Pie Series and Wowoland

Wowoland is a new horizontal level discovered and partly surveyed in 2005. It is reached via the Pie Series pitches.

Pie Series

The initial 3m climb is free-climbable but in view of the drop beyond it is advisable to rig from the spit in the ceiling, which may be backed up to a thread back on the right. At the bottom is a wide ledge, with a narrow crawl leading off to the right (facing the pitch), which was checked out in 2006 and doesn't go. Ahead is the head of the first pitch, Steak (21m), rigged from a Y-hang in the ceiling and a deviation from the left-hand wall around 5m down. There is a sizeable aven above the pitch [C2004-234-32 X]. The landing is on a boulder floor, a few metres away from the head of the next pitch, Kidney (17m); this is rigged with a traverse bolt on the left-hand wall followed by a Y-hang across the rift. It is a fine shaft with a kidney-shaped cross-section; it is possible that in very wet conditions it might need a deviation to stay out of the drips, but it has been drip-free on all trips so far. The landing is on another boulder-strewn floor; at the far side of the chamber is a narrow slot in the floor, Who Ate All The Pies, which was blocked by a large boulder in 2004.

Around 5m from the floor of Kidney, a side passage, Crust leads off; after passing a puddle of water it turns to the right and slopes steeply upwards. At the top of the slope the continuation is a mud-floored, body-sized tube, which was explored for some distance but was becoming increasingly tedious; shortly beyond the furthest survey station it opens out into a small chamber (just big enough to turn round in) after which it closes in horizontally to a narrow high slot, which may be passable for small people [C2004-234-22 C].

The boulder at Who Ate All The Pies was removed by capping in 2005, revealing a pitch of 3m or so to a short section of sloping rift, opening out onto a further pitch. This is rigged from a bolt on the LH wall and lands on a wide, drippy ledge on the side of a substantial shaft, with an aven above. Traversing along a ledge on the right-hand wall (2 or 3 spits) leads to a wide Y-hang for the next pitch. This passes a large undercut ledge, landing 2m further down on a sloping, frequently spray-lashed rock floor. From here, stepping through a window leads to a handline climb of around 3m (which can get rather damp) down into Wowoland.

Wowland

The bottom of the handline climb is a small chamber with numerous exits. Two passages in the left-hand wall part-way down the climb are the route into Three Cookies Chamber. Further on on the left is a hole in the floor, which leads to a nasty-looking climb down in a tight rift [C2005-234-08 C]. Straight on is a narrow trench, carrying the water from Pie Series; here one can climb up into Lost Gloves Chamber, while the trench doubles back round to the left and continues as a low crawl [C2005-234-03 C].

Eastern branch via Three Cookies

The two tubes in the wall lead into a compact knot of small crawls. Keeping to the left, one emerges in Three Cookies Chamber, a wedge-shaped chamber with a mud floor. Here there are three ways on. Straight on is too tight, while on the left a wide passage with a narrow slot in the floor reaches a T-junction. Right ends quickly, while left leads to an up-climb and short pitch into the base of a drippy aven, Weeweeland, which is directly underneath Cess Pot in the upper levels. The drips disappear into a narrow winding passage in the floor in sharp rock [C2005-234-07 C]. The main way out of Three Cookies is under an arch on the right, leading to an upwards-sloping stooping passage floored with powdery mud. Soon a junction is reached, where a passage leads off to the right but ends in a mud blockage. Straight on up the slope leads to a section of crawling over deeply eroded potholes, passing a pair of too-tight passages on the right before a short flat-out section, emerging in Monster's Lair.

