expoweb/plateau/182.htm

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<center><table border=0 width=100%>
<tr><th align=left><font size=+2>182</font></th>
<th align=center><font size=+2>Bovistundpuderzuckerh&ouml;hle</font></th>
<th align=right><font size=+2>4/S +</font></th></tr>
<tr><td></td><th align=center>(CUCC 90/12)</th><td></td></tr>
</table></center>
<p><b>Altitude:</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;1610m, depth 292m
<b>Location:</b>E 35080.9 N (52)82903.3<br>
Br&auml;uning Scharte 180&deg;,Br&auml;uning Zinken 210&deg;, HSK 070&deg;<br>
Journal CU's 1991,92 says VSK 210&deg; but this has to be a typo, maybe 110 ?<br>
Top Camp below the Br&auml;uning wall is on 144&deg; and +01.5&deg; but
can't actually be seen from entrance.
<p><center><a name="ent" href="182/l/entrft.htm"><img src="182/t/entrft.jpg"
width=122 height=182>&nbsp;Entrance Rift</a></center>
<p>The main entrance joins with a secondary, slightly smaller entrance in a
daylit chamber on top of a snow plug. Sky can be seen through a third
entrance in the ceiling, which is surrounded by undergrowth on the surface.
A hole down the back edge of the snow plug leads to a slither down a
partially iced steep (30&deg;) boulder slope, with a low ceiling which soon
rises. A large boulder several metres across is jammed across the slope at a
few metres further down, below which the boulder slope continues. An inlet
to the left just before an ice formation soon becomes too tight. Carrying
on, the slope soon gives way to a traverse above a vadose canyon, with a
laddered climb (6m) after about 25m. It is possible to continue along the
top of the rift all the way to above the top of shell pitch. It is much
more spacious than below but has a couple of bad steps.
<p>From the bottom of the ladder, the passage soon drops down a climb of 2m.
Then there is a winding, rifty passageway, named "<b>Magic Mushroom
Passage</b>" due to the peculiar mushroom-like formations on the walls.
These, together with the white dusty look of the walls in places, give the
cave its name. After 100m the rift widens, and a traverse develops above a
narrower rift below. The upper level may be followed to above the first rope
pitch, but the more usual route is to climb down a rock pile into the lower
rift (40cm wide), which is known as the <b>Yorkshire Ripper</b>, due to the
effect of the sharp, narrow rift on oversuits, and the Yorkshire feel of the
cave at this point. After 15m, relieved at one point by a small alcove with
an irritating spray of water, the narrow rift widens, after a final
flourish, to the head of the first rope pitch (6m).
<p><center><a name="shellp" href="182/l/shellp.htm"><img
src="182/t/shellp.jpg" width=164 height=248>&nbsp;Shell Pitch</a></center>
<p>Carrying on from the base of the pitch, the tiny rift in the floor
deepens, and traversing along leads soon to the head of <b>Shell pitch</b>
(19m). Descending gives a fine view of the chamber, the walls of which
contain many large bivalve fossils (hence the pitch's name). From this
chamber, a short traverse leads to a junction. Left is an unclimbable aven,
whilst to the right is <b>Piezo de Resistance</b>, described below. The main
route is currently down <b>Q8</b> pitch which is broken by a ledge after
16m. After a further 9m and a rebelay, a pendulum through a window to one
side leads on. Descending further, the shaft stops after 19m and a further
rebelay. There are no passable ways on from the bottom (<b>Strike
One</b>).
<p>After the pendulum, a vast army of rebelays lies in wait (<b>Dot to
Dot</b>), eventually ending in a larger pitch (25m) the bottom of which,
again, has no ways on (<b>Strike Two</b>).
<p>Yet again, a pendulum (at -14m) yields more cave (<b>Bottom Bypass</b>).
A dubious 11m hang leads to a ledge. At one end of the ledge, ducking under
an arch enters a chamber at the bottom of a high shaft (<b>Lady's Loo</b>),
down which a vast torrent pours in wet weather. A further 9m down from the
ledge is a floor. Progress can be made along the top of a slimy keyhole
shaped rift (<b>Tarzan's Folly</b>) which is irritating to pass, especially
with tackle. After 20m, a false floor appears and a few metres further on is
<b>The Dark Room</b>, a high chamber with dark, textured walls. A waterfall
cascades down from unfathomable heights, and pounds onto a ledge to the back
right of the cavern.
