The first CUCC expeditions camped courtesy of Fritz Madlmeier (who annually +plied us with free beer on arrival and departure) at his campsite by the lake +in Altaussee, with splendid views of the Trisselberg and very convenient for +the Loser Panoramastrasse, as well as various local +hostelries.
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| 1981 base camp | +View across the lake from 1981 base camp | +1978 mess tent | +1982 base camp |
Eventually we outgrew this rather restricted space and moved to the other +side of Bad Aussee, at Gasthof +Staud'nwirt, by the road to Grundlsee. Here Hilde and Karin Wilpernig have +made us very welcome for many years, and have provided us with many luxuries +including some office space in 1984 and use of the "Potato Hut" ever since, +which has sported a fridge for cold beer since 1995! So vital is this to expo +morale that some passage has been +named after it.
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| +Gasthof Staud'nwirt (1995). +It no longer looks like this, having been extended, and reclad for 1998. | +Typical Mess tent at Base Camp (wet in 1994) | +Typical Mess tent at Base Camp (dry in 1995) |
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| The Staud'nwirt sports a river which is +excellent for end-of-expo ropewashing, if it's not in too high a +flood! | +Typical expo gear behind better-than-average transport | +More typical expo transport - knackered trailer (1995) |
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| Vital supplies for the Potato Hut. | +Inside the old Potato Hut. | +The old Potato Hut from the outside. |
See Getting to Expo for how to get to the Stuadnwirt base camp. +
We also have a bike. +
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+ The annual CUCC expedition to Austria lasts around five weeks each summer +and concentrates mainly on new exploration in the high alpine karst of the +Loser plateau (about 80km E of Salzburg). Recent large projects are: + + +
Over two hundred shorter caves have also been explored and +recorded over the forty year history of expo, and prospecting for new +entrances is still an important activity. Every year we discover more new entrances than we can explore. + |
So much for the executive summary, but what does that mean for the new +expo member? What is actually involved in going on expo?
+ +Very few people, whether undergraduate or old lag, can afford the time +to go on expo for the full period. People come and go, and people pursue +their own particular interests within the larger context. But there has +to be some overall strategy and some degree of planning. It is no good +putting more resources into rigging than we have manpower to use, nor +concentrating on so few goals that the cave is always crowded. So it is +important that those doing the organising have a pretty good idea a few +weeks before expo of who is going, for how long, and how hard they expect +to cave.
+ +But don't expect too much from that word "organising" – expedition is not a +boot camp! No one will kick you out of your pit and make you go caving (except +perhaps in an emergency, such as a call-out). Nor is it entirely a holiday - +once the effort has been put in to rig things, it is important that people get +in there and do the work exploring, surveying, photographing and eventually +derigging. The "organisation" is essentially a matter of pre-expo +behind-the-scenes things like getting grants and sponsorship, buying tackle, +coordinating transport and the like. On expo itself, it is a matter of judging +which projects can reasonably be tackled by the number of people present, and +suggesting the best lines of attack. This avoids rigging things which no one +has the time or will-power to push, and ensures that there is enough gear to +tackle the things which folk are keen to explore.
+ +There are important differences between expedition caving and a typical +Yorkshire weekend. On a tourist trip in the UK, a party will rig in, bottom the +cave and rig out (or, at most, there may be a separate rigging in and rigging +out trip on the same day). In Austria, a project cave will be rigged at the +start of expo, and then numerous working trips will use that rigging until +either the cave or the expedition finishes, and derigging takes place. This +clearly places a lot more wear and tear on the ropes, which also tend to get +muddier, so quality rigging is essential. Of course, some of this rigging is +new exploration, not just "follow the P-hangers", so it is an exciting and +challenging activity. Also, unlike a Yorkshire tourist trip, you must survey +and describe what you find – logbooks write-ups +form part of a long-term record +of what has been done so are rather more important than on weekend meets at +home. Surveying may be an entirely new activity for first-time expo members, +but it is also a very important one, and one which it is worth making the +effort to get right from the start.
+ +The caves in Austria are as different from Yorkshire and Mendip as those two +areas are from each other. There are few sporting streamways and few +formations. The caves are colder (often not much above freezing, and sometimes +below). They are often much deeper than Yorkshire trips, though the entrances +we are currently using mean that even the remotest places are not at vast +depths. However, pitches may be big, and close together in deep shafts of up to +a couple of hundred metres. Though often dry in good weather, run-off is rapid +and a damp pitch can rapidly become a serious proposition with near-freezing +water pouring down it. Rigging will sometimes seem unnecessarily gymnastic +until you have seen the pitch after a thunderstorm! Set against this is a large +amount of huge stomping horizontal passage found in the last few years, with +many leads still to push not needing a lot of vertical work at all.
