Balkonhöhle - to Hangmans -> Snailtrail. Rigging below Prangmans
Becka Lawson
A swift hour's caving with minimal gear got us to
yesterday's pushing front. The first 3 hours were spentdropping two pitches (the Snail Trail pitches)
+ surveying in drafty, awkward rift.
They [the pitches?] started the far side of the Snail Trail Traverse.
We ran out of rope so left a decent lead continuing across + down
with a decent lead continuing across + down with a good draft but it would be hard going,
climbing up + rigging up + downin tall, narrow rift.
We then deriggedall of SNail Trail+ wentto the tube above the mud slope on the main
Hangman's Traverse. George strolled up the steep mud slope to the tube + put in a bolt
for mefor a handline up then abandoned me with 2 bags
and a loose rope to worm my way along a little tube until
it opened out.
We surveyed then dropped a ? p15m + dropped thenext, deeper hole.
At the top level + down the pitch were amazing large beds of ginger
crystals (see George's photos) at all crazy angles. The pitch turned into a biggy
so it was lucky that I'd brought all 3 ropes along.Finding a clean hang
among the sharp spikes,slopy walls + shit rock proved toomuch
of a challenge for George :-).
We surveyed downwhilst George was rigging until we hit a big ledge
where we'd run out of rope. There were huge boulders
so we had fun crashing them down (though one monster he
videoed headed the wrong way when I pushed it + I thought
I was going to crush him) + I gotnearly 50m distoXshot further down
so we're still well off the bottom.
Tired ont eh survey on the way out. Took 90 min from bottom of Hangman's to get
out.
Pitch below Prangman's (rigged 19/7) [6]
Hangman's Traverse ( redrawn from 17/7/18)
and Snail Trail Traverse (20m after Snail Trail climb)
[10] Mongol Ralley Pitch - rigging guide - 1 of 3.
[See continuing Mongol Rally rigging guide]