Really Tight and Sporting Squeezes

[Mark Wright]

I think the Ice-Cream Trail in Rowter Hole falls into this category. I know a few good cavers who have failed to go all the way through to the top of the Crystal Orechasm.

Mark

 

[David Rose]

I will never forget The Newt, a vertical squeeze close to the entrance in Pozu la Cistra, a 650-metre deep cave in the Picos that joined Pzu del Xitu. To get through I had to remove oversuit, harness, and carbide lamp generator belt. The thing was it opened directly on to a 30 metre pitch. Just below the squeeze were two foothold you could bridge on in order to get your harness back on (or take it off when on the way out). Dangerous and very scary.

 

[richardg]

Extreme caving that Dave!

 

[JoshW]

tightest I've "done" was Allen's crawl in Bar Pot. About a 10m low flat out crawl.

By done I mean I got about 75% of the way before getting firmly wedged. That was with SRT kit. no photos from that trip, but looking at giving it a go in lubed up PVC suit and no SRT kit, so will try and get some photos from that. from memory it slightly wider than a helmet as I couldn't turn my head (because I was too stupid to unclip my helmet)

 

[paul]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Colin Boothroyd!

 

[Caver Keith]

For the shear quantity of squeezes I think Ogof Rhyd Sych would take some beating. Definitely not a cave for the salad dodgers.
This video sets the scene.

! No longer available

 

[robjones]

For the shear quantity of squeezes I think Ogof Rhyd Sych would take some beating. Definitely not a cave for the salad dodgers.
This video sets the scene.

! No longer available

Already mentioned on page 1 of this thread.

Good video! Thanks for posting.

 

[Caver Keith]

For the shear quantity of squeezes I think Ogof Rhyd Sych would take some beating. Definitely not a cave for the salad dodgers.
This video sets the scene.

! No longer available

Already mentioned on page 1 of this thread.

Good video! Thanks for posting.

This was a re-post after the forum issues so I guess our posts have crossed and although it says 'No longer available' the link to the video does still seem to work - pleased you liked it.

 

[T pot 2]

One of the finest mind bending nerve stretching pushes that I ever undertook was a barren passage off white lion chamber in Giants Hole. I had looked at it several times and even put me head in in order to have a look see. Anyway one Thursday evening I went for it. The approach is down hill into a flat out crawl that is followed by a sharp right turn followed by a sharp left turn within a body length, this is then followed by another left hand corner where you have to rotate your body from being on your front to your back in order to make a final right turn and then reverse the manoeuvre to be on your front again, this then lets you access the small extension that was found. On the first foray at the end of said push I arrived at a stall curtain, I could not reverse because of the turns and twists in the crawl and had to demolish the said curtain with the oldam battery lamp that I was pushing in front of me. Unfortunately my head set got between the stal curtain and the battery which hit the headset to only explode on impact leaving me in darkness. With no light and heading into unknown territory I felt my way forward, fortunately I found a boulder slope 0.50mtr below the break through point. Here I sat and tried to communicate with the others that I had left at the start of the push but this was to no avail.
Feeling around the boulders that I was perched upon I found enough of my lamp to get the dip bulb working and set off to explore. I was the first person to see the extension, what an experience. The return trip  was even more nerve racking because my lamp bezel disappeared and I had to exit in total darkness.

T

 

[Over the Hill]

One of the finest mind bending nerve stretching pushes that I ever undertook was a barren passage off white lion chamber in Giants Hole. I had looked at it several times and even put me head in in order to have a look see. Anyway one Thursday evening I went for it. The approach is down hill into a flat out crawl that is followed by a sharp right turn followed by a sharp left turn within a body length, this is then followed by another left hand corner where you have to rotate your body from being on your front to your back in order to make a final right turn and then reverse the manoeuvre to be on your front again, this then lets you access the small extension that was found. On the first foray at the end of said push I arrived at a stall curtain, I could not reverse because of the turns and twists in the crawl and had to demolish the said curtain with the oldam battery lamp that I was pushing in front of me. Unfortunately my head set got between the stal curtain and the battery which hit the headset to only explode on impact leaving me in darkness. With no light and heading into unknown territory I felt my way forward, fortunately I found a boulder slope 0.50mtr below the break through point. Here I sat and tried to communicate with the others that I had left at the start of the push but this was to no avail.
Feeling around the boulders that I was perched upon I found enough of my lamp to get the dip bulb working and set off to explore. I was the first person to see the extension, what an experience. The return trip  was even more nerve racking because my lamp bezel disappeared and I had to exit in total darkness.

T

Those early years being locked in the cupboard in the Eldon Hut in Buxton paid off then Tpot. I walked in there all those years ago for the first time to hear a voice locked and abandoned within. Happy Days (I hope they were).

