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<h2>161 <span lang="de">Kaninchenh&ouml;hle:</span>
Left Hand Routes - main routes to <span lang="no">Ragnar&ouml;k</span></h2>
<p><b>Overview:</b> initial sub-horizontal passage zigzags
southeast above various rifts in the floor. These seem to be formed on a
series of hading joints, giving various vertical routes downward. Two
principal routes appear to be formed on the same major joint, and both drop
some 150m to reunite in a section of big phreatic level trending NE-SW, but
blocked in both directions. The original way is still called <b>the</b>
<a href="#lhroute">Left Hand Route</a>, whilst the later, and perhaps
easier and drier route is known as <a href="#gparty">Garden Party</a>.
<h3><a name="lhroute">Original Left Hand Route</a> (1988-89)</h3>
<p>This is now normally entered at the <a href="bsains.htm#snotp">Dewdrop
junction</a>, but was named from a point of entry below
<a href="bsains.htm#beckaf">Becka Falls</a>. Right (east) from Dewdrop
Junction is zig-zag and is punctuated by several undescended holes in the
floor [<a href="qmtodo.htm#C1988-161-08" name="qC1988-161-08">C1988-161-08</a>] before changing back
to a hading rift at a sharp right corner. The rift soon leads south to
<a name="arrowc"><b>Arrow Chamber</b></a> with several possible
<a href="offlhr.htm#arrowch">ways on</a>.
<p><a href="fullsize/lhr1st.png">
<img src="inline/lhr-2.png" width=497 height=380></a>
<p><a name="butcher">The main way on is <b>Butcher</b></a>, found by climbing
down under some boulders by the left hand (NE) end of the far wall of Arrow
chamber (the eponymous arrow points to the relevant boulder). The 45m pitch
lands on a choked shaft floor where a further parallel shaft can be seen on
each side through slots in the walls. To the left has been known, apparently
erroneously, as Candlestick Maker, to the right, also apparently
incorrectly, as Baker. The latter has an aven above which was thought quite
probably to be one of the shafts from Arrow Chamber. Subsequent exploration
of <a href="offlhr.htm#ptlessp">Pointless pitch</a> suggests that this is
probably not the case. A large eyehole into the shaft on the right shows the
way on, being a traverse followed by a 10m pitch: <a name="oubliette">the
<b>Oubliette</b></a>.
<h3><a name="niflheim" lang="no">Niflheim</a> (1988-89)</h3>
<p>Walking across below a huge aven and sliding left behind a rock into a
tight rift, leads into a series of shafts which continue down with ledges
hindering the descent, until a large, wet, black hole is found. This is
<b lang="no">Niflheim</b>, <i>'A realm of freezing mist and darkness under
one root of <span lang="no">Yggdrasall</span> (the world tree) which hell
lies within'.</i>
<p><a name="birdseye" lang="no">Niflheim</a> is a 51m very wet pitch which
lands on a rock bridge, <b>Bird's Eye</b>, about 45m down and the limit of
exploration in 1988 [<a href="qmdone.htm#C1988-161-02">C1988-161-02</a>].
Here the shaft splits - most of the water goes down the southwest (French
Connection) side and the rope goes down the other side to land on a ledge
about 7m above the floor. The way on is down a pitch/climb to
<a href="#ragnarok"><span lang="no">Ragnar&ouml;k</span></a>. To the left is
where <a href="#gparty">Garden Party</a> lands. Traversing round to the right
leads into a 5m canyon passage which emerges in the wetter part of the shaft
at the head of <a href="offlhr.htm#fcp">French Connection Pitch</a> (1989).
The 9m drop leads to <a href="drunk.htm#fcc">French Connection Chamber</a>,
which is where <a href="drunk.htm#dands">Drunk &amp; Stupid</a> debouches.
<h3><a name="gparty">Garden Party</a> (1992)</h3>
<!-- Rigging guide 1992KHp124-125 -->
<p>At the start of the Left Hand Route, as entered from
<a href="bsains.htm#beckaf">Becka Falls</a>, is a short length of passage
with a 100&deg; right turn, leading very quickly to the normal entry point at
<a href="bsains.htm#snotp">Dewdrop Junction</a>. The false boulder floor
of this passage was excavated just at the bend in 1992 (hence the subsequent
need for a traverse line when going from Dewdrop Junction towards the
<a href="rhr.htm#rhroute">Right Hand Route</a>).
<p><a name="lazylab">Down the hole</a>, <b>Garden Party</b> starts as a 6m
pitch into a steeply hading rift. The area, <b>Lazy Labyrinth</b>, is
labyrinthine with numerous pillars and bridges. The pitch and continuing rift
can be descended with a handline (originally rigged in sections of 4, 7, 6
and 2m) until a final 8m angled pitch leads into larger passage (35m rope).
To the right is a boulder choked passage, to the left is a chamber with two
ways off on the right. The upper (more obvious) of these leads to complex
three dimensional phreatic maze situated above an undescended pitch with a
long drop
[<a href="qmtodo.htm#C1992-161-06" name="qC1992-161-06">C1992-161-06</a>].
