","The entrance consists of a crack about 20cm high, which was at first cleared as far as a chamber with no exit. The draught which had enabled the entrance to be found now showed the way on. After having unblocked a fissure dubbed Sas, a pitch, Escalier Anti-G, was reached. This is broken in five places. A second pitch, Puits Andromède, broken into three, leads to a short canyon, then to several drops and pitches interspersed with short squeezes. The following pitches can be seen as forming a single 80m shaft, the Puits Ganimède, divided into five and becoming bigger and bigger in depth as well as width. The cave continues by a fault rift two or three metres wide and 40m deep, Puits Trou Noir (The Black Hole). The early pitches are dry, but by this point, at -200m, the shafts are much wetter.
The explorers in 1977 started on the descent of a fine 60m pitch of constant shape, slightly sloping, Puits Zorglub. At the bottom of this is the only chamber of the cave : the Salle Galactique. Here the cave splits into two routes, the active and the fossil.
Downstream from the chamber a drop leads to a small chamber among boulders, the Love Nest. (No idea who ventured to call it this). Between the boulders a 20m pitch opens, immediately followed by a 25m pitch. In fact, the last 25m of descent drops between the walls of an immense aven to land on a flat gravel floor. A diagonal chimney leads to a trickle of water.
A fissure marks the start of the Méandre Anti-Matière, where one immediately rejoins the underground stream. This has an average flow of two litres per second but quite rapidly increases to 10-15 litres per second in flood. The first part of the meander is straight and interrupted by 3 small pitches and two drops. At the top of the first, in the roof, is the connection with the fossil system. Quickly, the meander becomes less amenable: high and narrow, it is plastered with mud (the anti-matter) which makes progress quite arduous. Three pitches of 5, 14 and 10m punctuate progress. This last, followed by a drop of 3m, gives access to a section of passage blocked by clay. At the end of this, the stream disappears into a fissure with tight impenetrable bends.
The main passage continues ahead as a quite large fossil branch. After some 50m, the draught goes into an earthy hole, the start of a big pitch of 70m in several stages, the Puits du Centaure.
Halfway down, the pitch is rejoined by the stream which is avoided by a parallel fossil shaft. There immediately follows another pitch of 55m, the Puits du Fond des Ages, totally wet and characterised by an elliptical cross-section and constant slope. At the bottom, the water is engulfed by a fissure about three metres long, followed by a tight meander which has not been pushed. This is the deepest point : -565m.
Upstream from the Salle Galactique, a window some metres high gives access to a good-sized passage (3x3m on average), the Méandre des Petits Hommes Verts (the Little Green Men's passage). One comes up against a climb of 3m at the base of which the trickle of water is lost into a meander cut below the fossil passage (see below). After a narrowing and a climb, the passage ends in boulders between which it is still possible to penetrate for a dozen metres.
Back in the meander below the fossil passage: this ends at the Puit de la Comète (discovered by the Gaumais), a 60m pitch, spray-lashed in its lower part by Le Pipi (the wee-wee). At the base of this pitch is the beginning of the Méandre des Mutants. This is a passage for masochists par excellence: low and tight, gear gets caught everywhere. It ends in a series of climbs and a 30m pitch joining the active system.",,,,"
",,,,,,,"Description adapted from the references by Andy Waddington. This translation has not been vetted by a fluent french reader, and I'm afraid it shows rather badly in places.
