We recently went down Big Bang Pitch, after having admired it from below before.. but we had never even taken a
look at it from above before (so we received some surprises). I have some questions about rigging it and am interested in some background to it as I understand it
was the original route into the cave. We enjoyed our little adventure but the usual route is certainly a lot easier.

Does anyone know its story? Why was it named big bang pitch?

We got an extended surprise from the Darling Rifts. We took the first branch off the entrance series into
the Darling Rifts and it was more than the walk we hoped for or expected for some reason.

We were not happy with the traverse line through the Darling Rifts but used it despite not being convinced of its worth.
How long have the ropes and bolts been in place? Is it safe? 

There are two routes through the darliong rifts to the pitch from the entrance series.
We found another traverse line over a rift just before descending to the chamber which is presumably the other route.
Is the other route any better?

As for the pitch itself, there is a fixed rope off two naturals and a second rope hanging down off a bolt in the wall above the pitch.
Does anyone know why the ropes have been left and how long they have been down there?
The rope down the pitch looks good and virtually unused but .. we did not use it for obvious reasons.

We used the same naturals as the fixed rope, and tried to avoid the abrasion by using the other fixed rope as a deviation.
This was only partially successful and we will probably attach a bag to the fixed rope next time.

I did not see any hangers that were mentioned in the
online description. Did I miss them?

Finally does anyone know how to rig this pitch any better?

Dave

I've done it a couple of times, but not for a good few years. Just after the Waterfall series was discovered, I decided a trip to the end via Big Bang pitch was a completely different trip from a "normal" Draenen trip, as it missed out most of the usual (and for me at that time, boring) routes in the cave.

Someone else will know better, but I don't remember Darling Rifts being that bad and also don't remember any ropes in there, so guess I used the other route you mentioned.

As for the pitch itself, the ropes you mention weren't there when I last did it, so they don't date from the cave's discovery. At the time I remember using 2 natural boulders as backups and then a y-hang from two spits (I think) that were positioned out over the pitch somewhere. We deviated (I think) some of the way down, although I recall the flake I used being slightly suspect.

This isn't very hepful stuff really ... but nobody else has replied with anything better yet!

rhys rigged in on the resue pratise about two year ago ask him?

Thanks Helen (Stupot) for dropping my name, I'll have to say something now!

I honestly can't remember much about the SRT rig. Just that there's a really chossy boulder slope to get down before you get on to the main hang. The rig must've been fairly obvious and straightforward, else I might've remembered something about it. I don't remember there being any fixed ropes on the pitch or unpleasant traverses with fixed ropes in the rifts either - I'm not much use am I! I've only been there once and my main focus was rigging the lines for a stretcher haul.

There are two 12mm rescue bolts high up above the pitch that are used for the stretcher haul. I ended up leaving a piece of (orange?) tat hanging from one of them as I wasn't able to safely derig it all - the bolts are almost out of reach in a fairly precarious position. If the tat is still there, it probably wants removing somehow. It was tied directly into the hanger. This may be the "second rope hanging down off a bolt in the wall above the pitch" that Dave_the_cave mentioned. The pitch can and should be rigged for SRT without using this.

As for the name; I think it was named after a carbide explosion in the area and/or the sound of boulders from the chossy slope mentioned above falling down the pitch on the first visit. I think forum user Huge was there at the time and may be able to explain more...

Rhys

Hi Dave_the_cave, I hope the following is of use.

Big Bang Pitch was indeed named after a carbide explosion. The caver in question was Malcolm Stewart. After a very early trip in the cave (before the Pitch Bypass had been found) Malcolm was doing a carbide change at the pitch-head on the way out. He opened his carbide container and looked inside without first changing to electric. He ended up with singed eyebrows and a strange complexion! The name also seemed to fit with the cave going BIG when the pitch was dropped.

The traverse lines in Darling Rifts were fitted quite early on after the cave's discovery. Someone fell while traversing in Darling Rifts and broke a rib (hence Spare Rib which bypassed Darling Rifts and the first half of the Pitch Bypass) and so the lines were installed. I think it was just before the very first rescue practice in there, when the cave was going to get a lot of traffic. I didn't think they were really necessary. So the ropes have been there for a long time. I don't remember any bolts being placed. I thought the lines were rigged off naturals and bits of wedged timber.

I'm not really sure about there being two routes along Darling Rifts. The rifts do spilt and rejoin a number of times so I suppose different routes could be taken but the obvious route is the easiest. The second traverse line, which drops down the steep rift on the left at the end of Darling Rifts, leading into the chamber, is the normal route to the pitch as far as I'm concerned. The slightly less steep rift on the right at the end of Darling Rifts is the original Pitch Bypass and leads down to the chamber with the double cascade below Spare Rib.

