# 1623:35

35 | Dr. Kerschner Höhle | 2/S/T x
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Altitude: 1630m
Depth: Given 100m in 1980.
Location: Just SW of the col (Schwarzmoossattel), SE of Bräuning Nase.

This hole supposedly has a CUCC painted number "B5" of 1976 vintage, which will probably be pretty faded. Now, the Austrian's exploration details suggest that the cave was substantially unblocked in 1976 (to -30m in October), while CUCC's find was choked at -10m. Also, the description given of this cave in the local Climbing Guide (Krenmayr) sounds nothing like B5 at all, (he says, already explored in 1921, but today almost forgotten. Need Ice equipment) so the Austrian writing in the caver's magazine who said it was B5 may have been mistaken. Krenmayr gives length 250m, depth 100m.

This description by Karl Gaisberger is from the 1977 Exploration:

After climbing down 8m to where the shaft appeared blocked by snow, progress did not seem likely. I [translator] think "there was a spiralling way in the snow to a wall of ice columns". A very steep descent led into a passage with a snow cone. (This was still in the previous year's snow-free climb !). Pushing through a thin snow-wall through which the light glimmered, a direct way was established. Through a hole in the snow in a rubble-filled passage, the way soon branched. Both branches ended blind.

The lower level of the cave, described by O Schauberger, must be found on the opposite side of the snow-cone from the [Schluf?]. One now comes to a chamber complex where a sloping 10m shaft climbs down into the Kristallhalle. The walls here are covered with admittedly large, but superficially weathered calcite somethings (Kalzitdrusen).

From the Kristallhalle, through a narrow bit to a side-something with a pile of rubble, the Tropfsteinhalle. There is a single 60cm high stalagmite here. It shows a corroded appearance, indicating aggressive ground water. Tropfsteinhalle contains, so far, the most beautiful flowstone decorations in the Loser area. These include [plenty dictionary failure here] Sinterfahnen, Boden- und Deckenzapfen, sogar Excentriques.

In the area of the stalagmites, several dead pseudoscorpions (Neobisium aueri) were found. There is some more description of the floor of the chamber (I think), but I can't make head nor tail of it.

Exploration: Found by Othmar Schauberger, 1921. Looked at for some years by F Hütter, but always blocked by snow. In October 1976, G Graf managed to descend 30m in the shaft, the uppermost part of which was snow and ice free. The continuation of the way could not be found. In August 1977, 5kg of salt was dumped onto the snow blockage. In October 1977, after a long walk over the plateau, it was looked at again and successfully explored.

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