expoweb/1623/161/drunk.htm

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<title>1623/161 Kaninchenh&ouml;hle D &amp; S</title>
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<h2>161 Kaninchenh&ouml;hle: Drunk &amp; Stupid (1989)</h2>
<b>Overview</b>: A Vertical series from <a href="bsains.htm#bigsain">Big
Sainsbury's</a>, NW of the <a href="bsains.htm#id161a">entrance</a>, that
spirals round, first west, then south, then east almost directly under the
entrance, continuing east to join <a href="lhr.htm#lhroute">Left Hand
Route</a> at -255m.
<p><center><a href="l/dh_dns.htm"><img alt="photo in D&amp;S"
src="t/dh_dns.jpg" width=134 height=200></a><br>
Pitch head in Drunk and Stupid.</center>
<p><a name="dands">The first</a> large hole in Big Sainsbury's, against the
right hand (NE) wall heading away from
<a href="bsains.htm#autodoors">Automatic Doors</a>, and c50m from that pitch
is the start of <b>Drunk &amp; Stupid</b>. The beginning of this route is
best rigged on one long length as pitch follows traverse and so on. The
entrance hole is an 8m pitch, <a name="tten"><b>The Ten</b></a> to an
uninspiring boulder slope, ignored in 1988. A traverse line should be rigged
to reach a tube at the bottom leading into a large rift with a 20m hang,
<a name="ttwenty"><b>The Twenty</b></a>, to a boulder strewn floor.
<p>From the bottom of the Twenty, a traverse line is required to descend a
slippery slope to the head of an excellent 30m pitch, <a
name="tthirty"><b>The Thirty</b></a>, (rope pad for the belay knot). The way
on is now clean washed rift with traverse lines and a couple of short hangs.
<p><a name="dns20m">This rift</a> comes to a <b>20m pitch</b>, where there
are several <a href="offdns.htm#dns20mposs">possibilities</a>. The main route
of Drunk &amp; Stupid is reached across the head of the pitch into another
passage.
<p><a name="parauniv">Follow</a> the passage (minding holes in floor) to
reach a superb natural belay with natural backup in the roof for <b>Parallel
Universe</b>, a 20m pitch (the rock is too rubbish to bolt). Further
incredibly sharp, stream-washed passage drops down a couple of 5m
climbs/pitches to a Y-hang for <a name="yatmp"><b>YATMP</b></a> (yet another
20m pitch). Finally the rift is done with one 5m pitch into a 10m x 5m
chamber, <a name="wetncha"><b>Wet Nappy Chamber</b></a>.
<p><a name="bslicer">The water</a> way becomes too tight, but the
continuation is a climb up on the left into a nasty, muddy hading rift,
<b>Bacon Slicer</b>, which requires a traverse line to reach a ladder pitch
some 15m down. The walls of the rift slope at 65&deg;. The rift is relatively
tight and awkward although a reasonably easy route was eventually discovered
that involved doubling back to the streamway 15m below the head of the
ladder.
<p><a name="ddooms">A short</a> climb out of the rift leads to a larger
section with a trench in the floor. Within 20m the passage closes down into a
very loose-looking boulder choke. Beneath this is a short section of narrow
rift leading to the head of a 15m pitch, <b>Darkness Dooms</b>. At the
bottom, the stream disappears down a 3m trench that slopes steeply downwards
for about 15m. A handline is useful here. The trench gradually widens until a
sharp right turn where large rift passage is again entered.
<p>After a short section of wider passage, a 2m boulder climb leads to the
head of another hading rift. This is much larger than the Bacon Slicer
although the walls slope at the same angle of 65&deg;. The boulder climb
marks the start of a spectacular climb down a boulder slope with a vertical
descent of 18m. The boulder slope ends in:-
<h3><a name="helipad">Helipad</a> (1989)</h3>
<p>This chamber is approximately 10m across and 20m along. Along the left
hand wall is a sandy shelf approximately 1.5m above the floor of the chamber.
To the right of a waterfall at the far end is a short climb up leading to a
section of small, twisting phreatic tubes. These were not surveyed but were
explored to the head of an 11m pitch that lands in French Connection Chamber.
Left of this are <a href="offdns.htm#hpad">two minor QMs</a>. A traverse to
the right is possible here to gain the passage leading back to
<a href="offdns.htm#deadandb">Dead and Buried</a>.
<p><a name="fcc"><b>French Connection Chamber</b></a> is thus named because
the original Drunk and Stupid explorers found a rope here, coming down the
far wall - as it was unmarked it was assumed that they had broken into
another cave, maybe French (the <a href="../../others/gscb/index.htm">Groupe
Sp&eacute;l&eacute;ologique de Clerval</a> were working in the area at this
time, although we had no contact with them). The next party down
<a href="lhr.htm#niflheim">Niflheim</a> was surprised to find a note with
CUCC's address on attached to the rope. Thus French Connection Pitch and
Chamber were born.
<p><a name="fccrope">This short</a> (9m) pitch from the Left Hand Route is
left <a href="../../fixaid.htm#fcon">permanently rigged</a>, so that a party
descending Drunk and Stupid may climb it and rig the last 7m of
<a href="lhr.htm#niflheim">Niflheim</a> to gain access to the horizontal
passages at the bottom of Left Hand Route.
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