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< title > CUCC 1999 Expedition Goals< / title >
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< h2 > < center > CUCC Austria 1999 - Mission statement< / center > < / h2 >
< p > 1999 will see the twenty third annual summer expedition to Austria
by the Cambridge University Caving Club. A number of major goals are
set out for this year's expedition, along with a great deal of other
work both on new projects and continuing documentation of previous
exploration.
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< p > For eleven successive summer expeditions, C.U.C.C., and its post-graduate
sister club ex-Cambridge Speleologists, have been exploring the
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< a href = "../../1623/161/top.htm" > Kaninchenhö hle< / a > cave system in
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the Totes Gebirge of Austria (about 80 km east of Salzburg). A major goal of
the 1997 trip was to link the cave with a deep shaft system,
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< a href = "../../1623/161/136.htm" > Steinschlagschacht< / a > , first explored
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by the club in 1983. This was successfully achieved by
means of some rather spectacular traversing of a ledge system 40m above the
floor of a large chamber, giving an increased depth of 507m for the combined system. After the 1998 trip, a new deep point was reached, making the cave
534m deep and 22.4 km long, ranking as one of the major caves of Europe.
< p > To the south of Kaninchenhö hle lies another major cave,
the southern Schwarzmooskogel system. Parts of this were explored as
long ago as 1938, but the major central part of the cave,
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< a href = "../../1623/41/41.htm" > Stellerweghö hle< / a > , was explored by
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CUCC in 1980-85, to a depth of 973m and a length of some 7km. Other parts of
the cave have been explored by both French and German groups, and the total
length of this cave was over 20km before some new exploration in 1998 by
ArGe.
< p > After 1997, the gap between these two systems is about 130m, in passages
at much the same level. The 1998 expedition eliminated some of the more
obvious leads working from the Stellerweg end, using the nearest entrance,
which leads into a spectacular ice-decorated chamber. Various climbs down and
up were pushed, finding some new passage, but no convincing way on towards
Steinschlagschacht.
< p > A major goal of the 1999 expedition will be to search for new passages in
the area of this gap, via the Steinschlagschacht entrance. Linking the two
systems would involve us not only in exciting new exploration, but also in a
great deal of tie-up surveying to establish definitive figures for the length
and depth of the combined system. Current survey information suggests that
the linked cave would be well over 42 km long and 1056m deep, making it the
third or fourth longest cave in Austria. This would also put it among both
the fifty or so deepest caves in the world < b > and< / b > the fifty or so
longest. Few caves make it so far up both the long < u > and< / u > deep lists -
truly a cave of world significance.
< p > Our German friends from Stuttgart, < b lang = de > Arbeitsgemeinschaft
Hö hle und Karst Grabenstetten e.V.< / b > (ArGe) have explored 7km (up
to the end of 1997 - more this year, too) in one of the linked caves in the
southern system and are still working in cooperation with us in the area. We
are also in contact with the French < b lang = fr > Groupe Spé lé o de
Clerval - Baume les Dames< / b > (GSCB) who explored part of this system in the
1980's. Liaison with these groups, as well as with the local Austrian cavers
< b lang = de-at > Vereines fü r Hö hlenkunde in OberSteier< / b > (VfHO) is
an important part of the work both on the expedition and during the
year-round documentation effort that goes on at home in the UK.
< p > Other areas of Kaninchenhö hle also merit attention, with over 230
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unfinished ways on < a href = "../../1623/161/qmtodo.htm" > documented< / a >
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in the cave. Some of these were quite remote when first found,
but have been made much more accessible since the discovery
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of the lower-level < a href = "../../1623/161/sftotp.htm#id161d" > Scarface< / a >
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entrance in 1995.
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< p > The < a href = "../../1623/161/farnth.htm" > Far North< / a > of the cave has
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not been revisited for some time, but is now rendered rather easier of
access. If enough people attend the expedition, this area is also one of
potential interest, as are any of a number of other areas. Any of the 230-odd
going leads could gain access to significant new extensions.
For example, a rather unpromising lead in a 1996 find gave access to the
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< a href = "../../1623/161/offtri.htm#lworld" > Lost World< / a > in 1997. This
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was a rather unexpected, but very impressive series of horizontal passages
developed at a level lower than any of the other major horizontal development
in the system.
< p > The production of an accurate survey of all the cave newly explored
by each expedition has been a goal we have increasingly met in recent years.
This has been aided on the surface by computer technology, of course, but
in the cave, still requires the investment of considerable effort and
manpower.
< p > Away from Kaninchenhö hle itself, CUCC have explored several
dozen other caves during the two decades we have been visiting the area.
A number of high-quality survey points established by laser-rangefinder
and theodolite are now available, and these combined with GPS units, are
enabling us to relocate many of these and provide a much higher standard of
documentation than was regarded as acceptable in the earlier years of
our exploration. Although something of a "background" task, this work is
important, and will undoubtedly lead to the discovery of more new caves
as the surface is covered more systematically than previously.
< p > As always, publication of a report, with photographs, maps and surveys, is
an essential part of the expedition's activities. In recent years, the aim
has been to provide a printed report in the autumn following the expedition,
for circulation to our sponsors and others. The main publication is a full
report in the CUCC journal "Cambridge Underground", whilst briefer
resumé articles appear in the British Cave Research Association
Bulletin "Caves and Caving" and in the popular magazine "Descent". Surveys
and photographs of new finds are presented in a lecture at the annual BCRA
conference, despite this being within only three or four weeks of the
expedition's return each year.
