mirror of
https://expo.survex.com/repositories/expoweb/.git/
synced 2024-11-30 05:41:56 +00:00
330 lines
18 KiB
HTML
330 lines
18 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
|
|
<html>
|
|
<head>
|
|
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
|
|
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" />
|
|
<title>1623:204 -- Swings and Roundabouts area</title>
|
|
</head>
|
|
|
|
<body>
|
|
|
|
<table id="cavepage">
|
|
<tr><th id="kat_no">204</th><th id="name">Steinbrückenhöhle</th><th id="status">4/S x</th></tr>
|
|
</table>
|
|
|
|
<h1>Swings and Roundabouts area</h1>
|
|
|
|
<div>
|
|
<b><a href="#survey">Survey</a></b> --
|
|
<b><a href="204.html">204 index</a></b>
|
|
</div>
|
|
<hr />
|
|
|
|
<p>Swings and Roundabouts is an area of rubble-strewn passages to the west of
|
|
<a href="treeumphant.html">Treeumphant Passage</a>. Access is from <a
|
|
href="nopain.html#bonsai">Bonsai Crawl</a> or the 204d entrance. The series
|
|
links to the <a href="rhino.html">Rhino Rift</a> series via Taking the Piss
|
|
pitch, and to the <a href="uworld.html">Underworld</a> via the Gaffered to the
|
|
Walls series.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3>Playground</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>Swings and Roundabouts branches off from <a
|
|
href="nopain.html#bonsai">Bonsai Crawl</a>, at what was QM2000-12B.
|
|
Initially, a walking sized passage <b><a id="playground">Playground</a></b> leads past some mud
|
|
formations and a drippy mini-aven to a view overlooking a mid-sized chamber,
|
|
<b>Magic Roundabout</b>, with several exits. The easiest way to the chamber
|
|
floor is via a climb down through a hole in the floor on the right at the end
|
|
of Playground.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a id="magicroundabout">Magic Roundabout Chamber</a> and surrounding
|
|
passage</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>Once in the chamber, climbing down over boulders to the left leads to a
|
|
small exit between rocks. A short rubble-strewn chute (which is free-climbable
|
|
but crumbly, and was rigged in 2002 with a Y-hang following Dave falling off it)
|
|
leads to a duck under a flake into a mud-floored ramp. After 15m or so a large
|
|
shaft is reached, <a href="#gaffertape">Gaffer Tape</a>, the start of the Gaffered
|
|
to the Walls series.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Back in the main chamber, a rubble slope to the north leads onwards. To the
|
|
north of the slope is an unpromising QM [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-95"
|
|
id="qC2001-204-95">C2001-204-95 C</a>]; to the east leads back to the point
|
|
where Playground overlooks the chamber. To the west is the main passage
|
|
continuation. A passage on the left is <a href="#dutchbeauty">Dutch Beauty</a>,
|
|
which also has windows into the main chamber. Continuing over rocks, a phreatic
|
|
tube enters from <a href="#juicybits">Juicy Bits</a> on the left ahead, and a
|
|
crawl enters from Dutch Beauty behind; the main way on is up a short slope over
|
|
boulders to the start of the main Swings trunk passage: 10m wide and 8m
|
|
high.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a id="ermintrude">Ermintrude</h3>
|
|
<p>Martin / Lucia ...
