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<title>1980: Nick Thorne's report for Descent 49</title>
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<font size=-1>CTS 81.1410: Descent 49 (Jul/Aug 1981) p 46</font>
<p>This article first appeared in <i>Descent</i> (49) for Jul/Aug 1981,
p46 and is reproduced here with the
permission of the author and Wild Places Publishing.<br>
<h2>Stellerwegh&ouml;hle</h2>
<h3>CUCC's -1200ft Alternative to Early German Route</h3>
<p align=right>By Nick Thorne
<p>FOR THE FIFTH year in succession, Cambridge University Caving Club again
visited the Loser Plateau of Austria for their annual expedition in 1980.
This expedition's personnel was supplemented by a University of Bristol
contingent to give a relatively hefty thirteen man team. In all we spent
three weeks in the fray, the fray being a combination of deep potholes, long
walks, prospecting trips, eating schnitzels and drinking beer.
<p>The expedition started with a brief inspection of the limestone of the
Tennengebirge above Golling and Abtenau. This area has a depth potential of
around 4000ft/1200m and is under heavy scrutiny from many foreign caving
clubs. Consequently we soon returned to our 'home patch', the Loser Plateau,
above Alt Aussee in the Totes Gebirge. Although it has a smaller depth
potential, this area is almost virgin, is much more accessible and isn't yet
crowded out with hopeful speleos.
<p>This time we concentrated our explorations not on the plateau itself, but
on the nearby Stoger Weg area. This was prompted by the presence there of a
cave called Stellerwegh&ouml;hle (designated 1623/41 in the Austrian
catalogue). Stellerweg was pushed several years ago by a German team,
supposedly all in one shaft, to a depth of 905ft/276m and left unfinished due
to lack of tackle.
<p>On descending Stellerweg, the cave we found was nothing like what we
expected. Initially, the German route was missed and a promising alternative
follwed across several traverses, down a couple of pitches, and one huge,
broken 330ft/100m shaft, until things became more cramped and sporting.
Courageously, we abandoned this route and made more determined efforts to
find the original German's route.
<p>Once located, this proved to be fairly disillusioning too, and we pushed
it down a series of stepped pitches, past what we reckoned was the German's
limit of exploration, until this route also became fairly squalid - and we
were still only about 650ft/200m deep. Leaving this way unfinished we
returned to our route.
<p>As the expedition unfurled, our route was explored down more amiable cave
with many pitches to a depth of about 1200ft/370m, the cave continuing. The
whole of Stellerwegh&ouml;hle is very interesting and sporting, resembling,
in parts, a huge version of Mendip's Eastwater, with many passages developed
along inclined bedding planes. The place ramifies considerably, draughts
encouragingly, and is more laterally extensive than anything else we'd
previously come across in Austria. It will undoubtedly become one of the most
important caves of the area, and as it stands now, will repay any work,
albeit quite hard, undertaken in it.
<p>In addition to the exploration of Stellerweg, the expedition also
prospected the immediate vicinity, and discovered a considerable number of
interesting sites. Some of these finds draughted phenomenally, occasionally
the wind being strong enough to be audible and to move small stones. The
caves found here were, not surprisingly, developed along similar lines to
Stellerweg, and many leads were left unpushed.
<p>Our most significant find after Stellerweg was one we called
Sonnenstrahlh&ouml;hle (1623/113). An airy 100ft/30m entrance pitch led down
several steep ramps, more pitches and easy going to reach a restriction at
minus 1120ft/340m. During its exploration one trip proved to be fairly
exciting. Whilst a party was below a damp series of pitches near the bottom
of the cave, the cloudburst of the year started. The water runs off this
limestone like greased W.S., and the party were soon overtaken by something
akin to a tidal wave. Fortunately, they had dry sanctuary in a passage just
above the final pitch, and there they sat out the flood until the water
abated and a relief party got down to them.
<p>Further details of our discoveries in this area will be issued in future
CUCC and UBSS publications. Stellerwegh&ouml;hle and environs offers exciting
rewards for hard work. The possibility exists of inter-connecting many of the
caves here, thus producing a system both long and deep. We'll be back.
<p>Many thanks to locals, Fritz Madlmaier, Karl Gaisverger, and Gunter Graf.
<hr>
<!-- LINKS -->
<img alt="&gt;" src="../../../../icons/lists/0.png">
<b>1980 Expedition info</b>:<br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../../../../icons/lists/1.png">
<a href="../../../years/1980/log.htm">Logbook</a><br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../../../../icons/lists/1.png">
<a href="../../../years/1980/report.htm">Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1981</a><br>
<!-- <img alt="---&gt;" src="../../../../icons/lists/1.png">
<a href="../../../years/1980/bcracc.htm">BCRA Caves &amp; Caving Report</a><br> -->
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../../../../icons/lists/1.png">
Austria 1980 - from <a href="../../../years/1980/npcpub.htm">NPC Newsletter</a><br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../../../../icons/lists/1.png">
<a href="../../../years/1980/song.htm">Another Kick in the Balls</a> (expedition song)<br>
<img alt="&gt;" src="../../../../icons/lists/0.png">
<a href="../../../pubs.htm#1980">Index</a> to all publications<br>
<img alt="&gt;" src="../../../../icons/lists/0.png">
<a href="../../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a><br>
<img alt="&gt;" src="../../../../icons/lists/0.png">
<a href="../../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a>
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