< p > However, the main avenue of publication for the great mass of detail
which each expedition generates is now via our club website. This contains
annually revised descriptions of all the explored cave, as well as a wealth
of archive material which we could not contemplate publishing on paper.
As well as our own material, there are links and summaries of the work of
others in the area. Links are also provided to other caving clubs' sites
(many CUCC cavers go on to join regionally-based clubs when they graduate,
whilst still continuing to cave on the expedition) and of course to the
websites of our sponsors.
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< hr / >
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< h4 align = center > 1999 CUCC Expedition Goals< / h4 >
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< p > < ul >
< li > Watch the total eclipse of the sun on August 11th :-)< / li >
< li > Search the Steinschlagschacht and Forbidden Land areas of the cave for
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ways on south towards the nearby southern Schwarzmooskogel system, with a
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potential length/depth in excess of 42km/1056m.
< ul >
< li > Finish the descent of Wet Dreams route in Steinschlagschacht to see if
this leads to a way past the apparently terminal dry route< / li >
< / ul > < / li >
< li > Push a number of other areas of Kaninchenhö hle:
< ul >
< li > over 230 documented ways on< / li >
< li > revisit Far North, now that it is less remote< / li >
< / ul > < / li >
< li > Surface surveys and GPS fixes for many older discoveries< / li >
< li > There are loose ends in some older CUCC discoveries which may be useful
to pursue to tie surveys in:
< ul >
< li > Descent of major ramps below Roddick's Dive in
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< a href = "../../1623/144.htm" > 144< / a > seems likely to
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connect to a similar upward ramp in Larchenschacht in the chamber before
it connects to Stellerweg. A survey loop down here, into known points
in Larchenschacht and back out via the original 144-Stellerweg connection
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would do a great deal to help tie things in.< / li >
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< li > Cave < a href = "../../1623/140.htm" > 140< / a > was noted on a surface walk in
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1998, and the description is suggestive that ends were inconclusive. This now
proves to be in a rather key position between the two major systems, and a
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reexploration (and a good survey) is in order.< / li >
< li > Once below the Big Pitch in Stellerweg, it would be really worthwhile
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to survey down the Big Rift, which was never done. This would give us a
reliable depth for the cave which didn't depend on surface surveys.< br >
[we learn that ArGe have been down here in 1998, and surveyed from the
Big Pitch to the start of the Big Rift - as yet CUCC has not seen the
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raw data from this resurvey]< / li >
< / ul > < / li >
< li > Photography and other documentation work< / li >
< li > Liaison with other groups working in the area now and in the past< / li >
< li > High quality publication via the World Wide Web and on paper< br >
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< hr / >
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< h3 > Dates:< / h3 >
< p > Expo '99 will be five weeks to include August 11th, although as usual
dates are flexible according to when people want to go/leave. Typically there
are people arriving/leaving on every weekend so it is entirely possible to go
for as long or as little time as you like.
< p > Transport is pooled to minimise cost, but overall costs are variable and
difficult to be precise about since it depends on factors such as how long
you go for and how much beer you drink.
< h3 > Expo Committee:< / h3 >
< p > Expo 1999 is currently at the "blue sky" stage, serious planning
having barely started. This year's volunteer for Expedition Leader is Andrew
Ketley who will no doubt be circulating details of what prospective
members need to do. One thing worth doing early is applying for the
various sports and travel grants available from most colleges.
< p > Likely people of vast previous experience to contact in Cambridge are
Julian Haines (mail < JHaines> on site scigen.co.uk, recent expo leader,
and keen to let someone else have a turn), Sam Lieberman (mail < sam> on
site avroind.com) and Tony Rooke. Last year's leader was Tim Vasby-Burnie
(mail < trv21> on site hermes.cam.ac.uk). The information in this
website is maintained by Andy Waddington (mail < austria> on site
pennine.demon.co.uk) and Wookey (mail < wookey> on site aleph1.co.uk),
where any questions or suggestions will be welcomed.
< p > Both the Far North and the southern Schwarzmooskogel system link are
ambitious projects, so there will be plenty of scope for hard caving and new
exploration. But those 230-plus other leads include easy ones near entrances,
and much of the other work will not need mega-hard caving talent, so there
should be plenty of enjoyable caving and walking for everyone, regardless of
fitness or experience. Expo takes a while to get moving, but it is always
worth while discussing options from early on.
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<!-- LINKS -->
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< li > 1998 Expedition info:
< ul >
< li > < a href = "../1998/index.htm" > Index< / a > (more complete than this list)< / li >
< li > < a href = "../1998/log.htm" > Logbook< / a > < / li >
< li > Expedition < a href = "../1998/report.htm" > Report< / a > 1998< / li >
< / ul > < / li >
< li > < a href = "index.htm" > Index< / a > to 1999 expedition info< / li >
< li > < a href = "../../pubs.htm" > Index< / a > to all publications< / li >
< li > < a href = "../../sponsr.htm" > Current year's< / a > sponsors< / li >
< li > < a href = "../../index.htm" > Back to Expeditions intro page< / a > < / li >
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< li > < a href = "../../../index.htm" > CUCC Home Page< / a > < / li >
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