See reference 78-2008 for Geology and Meteorology.",,,,,,,,,,,"1520m",,,"Plagitzergrube, NE of Hangender Kogel. This puts it quite close to Trunkemboldschacht, 1626/117 (which is 90m higher) and also near the path.",,,,,,, ,"1/S +",,"A1",,"kratzer/a1.htm",,,"CUCC 1976/A1",,,4,"CUCC 1976","An obvious open entrance leads to an 11m pitch into a rift chamber choked in both directions. ",,,,,,,,,"11m",,,,,,,,,,,,,"c 1635m",,,"Situated some 50m vertically below Schwarzmoossattel, up valley from the Loser Hütte. (I think the reference to the Loser Hütte is very misleading outside the context of the original article in Cambridge Underground, and should really be up valley from Bräuning Alm).",,,,,,"Lost","Probably hopeless" -,"1/S/T +",,"B1",,"kratzer/b1.htm",,,"CUCC 1976/B1",,,4,"CUCC 1976","A 14m pitch drops into rift passage quickly choking to the east. To the west, a short walk reaches a 3m climb to a higher level, choking rapidly.",,,,,,,,,"14m ",,"Thought by the Austrians to be one of a group of shafts numbered 36 in the Kataster, but the location of B1 relative to B4, which is very near 36, precludes this interpretation. Unfortunately, B1 was not relocated in a search in 1990.",,,,,,,,,,,"c 1640m ?",,,"Situated some 40m from A1, up valley and slightly higher up the east slope, the hole lies in an obvious E-W fault.",,,,,,"Lost","Probably hopeless" +,"1/S/T +",,"B1",,"kratzer/b1.htm",,,"CUCC 1976/B1",,,4,"CUCC 1976","A 14m pitch drops into rift passage quickly choking to the east. To the west, a short walk reaches a 3m climb to a higher level, choking rapidly.",,,,,,,,,"14m ",,"Thought by the Austrians to be one of a group of shafts numbered 36 in the Kataster, but the location of B1 relative to B4, which is very near 36, precludes this interpretation. Unfortunately, B1 was not relocated in a search in 1990.",,,,,,,,,,,"c 1640m ?",,,"Situated some 40m from A1, up valley and slightly higher up the east slope, the hole lies in an obvious E-W fault.",,,,,,"Lost","Probably hopeless" ,"1/S +",,"B2",,"kratzer/b2.htm",,,"CUCC 1976/B2",,,4,"CUCC 1976 ","A 4m climb leads to two 5m drops and a snow plug. Across the snow a direct pitch can be reached.",,,,,,,,,"15m",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Up the bottom of the valley from B1, B2 is met just at the foot of the last steep pull up onto the col. Not relocated in search in 1990.",,,,,,"Lost","Probably hopeless" ,"1/S +",,"B3",,"kratzer/b3.htm",,,"CUCC 1976/B3",,,4,"CUCC 1976","The lowest entrance drops via a 10m pitch into a descending rift. The rift drops steadily over boulders to a choke. Up rift from the pitch, daylight is reached from one of the other holes.",,,,,,,,,"15m ?",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Just a few metres up valley from B2, a series of holes. (Cambridge Underground 1977 gives bearings of Loser 238°, Bräuning Nase 280°. However, Loser is not visible from this area and it is most likely that this bearing is to Sommersitz, which looks rather similar from this direction.) Not relocated in search in 1990. ",,,,,,"Lost", -,"1/S +",,"B4",,"kratzer/b4.htm",,,"CUCC 1976/B4",,,4,"CUCC 1976","Descent of 45° snow slope reaches a choked rift. Above and ahead water enters via small aven but no sign of a way on.",,,,,,"CUCC sketch 1996",,,"?",,,,,"p1976_b4",,,"Surface survey",,"gps00.b4",,,,,,"Again just a short distance up valley from B3, a significant shakehole with snow at foot. (Cambridge Underground 1977 gives bearings of Loser 234°, Bräuning Nase 292°. However, Loser is not visible from this area and it is most likely that this bearing is to Sommersitz, which looks rather similar from this direction.)
Relocated in searches in 1990 and 1996 - best (and pretty easily) found from Schwarzmoossattel or Top Camp by following the path south until a small spring (at the site of the 1979 bivouac) feeds a tiny stream descending into the valley. This sinks in the northernmost shaft of Schachtgruppe 36. In the centre of the valley across from this point is an obvious shakehole, usually with a small snowchoke, in a shaft.",,,,"Tag",,"Surveyed", +,"1/S +",,"B4",,"kratzer/b4.htm",,,"CUCC 1976/B4",,,4,"CUCC 1976","Descent of 45° snow slope reaches a choked rift. Above and ahead water enters via small aven but no sign of a way on.",,,,,,"CUCC sketch 1996",,,"?",,,,,"p1976_b4",,,"Surface survey",,"gps00.b4",,,,,,"Again just a short distance up valley from B3, a significant shakehole with snow at foot. (Cambridge Underground 1977 gives bearings of Loser 234°, Bräuning Nase 292°. However, Loser is not visible from this area and it is most likely that this bearing is to Sommersitz, which looks rather similar from this direction.)
