| LA11 | Lungehöhle | 2/S + |
|---|
Altitude: 1839m
- -Location: 13° 50' 22" E, 47° 42' 26" N
-150m due south of Roß Kogel summit - to north of a snowfield. In a
-depression 90m due East of Sternloch and the Rock Shelter.
A large rift gives an awkward 7m ladder climb down into a chamber leading -to a boulder slope. Climb down in a rift for 8m (narrow at top) until a -loose slope leads down to a 7m pitch where a small dry inlet enters. The -pitch leads onto a rocking boulder wedged in a narrow rift and a tight -squeeze down, The Jaws, forms the head of the next 16m pitch and the -start of Deep Throat Series.
- -The pitch lands in a small chamber with a short walking rift exit. -Pitches of 14m, 8m and 10m follow in rapid succession. At the foot of the -10m pitch, a smooth, oval squeeze, The Cnut (spelling mistake), opens -onto The Womb. This is a fine pitch of 41m in a spacious shaft, -landing in a chamber 12m x 10m with a floor of large boulders of dubious -stability.
- -A rift to one side is a loose and narrow pitch of 17m to a ledge and much -nicer drop of 10m. A large rift, The Large Intestine, follows. -Initially traversed on wide ledges, this soon narrows to a crawl along the -rift at roof level. A 14m pitch descends to the foot of the rift and a short -section of sharp, suit-ripping rift leads to a chamber with an inlet up to -one side. The suit ripping rift can be bypassed by a pendulum, but the rope -left for this is now hanging inaccessible, so the original manoevre would -need to be repeated.
- -The exit from the chamber is too tight, but a 12m pitch up reaches a -muddy solution tube at roof level, originally reached by an exposed traverse -from a point halfway down the previous pitch. A slippery climb up and a -short flat-out crawl, The Small Intestine, leads to the head of a -constricted pitch of 10m to a wider section of the rift. After a few metres, -a pit in the floor necessitates a climb down, then back up of 5m. At this -point, a traverse follows the roof of the rift while the floor cuts down -sharply. A pair of 13m deep holes are crossed by fairly exposed traverses, -and further traversing reaches the next pitch Fantasy, in a shaft -which is initially about 15m in diameter.
- -A drop of 46m, broken by ledges covered in loose boulders, lands on a -large sloping ledge at a junction with a much larger shaft. The rubble needs -caution, as much of the rest of the pitch is in the firing line.
- -The next section is 58m with two deviations, close to a wall down which -some water falls. The opposite wall is some 20-30m away, and to either side, -no walls are visible. Below this section, a narrow saddle of rock splits the -shaft, the left hand route (facing the water) being taken. A further 27m -lands on an enormous (20m x 30m) flat ledge right across the shaft, with -pitches continuing both sides.
- -The right hand (facing the water) shaft is the continuation of the route -avoided at the rock saddle. A steep, muddy slope leads onto a 41m pitch and, -below this, a climb over a muddy boulder pile leads onto a steep ramp (rope -required) descending 15m into The Dream Machine. This is a massive -passage 30m wide leading through boulders the size of houses. After about -100m, a boulder pile with a large central boulder is reached. Beyond, the -passage can be seen to continue, but scaling equipment will be required to -reach it.
- -From the 30m x 20m ledge, the left hand shaft is undescended, but rock -tests indicate a similar depth to the right hand shaft, ie. about 50m.
- -At the end of 1988, the depth is 354m with excellent potential.
- -Stopped at -375m, no further details at present.
- -Exploration: LUSS 1987-9
- -References :
-| LA12 | Sternloch | 3/S - |
|---|
Altitude: 1850m
- -Location: 13° 50' 20" E, 47° 42' 27" N
-On flat col to the south of Roß Kogel, slightly above and to the west
-of a small but prominent rock shelter.
A narrow slot (1m x 5m) with a small capping roof, soon bells out to a -landing after 17m on a boulder-strewn ledge. The second pitch, Virgo, -follows immediately, bolt belays giving a fine hang of 21m. Ways down -through the boulder floor soon choke, but a step up into a small alcove -reveals a small hole dropping into a rift. This is the take-off for -Aquarius, an 85m shaft in six sections. Halfway down, the water -cascades in from the roof, usually in large quantities.
