Your favorite SRT trips?

global_s

global_s

New member
Browsing through guidebooks can be fun, but there's nothing like recommendations for proper classics and weird little esoteric numbers from folk. Call it a ticklist if you will of caves round here I really should tick before 2013 is upon us.
 
Pitlamp

Pitlamp

Well-known member
In at JH, Leviathan, Far Sump Extension, Calcite Aven, Western Highway, Total Perspective Vortex, Balcombe's Way Aven, Ride Of The Valkyries, then out via Titan.

Finest SRT excursion in the Peak; you'll see a lot of rope going past your face and some of the shafts are magnificent. It would need a bit of work to set up this trip (e.g. checking rope condition on upward pitches for safety). I've done all these shafts many times but I'm not sure anyone has actually put it all together. There you are - maybe you could bag a "first"!
 
al

al

Member
Pitlamp said:
In at JH, Leviathan, Far Sump Extension, Calcite Aven, Western Highway, Total Perspective Vortex, Balcombe's Way Aven, Ride Of The Valkyries, then out via Titan. ... Finest SRT excursion in the Peak!
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I couldn't agree more, John, but you should have held this back as your trump card!! You may have effectively stopped this thread!

(You could always nip up Block Hall through White River, down Ventillator and chuck NCC Shafts in as an aperitif, but we're not really supposed to use White River as a through trip, so it might have to be Colostomy instead!)
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
Roy, Ann and I re-rigged Calcite Aven a few weeks ago with fresh rope, so that one's good. Funnily enough it's looking like that Far Sump through-trip might be happening sooner rather than later. I'm buying in Mars bars now - sign me up ;)

My other fave SRT trip isn't on the public list sadly, but Victoria Aven to Echo Rift is also a nice, compact but very vertical excursion, with some awesome stuff to look at (and think about) in both directions. Just don't drop any of those loose rocks back down the hole...
 
Pitlamp

Pitlamp

Well-known member
[/quote]

I couldn't agree more, John, but you should have held this back as your trump card!! You may have effectively stopped this thread!

[/quote]

Er - I never thought of that Al - but just think of the time I've saved 'em all!  ;)
 
S

steviet_scg

Member
Yes, a bit of a thread stopper that one
:clap:

However, reading between the lines global_s, is a relative newcomer to caving and srt so perhaps something less ambitious perhaps!

So, more mundane suggestions

- oxlow
-maskhill
- eldon hole (try the gulley route) and then go up the aven (forgot what it's called - turning senile)
- robins shaft mine (more esoteric than classic but worthwhile)
- and, don't forget Giants to the bottom - lots of horizontal - but gives good practice in moving gear through the cave

 
Pete K

Pete K

Well-known member
You are correct steviet_scg.

My Peak top 10 for variety and breadth of knowledge (knowing that Global_s has done some already):
Possibly in some arbitrary severity/difficulty order-

Giants - Round Trip
P8 - Any way!
Oxlow - Play dodge the radon
Hillocks & Knotlow - exchanges aplenty
Eldon Hole - N & S Gulley routes at least (tonight's back up plan)
Nettle - Just for the mud
Maskhil - Combined with Oxlow is good
JH - Leviathan (fingers crossed for tonight)
(Long Rake - Sadly no longer accessable but amazing SRT)
Titan - coz its massive but consider it the 10th one to do on this list (not got there myself yet)

Additional esoteric oddments & worthwhile trips:
Robins Shaft Mine
Layby Pot
Odin Mine
Rowter Hole
 
al

al

Member
For esoteric, try either or both through trips at Level 7 and Nickergrove
For short and pretty try Lathkill Upper Entrance
For a steady bit of everything try exchanging Knotlow climbing series and Whalfe Balcony route through Meccano.
 
Big Jim

Big Jim

Member
If youre going down Titan or JH then Cliff Cavern is 'interesting' string work. The original route up into Cliff Hanger is OK, but the old route up and across Risky Business traverse of the aging hangers has your sphincter going a bit and in all honesty should probably be avoided.  The new route straight up to Joint effort etc is also interesting rigging and makes you use all your kit.  Though again this stuff isnt DCA P-Bolted routes.  Impressive bit of high level cave passage though.

J
 
Z

zomjon

Member
To add to the usual trips, I do enjoy an exchange between Snake's climbing and engine shafts and a good mulch around under all those hanging deads! And a descent of Gentlewoman's, a good explore of all the stopes off the beaten track and then a reascent of said shaft is definitely good for a laugh!
 
Pitlamp

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Big Jim said:
If youre going down Titan or JH then Cliff Cavern is 'interesting' string work. The original route up into Cliff Hanger is OK, but the old route up and across Risky Business traverse of the aging hangers has your sphincter going a bit and in all honesty should probably be avoided.  The new route straight up to Joint effort etc is also interesting rigging and makes you use all your kit.  Though again this stuff isnt DCA P-Bolted routes.  Impressive bit of high level cave passage though.

J
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I thought that Risky Business had been stripped when the new route to Joint Effort was set up; is it still rigged with the original stuff? Apart from the fact that this gear would be very old, most of the bolts were placed in choss, not proper rock. Some of the footholds are tiny and they're covered in greasy calcite. (I once clocked up some air miles myself there, fortunately without any bolts failing.) They were placed by people like the late Frank Brown a very long time ago, mainly as climbing bolts and the traverse was never properly rigged for SRT. It would be good if whoever goes there next would at least chop out what can be safely removed from either end of the traverse, to reduce the possibility of people straying over that way.
 
Tim H

Tim H

Member
Definitely not a beginners trip, and all of the SRT stuff is at the end, but Winnats Head has to be on the list. Haven't been for years so I don't know what state all the up stuff is in. Nearly gave myself a heart attack when I first went up the ropes to the high choke and saw what the rope was (barely) attached to  :eek:
 
SamT

SamT

Moderator
Ropes/hangers are all reasonable in Winnats Head these days.  The 'down' pitches have been P bolted. The 'up' pitches rigged by various digging teams in recent years.
 
Rob

Rob

Well-known member
Pitlamp said:
....I've done all these shafts many times but I'm not sure anyone has actually put it all together. There you are - maybe you could bag a "first"!
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Indeed a great trip but almost certainly been done. Jh - Titan exchange very popular nowadays. Nipping up to do The Ride is an obvious extension. Think I've done it myself in fact... :-\ :confused:
 
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