|
|
[<a href="qm.html#C2003-204-01" id="qC2003-204-01">C2003-204-01 B</a>]</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a id="gaffered">Gaffered to the Wall series</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p><img class="onright" src="rigging/gttw.png" alt="D Gaffered to the Wall
|
|
rigging guide" />
|
|
The initial pitch, <b><a id="gaffertape">Gaffer Tape</a></b> (70m), is an
|
|
imposing oval shaft, which continues upwards [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-97"
|
|
id="qC2001-204-97">C2001-204-97 X</a>]. A passage leads off from the bottom,
|
|
splitting in two going round a pillar and emerging in a chamber formed from a
|
|
slightly hading line of weakness. A ledge can be followed on the right hand
|
|
wall. Down a hole to the left, two uninspiring rifts [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2002-204-02" id="qC2002-204-02">C2002-204-02 C</a>, <a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2002-204-03" id="qC2002-204-03">C2002-204-03 C</a>] lead off
|
|
downwards, which probably rejoin a parallel shaft to LX Tape pitch. Up to the
|
|
right <a href="qm.html#C2002-204-04" id="qC2002-204-04">C2002-204-04 C</a>], a
|
|
sloping aven is visible which may be climbable. Continuing on past a large
|
|
boulder, a rift is intersected at a chamber. Upstream (to the right) a trickle
|
|
of water emerges from a small slot in the ceiling. The main way on is down
|
|
through a small hole in the floor, which can be descended via a backup round
|
|
the large boulder, a flake in the floor and a rope protector. This is <b><a
|
|
id="tapeworm">Tape Worm</a></b> pitch; this rebelays off a horizontal thread
|
|
down to a ledge with large fossils visible in the floor and walls, where the
|
|
small rift of Tape Worm joins the impressive shaft of <b><a id="lxtape">LX
|
|
Tape</a></b> pitch. Looking out to the left a parallel shaft can be seen which
|
|
may be enterable from <a href="qm.html#C2002-204-02"
|
|
>C2002-204-02 C</a> and <a href="qm.html#C2002-204-03">C2002-204-03 C</a>. A
|
|
traverse along the right-hand wall reaches a natural from which the next pitch
|
|
LX Tape may be rigged; this descends to land on a rock bridge near another
|
|
large boulder. On the far wall near the bottom is a ledge [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2002-204-08" id="qC2002-204-08">C2002-204-08 C</a>]. On the near
|
|
side of the rock bridge is a tight and unpromising rift [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2002-204-06" id="qC2002-204-06">C2002-204-06 C</a>]. On the far
|
|
side, a spit rebelay allows one to descend to another chamber, where a large
|
|
thread allows one to climb through an eyehole to the next pitch,
|
|
<b><a id="sellotape">Sellotape</a></b>, a fine 2m wide rift, which lands a
|
|
slight puddle, and a horizontal silt floor leads 5m to the next pitch,
|
|
<b><a id="trihang">Trihang</a></b>. This leads into the <a href="uworld.html">Underworld</a>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a id="21bolttrav">21 Bolt Traverse</a></h3>
|
|
[<a href="qm.html#C2003-204-52" id="qC2003-204-52">C2003-204-52 C</a>]
|
|
|
|
<h3>Pretty Bits and <a id="dutchbeauty">Dutch Beauty</a></h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>Pretty Bits branches off the <a href="#swingstrunk">Swings and Roundabouts
|
|
trunk passage</a>, passing a pit on the right (which can be climbed over to a
|
|
crawl, emerging in the main passage). Down the pit is a tight rift pitch [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-98" id="qC2001-204-98">C2001-204-98 C</a>].
|
|
Continuing along the passage past the pit, a number of windows are visible
|
|
overlooking <a href="#magicroundabout">Magic Roundabout Chamber</a>. A passage
|
|
goes off to the right which passes a number of stalactites, before intersecting
|
|
a rift. A grotto of stalactites is visible to the left, with possible
|
|
continuing passage beyond[<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-49"
|
|
id="qC2001-204-49">C2001-204-49 C</a>]. The rift has not been descended[<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-47" id="qC2001-204-47">C2001-204-47 B</a>], although a
|
|
light connection has been made to <a href="#juicybits">Juicy Bits</a>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a id="juicybits">Juicy Bits</a></h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>Juicy Bits is a large passage to the left from the south end of the <a
|
|
href="#swingstrunk">Swings and Roundabouts trunk passage</a>. After 10m in, a
|
|
large passage descends at a 30 degree slope down, which can be traversed
|
|
around. At the bottom there is a climb down over boulders[<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-45" id="qC2001-204-45">C2001-204-45 C</a>]. This
|
|
passage can be traversed around, and a passage to the right decreases in size
|
|
to a body sized tube that needs removing [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-48"
|
|
id="qC2001-204-48">C2001-204-48 C</a>]. The main passage then splits in two,
|
|
the right turn going to the rift that connects to <a href="#dutchbeauty">Dutch
|
|
Beauty</a> [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-47">C2001-204-47 B</a>]. To the left a
|
|
smaller passage doubles back on itself, past a small window to the rift. Now
|
|
going uphill the passage turns a sharp right and flattens out and passes a
|
|
tube going into the ceiling[<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-46"
|
|
id="qC2001-204-46">C2001-204-46 C</a>], before emerging in to the passage near
|
|
<a href="#magicroundabout">Magic Roundabout Chamber</a>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a id="swingstrunk">Swings Passage</a></h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>The trunk passage, a large phreatic with much breakdown and generally a
|
|
boulder strewn floor, continues for over 100m in a northerly direction. Rubble
|
|
slopes up and down keep the passage at roughly the same level. Along its
|
|
length, a number of passages branch off to the left and right.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The first two passages leading off are <a href="#juicybits">Juicy Bits</a>
|
|
on the left and the way towards <a href="#theslide">The Slide</a> on the right.