- -From the base of Aquarius, traversing forwards gains a drier hang for the -next pitch of 16m. A pendulum 10m down avoids the worst of the water, which -continues down a clean circular shaft (see below).
- -The pendulum reaches W.C.S. series where two short drops in a rift -lead to a bolt rebelay in a massive jammed boulder. Just below this, a -window opens into a narrow shaft which is undescended. At the foot of the -rift, a short section of hading rift gets wetter at the head of the next -pitch, whose 11m are always lashed by spray from somewhere above.
- -A short traverse into a large alcove escapes the spray and facilitates a -dry hang for FUDE, a 14m pitch with natural belays set well back and -soft squidgy choss at the pitch head. Two climbs lead to a rift/ramp area -where the way on is tight and thrutchy. Nil Desperandum soon drops to -the head of a short pitch and more climbs down into a chamber.
- -The rift outlet is too tight, but a 5m climb up gains a bypass where a -short traverse leads to Ardua, a pitch of 11m. Down the slope, the -water sinks in boulders, but the way on is a slot in the wall behind a large -boulder. This immediately bells out onto Astra, a 38m pitch where a -pendulum onto and over a huge chocked boulder reaches bolts for the second -part of the pitch, a superb 25m drop down one end of a large rift.
- -Climbing down at the far end of the rift, an area of breakdown is -reached. Up the boulders, a rift enters from the right (presumed to be an -inlet, but not explored), while water can be heard away to the left. -However, the loose nature of this area, combined with the pitch below, -precluded anything more than a cursory examination.
- -Under the boulders, a short pitch lands in a chamber where the water is -rejoined shortly before it cascades over the lip of another large shaft, the -limit of exploration in 1987.
- -The pitch is 57m and quite wet, dropping into a sizeable chamber (50m x -10m and 40m high), The Planetarium. This chamber is formed along a -fault, with breakdown littering the floor. At one end, under a large -waterfall, is a pitch between the wall and the boulders. This drops 15m into -an extremely loose boulder choke Religious Places, with no way on. No -other route out could be found from the Planetarium, giving an overall depth -of 331m.
- -The wet way on from the bottom of Aquarius descends pitches of 7m and -27m. The latter is arguably the best pitch of the cave, hanging free for 23m -beside a column of water. Unfortunately, the way on is a tiny impassable -rift.
- -Exploration: LUSS 1987-8
- -References :
-| LA34 | Ratselhöhle | 3/S + |
|---|
Altitude: 1835m
- -Location: 13° 50' 30" E, 47° 42' 20" N
-Slightly to the right of a hillock visible from Sternloch (LA12) approx. 200m SE of LA11.
(This is borderline 1626 or 1623.)
Originally thought to be a choked shaft, it was noted as "worth -another look" in 1987, but was not relocated in 1988. Closer inspection -with a ladder revealed parallel slots in the rift and a noticeable draught.
- -The original entrance is a "walk-in" open shaft which leads on -to a twisted vertical pitch of 17m, Parthos, into a sizeable chamber -at the top of a rubble slope. The obvious small wriggle at the bottom of the -slope leads to the Musketeers' Series, while a bolted climb leads to -the main way on.
- -The Musketeers' Series consists of stooping phreatic passages, with a 5m -pitch, then a couple of climbs to the head of an 11m pitch, Aramis, -into a chamber. At the far end, a further pitch, Athos, is 8m. The -way on is up a short climb to the head of a 5m+10m ramp, Porthos, -down to a phreatic tube with a silted up floor. Digging in the silt revealed -a tight rift rising up, but as this was too tight, the dig was abandoned. -The water from Aramis descends a tight rift in the base of the phreatic -tube, but after 3m, this too became too tight.