+ +In Austria, expo is effectively split into "Base +Camp" and various "plateau camps". Base camp is in +the valley, near the pub, shops, lake and other "R&R" facilities. It is +here that we have the bulk of the documentation, computers, lamp charging, log +book and survey book. The plateau camps are right outside the cave entrances, and +are reached by a toll road (on which we have a deal which avoids paying each +time) which ascends 900m to a tourist car park from where it is around a 40 +minute walk (on good paths) to the edge of the plateau. From here it is a +one-and-a-half-hour slog across rough limestone pavements to the main Steinbrückenhöhle bivvy site. +We also have other shorter-lived high camps such as Organhöhle (from 2017).
+ +The plateau camps and and Base camp are linked by mobile phone, which are much +better for coordinating and reporting activities than the radios we used +previously. The result of this is that trips are +mostly organised by the people in top camp, and it is usual to spend periods of +three or four days or so at top camp, alternating with festering at base.
+ +On the other hand, the plateau a nature reserve where camping is +theoretically not allowed at all, so we need to keep it as low-profile and +undamaging as possible to avoid being banned. Camping is essential, not only +for caving convenience and efficiency, but also for safety. Meeting these needs +consistent with local politics is something of a balancing act which needs +everyone's cooperation.
+ +If we have a spell of truly awful weather, usually everyone will come +down to Base Camp, and this is a good time for getting surveys drawn up, +passage descriptions written, log books up to date etc. It's also not +unknown for a certain amount of beer consumption to occur. This is also +the case at "expedition dinner" which is usually organised somewhere in +the middle of expo, when the greatest number of people can attend.
+ +Obviously, those coming on expedition will have a better and more +productive time if they know more about what goes on, what has been done +previously and what our particular caves are like. I'd love to think that +everyone would find time to read everything on the website. In reality, +however, not everyone wants to effectively memorise the guidebook, and +devour several books on the history, culture, geography, geology, food, +weather and other minutiæ of their holiday area. +Even if you are that sort of person, it helps to have some idea of where to +start – there's about three long novels' worth of stuff on the site and much +of it is of mainly historical interest, concerned with caves whose +exploration is considered complete.
+ +We have attempted to condense the "how to do it" material into an +Expedition Handbook, which covers topics +such as Surveying, Prospecting, Rigging and Rescue. There is also a rather +embryonic section on photography, and some smaller sections that are also worth +reading. This is still a fairly big chunk of stuff to read, so an effort has +been made this year to provide a "primer" page for each section, which should +be read by everyone new to expo. It is particularly important that you +understand the aims of each activity, since a job done badly is actually worse +than a job not done at all. This is especially true of cave survey and passage +description, or, for prospecting, the recording of locations.
+ +To get a feel for what trips are like, it is perhaps worth dipping into +one of the logbooks +for recent + years. To +get an idea of what expo will be trying to achieve, there is a "mission statement" for the current year. And +to see how much potential there is, a glance at a recent Steinbrückenhöhle Question Mark list is a revelation. Leads are +numbered by year, with the oldest first. Following links from any of these +leads will get you into the relevant section of the cave description, which gives an idea of the +sort of caving.
+ +For the ambitious, there is a complete description of Kaninchenhöhle, +which absorbed almost all of CUCC's expedition effort from 1989 to 1999 and now +forms the largest single component of the Schwarzmooskogel system. The description runs to about 90 A4 +pages when printed, so is rather too much to digest in one go! We recommend +looking at the printed survey to get an overall idea of the cave and which +parts have the most potential. However, as this is too big for a web page, +there are now useful survey fragments incorporated throughout the main +descriptions.
+ +If you want to delve deeper into the site, use the site index.
+ +Over the almost four decades during which CUCC have been visiting the Loser-AugstEck plateau, they have found it essential to +camp nearer the caves than the base camps in Altaussee (1976-82) and Grundlsee +(1983 to present). The 1978 accident +demonstrated the foolishness of trying to conduct long explorations without a +high camp. Several people have been benighted on the plateau over the years +and rescues in 1989, 2007 and 2016 as well as numerous other incidents show +the value of rapid assistance from Top Camp in +the event of a mishap underground.
