We had bought some ringed hangers from Raumer a while back
specifically for pull through's and thought that the round trip via the Sun and
Rampgill Cross Vein would be an simple candidate to install them on so we could
get a feel for how easy a rope would pass through the rings.
A quick
walk in and soon we were at the pitch head on the Cross Vein. A lead in bolt
and hanger was placed and then the two ring hangers followed that. This was
actually a really nice pitch head to do it on as the ring hangers got placed
pretty much perfectly for a straight drop down. I abseiled down first and
noticed just a slight rub on the way down, but if you abseil and swing you can
land at the bottom without any abrasion to the rope. Karli followed down and
then the main aim was tested out. Pulling on the rope to bring it down was very
smooth and easy - pleased with that. Even though this was a really short potter
trip we ended up packing a bit of lunch, and had it at the bottom of the pitch
- as we can't go underground without the lunch pic…
This short
round trip and pitch would be a very good practice point for SRT novices as it
gives a bit of exposure on the lead in and you have to chimney at the pitch
head when you get on to it so that you can load your descender at the right
height so you don't end up dropping. |
