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.
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.
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.
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 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
Last modified: 17th July 2000
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