# Stellerweghöhlensystem Guidebook: 1623/144

## Top Entrance 1623/144 (1983-85)

Location: E 36102.3 N (52)81514.5 H 1712.0

The entrance is 20m vertically below and 65m on a bearing of 94° from the small knoll (Bunter's Bulge in CUCC parlance, Weiße Warze to the Munchen / Nürnberg cavers) at the end of the ridge running SSW from the Vorderer Schwarzmooskogel, on which there is a laser fixed point 7/8.

### Entrance Series (1983, CUCC)

The 7m entrance shaft narrows to a squeeze through a slot to loose boulders. A passage left (SSW) here, Geheimgang, was completely missed (or ignored) by CUCC, but meanders for a while before heading off for maybe 100m to the SSW to a second entrance.

To the right below the entrance slot is the head of a 9m pitch down to a floor of large wedged blocks. A 16m pitch down through a slot lands on a balcony at the start of a large shattered shaft, 13m wide in places. This is passed by pitches of 15, 42, 5, 7 and 23m (belayed from a nipple on the opposite wall). The cave closes down to a triangular slot 50cm wide, and a 13m hang against the wall drops into a short section of horizontal passage with roof scalloping. This turns into a traverse as a small stream in a canyon comes in from the left, and the route follows this down as a 28m pitch to land in a pool. A short drop and an 11m pitch break into a level of extensive phreatic development. There is an obvious path along the dusty floor, the Yellow Brick Road. Following the stream down a series of ramps leads to a large abandoned passage which has not been explored.

It seems highly likely that the pitch at the end of Alice im Wunderland in Stellerweghöhle will drop into the final 11m pitch before Yellow Brick Road.

Across the Yellow Brick Road from the foot of the 11m pitch; up a boulder slope and past a steep ramp down to the left, leads to a series of small phreatic tubes which mostly close down. Straight ahead leads into a passage almost filled with layered mud and with a strong inward draught. This breaks out at the top of a large chamber, which is entered by a 25m pitch down a layered mud wall. On the opposite side of the chamber, at the level of the pitch head, a large passage is inaccessible, but is the main way on towards Stellerweghöhle.

### The original route to -285m (1983)

From the bottom of the 25m pitch, a 7m diameter tube slopes down at 60° for 40m, forming a pitch with several rebelays. This turns vertical at a 14m pitch which carries a small stream to a 10m pitch, after which the stream vadose canyon gets too tight.

By swinging off the 14m pitch half-way down, a continuation of the main way is reached. This is a 10m abandoned passage with dusty blocks and layered mud. After 20m this closes down in a small chamber. Dropping down 13m in boulders leads to a very small canyon; a passage on the other side of the chamber continues as a canyon for 30m, but filled with mud. The final route out is a 1m diameter, almost circular, phreatic tube with a small vadose trench in the floor. This continues up at 35° for 70m until it meets a very small trench which draughts out. The tube elbows back on itself, but soon becomes choked with mud as the small invading stream disappears down a crack. The draught in this area seems likely to be from the northernmost deep part of Schwabenschacht (1623-78), in which a short passage, just 50m away from this 35° ramp, is on almost exactly the same line.

### The Stellerweg Connection (1985, CUCC)

In the Yellow Brick Road, about 3m to the left of the passage leading to the 25m pitch, the main way in the series of small tubes terminates after 4m in a small hole, Roddick's Dive, which is best rigged with a 6m ladder. This drops through an awkward and slippery restriction and down a rock slab to an exposed muddy sloping landing. Care is required on the descent and the return can be quite time consuming.

Traversing across the mud around to the right leads after about 10m to a 2m climb up into a passage. This is the passage which can be seen across from the 25m pitch. To the right, the pitch is encountered after about 5m. To the left, the passage continues for 25m past a number of ramp tubes on the left. The passage is then blocked by orange sand infill. The rift above the fill has been entered by bolting (two bolts on the left hand wall), and rapidly ascends and narrows. At its furthest point, there is an undescended small hole in the floor down which water can be heard.

Back at the infill, the way on is down the ramp tube on the left. This is descended on a slope of about 45° for 60m, until a large dry passage is entered. To the left this becomes narrower, with steeply sloping soil ledges and a narrow rift below. This direction has not been pushed, but is presumed to be the same rift as that below Roddick's Dive, and probably the same as that below the 11m pitch entering the Yellow Brick Road, all of which must be very close to a connection into the adjacent Larchenschacht (1623/88)

To the right, the passage continues large over a broken rock floor with a trench in the middle. At the point where the trench opens out, and drops for about 2m, two ways on are possible. Descent into the first (unstable rock - care!) leads to a rift between boulders and a climb back up into the passage, above a hole. Alternatively, a traverse to the right leads to the same point.

From here, the route follows a series of winding passages generally floored with loose dry yellow or grey sand, with several short descents over boulders. The draught is the best guide until the passage breaks out into a chamber which is itself a large alcove about 20m up the side of a much larger chamber.

Back-tracking about 20m leads, via a squeeze, through sandy chambers to a muddy low crawl to the bottom of the pitch. This is very draughty and damp. Following the passage downstream, it develops into a vadose canyon with the stream on the floor. After about 20m, another 10m pitch is reached, but by following the steep wet tube on the right it is possible to pop out 3.5m from the bottom of the pitch, from where a wide chimney reaches the floor of the streamway below the Big Pitch in Stellerweg at [C1980-41-33].

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