258 - a b | Tunnockschacht: Usual Suspects | 2 ?? |
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Climbing up on the right just before the Frankly Freezing pitch (falling off the climb would result in falling down the pitch, maybe we should put a rope on this.....) leads to a short section of large walking passage. 2 bolts on the left just before the passage starts to heads steeply downhill start the traverse line approach to Usual Suspects (p100). This pitch is broken by a large ledge at -70m, and the descent from this side is drippy in the dry and more than drippy in the wet - a better rig is required. In 2009 the hang was from 2 1-bolt rebelys in rapid succession, with 3 rebelays and a bolt deviation to reach the ledge. The y-hang on the right at the ledge is sub-optimal, the furthest bolt can be extended with a sling to avoid an immediate rub and a bolt deviation 5m down clears the wall - but no the water when it rains......
The pitch lands in a large chamber. To the south, at the lowest point is an undescended pitch (~20m, B lead). There is a draughty passage in the E wall about 10m S of the landing (this has been pushed for about 15m to where it got a bit small and tedious - very windy though), but a 5m "free-climbable" pitch opposite the landing isn't, but is blind.
To the north, the chamber narrows and gets windy, with plenty of popcorn. At its northern end, a sloping passage leads to a 3m pitch which is blind. However a 3m climb up at a point where the roof steps down leads to a short flat-out crawl to a small complex junction chamber. Straight ahead leads into a sandy oxbow. On the left, a 3m climb up leads to a further junction. From this junction, the walking passage heading right (North-ish) has not been explored (A Lead).
There is a (b-lead) hole in the floor, and a walking passage can be reached via a "bold step" back over the climb. This leads via a traverse to the crossroads discussed below. The only other way out is the oxbow back to the lower junction chamber.
Back in the first junction chamber, the other way out is a rift up and back on the right. After a few metres the passage reached by the "bold step" traverses along at roof level. Following the rift at ground level leads to a t-junction; right leads immediately to the crossroads. Left at the T-junction leads after perhaps 5m to a much larger (6m+diameter) section of passage. Following this northwards leads past a river of bat bones into a continuing 3- 4m diameter phreatic passage (Bat out of Hell) which was left wide open, with numerous side passages also unexplored. In flood it was noted that several of these start to sound damp.
Back at the t-junction, right leads in less than a metre to a crossroads. The traverse route from the breakdown chamber is on the right (downhill). Straight on has been confirmed as an oxbow and taped off. Left (uphill) leads quickly into the same large passage as that mentioned above; the route between the two has been taped off to protect the mud floors.
Emerging in the large passage, a taped route leads to the E wall of the passage past some spectacular mud formations - the passage visible behind these is the taped-off oxbow mentioned above. There is a pitch, which becomes noisy in the wet (~20m, A/B lead) and a climb up some clean rock leads into a walking passage, "Going NoWare Fast". Traversing immediately over a pitch (which connects to that noted above) leads after perhaps 10m to another 20m undescended pitch.
Traversing round this leads to a junction with a smaller walking passage on the right (A lead), and a further junction to the right with a 3m diameter passage which appears to lead to a large pitch which gets noisy in the wet (A Lead). Straight on following the draught, Going NoWare Fast continues at 2-4m diameter for perhaps 30m to a temporary shortage of floor (pitches below are unexplored - B leads) An aid traverse here leads to a boulder bridge. Above the bridge is an unexplored walking passage (A Lead). The area below the bridge has not been explored but it looks as though there may be some ways off at floor level maybe 5-10m below - A/B lead
Crossing the bridge leads to a 10m continuation of the large phreas, followed by a 10m long rift. This leads to a small hole at floor level or a climb up. The small hole can be thrutched through to a continuation of the large passage; the climb has not been done and leads up to a col obstructing the large passage - initial examinations confirmed it would benefit from a rope for the return journey. The large passage unfortunately ends almost immediately at a large pitch (2s silence then many second rattles and bangs), which also exudes all the copious draught you've been following since the climb up from Usual Suspects.