Hi all

Can someone confirm to me if it is feasible to PT down the Swinsto Great Aven pitch in Simpson's? CNCC seems to say no, Selected Caves says a 90m rope is needed..any info much appreciated. I have laways fancied this route as part of a PT as I have never done it before.

Ta

It was a long time ago when I did it, but I definitely remember pulling through down Swinstow Great Aven. I seem to remember doing it in two sections, a top short section from the fossil level above Aven Pot down to a large y hang, then the second section down the Aven itself.

CNCC suggest a 50m for both pitches, so you should definitely be able to do it by tieing the two 50m ropes you have for the rest of the trip together - its the last pitch so its not too much of an issue (other than having to go back and get the rope) if the rope gets stuck. Plus if it all goes horribly wrong and you cant pull through, you can always fix rig it and go back later.

B

It is certainly feasible (in two parts as Benfool said) but I don't think the anchors are placed with a pull-through in mind.

The last couple of times I have been there has been a fixed rope in place. It seems there was last year https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=24893.0.

MJenkinson said:

Can someone confirm to me if it is feasible to PT down the Swinsto Great Aven pitch in Simpson's? CNCC seems to say no, Selected Caves says a 90m rope is needed..any info much appreciated. I have laways fancied this route as part of a PT as I have never done it before.

Click to expand...

Yes - no problem. We do it two stages, with the rope on the top stage pulled down by the last man, and used for the pull-down on the bottom stage. We tend to do Simpson with a couple of 40 metres, and that's adequate for both the Great Aven and over Slit Pot.

Thanks gents - spot on.

What's the story behind it being named "Swinsto Great Aven" despite the fact it's descended on a trip from Simpsons Pot? Was it discovered from the bottom during the exploration of Swinsto, before the duck in Simpsons was blasted?

A_Northerner said:

What's the story behind it being named "Swinsto Great Aven" despite the fact it's descended on a trip from Simpsons Pot? Was it discovered from the bottom during the exploration of Swinsto, before the duck in Simpsons was blasted?

Click to expand...

It was named from below. The route over the top of Aven Pot and down Swinsto Great Aven was discovered by ULSA in 1962.

Similarly with the 'Final Chamber of Swinsto' . . . a bit of an irony there!