# 1990: Cambridge Underground report

CTS 91.1327/d: Cambridge Underground 1991 pp 20-23

## Caves Discovered - Austria '90

Wookey

As well as all that slogging up and down 161, a fair amount of prospecting took place, yielding lots of new holes, as we have come to expect over the years.

Here, mostly for future reference, is a list of the holes found, their provisional numbers, their assigned numbers, their names (if they were deemed large enough), who numbered them, and who else knows where they are.

This year it took some time for our request for official numbers to filter through the Austrian hierarchy so for most of the expo we had to assign provisional numbers of the form 90/1, 90/2 etc. These are used throughout the logbook and survey book and so must be related back to the 'real' numbers below, which have not yet been painted on but should be. Those who know where these holes are should make an effort to scribble on them sometime next year and preferably survey to the more significant ones. If you do not, your knowledge will disappear with you.

    Marking  CUCC   Kataster   Numberer    Location also known by
     /Name   number  number
    90/1     90/1     171      Paul S      Mark D, Tina W
    90/2     90/2     172      Paul S      Mark D, Tina W
    90/3     90/3     173      Paul S      Mark D, Tina W
    90/4     90/4     174      Paul S      Mark D, Tina W
    90/5     90/5     175      Paul S      Juliette K, Mark F, Claire P, Adam C
    90/6     90/6     176      Paul S      Mark D, Tina W
             90/7     177      Paul S      Del R, Juliette K, Mark D
     Tantalus Schachte
             90/8     178      Paul S      Del R, Juliette K
    90/9     90/9     179      Adam C      Jeremy R
    90/10    90/10    180      Joe L       Francis T, Adam C
    90/11    90/11    181      Adam C      Joe L
    90/12    90/12    182      Adam C      Joe L
     Puffball & icing sugar cave
    90/13    90/13    183      Joe L
    90/14    90/14    184      Joe L       Adam C
     Shiruken
    183               185      Jeremy R    Matt K, Pete S
     Two Year Gestation Höhle
                      186                  Mark D, William S
     Rosenkavalierhöhle
    90                187      Matt K      Francis T
                      188      Julian T    Jeremy R, Keith M, Tony R
     Skinrip Passages I-IV

Notes:
1) Two Year Gestation Höhle (185) is currently marked 183 but will be changed next year.
2) Rosenkavalierhöhle is not marked at all (bloody slackers).

Details of these caves have been compiled from the summary at the end of the survey book (171 to 178), and various write-ups in the logbook.

#### 159? - Winded Hole

Hinter Schwarzmoos Kögel (HSK): 116°, Nipple: 174°, Bräuning Nase: 199°, Bräuning Zinken: 216°

One cave was re-discovered near the crapping region. This was named Winded Hole as Paul S. fell down by it and winded himself. This has already been bolted but no number could be found. It is probably 159, which was pushed to a conclusion at about -50m by Jared, Chris Densham and Becka Lawson in '88.

#### 171 (90/1)

B. Nase: 186°, Vord Schwarzmoos Kögel (VSK): 126°, (HSK): 056°
Alt: 620 to 630m
150m N of Top Camp

Limestone horizontal at this point, cave is c. 20 to 50m E of prominent fault which cuts through Brauning Nase. Subhorizontal phreatic tube trending 154°. Multiple entrances and windows with total passage length in excess of 150m. Passage generally elliptical: 5m wide by 3m high.

Along the the fault to the North are numerous choked shafts with a max depth of 5m.

#### 172 (90/2)

HSK: 063°, Schönberg summit cross: 343°

Further north along fault on cliff facing N, and 10m to east of fault. Horizontal, walk-in, phreatic tube dipping to S and trending 190°. 40m long, 4m wide, 1.5 to 2m high. Choked at end.

#### 173 (90/3)

B. Nase: 186°, Nipple: 159°, HSK:082°, B. Zinken: 220°

Lies along fracture line with several shafts connected by narrow rift. Most of these are snow-plugged - 173 also has a plug but this has shrunk and a large gap is visible around the edges. Fracture trends 024° Shaft is c. 20m deep and 7m diameter.