<p>Climbing down a slimy slope (which in an ideal world would be lined) the
way on is along a rift which exits from the rear of the chamber on the left
side. The rift has a couple of false floors in it. The middle level leads to
the head of the next pitch: <b>Natural Redundancy</b> (11m) is reached after
about 10m. The rope is belayed to a large chock stone at head level, then to
a bolt about two inches from a beautifully rounded thread, hence the name.
<b>Cyclotron</b> pitch follows immediately, then comes <b>Quark, Strangeness
and Charm</b>, a rift passage with many possible traverse levels. In places
there are flowstone bosses, and near the roof, some odd <b>tippex</b> stals
can be seen. The formations are only notable due to their rarity in the
caves of this region.
<p><center><a name="cloudc" href="182/l/qsc.htm"><img src="182/t/qsc.jpg"
width=134 height=178 alt="QSC Photo - 50k"></a><img alt=" "
src="../../icons/lists/tab64.png"><a href="182/l/cloud.htm"><img
alt="Cloud Cha. Photo - 94k" src="182/t/cloud.jpg" width=118 height=183></a>
<br>Quark Strangeness &amp; Charm
<img alt=" " src="../../icons/lists/tab64.png">Cloud Chamber</center>
<p>At the end of QS&amp;C, the passage sweeps round to the left as the floor
drops away into <b>Cloud Chamber</b>. The pitch is broken by two rebelays.
The grade 5 survey stops about 20m back from the pitch head. The details of
the passage leading to the next pitch are uncertain, although the consensus
is that it is around 20-30m long, and fairly straight. The lack of
information led to the name <b>Amnesia Alleyway</b>. The next pitch is
<b>NDE</b>, an acronym for "Near Death Experience", since a party of cavers
was flood-pulsed just below this pitch during the initial exploration. This
incident also named <b>The Delicate Sound of Thunder</b>, another rift
passage with a traverse along to a pitch (<b>Traditional Style</b> - laddered
in 1991, marking the end of exploration that year).
<p>After the first 5m slope to a rebelay, Traditional Style drops 12m (with
one deviation) to a wide shelf. At the right hand edge is another 12m pitch.
This lands in a muddy area which quickly becomes a very muddy steeply
descending rift. An 8m pitch (2 bolts, Y-hang) a bit of clambering and a 5m
pitch (one bolt) get you to a washing-up-bowl-sized sump at -292m.
<p>5m up on the left hand wall (by the last bit of string) is a muddy crawl.
This is below the 'tide-mark' of the sump so is somewhat oppressive. It
leads, after 8m to a high parallel rift. A couple of 2m climbs ahead lead
back down to another, slightly larger, sump. The rift rises at least 20m,
apparently without connecting back to the main descent route.
<h3>Piezo de Resistance</h3>
<p>From the head of "Q8" pitch, an alternative route may be followed along
a rift on a fault at 20-200&deg;, hading 80&deg; to the west. Taking
the passage to the right, a traverse develops after 10m. Water sinks into a
hole in the floor after a further 10m, and beyond this, is a 9m pitch,
followed after 10m or so by a longer pitch of 16mm.
<center><a name="crows"
href="182/l/crowsn.htm">Crow's Nest&nbsp;<img src="182/t/crowsn.jpg"
width=160 height=240 align=middle></a>&nbsp; &nbsp; <a
href="182/l/chimny.htm"><img src="182/t/chimny.jpg" width=122 height=159
align=middle>&nbsp;The Chimney</a></center>
<P>This lands on a ledge with an obvious continuation below, but the
route, to keep away from potential water, takes a much more interesting
route. It goes up a 6m pitch to the <b>Crow's Nest</b>, a narrow rock rib
separating two parts of the shaft. This was originally reached by a bolt
traverse round the right hand wall. From the Crow's Nest, <b>The
Chimney</b> drops 30m in typical Puffball triangular pitch (elliptical
joint-aligned phreas cut down on lower side by vadose action). The rope
stays resolutely on the upper side with a series of epic hanging
rebelays.
<P>At the bottom a 34m freehang lands in the Darkroom, but the bottom of
this is in the waterfall (noted in the Darkroom description), so the
route goes through a window near the top of the hang which gives a nice
dry 30m hang.
<p><b>Exploration:</b> CUCC 1990-1992 - see
<a href="182/histry.htm">History</a>
for index into logbooks
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