CUCC Expeditions to Austria: 1976 - 2023

The team headed down to Pitstop, on Pete's only pushing trip of his 3 week expo (bitter, wot?) But a great trip + lead.

We went to Safe and Comfortable, and then to Lipstick Dipstick traverse/pitch line. There were 3 leads. The final one is A*

1.Where's the milk: The lead is short distance down Lipstick Dipstick and comprises steeply upward trending phreatic tube. Mike put on a short handline. This led up to a cross junction. Left was eventually found to connect to Drunk drivers. Rightwards is a short climb upwards that needs a few ( less than 5) bolts but no draft.

2.Drunk drivers: This is an upward phreatic ramp that starts just before Lipstick Dipstick's first rope. A steep upward ramp leads to a climb over some dodgy perched boulders, and into a chamber with cross rifts. Left is a 10-12m bolt climb up a wall to a 3m phreatic tube (QMC). Right is a traverse into a large rift that ascends. The traverse will need at least 4-5 bolts, but interesting (QMC)

3.Custard Cavalry (Michael's Climb): This is the A* lead that is open, climb rigged and heading west. Very drafty.

The start is an ascending and then descending phreatic tube, located in Safe and Comfortable, further back towards Pit Stop.

This phreatic tube goes up, across a watershed, and then downwards to a 8m pitch. The pitch was rigged off two threads and a single bolt.

This leads to a chamber below a drippy aven which has a very small stream. The stream goes down a descending rift beyond chamber, with a couple of 5m pitches (QMB - good but wet)

But Michael climbed ~8m up into the continuation of the phreatic tube. This up-pitch is now left rigged off 2 bolts. The phreatic tube is large, drafty and reaches a junction. It is very drafty and left ongoing westwards - A* lead.