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Visiting CUCC's Caves
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<center><h1>Warning and disclaimer</h1></center>
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Many of the caves described in these pages are in a Nature Reserve
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(Naturschutzgebiet), in which permission is legally required (and most often
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denied) for both caving and camping. Austria has a very strict cave
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conservation ethic - permission to cave is unlikely to be granted without
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the support of the local caving organisation, who are currently discouraging
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new exploration by any groups who have not previously worked in the area.
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<p>Care should be taken where possible to stick to existing paths. Be aware
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that knowing the coordinates of a cave, and/or bearings to prominent
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landmarks, is no guarantee of being able to find it in the intricate and
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confusing limestone karren fields. Marking of caves or routes by paint is
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now strongly discouraged, more discrete metal tags being used instead. This
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makes caves even harder to spot from any distance away.
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<p>Many of the caves were explored up to twenty years ago, using 8mm
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self-drilling anchors - the hangers were removed. Not all of these were
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well-placed, and some were placed for ladders, not SRT. All will have
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deteriorated, even though, in most cases, they were greased during derigging.
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Some of them are very hard to find (even with a detailed rigging guide) and
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omission of a critical rebelay or deviation can render a pitch much more
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dangerous either through abrasion or through greater exposure to floodwater.
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Many of the caves contain loose rock, many are subject to rapid flooding with
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very cold runoff water. Rocks can move, ice formations can form in different
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places each year and may be in a greater or lesser state of decomposition
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during the summer. What may have been safe rigging during the original
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exploration may not be safe today. Snow plugs on entrance pitches may
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collapse without warning. Other hazards may exist of which the original
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explorers were unaware.
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<p>Please take these caves as you find them and treat their descent as if it
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was original exploration. It is up to the individual to satisfy his or
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herself that the descent is safe, that any belays used or reused are sound.
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CUCC does not maintain any of the anchors or fixed ropes in the caves except
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during their own continuing explorations and even then cannot guarantee their
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safety. Neither CUCC nor any member or guest of a CUCC expedition can be held
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responsible for any accident occurring to third parties descending any of the
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caves described here, even if using equipment placed by such persons. If you
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are not prepared to assume responsibility for your own safety, please stay
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out of these caves or take suitable training to ensure that you can assess
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and deal with the risks.
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<p>Be aware that it can take considerable time for any rescue effort to be
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organised in this location, so visitors should aim to be self-reliant.
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Although the Austrian rescue organisation may be able to call upon the
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services of a helicopter, these cannot fly at night, and military operations
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will take priority over civilian rescue. You'll need a fluent german speaker
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(ie. able to converse accurately over the phone) to be able to make contact
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with the rescue service at all. It is in your interest to make contact with
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any other cavers or expeditions in the area, as well as the local caving
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groups, <b>before</b> any rescue effort is required. It is also your moral
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responsibility to offer assistance in the event that another group is
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involved in a rescue situation. Unlike rescues in the UK, which tend to use
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huge numbers of haulers, very few Austrian cavers are available for any
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given rescue.
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It may be helpful to read the <a href="handbook/rescue.htm">Rescue Guide</a>
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which CUCC uses on its expeditions.
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<p>Finally, information presented here is gathered together from a wide
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variety of sources, from detailed reports written at the time of exploration
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to word-of-mouth from memory many years later. Although every care has been
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taken to ensure that it is correct (for our own use if nothing else :-),
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<b>neither CUCC nor the editors of this archive make any warranty as to the
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accuracy or currency of anything presented here</b>. In <b>ALL</b> cases, any
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opinions expressed are those of the contributing author, and do not
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necessarily reflect an official position of Cambridge University Caving Club
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or of any other body which they may appear to represent. Any representation
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of a legal or 'official' position reflects our best efforts at understanding,
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but should not be taken as an authoritative source. Errors, omissions and
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misunderstandings are inevitable, especially when there are language barriers
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and only one visit to the area each year. Legal positions, regulations,
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policies and responsible bodies all change, and the latest situation may not
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yet have come to our attention. In no case can CUCC or the authors of
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information presented here be held responsible for any conflict, loss or
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consequential damage arising from the use of or inability to use the
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information. We would appreciate being informed of any errors, omissions or
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misunderstandings of which you become aware.
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<p>Please also read our <a href="copyit.htm">copyright notice</a>.
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<hr>
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<!-- LINKS -->
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2001-08-16 13:43:09 +01:00
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<img alt=">" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
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2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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<a href="../index.htm">Back to CUCC Home page</a><br>
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2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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<a href="index.htm">Back to Expedition Home page</a><br>
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<img alt=">" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
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<a href="infodx.htm">Index to info/topics pages</a><br>
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<img alt=">" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
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<a href="areas.htm">Description of CUCC's area</a> and split to subareas<br>
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<img alt=">" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
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<a href="indxal.htm">Full Index to area 1623 cave descriptions</a><br>
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<img alt=">" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
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List of (and links to) <a href="pubs.htm">published reports and logbooks</a><br>
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<img alt=">" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
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<a href="gall0.htm">Index (text only) to pictures</a><br>
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<img alt=">" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
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<a href="gallery/0.htm">Index (with thumbnails) to pictures</a><br>
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<img alt=">" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
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Table of <a href="folk/index.htm">members of CUCC expeditions</a> 1976-98<br>
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<img alt=">" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
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2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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<a href="others/index.htm">Other groups</a> who have worked in the area.
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</body>
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</html>
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