#### 174 (90/4)

HSK: 087°, Nipple: 160°, B. Nase: 189°, B. Zinken: 218°

Situated on fracture bearing 044° which forms prominent banded cliff visible to N of camp on second low ridge. c. 30m shaft, climbable for first 10m to rock bridge. Snow at bottom but cobble floor also visible. (Subsequently descended by Adam?)

#### 175 (90/5)

Nipple: 167°, B. Nase: 193°, B. Zinken: 220°, HSK: 100°

c. 20m shaft further round cliff to NE of 174 on NW side of shallow valley bounded on one side by the HSK. Snow at bottom but quite possibly open.

#### 176 (90/6)

HSK: 104°, Nipple: 169°, B. Nase: 193°, B. Zinken: 214°, Camp: 192°

Situated on a large bedding plane above 175. c. 30m shaft with snow-covered ledge at 15m. Rocks thrown down land on cobble floor.

#### 177 - Tantalus Schachte (90/7) (NOT NUMBERED)

B. Nase: 215°, B. Zinken: 234°, Schönberg summit Cross: 332°

Situated at break of slope between side of HSK and the plateau (plan in survey book). Thus named because when Paul S and Mark D discovered it they were dying of thirst, having made the mistake of letting Tina take the water (and the paint) away with her. At the bottom of this shaft was a beautiful flowing stream, utterly unattainable without gear. If this is not sufficient explanation, go and swot up on your Greek mythology.

35m shaft from bunde belay with pool, water seep and ice at bottom. Access to promising-looking passage which unfortunately quickly chokes (see plan in survey book).

#### 178 (90/8) (NOT NUMBERED)

Schönberg Cross: 330°, B. Zinken: 239°, B. Nase: 229°, Nipple: 210°

Window into very large passage about 10 x 20 m, fluted snow plug, second drops onto end of plug. To NE passage leads to another large chamber with another shaft coming in at far end (see plan in survey book P101).

#### 179 (90/9)

Bearing B. Scharte (I think - see survey book P77): 218°

A 7m pitch leading to c. 5m of low cave.

#### 180 (90/10)

Located on terrace N of 161b and 161c (French entrance), before a big bowl of choss and rifts (map in survey book P81).

There is an ice shaft under collapsed boulders. A bedding in the side of this gives access to two adjacent loose pitches. Various impenetrable vocal connections to the surface exist. 30m pitch with ledge and rebelay at -15m leads to 'Icicle works' - very nice ice stals and flows. Follow flow down hole 'Slush crawl' then rift.

#### 181 (90/11)

Bearings: HSK: 074°, B. Nase: 165°, B. Scharte: 194°, B. Zinken: 216° (see survey book P77)

12m shaft with snow at bottom and rocky ledge at -5m. Aligned on 120°. Short way off at bottom is soon too tight.

182, 183 and 184 are all in same area (map in survey book P80).

#### 182 (90/12) - Puffball and Icing Sugar Cave

B.Scharte: 180°, B. Zinken: 210°, HSK: 070°, VSK: 210° (see survey book pp79 to 80)
Camp is on 144° and clino +1.5° but it cannot actually be seen from the entrance.

182 consists of a low 45° boulder slope leading to a higher 45° boulder slope. This leads to vadose canyon for about 200+ metres then a 20' ladder pitch to a joint controlled rift about 15m long. At the end is an undescended pitch about 20m deep. The canyon is approx on 200°. The cave is long enough to need a real survey.

#### 183 (90/13)

To reach 183 from 182: go N up the pavement. Just over the crest turn left along a sporadically vegetated ledge below a 2m wall (which is S of the ledge). After 100m a large fault is met which contains 183.

183 is a small man-sized hole behind a flake in the obvious fault. Descend a boulder pile for 5m then undescended pitch (5m + 5m rattle). Drafts strongly.

