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O.B.J. Hole Rigging Guide

I

ianball11

Active member
Hello, does anyone know of a rigging guide for OBJ Hole, looking to get through into the Flood Passages?
 
Pitlamp

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Your best bet might be to talk to the Bratford.

(At least that's how many of them from the right hand side of the great frontier along the backbone of the Pennines pronounce it    ;) )
 
I

ianball11

Active member
Fair do's, thank you, I've a message out to the Bratford but thought I'd resurrect this thread and see if any non-Bratford people had info more recent than any Bratford info and if nothing post any Bratford info for those like me not in the Bratford club.

(blimey, that read better in my head)
 
alanw

alanw

Well-known member
Is this just co-incidence?

http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2015/01/11/three-cavers-rescued-after-getting-stranded-in-gaping-gill-system

The men had entered the Gaping Gill system via OBJ Hole.

A team spokesperson said: ?CRO search parties found the cave only partially rigged, with no indication of the cavers? whereabouts.

?Further searches of Bar Pot eventually established contact with the overdue cavers who had self-marooned at the Flood Entrance Pot side of the Horrocks Stearn crawl, having pulled their ropes down and then failed to negotiate the connecting crawl, preventing their intended exit via Stile Pot.
Click to expand...
 
Alex

Alex

Well-known member
I take it none of you could fit then to rig Obj hole again? I admit it is rather tight that hole as I almost got stuck in there myself and got a bit of bruising as I did not remove my croll, but got through after a bit of wriggling, however my mate who was larger then me seemed not to be troubled much by it (though he was not wearing SRT kit).

Well glad your okay.
 
Gollum

Gollum

Member
We got through OBJ Hole but decided to pull through and go through Horrocks Stearn crawl, and out Stile Pot. Having pulled our ropes down and then fail to get through the connecting crawl we could not exit via Stile Pot.
If we could have got one person through the connection we could dropped the last pitch of flood and rig the last pitch of Bar Pot. We would have had to abandoned a rope on Flood but we would have been able to get out.
 
Bottlebank

Bottlebank

New member
Gollum said:
We got through OBJ Hole but decided to pull through and go through Horrocks Stearn crawl, and out Stile Pot. Having pulled our ropes down and then fail to get through the connecting crawl we could not exit via Stile Pot.
If we could have got one person through the connection we could dropped the last pitch of flood and rig the last pitch of Bar Pot. We would have had to abandoned a rope on Flood but we would have been able to get out.
Click to expand...

I'm puzzled,  I know the Bratford are always finding new ways of confusing us in GG but the last pitch in Flood is South East Pot, unless they've moved it. True this gets you quickly to Bar Pot, but at the bottom of the main pitch, which is not the easiest place to rig it from?
 
CatM

CatM

Moderator
Alex said:
No I think South East is the other side. The last pitch of flood is well flood.
Click to expand...

The last pitch down Flood is South East Pot. The other side of Bar Pot Big Pitch is South East Aven. (At least, that's my understanding...)
 
S

steviet_scg

Member
It makes sense to me. The key point is 'if we could have got one person through the connection'

That person would have arrived at the top of bar main pitch, the rest would have continued down flood, down se pot (although not to the bottom !) And onwards to the bottom of bar pot main pitch where a nice rope should have been waiting.

 
Bottlebank

Bottlebank

New member
steviet_scg said:
It makes sense to me. The key point is 'if we could have got one person through the connection'

That person would have arrived at the top of bar main pitch, the rest would have continued down flood, down se pot (although not to the bottom !) And onwards to the bottom of bar pot main pitch where a nice rope should have been waiting.
Click to expand...

OK, makes more sense, and talking of new ways of confusing me in GG, does Stile Pot now provide a rigging free way of exiting from the top Bar Pot main pitch?
 
I

ianball11

Active member
Well having given them a pretty difficult task, I can say that CRO are very good at what they do  :-[    sometimes saying thank you just doesn't seem enough!

Connected in 2008, Stile Pot is a gear free way from the surface to Small Mammal House, where Small Mammal Pot descends into.
If you can fit through the Horrocks-Stearn Crawl you can get from Flood/Wade's/OBJ to the top of the Bar Pot big pitch.  It arrives 2m above the pitch towards the back of the big pitch platform so take it steady going that way! 

To then get to Stile the quick waym, there are others, you would then go through Horrocks Way, up Bridge Hall over the greasy slab, up into the bedding plane (the original way into Bar Pot) above it and through a well travelled low section into Flowstone chamber which is a short crawl from Small Mammal House and the scaffolded passage down and back up into Stile Pot.  The rift in Stile that you climb has a tight section at the bottom I am well acquainted with called the Molestrangler where a handline has been placed and is a little loose in places though no worries if you're sensible.  I've been told the entrance climb is a little daunting for the short of leg.

All you need to know is contained in this excellent site which has been the motivation behind my recent attempts to visit all of the also excellent 1980s LUSS Bar and Flood survey.  http://www.braemoor.co.uk/caving/directory.shtml

A search on UkCaving should bring up a few threads discussing it too.

Regards OBJ Hole, it is a good trip, effectively a rope thirsty alternative to the 1st pitch in Wade's or Flood and despite a small tight section at the connection rift between the bottom of the 1st pitch and the hang into the passage below it's straightforward enough.

 
Bottlebank

Bottlebank

New member
ianball11 said:
Well having given them a pretty difficult task, I can say that CRO are very good at what they do  :-[    sometimes saying thank you just doesn't seem enough!

Connected in 2008, Stile Pot is a gear free way from the surface to Small Mammal House, where Small Mammal Pot descends into.
If you can fit through the Horrocks-Stearn Crawl you can get from Flood/Wade's/OBJ to the top of the Bar Pot big pitch.  It arrives 2m above the pitch towards the back of the big pitch platform so take it steady going that way! 

To then get to Stile the quick waym, there are others, you would then go through Horrocks Way, up Bridge Hall over the greasy slab, up into the bedding plane (the original way into Bar Pot) above it and through a well travelled low section into Flowstone chamber which is a short crawl from Small Mammal House and the scaffolded passage down and back up into Stile Pot.  The rift in Stile that you climb has a tight section at the bottom I am well acquainted with called the Molestrangler where a handline has been placed and is a little loose in places though no worries if you're sensible.  I've been told the entrance climb is a little daunting for the short of leg.

All you need to know is contained in this excellent site which has been the motivation behind my recent attempts to visit all of the also excellent 1980s LUSS Bar and Flood survey.  http://www.braemoor.co.uk/caving/directory.shtml

A search on UkCaving should bring up a few threads discussing it too.

Regards OBJ Hole, it is a good trip, effectively a rope thirsty alternative to the 1st pitch in Wade's or Flood and despite a small tight section at the connection rift between the bottom of the 1st pitch and the hang into the passage below it's straightforward enough.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ian, all makes sense now! I remember wondering where the scaffold drop in Small Mammal went to.
 
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