Relocated in searches in 1990 and 1996 - best (and pretty easily) found from Schwarzmoossattel or Top Camp by following the path south until a small spring (at the site of the 1979 bivouac) feeds a tiny stream descending into the valley. This sinks in the northernmost shaft of Schachtgruppe 36. In the centre of the valley across from this point is an obvious shakehole, usually with a small snowchoke, in a shaft.",,,,"Tag",,"Surveyed", ,"1/S +",,"B5",,"kratzer/b5.htm",,,"CUCC 1976/B5",,"probably = 75",4,"CUCC 1976","Descent over snow of 10m or so ended a snow choke.",,,,,,,,,"10m",,"Probably = 75",,,,,,,,,,,,,,"""Right on the col - the scar to the west has large holes immediately below it."" This seems to exactly describe Schachtgruppe 36 as seen from B4. B5 was not relocated in searches in 1990 and 1995. The Austrians thought B5 was the same as Kat. 35, but Waddington notes that the descriptions don't match well and Auer's map shows 35 as SW from 36. However, Wisenthöhle (1623/75) is very close to B4, and if snow levels were high could be a 10m descent to a snow choke (Olly's theory).",,,,,,"Lost","Probably hopeless" ,"1/S +",,"B6",,"plateau/b6.htm",,,"CUCC 1976/B6",,,"1a","CUCC 1976","Descent of 8m to a choke.",,,,,,,,,"8m",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Small shaft on plateau just over the col. It is believed that this has not been found since 1976, despite a number of searches.",,,,,,"Lost", ,"1/S +",,"B10",,"plateau/b10.htm",,,"CUCC 1976/B10",,,"1a","CUCC 1976, 1988","Simply a 5m climb to two short pitches choked at foot of second. Rigged entirely on natural belays in 1988.",,,,,,,,,,,"This was apparently relocated and reexplored by CUCC in 1988, before they spotted the number. Shown as being near the foot of the Bräuning wall, in the same area as 159 and 160. Not relocated, however, in a search in 1990, probably because it's further out onto the plateau than the 91,93,94 area where I looked. There are a couple of likely looking holes immediately north of the grassy area containing lower top camp, but no number was visible in 1998.",,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Lies in maze of karren north of B9.",,,,,,"Refindable","Persistent reports of this being seen (including accidental reexploration in 1988), but not by those doing the documentation :-(" @@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ ,"1/S -",,"1996WK4",,"smkridge/1996wk4.html",,,,,,"2b","CUCC 1996 (Wookey)","Big enough to be worth dropping.",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"gps00.wk4",,,,,,"A picture of the Bräuning wall and Loser from the vicinity of the entrance is here.","This is a GPSed hole found by Wookey on a thrashed route whilst looking for a possible route from 161d over the top of the Hochklapf spur of the Vord to the Stogerweg. There is a large N-S (ish) fault/joint in the bunde here which provides useful path. Approximately on top of bulge sticking out into valley."," This cave was a squareish hole in a the path that one had to traverse carefully",,"Unmarked",,"Surveyed", ,"1/S -",,"1997-07",,"smkridge/1997-07/1997-07.html",,,," =1996-07, 1996wk7",,"2c","CUCC 1996 (Wookey) Incomplete","Descent through narrow rift and choked bouldery leads (after 10m) to an undescended pitch (20m ?). Draught stops and starts with a period of about 30 seconds (on the day of discovery), but when active, it was inwards.",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"gps00.wk7",,,"c. 1810-1820m","VSK: 233°, Hollweiser: 145° (from a point between 97-07 and the 97-08 group of entrances)",,"GPS: E 36338 N (52)82260 H? or E 36385 N (52)82234 H? Averaged from GPS: E 36370 N (52)82269 H?","From route to 139 E of VSK, take big shelf which leads to a series of holes (CUCC 96 WK7 to WK10) and eventually to Steinschlagschacht (136).",,"
