GW / Vrtnarija
Leopard
(Bottom of Zimmer), last visit 2004
Captain Kangaroo - Traverse + Mud Slump
Desc From Traverse chamber (10m pitch after Bonus chamber), traverse round to rift that leads off. 20m later you arrive at a dodgy freeclimb into a second, sandy floored chamber. Follow the rift leading off to a pitch head (left rigged 2005). Descending a couple of metres arrives in a rift, which continues. Tight but passable.
Descending all the way (~8m from pitch head) takes you into a mud sump, obviously perched. A low crawl leads off to terminate at a wall. Possible dig.
Jarv, 2005
Captain Kangaroo - Olympic Rift
Desc very end of Captain K; rift becomes increasingly tight. Large echo beyond, drafting. Something very large. Rift was forced to this point with hammer + mad Polish cave diver.
Jarv, from Rik's description of 2005
Rizla Rift
Desc from enormous jammed boulder rebelay on Laurel, rift disappears off and above. Requires protection. Noticed by Tetley, Derig 2005.
Smashed Swede
Desc Above head of Laurel, passageway can be seen departing in the distance. Stefan broke his leg here attempting it as a climb. Close to 'The Lost World' in sys-mig.
Sys Mig
Plop
(NCB Passage), last visit 1996?
Spiny Norman
(M16), last visit?
Leki Pot
Location
Leki Pot is at the west end of NCB passage, on the north side (right as you go in), just before the last big pitch off NCB.
Description
A small shitty, spiky passage leads to an 8m pitch. At the bottom the pitch, about 2m off the floor, there is a small tube, about 3m long, which breaks out into a ~25m dry pitch.
Rigging Guide
Sling round a natural for the 8m pitch. Possibly, a sling could be useful for getting into the tube. The ~25m pitch is unbolted.
State of Exploration
The ~25m pitch has not been descended. On either side of the pitch there are two large windows which could lead to horizontal passages. This will require traversing round the top of the pitch (bolting).
Survey details
stn leki.2 is a bolt mark at the top of the ~25m pitch.
Author(s): Jan Evetts, 2000
Obelix
Location
Follow Exhibition Rd past Spirit of Elvis. Climb down large boulder climb, follow Exhibition road round to the left and the first pitch on the left is Skalar. Descend Skalar and enter rift (Dogmatix). At the end of Dogmatix is Asterix pitch head (v. tight). Go down Asterix (wet at bottom of pitch). Climb up to sandy platform at top of Obelix.
Description
Obelix is a huge 80m deep shaft with a ledge about 20m below the pitch head. The first hang is dry, becoming spray-lashed below the first rebelay. At the bottom of the pitch, the water collects and runs into a small chamber (on the left as you face the open space). Then it drops drops a small pitch and disappears into a low rift passage. Up the climb at the bottom of the pitch leads to a high passage on the right (~1.5m wide) which curves round to the left. Following this passage leads to a small pitch (Getafix) on the left. Continuing the passage straight on leads to top of undecended pitch.
Rigging Guide
- 95m rope
- large sling
- 6 hangers and maillons
Backup starts at a bolt in wall far from the pitch head. First hang is a Y-hang from a bolt in the left wall and a natural around a rock spur on the right. Next re-belay is bolt on the ledge 20m below. Descend c. 15m and swing left to next bolt, then a further 15m and slightly to the left to the final bolt hang. Those of a nervous dipsotion may wish to take a hammer to the scary sharp rock close to the rope immediately beneath the final bolt.
State of Exploration
The small pitch at the bottom of Obelix leads to a small rift, probably too small but might be passable after hammering. An undescended pitch exists next to survey station Obelix.12 (see above), around 25m.Getafix has an unexplored rift heading towards the bottom of the Paradiso series around 50m away.
Survey details
Survey station 12 is a carbide mark next to the tag at the pitch head found by following the passage from the base of Obelix.
Author(s): Thomas Ayles and Clewin Griffith, 2000
Getafix
Location
Getafix is found by following the passage at the base of Obelix to a opening in the left side wall immediately before a 1.5m climb up to near survey station 12.
Description
Getafix is two small pitches, the first a hang of around 5m, the next around 8m, leading to three merged chambers with an interesting pool formation, mud-marks on the otherwise clean-washed walls and small highly polished multi-coloured pebbles. Three rifts lead on from each of the three chambers (see later).
Rigging Guide
- 25m rope
- 3 hangers and maillons
- rope protector (not entirely necessary...)
The backup is a bolt in the wall at the opening. The rope protector can be used immediately below this. The next hang is an obvious bolt. This leads to a floor, close by is a rift opening with another bolt leading to the chambers.
State of Exploration
Of the three rifts, one is too small to pass (past the pool formation), one could be hammered but shows no signs of changing size whilst the third is a rift carrying water that is large enough to enter though will require artistic rigging/bolting. The survey shows that this rift is heading towards the Paradiso series (145 Mag.) around 50m away and is as such an interesting lead.
Survey details
Station 1 is a pencilled in started bolt next to the rift lead, stations 6, 8 & 10 are the bolts from the bottom up and station 14 is Obelix station 14.
Authors: Thomas Ayles and Clewin Griffith, 2000
Small Caves
U-Bend
Go in and get to the main pitch, current lead is towards Pri Madoni about 20m down into a rift. Last progress was done with bang because it got tight but before the bang I squeezed through to about my waist and saw a tube going along and down.
Sandeep Mavadia, 2005
Hawk Cave
Desc Descend cave from single bolt belay, natural thread backup, rebelay on cleft in rock. Passages off in many directions; long phreatic (?) crawl that ends at gravel pile. Seems to be traverse + continuation round to the left from the pitch-head / rebelay ledge. Very very briefly looked at after dropping the pitch due to inclement weather...
Jarv, 2006
Moth Cave
Exciting prospect; dig heading East in protected cave between two large shakeholes above Hotel Tolminka.
Jarv, 2006
HairDryer / East Pole region?!
Keyhole / Postcard
Keyhole cave and postcard cave are very near the bivvy. The easyest way to describe them is to start from the edge of the shakehole with hare cave in. Facing towards primadoni direction hare cave is on the left side of the shake hole. Basically you are standing above postcard cave. It is in a smaller shakhole behind you. The entrance is a very low thin bedding plane that immediately breaks into an 'impressive' entrance phreatic tube with a choked draughting rift in the floor. This looks like many other entrances, so the way to confirm is that keyhole cave should also be present in the shakehole. Still facing the same way (i.e. away from the shakehole towards the hare cave shakehole), keyhole cave is on the left side and is almost completely invisible unless you are standing in exactly the right place. Entrance is a lovely phreatic keyhole about 1m high and really very hidden. The cave follows this shape for a couplle of metres before ending in a choked small chamber. Not that interesting but a great entrance - would make a supurb start to a trip.
Ben Ogbourne, Written Spring 2007, remembered from 2004 expo