|
|
Further along, the small connection with The Slide enters from the right. QMs
|
|
[<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-84" id="qC2001-204-84">C2001-204-84 C</a>] and [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-85" id="qC2001-204-85">C2001-204-85 C</a>] may be
|
|
found on the right wall. A pitch on the left [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-92"
|
|
id="qC2001-204-92">C2001-204-92</a>] is surrounded by a lot of very loose
|
|
boulders; rocks fall for a considerable distance, but no attempt was made to
|
|
descend due to the loose debris. Across the top of the pitch are two slots
|
|
looking into <a href="#chicagochicanes">Chicago Chicanes</a>. Continuing along
|
|
Swings passage, the main entrance to Chicago Chicanes is on the left, and a
|
|
climb up on the right leads to <a href="#trapeze">Trapeze</a>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>A little further along, a phreatic tube slopes down to the left. This passes
|
|
through a small chamber and develops a stream in a deep, narrow slot in the
|
|
floor before choking in earth. This passage may in fact be [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-82" id="qC2001-204-82">C2001-204-82 C</a>] or this QM
|
|
may in fact exist as a separate lead on the left wall of the main swings
|
|
passage; the survey notes are somewhat unclear.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>A series of small holes in the right hand wall interconnect, with a
|
|
possible, uninviting, way on through tight, sharp vadose passage. [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-80" id="qC2001-204-80">C2001-204-80 C</a>] [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-81" id="qC2001-204-81">C2001-204-81 C</a>] </p>
|
|
|
|
<p>At the end of Swings passage, a very loose rubble slope leads up to
|
|
<a href="#suspended">Suspended Solution</a>, and so on towards the 204d
|
|
entrance. Mid-way up the slope, a traverse (rope advised) round a nose of rock
|
|
is possible. This leads one to the base of a climb (not yet done) up to where
|
|
water can be heard and a large passage continues [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-79" id="qC2001-204-79">C20010-204-79 C</a>].
|
|
Alternatively, traversing further to the right from the base of the climb leads
|
|
to a steeply sloping, clean-washed phreatic tube, <a href="#crestarun">Cresta
|
|
Run</a>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4><a id="crestarun">Cresta Run</a></h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>The climb mentioned above was bolted in 2004 and has been left permanently rigged.
|
|
From the head of the pitch, a short climb up leads to a ledge overlooking Swings on
|
|
one side and a (blind?) pit to the other. Straight ahead is a steep descending tube
|
|
(best rigged); after a few metres the floor disappears, revealing a pitch down into
|
|
<a href="treeumphant.html#helterskelter">Helter Skelter</a>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Traversing over this pitch leads to a passage sloping down to the left. This
|
|
continues downwards past a number of dog-legs to reach a loose boulder-filled
|
|
chamber; various attempts to dig in the floor and walls of this met with no success.
