Grottes et karsts de Chine
Sur les traces de Xu Xiake

Description: A sporting pot. Entrance is a 15m pit, 5m diameter, where a small stream sinks. The stream approaches from the northeast side of the pit; this side of the pit is an earth slope, too steep to climb. The 15m entrance pitch is rigged from a large tree on the northwest side of the pit, and lands on a ledge. The 10m second pitch follows immediately, and is rigged from a natural and bolt Y-hang, with a deviation 3m down. From the bottom of the second pitch, a short sloping passage drops down into a chamber where the stream sinks among boulders. An obscure tube bypasses the blockage, and gains the start of a rift, where the water reappears. The rift passage continues (quite narrow and awkward) for 75m to the head of the 6m third pitch, which can be rigged from a spike backup and spike belay, with a thread rebelay 2m down. This third pitch lands in a small chamber which leads immediately to the fourth (12m) and fifth (15m) pitches in quick succession, landing in a chamber. [From the chamber, a climb up on the left-hand side leads to an aven, beyond which the passage becomes too low.] 20m of narrow meandering rift passage leads to the sixth pitch (12m), followed by a further 10m of rift passage that leads round a 90◦right-hand corner to the final pitch (6m). Two 2m climbs lead down to a final short section of passage which gradually lowers to a sump.

Rigging:

Pitch

Ent (P15) 2nd (P10)

3rd (P6)

Rope Rigging

25m Tree

15m Natural & bolt Y-hang; devi-

ation

12m Spike backup; spike belay;

thread rebelay

4th (P12) 15m 5th (P15) 20m 6th (P12) 15m Last (P6) 10m