+From 2002 to date our only top camp has been in "204 Steinbrückenhöhle" (see below). +In 2017 we (mostly UBSS guests) +established a bivvy camp very close to Organhöhle (see below) +which will be established more soundly in 2018.
+ +The terminology of these camps has become very confused over +time, as the campsites have changed. At some time, virtually every +early camp has been called "Camp 1" by someone or other, and several +sites have been called "Top Camp"! Note that it has been +illegal to camp within the Nature Reserve (Naturschutzgebiet) +area since 1993, and we obtain special permission every year for +exploratory purposes.
+ +CUCC's first high camp was set up in 1977, on a site identified on the first +visit in 1976. This was on an area of pasture above a small limestone scar from +Bräuning Alm. At +the time, the springs in the valley here were the only reliable water supply we +had discovered. There were caves nearby, as well as ones on the plateau to +explore, so the site proved very pleasant, until washed out in one (of many) +mega-thunderstorm.
+ + + +Once most exploration was centred on the plateau, the camp at +Bräuning Alm proved of little real value, and +all exploration was conducted by driving up from the valley. The difficulties +and dangers of returning across the plateau in the dark led to some cavers +doing "overnight" trips, in which the cave was descended in daylight, and +exitted in daylight the next day. The risk associated with this approach was +that of falling asleep on the +drive down, as Julian Griffiths demonstrated. Having stayed awake down all +the seriously fatal hairpin bends, the car drove itself through a fence and +down a 10m drop in the valley below. The mangled steering wheel, bent by a +tree-sized piece of fence coming through the windscreen, became CUCC's +"Driver of the Year" award at subsequent dinners.
+ +It was realised that for overnight trips to work, there had to be at least +a bivouac of some sort near the plateau. A tiny trickle of water was found, +which could be used to fill a water container buried in the ground, and a +single tent established just to the south of Schwarzmoossattel ("The Col") in 1979. This never really +deserved the title "camp". It was never used again, as exploration in 1980 +switched to the Stellerweghöhle area, and +neither of the previous high camps were really of any use.
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| Top Camp on upper site, 1993 + | Lower site, 1996 | +Seen from Schwarzmooskogel ridge + | +
A really good permanent spring was found in a small +climbable shaft a short way beyond +Schwarzmoossattel ("The Col"). +As this was adjacent to one of the very few flat areas of grass, and right +next to the path as well, this has made an ideal camp site, and was the normal +Top Camp from 1988 to 2001. Logbooks and Journal accounts at the time +referred to this as "Camp I", despite its not being the first high +camp. A few references are to "Camp 3", which tried to reflect the +chronology. Later it was known just as "Top Camp". In +fact, to minimise the impact on grassy areas, the camp alternated between +the small site immediately adjacent to the spring and a larger (but boggier) +area a little lower (used in 1994, 1996, 1998 etc.).
+ +In 1988, and again in 1989, there was a small advance camp much nearer to +the Kaninchenhöhle entrance, again to overcome the +trials of crossing the very rough plateau in the dark. This was on a relatively +flat area of low bunde (dwarf pine) just on the east side of the flat area of +limestone on which the permanent survey station "VD1" is located, on the normal +walk up to the 161 entrances on the col between the Vorderer and Hinterer +Schwarzmooskogels. This was variously known as 'far campsite' or 'Camp +2', in the logbooks. +A lack of water, sanitation, space and comfort led to this +camp being abandoned.
+ +It was hoped that in 1996, a new Top Camp would be established somewhere +where access to the 161d, 'Scarface' entrance to Kaninchenhöhle would be easier, as all trips used this +new entrance, giving rapid access to the majority of current question marks in +the cave. Unfortunately, access via the Stogerweg +proved to be more strenuous than from the old plateau top camp, and no usable +water supply was found, so this campsite never came into existence.
+ +In 2001 people decided to bivvy nearer to the the cave entrances. This +involved putting up tarpaulins in natural shelters, and sleeping on inflatable +lilos. The 40 bivvy is in the main 40a Eishöhle +entrance. It is surprisingly comfortable as this entrance does not have a cold +gale coming out of it, and the floor is very flat. It is luxurious for 2, comfy +for 3 and can sleep 4. Water is collected by putting a tarp. in a steep gulley +opposite with a hose to a butt in the bivi - very effective.
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Cavers working in 204 (Steinbrückenhöhle) used the eponymous stone +bridge as a bivouac. The sloping floor was terraced and flat sleeping +and cooking areas were made. Tarpaulins were put up to reduce the +drips and wind. Water was obtained from snow at 231, collecting drips +in 231 and a funnel inserted in a grike on the roof of the stone +bridge. Initially two, and later 3 butts were used for +water storage.
