The Mysterious Pitch

Team: Lisa Boore, John Roe and Claire Vivian 

Trip Date: December 2020

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Like me, you will undoubtedly all have walked past this hole at some point when you've visited OFD2.

It is on the left between the mini traverses behind Big Chamber and the passages in to upper Arete Chamber, so really near the entrance to OFD2.

 

The pitch, just around the corner from Big Chamber 

With our evening trips we have been looking at going to areas in OFD none of us have been to before and connecting places via unusual routes. Having seen this pitch, but never been down it, this fitted the bill perfectly for the 3 of us. Being so near the entrance, it was also ideal for an evening trip and we were really lucky to choose mid-December mere days before the last Covid lockdown began.

John rigging the pitch

The rigging was 'reachy' and not straightforward, but John rigged speedily and we were soon down the first part and then on to the next 2 sections of it. The survey shows it as a P29, but there is also a P25 shown very near by and we were not sure if this was also on our route, so we had brought enough rope to cover both and some spare, just in case. It turned out there were 3 drops in all, so we were lucky to have enough rope with us. I should have written this blog months ago, as I've forgotten all the precise details; but I remember it was possible to rig the first 2 using the same rope as they were shorter pitches and close together.

Lisa at the top of the 2nd section.

The last section is a fine pitch, but there is a lot of loose rock at the pitch head to be careful of. The pitch brings you down in to the Labyrinth on the route you would take if you were travelling between Arete Chamber and the Columns. 

Claire abseiling down the final section in to the Labyrinth.