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157 lines
9.4 KiB
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<HTML lang=en><HEAD><TITLE>1623:204 -- Deep routes</TITLE>
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<TH align=left width="30%"><FONT size=+2>204</font><br><font size=+1>(CUCC 1999/03)</FONT></TH>
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<TH lang=de><h1>Steinbrückenhöhle</h1></TH>
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<TH align=right width="30%"><FONT size=+2>4/S x</FONT></TH></TR>
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<h2>Deep routes via the Ariston Series</h2>
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<H3><A name=ariston>Ariston Series</A></H3>
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<P>The Ariston Series is the route to the current deepest point in the cave. The
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pitch series begins with a short pitch of 5m rigged from a large thread in the
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roof a few metres back, with a single spit for the vertical part, which is
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almost a scramble. This lands on a large ledge formed of boulders wedged across
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a narrow point; there are two choices of descent here, one to the north,
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<B>You're So Veined</B> (15m), which was used in 1999, and an as yet undescended
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pitch to the south, which will land further down the Ariston Series, which
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should probably be used in 2000. One rebelay provides a good hang against the
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wall of You're so Veined to reach the foot of the pitch, which is in a spacious
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shaft, with an impressive aven above. From here, there are two ways on: to the
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left, facing away from the pitch just descended, is a gully, which in 1999
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contained a thick layer of ice. Carefully traversing this rather slippery
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section leads to the head of a small pitch of 6m, which was rigged with a
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Y-hang. From here a walking size phreatic passage leads off, carrying a
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substantial breeze. The passage initially descends, but then develops a narrow
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floor trench; as the trench deepens, the phreatic part of the passage rises, and
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then ends abruptly where the floor trench turns right and leads off as a
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too-tight rift while ahead the phreas pinches out.
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<P>Back at the foot of <B>You're So Veined</B>, a way on to the right leads into
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a small, very crumbly chamber, from which a short section of awkward rift leads
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to a fine crow's nest in the wall of a large rift. A very short pitch (5m) lands
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on a large ledge, from which a roped traverse along the left-hand wall gains the
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head of the next pitch of 12m, which avoids a large ledge which would have been
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in the way but for the traverse. This pitch currently requires a rope protector
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just below the Y-hang at the top. The landing is on another large ledge, where a
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pool can be used to refill water containers. It is thought that the alternative
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pitch to You're so Veined will land here, if rigged.
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<P>The next pitch of 14m consists of a backup bolt followed by a Y-hang, which
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utilises one very cratered spit, which can only be used with a bollard type
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hanger. This pitch requires a deviation from the opposite wall or a rebelay to
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be installed as there is currently a rub point just below the Y-hang. The ledge
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that this pitch lands on consists of boulders wedged across the shaft, although
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it seems sound. A backup bolt protects the approach to the Y-hang at the head of
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the next pitch (35m). Unfortunately, it seems to be impossible to get a clean
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hang from here, and a rub-point 3m down will require the installation of a
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rebelay or deviation in future. Immediately after this point, the walls of the
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shaft bell out, and the rope hangs in stimulating isolation. About 5m from the
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floor a ledge is passed, which could be gained by a swing across, where there
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may possibly be a passage leading off [<A
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href="qm.htm#C1999-204-20"
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name=qC1999-204-20>C1999-204-20 B</A>].
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<P>At the foot of the pitch, the way on is a very chossy, sloping descent which
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will require either re-rigging or bypassing (which may be possible by a climb up
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and over) in future. This leads to a further short pitch (10m), which lands in
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an aven chamber of ample proportions. From here drops an 8m pitch,
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landing on a rubble floor. The only way on is a tight rift
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[<a href="qm.htm#C2000-204-60" name="qC2000-204-60">C2000-204-60 C</a>],
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which was penetrated for only a short distance.
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More progress might be possible by someone small and imaginative. Not surveyed in 2000.
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Back at the head of the 8m pitch. a crawl leading off from the foot of the
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pitch just descended, and a descending rubble slope. The rubble slope curves
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round to the right, passing a tight rift on the left [<A
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href="qm.htm#C1999-204-22"
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name=qC1999-204-22>C1999-204-22 C</A>], to reach the bottom of a short climb up
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of 3m on the right, which is followed by a scramble down on the other side. From
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here, straight ahead is a climb up into the foot of an aven, half-right is a
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short ascending passage leading to a chamber where a traverse around the right
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hand wall leads to a slope down to <b><a href="#fled">Fledermausschacht</a></b>.
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Full right is a stooping/crawling
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height phreatic passage with a mud floor. This passes on the right the other end
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of the crawl which led off from the foot of the previous pitch.