#### 184 (90/14) - Shiruken

To get to 184 from 183: go S up the fault until an area of exposed limestone is met on the left (about 20m). Go left (E) along this exposure up to where the bunde starts and locate a surface stream canyon. This becomes 184 when it goes underground (and it's marked).

It is a sharp narrow canyon and it's a BASTARD. Hence is called Shiruken (the sharp spikey things Ninjas throw).

#### 185 - Two Year Gestation Höhle (MARKED 183)

This is the narrow slot in the pavement on the E side of the col, on the usual ('89 to '90) route from top camp to 161. 185 was first bolted in '88 and descended in 1990 by Jeremy and Matt.

The first pitch 'Fancy a coffee' descends past a small snow plug down to a large(ish) chamber covered with snow which appeared to be about 7m deep. A small section to the left lets in a shaft of light, which changes from a wide beam to a narrow one. A low crawl on the left (ice covered) leads to the second pitch ('Your place or mine') - a short 3m (approx) drop to a ledge then a longer (10 to 13m) drop down to the floor. The second pitch is slightly wet, with small amounts of water dripping from the roof. A loose climb leads to a tight crawl and even tighter pitch (Marble Sink revisited according to Jeremy), which is now named 'Get yer kit off' this descends into a small chamber, where the limestone changes in colour from yellow to blue, a rift then drops into a boulder covered chamber, with a larger boulder choked to the right and a very, very small hole leading to the left for a few metres. The 4th and probably final pitch has been named 'Came to soon'.

#### 186 - Rosenkavalierhöhle (NOT MARKED)

Bearings Nase: 285°, Gr. Schiebling Kögel: 350°
Near col just before camp one (iron cross), 50m above path on opposite hillside. Where path by the Nase meets fault running up the mountain.

The name is supposed to be in honour of Mark D's red Cavalier, but I think it may mean something more like 'Pink Knight Cave'. Cairn built by entrances.

There are three entrances investigated in the area.

Highest is a really tight flat-out crawl leading to a tightish but passable rift. Draughting.

Abandoned in favour of a newly collapsed small hole 10m below, at the foot of a small (5m) cliff. This had a very big rock blocking the entrance and rewarded the huge effort required to shift it with nearly 5m of passage to a choke and a choked shaft.

10m further down still is the third entrance. A 6m climb down to a large ramp and a rebelay is the start of a 30m pitch. One way at the bottom is an 8m boulder slope climb up to a choke and small aven. The other way is a 2m climb into moonmilk crawl and some tight thrutching and chokes. All thoroughly investigated and not going anywhere.

#### 187 (CUCC 90)

Cairn by entrance. B. Nase: 246°, Central Peak of Dachstein!: 215° Up ridge to HSK from 161 entrance.

Nearly vertical bedding plane allows a 5m climb from where 5m+ of pitch can be seen, and stones thrown down it indicate more.

#### 188 - Skinrip Passages I - IV (NOT MARKED)

There is one unmarked cave, called Skinrip Passages I-IV, discovered by Julian, Tony, Keith and quote 'the total bastard pants gravel hypodermic foreskin up-your thunk' Jeremy. Assuming that it is more than 10m long then it qualifies and one of the above should go and scribble on it. This is described as a fun system of about six openings all in a line near the camp, all connected by cave, the last of which is a very tricky climb to get out of and is in the middle of bunde. It contains some snow and ice blockages, making it unpleasant without gear.

- Cambridge Underground 1991, Table of Contents
- 1990 Expedition info:
  - Index (more detail than in this list)
  - Logbook
  - Expo Report (Diary)
  - 161 Description to date (ie. 1990)
  - Entrances 162 and 163
  - Surveying Report:
    - 1: Calibration
    - 2: Survey Production
  - Bosch Cordless Rotary Hammer Drill Report
  - Sponsors
- Index to all publications
- Back to Expeditions intro page
- CUCC Home Page