Adam Cooper starting an SRT descent of a newly discovered shaft on the plateau in 1993. The shaft had already been investigated on ladder - necessary because, as the name "Lost Rucksack Hole" suggests, he had dropped his rucksack containing the rope into the shaft in a careless moment.

This sort of entrance is typical of prospecting on the plateau. Also typical is the fact that no-one could find the shaft again in 1993. It was given number CUCC93-01, and re-found in 1995, but no gear was to hand. Thus it remained unexplored beyond this surface shaft until 1998, when it was finally bottomed in three trips, numbered 1623/200, and very definitely fixed by GPS and surface survey and marked with a metal tag. We won't be losing that one again, at least !
Photo © Andy Waddington 1993