Peterson Pot Entrance Series

From Ease Gill

Peterson Pot Entrance Series[edit | edit source]

A gulley descends under the tree; the slope is loose — take care! The first pitch (P4) is soon reached.

  • 8m rope rigged to flake on right (in situ rope, February 2018).

The pitch lands in a small chamber. A route between boulders opens immediately over the second pitch (P4) down a chimney.

  • 8m rope rigged to spike in floor.

A slot leads into a rift, with a junction [ahead soon closes down]. The way on is to the right into Roly-Poly Passage. The passage starts as a small tube. The first bend is best taken facing right; at the subsequent left-hand bend, it is possible to turn over to face left; a double-bend then leads into a 2m by 1.5m chamber.

The passage continues as an awkward crawl-traverse in the top of a rift, soon passing a side passage to the left. The passage takes about 15 minutes — sometimes much longer. The top section of the rift is not much larger than body size; below is narrower, and 1-2m deep. The rift contains a series of sharp bends, for which it is necessary to approach facing the correct way. There are several double-bends, but in each case it is possible to turn over part way round.

The passage eventually pops out of a window directly above a 3m drop, The Sky Dive; an in situ rope (February 2018) provides a very useful handhold while wriggling out of the window and righting oneself.

Immediately below is the third pitch (P8), which can be free-climbed, down a rift in several section, and meeting the streamway near the bottom.

  • 12m rope (in situ, February 2018).

Immediately, an exposed traverse leads to the top of the fourth pitch.

  • 5m rope for traverse, or 10m pitch for traverse and pitch, rigged to thread at start of traverse and bolt at end on left. (Rope for traverse in situ, February 2018).

There are two ways on:

  • Descending the fourth pitch leads immediately to the fifth pitch (P6), requiring a 12m rope. Below, the passage soon gets too tight.
  • At the top of the pitch, a window is the start of the route into Pippikin Pot.