As for rigging Big Bang Pitch for SRT, I'm afraid I can't be of much help either. I don't think it's ever been properly bolted for SRT. When the first ladder descent was made it was rigged off a large boulder and a spit placed in the roof. SRT descents were soon made using the boulder and roof spit as belays to get down the chossy slope (nowhere near as chossy as when it was found!!!) and at some point spits were placed at the head of the shaft to give a Y-hang. I've never rigged the pitch and only done it on ladder a few times in the early days and abseiled it once on the 10th anniversary celebratory trip. On that trip we abseiled the pitch and came out via the Pitch Bypass/Spare Rib, leaving the rope in place to be collected at a later date. I wonder if the rope was ever removed and if this is the fixed rope you saw. That trip happened three years ago.

The 12mm rescue bolts were placed during the first rescue practice in the cave, which must have been sometime in 1995. As Rhys says they are placed very high and to reach them you have to lean right out over the drop. I was quite surprised when I saw where they were as the caver who I think placed them isn't the tallest person in the world! They are no use for rigging for SRT.

How you doing Rhys. Will I see you at the Lamb and Fox on Saturday?

Huge said:

How you doing Rhys. Will I see you at the Lamb and Fox on Saturday?

Click to expand...

Not bad thanks. Yes. See you there.

Rhys

Just reread your original post Dave_the_cave and thought I could add the following.

The route along Darling Rifts and down Big Bang Pitch was indeed the original way into the cave. Darling Rifts were given that name because a visiting American caver had some difficulty traversing the rift and swore profusely. His wife was in the same party and every time her husband swore she exclaimed "Oh Darling!".

On the second weekend of exploration, the Pitch Bypass was explored from the bottom up. This led from a pre-cairn Cairn Junction, up the slippery, 4m? climb (done without a hand line for a very long time), up to the chamber with the double cascade and then up the steeply ascending rifts to connect with the inner end of Darling Rifts. The double cascade was climbed and the stream followed to where the passage seemed to close down, very near to Spare Rib. Details of the Pitch Bypass were a little slow in getting to everyone. I still used the pitch the day after the discovery of the bypass, my third and final ladder descent/ascent. We knew of it's existence but not where it was. My first use of the bypass was about 2 weeks later. So at that time the standard way in was along Darling Rifts to their end and then turn right down the Pitch Bypass.

Spare Rib was dug out some weeks later again, by two SWCC members who were supposedly doing a conservation trip to Gilwern Passage. They could not find the way on from the bottom of the scaffolded shaft (the very obvious Darling Rifts) and ducked under the right hand wall instead. They dropped down the narrow rift and dug through Spare Rib, only to find a small cairn on a ledge, built by the first people to explore the Pitch Bypass. So that was the creation of what is still the standard route in/out.

I wonder if your two routes through Darling Rifts are:-

1. Along Darling Rifts themselves.

2. Down through Spare Rib, down the double cascades and then upwards through the Pitch Bypass to the inner end of Darling Rifts.

Huge.

Thanks for the replies everyone

Some good stories for a good pitch and I got most (if not all) my questions answered! I missed out on the
fantastic times when Draenen was first discovered because my first daughter was born
around then and caving took a back seat for sometime.

I think Huge guessed correctly what I meant by a second route to the Darling Rifts (via Spare Rib).
We will probably take a look along that route another time. We found another traverse line leading back from a
line down a rift to the chamber, and I assume this must be the second route.

The traverse line we used did start on naturals (and some wedged timber which I had a close look at)
but the line was pinned by a couple of bolts along its length as well. We did appreciate the traverse line, several of
our party are new to such bridging over a drop (even though there are plenty of footholds along most of its length).
The traverse line is pretty old (> 13 years..) if it dates from the early exploration.. So it should not be relied upon.

The fixed line down the pitch is rigged from two boulders (down a chossy slope) and has a rebelay from a second rope hanging off a single bolt above the pitch. Essentially the fixed line showed us how to rig the boulders. So it served a useful purpose.
We did not trust the  second rope and replaced the rebelay with a deviation (plus we added a knot to make it higher). The purpose of the rebelay/deviation is to avoid rope abrasion at the top of the pitch proper. Our rope kept finding its way into crack on the way back(up). It made a disturbing sawing sound, but did not damage the rope (the worst it did was to remove
some mud and expose the white of the rope). I added the extra knot because of this when I ascended first.  The second rope serves an important purpose for avoiding the rope abrasion. But next time we will protect the rope somehow, maybe using the first rope to hang a bag off.

I may have missed some bolts. I will look more closely next time.

So I guess the fixed rope is 3 years old dating back from the celebratory trip. I would have retreived such an immaculate
rope within months. Someone is flush.

Thanks for the stories and replies about the rigging and traverse. We enjoyed our evenings adventure and will be back soon.
We visit Draenen in mid-week evening and we would appreciate suggestions for interesting trips.

Dave

Just as a footnote to that, the previous post about why the pitch was named 'big bang' was correct...  However you'll be pleased to know that my eyebrows are now fully recovered. 

Wow McBad, you've been registered on ukCaving for ages and ages and you've finally made your first posting! 

I missed you at the Lamb and Fox last month.