- -The climb up before the Musketeers' Series leads quickly to a T-junction. -To the right, a winding ramp passage of decreasing size leads on and up with -several fallen blocks making progress awkward. This route ends at a small -chamber with an inlet dropping from the roof. Left from the T-junction leads -on down a gently sloping boulder ramp in stooping, then walking passage. -This increases in size and becomes steeper before emerging into the side of -an enormous boulder ramp, Hillsborough Revisited. The inlet passage -enters three quarters of the way up Hillsborough, which is 10m wide by 5m -high and drops a total of 40m at 40°. At the base of Hillsborough, an -aven rises to the surface and daylight can be seen reflecting off the sides -of this second entrance. A third entrance was discovered on the surface -which leads down a deep grike through a tight arch and into a small chamber. -Digging boulders revealed a steeply inclined squeeze leading onto a pitch at -the top of the Hillsborough ramp. The base of this pitch leads onto an -inclined overhanging terrace with a hole at the back which drops 2m onto -another inclined overhanging terrace. A 4m climb down from this ledge ends -at the top of the boulder ramp of Hillsborough.
- -The base of Hillsborough was blind until a dig in unstable boulders on -the left hand side revealed a tight drop between two wedged boulders into -another very sizeable ramp, Penistone Road. This ramp is convoluted -and twists around open shafts and roof collapse to end in a huge chamber -with a small muddy hole in the floor, The Hole in the Road. This way -on is blind.
- -An alternative route from the main ramp of Penistone Road leads down an -old phreatic tube decorated with calcite frost and numerous small helictites -to a flat-out crawl to a 25m blind pitch.
- -Near the bottom of the Hole in the Road, a 6m rope climb up the eastern -wall, The Escalator, leads to a series of solution tubes. A 1m -diameter tube drops NE into The Broadwalk, a sizeable mud-floored -phreatic passage. Here, following a strong draught, the passage opens up, -becoming very high with a number of avens cutting down into the passage. A -4m rope climb drops down to the head of a pitch, Reason to Believe?. -This dry shaft is disjointed and 144m deep, broken at approximately half -depth by a 'saddle'. A further short pitch lands on a slope before the final -drop into a sizeable chamber. The only exit from this chamber is to the east -and is a muddy rift passage traversed at various levels. This leads to the -head of a further series of disjointed shafts and the wet 77m pitch More -than a Feeling. Here a 57m drop lands on a spray-lashed ledge and a -further 20m drop gives way to a large boulder slope. Two wet 2m climbs lead -up to the head of a 7m pitch which leads to the base of the shaft.
- -Through the small passage across the base of the shaft, a climb down -through boulders leads to a rift streamway. Only a short way down is an 11m -pitch followed immediately by a 17m pitch, Leonie's Birthday Leap. -The stream leads on once more until it cuts away and a traverse along a -muddy rift passage leads to the head of a fault collapse chamber running -away at an angle of 70°. Over 20m above the stream a distinctly dodgy -rope climb/abseil leads to a point where a climb back around rejoins the -stream. A further 8m rope climb leads to the last 19m pitch which drops into -a sump at a depth of 425m.
- -Exploration: LUSS 1987, 1989
- -References :
-| 117 | -Trunkemboldschacht | -3/S = |
|---|---|---|
| (Gouffre Empagadure, H1) |
Altitude: 1610m
-Location: NE of point 1895m (Hangender Kogel,
-NE face).
-Depth: -854m to 3 sumps, a predominantly vertical system.
-
-
Down to -287m the cave is made up of shortish pitches interspersed with -tight meandering passage : p8, p12, p17, p9, p20, p3, p12, p30, p7, p6, p9, -p8, p7, p5, p34, p6, p8, p5, p9. At -287m, an 18m pitch drops into a large -chamber. The water disappears in the boulders to reappear in a whole series -of wet pitches of which the longest is 30m. Floods impeded exploration at -the bottom of this branch: at -456m a pitch of about 20m was definitely too -wet to be descended. At -488m a low passage was also too wet. Moreover, the -draught there was weak or absent. - -
In the chamber at -308m, a reascent of about 15m gave access to a fairly -wide fossil canyon which blew a detectable draught. After 30m, this passage -opened onto the enormous Puits de Naufragés -(The Castaway's pitch), with a cross section of 15 by 25 metres and 242m -deep. Near the bottom of this pitch, several inlets appeared to come from the -first branch explored. The bottom of the pitch contracted to a joint-guided -rift, exploration in 1976 ending at the head of a pitch estimated at 40m. -(Depth 587m). - -
The cave continued predominantly vertical in 1977, with pitches of 54, -88, 53 and 25m to two siphons at -854m. The altitude of these sumps is 756m -- the valley level. - -
Exploration : Discovered in July 1976 by
-F.Vergier. Explored between 12th and 23rd July 1976 by
-A.C.Toulon, S.C.Toulon, Lou Darbon & Spéléo
-Ragaie to -587m.