+ +This has been the main high camp since 2002; it has +been extensively reterraced to increase its capacity (as of 2003 it +could sleep 12 and by 2017 22 could be jammed in), the water +collection methods refined, and a cooking area created, to give an +exceedingly comfortable bivvy site. A much larger single tarp covering +the whole length, used since 2015, has made it much drier at the back, +and the place is now very civilised indeed. +See the bivvy rigging guide for tarp erection details.
+ + + +In 2004-2007, the 76 Eislufthöhle +re-exploration project necessitated a camp close to the 76 entrance. A bivouac +was established in a convenient rock shelter nearby. This was also +used in 2012,13,15,16. Camping on the nearby grassy bit, which has +room for 2 small tents is a lot warmer than staying in the bivi cave.
+ + + +Sleeping 3 or 4, a bivvy with rainwater collection was established in a small +overhang very closeto Organhöhle and Guten Morgen höhle. This is a further hour or two walk from +the main top camp at Steinbruckhöhle; and would be very hard to establish without +the resources available at Steinbruckhöhle. The usual route goes very close to Tunnocksschaft entrance and within view of the +entrance to Balkonhöhle - and then rather a lot further and over the ridge with a view down to the Appelhaus area. +
When UBSS first explored Organhöhle they approached from the other direction. See their write-up +in Descent (see page 18 +of UBSS newsletter) +for the horrendous walk that this involves. +
+ +This is a toll road, clearly signposted from the village of Altaussee. A +public road leads northeast (this bit is one-way) from the centre of the +village. At the end of the one-way system is a junction left, leading over +the river to a further junction right to the tourist Salt-mine, and left +back to the village.
+ +Straight on (now two-way), leads uphill, often narrow, to a further +junction. Straight on here is a deteriorating track to Blaa-Alm, offering +a restaurant with Reininghaus bier, excellent views of the cliffs NW of +Loser, and an aerial ropeway intended for kids, but well worth playing +on for groups of inebriate cavers. This is also the approach for the +Naglsteghöhle and resurgence - outside our area, but worth a visit.
+ +Right at the junction is a metalled road, the Loser +Panoramastraße, which immediately has a toll-gate (and often the +queue for this blocks the main road). This is only manned during daylight, +when tourist traffic is expected. The road leads steeply up, with numerous +hairpins, first to the Loser Hütte, 550m above the start. This was once +a relatively isolated mountain hut, but now serves as a convivial lunchtime +and evening hostelry - it was rebuilt as "Hotel Loser" for 1995. Beyond the +old hut, the road continues to a new (in the mid-seventies) Bergrestaurant, +only open during the day, and with a huge car park, full of tourists whenever +the weather is half decent. The area is also a small ski resort in the +winter, and various lifts line the hillsides.
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+The Loser Panoramastraße with view to the Dachstein
The cost of the toll road is fairly reasonable if you want to make one +trip for the view, but quickly becomes prohibitive for a caving expedition +made up mainly of impoverished students needing to make a dozen or more +return journeys. Cyclists go free, but 900m of ascent from the village is a +little excessive with heavy gear. It does make a splendid run back down, +however ! Trying only to travel at night is possible, but is both underhand +and rather restrictive, particularly if an emergency arises. Permission is +needed to camp within the Nature Reserve at the top, so it is best to +negotiate a cheaper deal. The owner is very interested to know about the +caves on "his" plateau, so it's important to send a report as soon as +possible after the expedition.
+ +Familiarity soon breeds contempt, and typical expo drivers don't spend +much time looking at the view after the first couple of trips. This style of +driving, combined with visits at quiet times of the day/night, tends to +result in some fairly quick trip times. For those wanting to do comparisons, +timings are between the "stop" line across from the toll booth at the bottom, +and the drainage line (looks like a narrow cattle grid across ¾ of the +road) at the west end of the car park. We don't recommend speeding through +the car park owing to the propensity of tourists to wander around looking at +the views, not the traffic :-)
+ +| Vehicle | Time up | by | Time down | by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bike | 00:48:00 | Becka Lawson (2016) | 00:09:26 | Clive George |
| 01:15:00 | Justin (1992) | |||
| Car | 00:07:15 | Haydon Saunders (2018) | 00:06:43 | Haydon Saunders (2018) |
| 00:07:46 | Andy Waddington (1998) | 00:07:30 | Andy Waddington (1998) |