<p><a name="shatp">The lower</a> and less obvious leads to <b>SHAT Pitch</b>
(Should Have A Traverse bolt) with a short traverse line rigged from a
natural. SHAT is a 10m pitch from a bolted Y-hang into large hading rift.
There is a sharp right turn after 15m and a couple of climbs. At this corner
is an undescended pitch which connects (visually) with Hare Rift about 15m
down. Stooping right leads to the head of the very large
<a href="#tortoisep">Tortoise Pitch</a>.
<h4><a name="harerift">Tortoise and Hare</a> (1992)</h4>
<p>A 7m ramp drops to a rebelay round a corner on the left in a place where
you would definitely not rig behind a flake. From here, access can be gained
to the parallel rift, <b>Hare</b>, which can be freeclimbed instead of the
pitch (except the first and last 5m). Tortoise and Hare have access points at
numerous places, and much fun can be had as one prussiks and the other sticks
their head out all over the place.
<p><a name="tortoisep"><b>Tortoise</b></a> drops in 6m, 10m and 8m sections
(bolt rebelays) to a ledge which is the bottom access to Hare, and thence to
the rocky bottom. Climbing into Hare at the first rebelay and turning right,
back under the ramp at the head of Tortoise, leads to views onto at least one
big pitch
[<a href="qmtodo.htm#C1992-161-07" name="qC1992-161-07">C1992-161-07</a>],
and the climb down.
<p>The bottom of Tortoise is drippy and choked. The way on is a 2m climb on
the opposite side to the pitch, into a narrow passage. About 5m along this,
a 2m climb up to the left leads back to Tortoise, and then, via a traverse,
to a view onto a big pitch
[<a href="qmtodo.htm#C1992-161-08" name="qC1992-161-08">C1992-161-08</a>],
presumably the same as can be seen from part way up Hare (although it has
been given a different QM number), and from part way down
<a href="#paraproc">Parallel Processing</a>.
<h4><a name="paraproc">Parallel Processing</a> (1992)</h4>
<p>Continuing along the narrow passage, a small hole in the floor is passed.
This gives a very tight bypass to a nasty climb, <b>Hangover Hang</b>, about
10m further on (needs a 9m handline). The floor here is very unstable, and
fell down on the derigging 1992. It needs a traverse line.
<p><b>Parallel Processing</b> is a fine pitch, approached by a short traverse
line (one natural, one bolt) and rigged from a Y-hang on a 25m drop to a
rebelay, then 15m to another bolt at a ledge on the left. At this point is a
large window which intersects a parallel (unexplored) shaft thought to be the
same as seen at
<a href="qmtodo.htm#C1992-161-08">C1992-161-08</a>. The final section is an
11m hang.
<p>Continuing down gives climbs and a pitch, <b>Windowed</b>, in two
sections, with a massive boulder across the passage at the top. This is
rigged as 8m from a Y-hang (one bolt at near side, natural at far side),
to a short (1m) climb down and back up again to reach the single bolt
rebelay of an 8m hang in the bottom of a much deeper pitch, finally
debouching into <b lang="no">Ragnar&ouml;k</b> at the same point as
<a href="lhr.htm#niflheim"><span lang="no">Niflheim</span></a> on the
original Left Hand Route.
<h3><a name="ragnarok" lang="no">Ragnar&ouml;k</a> (1989)</h3>
<p>Directly down from the ledge at the bottom of <a
href="#niflheim"><span lang="no">Niflheim,</span></a> is a 6m
pitch to the floor (climbable with care, but perhaps best
laddered). From here there is a 1m diameter wet hole which goes
10m to an extremely tight and scrotty 6m pitch <a
href="qmtodo.htm#C1989-161-14"
name="qC1989-161-14">C1989-161-14</a>]. This hole takes the rest
of the <span lang="no">Niflheim</span> water, and so is very
small and wet - checked out in 1991, but appears to continue.
<p>From the foot of the ladder a walk of 5m southeast through gaps between
some large fallen blocks gains the bottom canyon of a large fossilised
phreas, <b lang="no">Ragnar&ouml;k</b>, at a T-junction. Climbing 5m up the
boulders leads to the phreas at a higher level, separate from the lower
canyon for about 20m. Turning right in <span lang="no">Ragnar&ouml;k</span>
(SW) leads to a large sand ramp which reaches the roof after 10m. Turning
left, the canyon narrows over the next 20m to where it is choked with
boulders at ground level, but an easy climb up 2m at the start of the
boulders reaches 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>After 25m and 40m, ways on the left (NW) lead into
<a href="offlhr.htm#ambidex">Ambidextrous</a>, a somewhat involved route
through to the <a href="rhr.htm#rhroute">Right Hand Route</a>.
<p>By the Ambidextrous turnoffs, a number of routes down into the boulders
lead to a p17 followed immediately by a p20 into a short passage, too tight
at both ends. The <span lang="no">Ragnar&ouml;k</span> phreatic route
continues for 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 <a name="blagoon"><b>Black Lagoon</b></a>, a perfectly flat
area of cracked mud at the end of the passage, presumably a silted-up sump.
<a href="offlhr.htm#hellgrind">Hellgrind</a> and
<a href="offlhr.htm#trehala">Trehala</a> go off from here.
<hr />
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