-
-
In 1977 A.C.Toulon, and groups from Aragnous & Darboun reached -854m.
-
-
References : -
The above description is translated mainly from reference 78.2003 by Andy -Waddington and Jill Gates. - -
| 120 | -Feuertalsystem | -4/T/S x |
|---|
Altitude:
120a Kacherlschacht (Quelli, F3) 1940m- -
-120b Velo-Tracteur (F6) 1774m
-120c Carcajau (F9) 1736m or 1731m
-120d Altarkögerlhöhle 1670m
Location: In the south flank of Feuertal on -the north side of Schönberg. Kataster says west -of Schönberg, east of -Franzosenschacht, 1626/119. - -
From the Quelli entrance, pitches p8, p19, p83, -p33, p24, p17, p5, p33, p24, p9, p33, p27, p103 lead to -400m. Here one -reaches a vast passage going up and downhill. The downstream passage emerges -at the top of an 84m pitch. Below this a winding canyon interspersed with -small pitches gives onto a 15m pitch and the end of exploration in 1976 at --708m. - -
The lower entrances lead by large phreatic passages to pitches which drop -into a further large horizontal level which undulates between -410m and --500m. At -497m, this links to the main vertical system from -Quelli. Using these lower ways in, exploration reached -a sump at -913m in 1977. Following the large phreatic level away from -Quelli goes for about a kilometre before breaking into -the side of a colossal shaft at -414m. This is a 211m pitch to a choke at --625m. There is a possible way on across this shaft, which is, however, 20m -in diameter. - -
The Austrian expedition of 1985 found a 3km horizontal passage, which -brought the total length of the system to 15km. - -
In early 1997 the length was given as 19 808 m -(Markus Wiesinger, personal comm.) - -
Discovery: Found in 1973 by -Groupe -Spéléo Alpin Belge under the name T3, but not pushed -to any depth. - -
Exploration: Rediscovered in July 1976 by
-J.M.Piron and explored from 12th to 23rd of July by
-A.C.Toulon, S.C.Toulon, Lou Darbon & Spéléo
-Ragaie to a depth of 708m. Later sources refer to this group as 'an
-unheard of group of "Spéléos
-Provençaux"'.
-
-The same group in 1977 discovered the two lower entrances, using them to
-explore to the bottom at -913m.
-
-The Austrian expedition of 1985 set out to connect
-Feuertalsystem to
-Raucherkarhöhle and found a
-large horizontal passage, but no connection.
-
-
References : -
The above description is translated mainly from these references by Andy -Waddington and Jill Gates. -
| 122 | -Ufoschacht | -3/S = |
|---|---|---|
| (=Gouffre Ovni) |
Altitude: 1520m
-
-Location: Plagitzergrube, NE of
-Hangender Kogel. This puts it quite close to
-Trunkemboldschacht, 1626/117
-(which is 90m higher) and also near the path.
-
-
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. - -
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. - -
see reference 78-2008 - -
Exploration: Discovered in August 1974 by D.Motte.
-Entrance unblocked by Groupe Spéléo Alpin
-Belge in 1975 and 76.
-Explored in August 1976 by F.Dechany & J.C.Hans
-(GSAB) to -201m
-Pushed to -565m on a further GSAB trip 5th-29th August 1977.