Photo © David Loeffler 2005. Model: Wookey. There is also an earlier photo which was believed to be this cave, but turns out not to be (they clearly aren't the same hole); I haven't moved it anywhere else on the website since it shouldn't be thrown away and it's not clear to me where else to file it.","Tag","Tag placed 1997","Surveyed", ,"1/S -",,"1996WK11",,"smkridge/1996wk11.html",,,,,,"2b","CUCC 1996 (Wookey)","Big rift aligned 115<->295°. At WNW end is big. Descends over boulders and then snow beyond point of exploration. Needs rope to complete descent, although it is likely to be choked.",,,,,,"? Survey plan and elv in NotKH book.NotKH book 1999- p16",,,,,,,,,,,,,"gps00.wk11",,,"1661 +/- 53","Nipple: 202°, Trissel: 179°, Hollweiser: 138°",,"At foot of slope from top of VSK, on Eastern side, before flat area containing Nipple to south of VSK.",,,,"Unmarked",,"Surveyed", -,"1/S -",,"1996WK12",,"kratzer/1996wk12.html",,,,"(aka 2005-89)",,4,"CUCC 1996 (Wookey)","Oval 3m deep hole. Way on in opposite corner from difficult climb down of 3m to bottom. To the SW is a small mossy hole to choked chamber about 2 x 3m. To the NE clamber 6m down rocky slope then 6m along narrowing rift. V. tight possible way on down, but easier way along can be followed for 10m to awkward boulder blockage. Passage continues at least 3m to corner. The boulder was not passed in shorts and goretex for fear of ripping!",,,,"NotKH book p29-p30",,"? Plan, elevation (grade2)",,,,,,,"pwk12",,,,"GPS post SA",,,,,"c. 1684m",,,"Surface survey passes over cave, but no station at cave.","About 12m or 30m SW of laser point 7 'LSR7_' on south side of Schwarzmoossattel (the one with incorrect position on original laser survey), 40m NE of 36. NW (upslope) from CUCC 1976 B4.","Oval hole 4m x 3m at edge of pavement next to grassy area. Draughting - particularly on entrance slope.","
Photo © Dave Loeffler 2005","Tag","Tagged 2005-08-01 as ""2005-89"" as no letters available in tag kit","Surveyed", +,"1/S -",,"1996WK12",,"kratzer/1996wk12.html",,,,"(aka 2005-89)",,4,"CUCC 1996 (Wookey)","Oval 3m deep hole. Way on in opposite corner from difficult climb down of 3m to bottom. To the SW is a small mossy hole to choked chamber about 2 x 3m. To the NE clamber 6m down rocky slope then 6m along narrowing rift. V. tight possible way on down, but easier way along can be followed for 10m to awkward boulder blockage. Passage continues at least 3m to corner. The boulder was not passed in shorts and goretex for fear of ripping!",,,,"NotKH book p29-p30",,"? Plan, elevation (grade2)",,,,,,,"pwk12",,,,"GPS post SA",,,,,"c. 1684m",,,"Surface survey passes over cave, but no station at cave.","About 12m or 30m SW of laser point 7 'LSR7_' on south side of Schwarzmoossattel (the one with incorrect position on original laser survey), 40m NE of 36. NW (upslope) from CUCC 1976 B4.","Oval hole 4m x 3m at edge of pavement next to grassy area. Draughting - particularly on entrance slope.","
Photo © Dave Loeffler 2005","Tag","Tagged 2005-08-01 as ""2005-89"" as no letters available in tag kit","Surveyed", ,"1/T +",,"1996-X01",,"plateau/1996-X01/1996-X01.html",,,,"Sheep Cave",,"1a","CUCC 1996 (Wookey, Olly, while surface surveying from the Nase laser point to old Top Camp)","3m long, full of sheep shit",,,,,,,,"3m","0m","3m",,,,"nasetotc.7",,,"Surface survey",,,,,,,,"Approximately halfway up the Bräuning Nase",,,"
Photos © Olly Betts 2004 + 1996","Unmarked",,"Surveyed", ,"? +",,"1998-X01",,"plateau/1998-X01.html",,,,,,"1d","Has a ""+"" mark of unknown provenance. Rediscovered and tied to surface survey by CUCC (Wookey and Andy W) 1998.",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"p1998-x01",,,"GPS post SA",,,,,,,,,,,,"Unmarked (?)",,"Surveyed", ,,,"1999-X01",,"smkridge/1999-X01.html",,,,"MI5 Cave",,"2c","Has a ""-"" mark of unknown provenance. Rediscovered and surveyed to (but not descended) CUCC 1999",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"pmi5",,,,,,,,,,,"Schwarzmooskogel ridge near 180 and 191",,,"
","Paint (?)",,"Surveyed",