pitch down to the left [QM A], and a 3m climb up to the right of this (rope needed) leads into a strongly draughting passage which gaoes about 50m to the edge of a large round pitch[QM A]. A continuation [QM B] can be seen 15m away across the far side.</p>
<p>North a 2m climb up leads to an unusual critical-angle pile of water-warn rocks 'Y KeyKey Beach'. The narrowing at the top of this pile (it gets close to the roof) has a stonking gale coming through it. Just beyond this where the passage widens to 8m, behind the large rock on the left is the entrance to 'Rhubard Crumbly', the key to the 'Max Pleasure' area.</p>
<p>Ahead the fine passage only goes for about 20m before reaching the edge of a huge shaft undercutting the RH wall[QM A]. An airy traverse to the left of this reaches another hole on the left down, apparently into the same pitch[QM A]. Immediately ahead is another large hole [QM A]. There appears to be a continuation across the other side - a long bolted traverse away[QM B].</p>
<h3>Rhubard Crumbly</h3>
<p></p>
<h2>Max Pleasure</h2>
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