Monster's Lair is a small round mud-floored chamber, with formations on the ceiling. From here a climb up leads to a steeply inclined section of rift, sloping upwards, with a T-shaped cross-section. Soon this levels out, with a small hole in the floor [C2005-234-10 C]. Shortly beyond this, the rift opens out, and a shaft, Monster Munch, descends. This can be rigged from a thread in the roof, a traverse bolt in the left-hand wall and a bolt hight on the right; a long deviation back to the traverse bolt gives a good hang. 5m down is a constriction, with an immense thread providing a convenient rebelay, below which the shaft widens dramatically. A large ledge 10m below was the 2005 limit. At this point, a rebelay on the left-hand wall drops a further 10m onto a pile of jammed boulders. Clambering over these reaches a ledge where the main hang bolt for the shaft is set. This hang is around 50m; the first section slopes slightly, but after 30m it straightens out. The resulting rub point was protected in 2006 and 2008 by an extremely tenuous deviation off a flake; when better bolting equipment is available, a traverse to a rebelay on the far wall would be very much preferable. Shortly below the final hang bolt, there is a slot in the wall leading back underneath the jammed boulders into a chamber. This connects back to the pitch lower down.. The landing at the bottom of the pitch is in a largish chamber, with water dripping in from above, and a trench in the floor. At the far end of the chamber, one can climb up and over a pile of boulders (probably needs protecting with a rope in future, as the pile looks liable to fall down the pitch without much provocation!) to continue the descent; a spit at the top of the boulder pile provides backup, and a second low down on the pitch gives a just-about-tolerable hang. A deviation off a huge anvil-shaped projection of rock moves the rope out to a better position, allowing a landing on a ledge around 5m down. This was the 2006 limit of exploration. From here, the shaft widens out to one side (beneath the slot at the base of the previous pitch), and a rebelay below the ledge allows a descent of 15m to the floor. A slot in the floor leads to a downward climb onto a mass of precariously placed boulders. However the only way on, down which the water disappears, is a narrow slot a few inches wide.

Traversing over the top of Monster Munch leads to a wide ledge. Here, a passage in the far wall leads to Spit or Swallow, a stooping-size phreatic passage. A turning sharp right leads to a ledge overlooking the main shaft of Monster Munch, which may be a good way to avoid the tedious rigging of the 2006 route. A second turning on the right is unexplored [C2006-234-01 C], as are two turnings on the left further on [C2006-234-02 C] [C2006-234-03 C]. Finally the passage emerges in the side of a shaft, Instant Relief, which continues both downwards and upwards [C2006-234-05 X]. A 10m descent (off a spit in the passage and a natural) leads into a large chamber and the Last Chance Saloon.

The Last Chance Saloon is entered by continuing across the bouldery floor at the bottom of Instant Relief. There are two ways on. Keeping to the left leads, via a very loose climb down, into a stooping height passage which passes over a hole leading down to a pitch [C2006-234-02 A] and thereafter gradually decreases in size [C2006-234-08 C]. From the Last Chance Saloon, bearing to the right leads to an upward sloping crawl which soon increases in size significantly. An alcove on the left enters a sandy floored chamber which may contain a way on [C2008-234-03 C]The passage continues past a window overlooking a pitch [C2008-234-04 A], with another passage clearly visible on the far side [C2008-234-05 B], before finally ending at the top of another pitch [C2008-234-06 A].

Western branch: Pie R Squared

Lost Gloves Chamber is a smallish ovoid chamber floored with boulders, sloping slightly. At the top of the slope, in one wall is a body-sized tube leading back into Three Cookies, while on the opposite side is another tube which loops round to the right to connect back into the same chamber. Near this, at the bottom end of the chamber, is the climb down to connect with the bottom of Pie Series, while climbing up above this to the left leads to a horizontal stooping/crawling sized passage, Pie R Squared (or Pie Arse Squared). A little way in is an opening on the left [C2005-234-02 B], missed by the original explorers. Other than this, Pie Arse Squared continues in fine style for a considerable distance, meandering from side to side but with no side branches or junctions; part-way along is a section with fine moonmilk deposits, and beyond this is a muddy wallow. Eventually one emerges in a flat, wide chamber, where there are two ways on. On the right is a 10 pitch leading to a ledge which looks out onto a 5m deep blind pit: Limo Pit. On the left is a passage leading off at floor level, which contains some fine flowstone formations and straws; unfortunately, these soon conspire to completely block the passage.

• 234 index page
• Schwarzmooskogel ridge area index and description