Cantclimbtom
Well-known member
I was thinking on similar lines, I don't need 40m of rope, either let him ab down and I traverse and slide down or bring 20m of para cord to make the pull through
Daft questions about Giant's Hole
- Thread starter Cantclimbtom
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andrewmcleod
Well-known member
On those rare occasions I'm taking 5 other EUSS down Giant's on the round trip, I usually just lower people down the Crabwalk (and either pull-through myself or just climb down) as I've usually lost interest in the extra faff of letting them abseil at that point (plus people have just got cold going through the Windpipe, are about to get cold standing around in the Crabwalk, and will then get cold hanging around the bottom of Garlands)... Also means you just belay them to the ring and then immediately lower, instead of other faff.
Not such a problem when there's only two of you
If you know where in the Crabwalk to climb up, you can stash the SRT kit and Crabwalk rope at the top in a little alcove (just before you get to the top of the crabwalk from the Giant's Windpipe crawls). Problem is it all looks the same from the bottom, so I usually spend a while running around and trying to shout down to people while I lower a rope down to haul bags up!
Not such a problem when there's only two of you
If you know where in the Crabwalk to climb up, you can stash the SRT kit and Crabwalk rope at the top in a little alcove (just before you get to the top of the crabwalk from the Giant's Windpipe crawls). Problem is it all looks the same from the bottom, so I usually spend a while running around and trying to shout down to people while I lower a rope down to haul bags up!
Chocolate fireguard
Active member
Over the decades I must have done the round trip and slide/ab/lower 50 times or more, and mostly I made a mental note of where in the Crabwalk I landed.
It never worked.
It never worked.
Cantclimbtom
Well-known member
Measured the ropes to check if they have shrunk, they have but now I know! Kit in back of car, fingers crossed I'll get there Sunday.
I've a 15m rope for Garlands (won't rig from first drill holes and be extra stingy with rope when rigging)
A 29m rope + 12m of paracord for pull through
Wow that looks a lot better than a 40m rope and a 20m sorely tempted to shoe lace as chest harness, prussic for hand ascender, ditch the second long cows tail, abseil on an Italian/munter hitch. How much better the kit bag looks with minimal SRT trip!! I might even get tempted to turn to the dark side of horizontal caving
I've a 15m rope for Garlands (won't rig from first drill holes and be extra stingy with rope when rigging)
A 29m rope + 12m of paracord for pull through
Wow that looks a lot better than a 40m rope and a 20m sorely tempted to shoe lace as chest harness, prussic for hand ascender, ditch the second long cows tail, abseil on an Italian/munter hitch. How much better the kit bag looks with minimal SRT trip!! I might even get tempted to turn to the dark side of horizontal caving
Cantclimbtom
Well-known member
Thanks everyone for the advice, a BRILLIANT trip. A little taster of everything and nothing too hard. My son really enjoyed it (at the time, not just retrospectively...). The "expand" descent looked terrible from above but was absolutely fine to do.
The crabwalk might be the world's longest 600m of walking, I'm sure if measured "correctly" it's more like 800m... at least. The surveyors need to go back and use a slightly smaller metre to account for the wrigglyness
Biggest thanks of all -- to our tour guide, zomjon! Thanks again, we hugely enjoyed the trip.
The crabwalk might be the world's longest 600m of walking, I'm sure if measured "correctly" it's more like 800m... at least. The surveyors need to go back and use a slightly smaller metre to account for the wrigglyness
Biggest thanks of all -- to our tour guide, zomjon! Thanks again, we hugely enjoyed the trip.
Cantclimbtom
Well-known member
Btw.. the giant's windpipe was anticlimactic after hearing it's reputation. I foolishly wore a pair of long Johns and long sleeve running top under a warbac furry hearing about the cold and so struggled with heat and profuse sweating tiring me out. I was very glad to lie down and wallow in the vice and the shower crawl and windpipe water were also very welcome.
I think we were very lucky with the water levels because another 6 inches of water in the windpipe and I can see it'd be a whole different beast. As it was on Sunday, it was almost pleasant (after the first 5 seconds anyway )
I think we were very lucky with the water levels because another 6 inches of water in the windpipe and I can see it'd be a whole different beast. As it was on Sunday, it was almost pleasant (after the first 5 seconds anyway
)Chocolate fireguard
Active member
I may be completely wrong about this, but I don't think the level in the windpipe varies much at all nowadays.
Many years ago it did sump, but I was told that was due to drain holes becoming blocked with debris from a dig further along, past the right turn you made, and that those holes largely fix the water level.
On one trip I didn't fancy the whole Crabwalk because of the water so climbed into the upper series below Chert Hall, expecting to get just as far as the windpipe, but the level there seemed to be normal.
But I'm sure there are many people who know more about Giants than I do.
Many years ago it did sump, but I was told that was due to drain holes becoming blocked with debris from a dig further along, past the right turn you made, and that those holes largely fix the water level.
On one trip I didn't fancy the whole Crabwalk because of the water so climbed into the upper series below Chert Hall, expecting to get just as far as the windpipe, but the level there seemed to be normal.
But I'm sure there are many people who know more about Giants than I do.
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