 

[Aggybat]

The bedding in Ogof Rhyd Sych is nowhere near as tight as it used to be as it was 'chipped' to make it bigger years ago. I still remember it from the early eighties as I only just fit through it then.

 

[blackshiver]

Nobody has mentioned Beelzbub's Ringpiece in Pippikin, a great write up in the RRCPC journal and an excellent armchair caving trip.......maybe one day.

 

[Over the Hill]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Colin Boothroyd!

Colin Boothroyd ! Happy to oblige. 

 

[psychocrawler]

Banana Peeler in Ayle Burn Mine Cave? Picture of Colin Carson in it in Pete Ryder's book. Flat out and surprisingly difficult. It looks straightforward but can be quite a stopper.

 

[bagpuss]

Being small I've not found many daunting ones.  I once got stuck in Goatchutch,  can't remember the name of the passage, f-ing tight?

 

[T pot 2]

Electric crab in tiger 4 passage Lathkill Head Cave flat out horizontal to vertical and back to horizontall

 

[Clive G]

Oxlow Caverns to Giants Hole connection - the aqueous bit - during 1983-4.  8)

Taking a picture of Chris Smith entering Daren Cilau through the T-slot ('Playschool') calcite squeeze in the Entrance Series, using a film camera. 

Recovering Geoff Newton's cave survey notebook from Lost Survey Book Rift in Cave of the Brown Stains on the Elgfjell Plateau, South Nordland, Norway:  :doubt:

"Don't be put off by the fact that it looks impossible. You can get in feet first by lying on your side". Geoff's words of encouragement led to a caver lying 30 degrees off horizontal, head uppermost, surrounded by a narrow rocky rift with his boots clunking on a solid wall at the invisible bottom end. At this point the passage turned through a 90 degree bend before closing down to nothing. The problem was that 3 days worth of survey notes lay 4m down somewhere at the bottom of the rift.

After proving that it was possible to wriggle back out again more encouragement resulted in the caver slipping down the rift to a wider mid-level section. With a folding up of the feet and a half-rotation of the upper body it was possible, with some discomfort, to look down at the 90 degree corner. A couple of rock flakes barred access to the lower rift which could only be entered by descending vertically at this point.

Crash, crash, crash! The lump hammer returned the familiar sulphurous smell of freshly split limestone. With a lot of heat generation and careful wriggling of the waist it was possible, with the assistance of gravity, for the caver to slide down to the bottom of the rift. The "snug" fit was deemed too snug for the return and so from a standing position, and a carefully aimed swing of the arm... crash, crash, crash!

Geoff's desire for regaining the lost survey book seemed for the time being to have been replaced by a genuine concern - a concern for not having to organise a cave rescue from one of the world's more remote caving regions. "Don't go down unless you can get back out again" echoed rather belatedly round the narrow rift walls. Looking around at the bottom the "corner" turned out to be a T-junction with a rift leading to the top of a large vertical shaft, some 2m in diameter and 10m+ deep. The rift in between was too tight and more interesting than the survey book... crash, crash, crash!

"Have you found the book?". A quick look around on the floor confirmed the presence of mud, limestone chippings and not much else. "Where did it fall?". "At the bottom somewhere, I think it might be covered in mud by now". Digging fingers into the the smooth wet mud an unnaturally flat surface was eventually uncovered. After pulling the plastic coated object out the caver wasted no time in carefully squeezing back up the vertical rift. Waving an arm through a tiny slot into the main passage above he calmly enquired, amongst deep less-controllable inhalations of air to his lungs, "Is this what you were looking for?".  :read:  :halo:

On the Trail of the Wolf: NORWAY 1989, The Wessex Cave Club Journal, 20(225), September 1990

 

[Clive G]

Chris Smith in the T-slot ('Playschool') calcite squeeze in the Daren Cilau Entrance Series, by Clive Gardener

 

[Goydenman]

Sorry no photo but right hand branch of Black Rabbit cave through to the terminal chamber whole route no point having helmet - three squeezes with the final one having ridge in floor and roof. As you go through it feel it step over each rib and then onto diaphragm so prevents breathing for a second or two until gingerly pull forward a bit. Beyond got even tighter could not get through but skinny Richard G did it (any comment Richard!!)

 

[richardg]

Yes Goydenman... Now that is an extreme squeeze...... The floor beautiful of translucent calcite..... it was like a mirror we could see our reflection in it .... an amazing piece of Cave...... And the potential was there if we forced our bodies through that long section of low passageway..in search of an elusive ancient network of caves extending to the East of Peak Cavern....  So low we could not even fit our helmets through..... Progressing fraction of an inch by fraction of of an inch, total deflation of our lungs..... How we managed to return I do not know..... Unless we are still down there and we are mere ghosts inhabiting our present mortal bodies?  Desperate Exploration indeed!!!