OXLOW - Safety Warning (Pilgrim's Way)

[DCA]

WARNING - Pilgrim's Way 'up' pitch
We have just received a report stating the 'pull-up' system at the entrance to Pilgrim's Way in Oxlow has become damaged and is unsafe to use. This is a wire and ring setup that allows a rope to be installed by being pulled up from the base of the pitch. The wire 'Y-hang' has become damaged at the centre point, so each arm is potentially in danger of failing as it degrades further.
Cavers are advised not to use this system. If it fails with you on it, you could fall up to 6m. DCA will take action when we have replacement equipment to install and volunteers to do it.

[benshannon]

Put a ladder there. I hate that pull through 😅😅😅😅

[Brains]

Put a ladder there. I hate that pull through 😅😅😅😅

Yes, put the ladder back - given the nature of the cave in Pilgrims Way and beyond it is more suitable than a pull through

[benshannon]

Lol I assume that was sarcasm. Did it have a ladder originally?

[Groundhog]

Yes the whole cave was fitted with iron ladders in the 60's. Apart from the entrance. Can't remember the exact date they were removed.

[wellyjen]

Yes the whole cave was fitted with iron ladders in the 60's. Apart from the entrance. Can't remember the exact date they were removed.

2003, plus/minus a year or so, if I remember correctly for the one up to Pilgrim's Way. They were old railway signal ladders and were in a sorry state by then.

[al]

Put a ladder there. I hate that pull through 😅😅😅😅

Yes, put the ladder back - given the nature of the cave in Pilgrims Way and beyond it is more suitable than a pull through

I'd agree with this if this pitch wasn't at the foot of a fairly substantial SRT trip, and nobody ever arrives here without an SRT rig. Well I suppose that there is the outside chance of somebody doing a there-and-back trip from Giants!

[Rob]

... Well I suppose that there is the outside chance of somebody doing a there-and-back trip from Giants!

Been there, done that, was my first time into Pilgrims Way. However i admit to being happy to turn around at the pitch head 

I don't mind the pull through system, even with rigging it new every week for months during the Crusader project. However a fixed rope here would seem a good solution also, and may be expected to last as well as the pull through has...

[Alex]

Aye a pull through cord is surely going to wear out long before the in-situ rope does. It is a weird system you use in the Peak and took some getting used to on my first trip down Eldon hole. It has never caught on, in the Dales.

[DCA]

Sorry to disappoint all the ladder purists out there, but this job is already half-completed. Though anyone is welcome to take a suitable rigid ladder down for the job - it won't be DCA! 

The pull-through cable has been replaced by a Y-hang of stainless chain. Sadly the delta maillon we brought to connect the ring to the chain didn't have a wide enough gate opening for the ring, which is at least 12mm, and so the two stainless maillons we brought to connect the chain to the anchors had to be used instead to connect the chain to the ring, with two personal krabs used to temporarily connect the chain to the anchors. This also means that at present the ring is parallel to the wall, rather than at 90° as it was originally, but we don't see this is being a massive problem in the short term, though we will try it with a larger connector soon. However they're very expensive for the possibly minor benefit. DCA can't really install fixed ropes under normal circumstances, so this is the most practical, lightweight and least-risk solution for most people.

As can be seen from the photos, the original cable was cutting through at the swage, and wasn't even loaded evenly at rest. In addition, the 'backup' sling was connected to a P-anchor which is loose and can be moved with fingers. That has been tagged temporarily as not to be used. The pull-through anchors themselves felt firm, but they should probably be pull-tested soon as they've been in ages, and are part-loaded axially. The plan is to remove and replace this loose anchor ASAP, if the hole is usable, or nearby if not, so a cowstail can be clipped in. Then a second anchor will be installed further in so that visitors can rig a short rope if they feel it necessary to protect getting on and off the pull-through. We've also installed a brand-new polyprop rope to pull the main rope up, and it works fine through the ring.

So the job will require at least one more return visit soon, so please bear with us, as we all have to fit this in around work and Covid - it's a very tight working space up there, so with the virus restrictions and angle grinders, working in a kneeling passage, it's a little more complex than usual and requires careful selection of workers, and quiet times too. Discussing the installation too much right now is probably not a good idea.

The photos below show the original setup before removal, a close-up of the failing cable, and two shots of the new system. The temporary krabs are good, and so the system can be used now, but there's no reliable backup at present with the tagged anchor. Use at your own discretion! We'll update again as soon as it's complete.

[andrewmc]

This also means that at present the ring is parallel to the wall, rather than at 90° as it was originally, but we don't see this is being a massive problem in the short term

Or ever, surely? It can't really matter what angle the ring is hanging at?

Good work looks pleasantly bombproof

[wellyjen]

This also means that at present the ring is parallel to the wall, rather than at 90° as it was originally, but we don't see this is being a massive problem in the short term

Or ever, surely? It can't really matter what angle the ring is hanging at?

Good work looks pleasantly bombproof

Perpendicular to the wall would help the pull up rope feed through the ring cleanly, especially when the climbing rope reaches it and passes through. Not a massive difference, but it all helps.

[adep]

Lol I assume that was sarcasm. Did it have a ladder originally?

Yes it did, i took it out years ago, not my decision by the way, i would have preferred to leave it in but its a maintenance issue, but then again so is the present system, not sure how long the ladder had been in for but over 20 years i think, bet it was never touched, still in good condition when we removed it

[benshannon]

The current system gives me the heebee majeebees. Hate the idea of accidently getting on the wrong rope.

[Pete K]

Lol I assume that was sarcasm. Did it have a ladder originally?

Yes it did, i took it out years ago, not my decision by the way, i would have preferred to leave it in but its a maintenance issue, but then again so is the present system, not sure how long the ladder had been in for but over 20 years i think, bet it was never touched, still in good condition when we removed it

And I installed a 6ft chunk of it in Aberllyn Mine in N Wales about 10 years ago and it is still going strong.
Oxlow does not need a ladder to Pilgrims Way, it needs a couple more anchors and a secure backup, which DCA will sort.