OFD1 - The Wall of Death
- Thread starter mudman
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danthecavingman
Member
I've never been there as it sounds awful, but I believe if you take the high level route out of the Abyss via the right hand wall at the topmost level there is a passage that leads after a while to a hole in the floor that drops down into the Chasm. The Wall of Death - as I've heard it described - is a sloping muddy ledge on a bend that one has to traverse to cross this obstacle. I've seen it from below, it must be nearly a 100ft drop from the roof of the Chasm to where you'd land if things went wrong....
Dan.
Dan.
Its a higher level route, some times used as a way to OFD 3, From the entrance, go across big chamber near the entrance as if your going to the columns, across the traverse, at the end of the traverse is a step up to the right in to a sandy passage, just goes around the corner, rather than do that, carry on straight at the end of the traverse, you come to a T junction, up on the wall in front of you is a passage, climb up into this, follow along until you reach Bagpipe chamber, opposite the slope you have just descended is a 1 1/2 mtr climb into another passage, follow this, cross a hole in the floor, 3mtrs on is the wall of death, a ledge on the right hand side goes around the top of a funnel that will drop you maybe 30-35mtrs to the floor, ouch just by the poached eggs, omelet anyone?
danthecavingman
Member
I meant Arete and not the Abyss in my post above - and Travelers way is quicker than going via Arete.
Dan.
Dan.
The title of the thread says OFD1 but the route described is in OFD2?
Mudman and I actually did the route described above, many years ago. It was while returning from a photo trip to Straw Gallery, with a third person. I'd spotted what looked like a pretty direct, high level, route, back towards the entrance, on the survey. Part way along the route, we came across a couple of holes in the floor, which seemed like they dropped a long way! The first was easy to pass but the second one just had a very slopping ledge, around the outside of a corner. It didn't look to us as if it would be possible to stand still on the ledge and we considered turning back. Then we thought that if we could run around the ledge, in a sort of 'wall of death' way, we could make it, which we did. I didn't realise this was actually known as the wall of death though!
I got some reasonable photos in Straw Gallery, that Mudman scanned, to use on the old club website. That was all about 20 years ago but I showed the pics again recently at a slideshow for the club. Or was that you Mudman....?
Mudman and I actually did the route described above, many years ago. It was while returning from a photo trip to Straw Gallery, with a third person. I'd spotted what looked like a pretty direct, high level, route, back towards the entrance, on the survey. Part way along the route, we came across a couple of holes in the floor, which seemed like they dropped a long way! The first was easy to pass but the second one just had a very slopping ledge, around the outside of a corner. It didn't look to us as if it would be possible to stand still on the ledge and we considered turning back. Then we thought that if we could run around the ledge, in a sort of 'wall of death' way, we could make it, which we did. I didn't realise this was actually known as the wall of death though!
I got some reasonable photos in Straw Gallery, that Mudman scanned, to use on the old club website. That was all about 20 years ago but I showed the pics again recently at a slideshow for the club. Or was that you Mudman....?
chunky
Well-known member
The high level route Huge describes is the one I've always known as the wall of death and have heard swcc members refer to it as the same, including the surveyors and is indeed the most direct route to that section of cave.
I believe there is a lesser sloping wall above the stream in ofd1 through a window in the entrance series that sometimes gets called this too but this is only a small optional 'bit of fun'
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I believe there is a lesser sloping wall above the stream in ofd1 through a window in the entrance series that sometimes gets called this too but this is only a small optional 'bit of fun'
Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk
Thanks chaps.
I temember that trip in OFD2 with Huge very well and my feeling of horror when he said the route was along this blank wall with an impossible looking ledge. I'm glad I can put a name to it. As it turned out we were able to avoid it which was probably just as well considering the lighting issues we were suffering from at the time.
I was indeed asking about a reference to an OFD1 Wall of Death that I saw in a Dudley blog entry and from Chunky's reply it seems I will have to see if I can find it although an attempt to pass it may not be on the cards.
I temember that trip in OFD2 with Huge very well and my feeling of horror when he said the route was along this blank wall with an impossible looking ledge. I'm glad I can put a name to it. As it turned out we were able to avoid it which was probably just as well considering the lighting issues we were suffering from at the time.
I was indeed asking about a reference to an OFD1 Wall of Death that I saw in a Dudley blog entry and from Chunky's reply it seems I will have to see if I can find it although an attempt to pass it may not be on the cards.
I think you're mixing up two trips there Mudman.
The trip with the light trouble was to the Upper Oxbow Series. We started off with five lights and a rope between the two of us and stumbled out on your little Maglite and without my rope!
The 'Wall of Death' trip was to Straw Gallery with Rob. We went there via the usual route - Timo's Table, Poached Egg, etc. but I'd spotted this high level, direct route on the survey but didn't know what it involved. And we did do the run around the hole on the slopping ledge. Otherwise I think we would have had to have gone back. I think we rejoined known ground, somewhere between Gnome and The Brickyard so may have gone through the top level of Ar?te.
The trip with the light trouble was to the Upper Oxbow Series. We started off with five lights and a rope between the two of us and stumbled out on your little Maglite and without my rope!
The 'Wall of Death' trip was to Straw Gallery with Rob. We went there via the usual route - Timo's Table, Poached Egg, etc. but I'd spotted this high level, direct route on the survey but didn't know what it involved. And we did do the run around the hole on the slopping ledge. Otherwise I think we would have had to have gone back. I think we rejoined known ground, somewhere between Gnome and The Brickyard so may have gone through the top level of Ar?te.