|
|
The way on is a downward-sloping tube, leading to a further chamber; an oxbow part-
|
|
way down the slope leads back into this lower chamber, and a hole in the floor of the
|
|
slope also doesn't go <!-- Check with Stuart -->. In the chamber there are two ways
|
|
on; one horizontal meandering slot closes down, while a prominent ramp leads to the
|
|
head of a large pitch (est. 40m), which is undescended. Several passages on the same
|
|
level appear to continue beyond the pitch head.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The only one of these accessible without gear is reached by a clamber to the left
|
|
over a greasy slab, leading to a high rift passage. After a few metres the lower
|
|
level becomes too narrow, but a tube in the ceiling continues to a chamber, <b><a id="piledriver">Pile
|
|
Driver</a></b>, floored with a loose choss slope. Here a hole in the floor leads to a
|
|
tight-looking crawl (QM C); there is an aven in the ceiling, while straight on there
|
|
may be a continuing crawl underneath a magical levitating boulder (QM C).</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4><a id="theslide">The Slide</a></h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>A large passage to the right, <b><a id="southcircular">South
|
|
Circular</a></b> quickly narrows up a rubble slope to a drafting, but otherwise
|
|
unpromising QM [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-94" id="qC2001-204-94">C2001-204-94
|
|
B</a>]. Before the slope, a passage entering from the left leads to <b>The
|
|
Slide</b> passages.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The Slide passages are upwardly sloping phreatics, mainly clean washed. Soon
|
|
after entering the slide, a small passage on the left connects back to the main
|
|
Swings trunk passage. Heading on up the slope past a couple of small loops and
|
|
a small aven [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-86" id="qC2001-204-86">C2001-204-86
|
|
X</a>] brings one to a window onto a very large shaft whose roof [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-89" id="qC2001-204-89">C2001-204-89 X</a>] is not
|
|
visible, down the pitch leads to <a href="#merrygoround">Merry Go Round</a>. At the corner before
|
|
the pitch, a small passage leads of but quickly chokes. The holes on the right,
|
|
[<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-91" id="qC2001-204-91">C2001-204-91 B</a>] and [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-87" id="qC2001-204-87">C2001-204-87 B</a>], probably
|
|
connect back into Merry Go Round. </p>
|
|
|
|
<h4><a id="merrygoround">Merry Go Round</a></h4>
|
|
|
|
<p><img class="onright" src="rigging/mgr.png" alt="D Merry Go Round Rigging
|
|
Guide" />
|
|
The first pitch of Merry Go Round is rigged with a backup and Y hang, and the
|
|
rope lies against the wall for 13m till a rebelay, which allows a clear hang to
|
|
the floor. The floor is a a slope of loose boulders, heading towards a hole in
|
|
the floor. It is advisable to stay on the rope whilst traversing this; going
|
|
over a large wedged boulder leads to the second pitch, a Y hang, giving a free
|
|
hang to the floor. At this point the passage becomes more of a rift, and the
|
|
ceiling is still not visible, which starts slightly further upstream than where
|
|
the ropes hangs down to. In the rain, water comes down the top end of the
|
|
rift, from the hole in the floor of the chamber above, and disappears down a
|
|
very small rift.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>5m from the bottom of the second pitch, the third pitch starts, with a
|
|
traverse line and a short drop down to the main Y hang. A couple of deviations
|
|
pull the rope away from the wall; below these, it was too wet to continue
|
|
rigging in the wet. The pitch continues down past a couple of deviations, just
|
|
above obvious places where the wall is undercut. The floor of this pitch is
|
|
jagged boulders, which form a slight slope. The walls have large (10-20cm)
|
|
fossil bivalves protruding from them. Up slope a small rift twists round to a
|
|
chamber, linked by a window to the main shaft. Down slope leads to a narrow
|
|
rift, which has a very small slot in the floor. At the end of this, a natural
|
|
thread in the roof (all the rock is like cottage cheese), which allows a
|
|
vertical squeeze to be rigged. The squeeze is not too bad, and has a convenient
|
|
ledge below to stand on. Just below the squeeze, a rope protector is useful
|
|
for the remaining few meters of descent into a rift type chamber. The way on