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<P>Some 50m of alternate crawling and stooping, including a single point where
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the roof dips and the crawl is flat-out, leads to a small chamber. Here there
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are two holes in the floor. One leads to
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<a href="#kiwisuit"><b>Kiwi Suit</b></a>; the other drop is much shorter, and is
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split into two sections by ledges on each wall part way down. The first section
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of 8m reaches these small ledges, where a stream enters from the foot of a very
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large aven. The next section of 11m is wet, and lands on a small ledge
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overlooking a massive shaft. Stones thrown out from here fall for 3s. This is
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believed to be the same pitch as the first pitch of <b>Kiwi Suit</b>.
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<h3><a name="kiwisuit">Kiwi Suit</a></h3>
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<p>The first pitch begins with a funnel-shaped opening. The initial approach is rigged
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from a large pillar at the edge of the funnel (the approach to this could be further
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protected by a traverse line tied round an even larger pillar a couple of metres back).
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Suddenly, at the base of the funnel, there is an impressive black space. In 2000 the
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descent was rigged New-Zealand style, entirely from naturals, which seemed sound, but
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worrisome for us bolt-junkies, especially given the record of 'Bomb-Proof' naturals in
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KH visiting the bottoms of pitches. Two deviations keep the descent clear of walls and
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the small trickle of water which falls down the shaft (probably becomes a much bigger
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trickle after rain). The floor is reached after 54 metres of descent. The way on is a
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short traverse, an 8 metre pich, another short traverse, and then a 20 metre pitch to a
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ledge. The final pitch from this ledge is an impressive rift of 47 metres depth, rigged
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in 2000 from a natural, one bolt, and the rope from the pitch above.</p>
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<p>At the bottom, a
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merry little stream is reached (similar volume of water to the Top Camp waterhole in
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spate). Upstream was not pushed, but reportedly leads quickly to the foot of a
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waterfall
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[<a href="qm.htm#C2000-204-63" name="qC2000-204-63">C2000-204-63 B</a>].
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Downstream quickly narrows to about 50cm wide, and
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progress is made by constantly changing level to stay where the passage is wide enough.
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After about 40m a small cascade of about 4m is reached, which could probably be
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free-climbed, but a handline here helps avoid getting soaked. The passage is
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considerably wider for a few metres below the cascade, but soon resumes in its previous
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manner. Suddenly, the head of a pitch
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[<a href="qm.htm#C2000-204-64" name="qC2000-204-64">C2000-204-64 A</a>],
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estimated at about 10 metres,
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is reached. This was the limit of exploration in 2000. The streamway can be seen to
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continue below the pitch, and perhaps becomes a bit wider.</p>
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<h3><a name="fled">Fledermausschacht</a></h3>
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<p>The traverse round to the pitch head
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is protected by a thread belay at the start of the traverse. A substantial thread
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(requiring 2 slings due to its girth) at the pitch head enables the first, sloping
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section of the pitch to be descended. Soon the pitch becomes vertical, and a
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rebelay on the far wall (at -5m) allows the next few metres to be descended.
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Unfortunately the shaft still hades slightly, and a further two rebelays (at -15m
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and -28m) are required before the magnitude of this 112m shaft starts to become
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apparent. A 40m freehanging section leads to a sloping ledge, where the shaft
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doglegs again and a scrappy descent down a gulley, and a further two rebelays (at
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-68m and -80m), reaches a sloping ledge overlooking the final section of the
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pitch. A chossy traverse across the left hand wall appears to head into a parallel
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shaft [<a href="qm.htm#C2000-204-61" name="qC2000-204-61">C2000-204-61 C</a>].
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A bolt round the corner to the right allows a descent of
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the final 22m to the floor to be made, where a boulder choke is met, with no way
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on. The whole pitch, particularly the far wall, is rather loose and due care must
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be taken. A large chockstone near the second rebelay could not be shifted, but
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should be treated with suspicion.</p>
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<p>Nature Note: A bat was observed flitting around
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in here on two occasions.</p>
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<p>At the start of the traverse to the head of Fledermausschacht is a small crawl
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leading off to the right. This is initially flat-out over crumbly mud, but enlarges
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after a short distance to enter a series of small mud-filled chambers. There is no
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obvious way on, other than to start excavations in the mud banks
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[<a href="qm.htm#C2000-204-62" name="qC2000-204-62">C2000-204-62 Dig</a>].
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Not surveyed in 2000.</p>
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<p><HR>
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<li><a href="204.shtml">Back to 204 index page</a>
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