107 - Gemshohle - Finalising Nipped Down rigging + Pushing lead in Southern China - "The Last TSA"

Tue 29 Jul 2014
Jess



Nipped Down had been rebolted the previous trip, but the ropes needed switching to ensure the rope reached the floor. Wookey sorted this while Jess and Michael passed 5m of slack rope along the popped across traverse back to the pitch at too bold for this spit:

Too Bold for this Spit + Popped Across rigging



Popped Across and Popped Down rigging



Rigging now fettled, the team departed for the N end of China + Korea and spent some time checking for leads at and below floor level - Wookey moved some scary boulders under Korea but all that was found was the pitch pushed by O+J the previous year. However, the climb to the alcove 20m up the N wall of the Aven at the N end of China looked promising.

Having so far found nothing new, the three now departed for the A lead at the S end of China - 13-CH-11A. 7m climb was rigged with a handline from a single bolt ½ way down:



Handline climb rigging for QM13-CH-11A



Large smooth-walled high rift passage was found heading S to a 20m pitch, which J+W bolted:



Rigging for next pitch in QM13-CH-11A



The passage was found to continue as hading rift with chocolate river until a final chamber with an aven was reached. Due to time now being short, all 3 exited and a return was planned the next day to complete the surveying, though the passage was given the name "The Last TSA" courtesy of Michael wearing his Dad's old TSA oversuit [it's not a TSA, it's a Caving Supplies oversuit - Philip S.].

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Survex files on this date:
    caves-1623/107/lasttsa
    caves-1623/264/horizontalentrance
Wallets on this date:
    2014#07 The Last TSA ['notes2', 'notes1']
    2014#15 horizontal entrance ['notes1', 'plan1']
Logbook trips on this date:
    2006-05 - Prospecting ~NE of Tunnocks
    107 - Gemshohle - Finalising Nipped Down rigging + Pushing lead in Southern China - "The Last TSA"
    161 - Rig 161g
    Within The Above