|
|
continues via the fifth pitch, from a Y-hang, descending down more rift, before
|
|
the chamber becomes more shaft-like and a deviation, allows descent to the
|
|
floor. Going downstream, the passage becomes keyhole shaped, with puddles on
|
|
the ground; the passage turns left, and a crumbly looking rift continues
|
|
onwards [<a href="qm.html#C2002-204-07" id="qC2002-204-07">C2002-204-07
|
|
A</a>].</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4><a id="chicagochicanes">Chicago Chicanes</a></h4>
|
|
|
|
<p><b>Chicago Chicanes</b> doubles back on the main passage. A series of rubble
|
|
filled pot-holes leads to a chamber with a high aven [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-93" id="qC2001-204-93">C2001-204-93 X</a>] and slits up
|
|
on the right wall back into the main passage. Beyond the chamber, a hole in the
|
|
floor leads to two small rift passages, left an unpromising QM [<a
|
|
href="qm.html#C2001-204-99" id="qC2001-204-99">C2001-204-99 B</a>] , and right
|
|
probably linking into the pitch head at the start of <a href="#juicybits">Juicy
|
|
Bits</a>. Climbing up and over the hole leads to more pot-holes and a boulder
|
|
choke. Carefully negotiating the boulders and through a narrow slot brings one
|
|
back to Juicy Bits.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4><a id="trapeze">Trapeze</a></h4>
|
|
<p>Stuart / Becka / Nial ...</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a id="suspended">Suspended Solution</a></h3>
|
|
|
|
<p><b>Suspended Solution</b> is a solution tube at the top of the rubble slope
|
|
at the end of Swings Passage. When scaling this slope, care is needed as if too
|
|
much rubble is kicked down it will be difficult to climb up into the tube.
|
|
Also, the (much larger) boulders at the top of the slope may be dislodged.
|
|
Climbing up through the tube brings one to the base of another scree slope. A
|
|
sloping passage to the right [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-76"
|
|
id="qC2001-204-76">C2001-204-76 B</a>] has been climbed for some distance but
|
|
appears to go nowhere.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>At the top of the scree slope, under a low arch, is a small chamber. A
|
|
hading rift on the right [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-75"
|
|
id="qC2001-204-75">C2001-204-75 A</a>] has been climbed for some distance.
|
|
There is an unpromising hole on the left. [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-77"
|
|
id="qC2001-204-77">C2001-204-77 A</a>] Straight ahead leads to a climb down
|
|
(20' ladder useful) into <a href="#livingdaylight">Living Daylight Cavern</a>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a id="livingdaylight">Living Daylight Cavern</a> and <a
|
|
id="entd">204d</a></h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<img class="onright" src="rigging/d.png" alt="D Entrance Pitches" />
|
|
<a href="l/14entd.html"><img src="t/14entd.jpg"
|
|
class="onleft" alt="204d entrance photo" /></a>
|
|
This large chamber (11m diameter) has a boulder floor and what looked like a
|
|
dried-up streambed. A possible QM [<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-74"
|
|
id="qC2001-204-74">C2001-204-74 B</a>] in the left hand corner goes over
|
|
boulders into a small chamber. The way on is under a low arch across the
|
|
chamber from the ladder. A climb up reaches more space and becomes more serious
|
|
[<a href="qm.html#C2001-204-100" id="qC2001-204-100">C2001-204-100 C</a>].
|
|
From the arch, go left to within sight of the 204d entrance. The 7m climb up is
|
|
bolted at the top, or may be climbed from the bottom in the recess in the right
|
|
hand wall. Traversing over the top of the climb emerges in the base of a shake
|
|
hole.</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr style="clear: both" />
|
|
|
|
<div class="centre">
|
|
<h3><a id="survey">Survey</a></h3>
|
|
<img style="padding: 2pt; border: 2px solid #000" src="swings.png" alt="Survey"
|
|
/></div>
|
|
|
|
<hr />
|
|
|
|
<ul id="links">
|
|
<li><a href="204.html">Back to 204 index page</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../smkridge/index.htm#id204">Schwarzmooskogel ridge area index and description</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../indxal.htm#id204">Full Index</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../areas.htm">Other Areas</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expedition Intro page</a></li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
</body>
|
|
</html>
|