-
-
References : -
| 5 | Nagelsteghöhle | 2/W + |
|---|
Altitude: 865m
- -Location: Above Rettenbachtal (north side); about 20-25 minutes on -foot from Blaa-Alm.
- -A resurgence cave of major importance, visited by CUCC in 1976 and 2002. -Krenmayr gives it 278m long, seasonally active, very roomy water cave. The -associated perennial resurgence is Naglbrünndl, putting out 50-100 -l/s.
- -Continue past the Blaa-Alm hostelry on the track to a crossroads of paths. -Take the path to the right and then bear downhill and to the left at a fork by -a small wooden hut. Follow the track until you end up walking parallel to the -river; keep a lookout on the right for a small bridge across the river. Cross -the bridge and take a small path to the left, which arrives at a further -(smaller!) bridge over a stream. Just before the bridge, ascend up the -hillside to the right through the undergrowth, keeping the large rocky gully to -your right and the stream to your left. After a few minutes you will arrive at -the resurgence (under tree-roots) to the left. At this point, cross into the -gully on the right and climb up to the very top to reach the cave.
- -Entrance is at the head of a large, steeply-inclined stream bed (carries -major flow in flood), and is reminiscent of Sleets Gill. A short climb -(protection advisable; two hangers in situ; rope of unknown vintage present in -2002) leads to a tube. This descends at 45° to a short walk round a pool -to a short greasy climb. One soon emerges in the huge main passage, floored at -the lower end by vast amounts of very unpleasant mud. The sump is reached by a -right turn over some fine stratified sand, but CUCC's interest lay in some -holes in the roof at the top end, with the hope of a high-level -continuation.
- -The mud eventually runs out to be replaced by more and more inclined slabs, -which were very easy on the way up. The gradient steadily increases until the -floor merges into the end wall, and the trickle of water enters from high up. -At this point, a couple of holes in the roof have already been passed, but -investigation revealed these to be beyond reasonable reach without some fairly -serious bolting.
- -Exploration: LVHK Oberösterreich, 1972
-| 50 | Ahnenschacht | 3/S/T |
|---|
Altitude: 1890m
-Frigoschacht 1875m (enters at -130m at
-Sinterterrasse)
Location: NW of Wehrkogel on the -Schönberg. Marked and named on OAV map sheet -15/1.
- -The entrance is in a small shakehole situated on the ridge separating -Feuertal and Hintergras. The -cave starts with four pitches (p14, p11, p5 and p11) which drop onto a slope -formed of big boulders (rope desirable). After this, another series of small -pitches (p9, p7, p6, p4, p10, p18, p11) from which is reached the -Sinterterrasse at -141m.
- -From this point, one has left the zone of small pitches and started a -series of pitches which in reality are part of a single shaft down to -400m.
- -Indeed, if you had an unfortunate accident on the -Sinterterrasse, you would fall all the way to -400m. -These pitches are usually wet, especially after rain... Here is the list of -pitches: p25, Schuppenstufe 30, p10, -Sicherungsstufe 32, -Schachtgabel 48, a 10m ramp, Josef -Schacht 100m. On the Josef Schacht, a pendulum -6m from the top enables one to reach the entry to the Horizontal network. -Descending the Josef Schacht a little further, after a -6.5m and a 10m pitch, access can be gained to a wide canyon, active in the -bottom, and which ends in a fissure. This canyon is fossil in the upper level -and certainly presents possibilities for continuation.
- -After one has crossed the "doorway" and a short squeeze, one -enters the network proper. At this point is a passage covered in rather -special formations. The first junction gives access to a network ... -[unfortunately there are lines missing in my photocopy of -Spéalp 1]
- -This fossil system, which has not been fully travelled through, contains -numerous possibilities. It is reached by three principal access routes: the -pitch already mentioned; a descending fissure a little before the Belgica; -and a sloping passage with formations in the Mammoth pitch chamber. The -system is composed of a big chamber with numerous passages and junctions; it -is very poorly known and no doubt houses many surprises. Continuing along -the passage, one passes a step of 4m to find a junction, to the left at -which lies the bivouac.
- -Directly after the bivouac, there is a 10m pitch, and at the bottom, a new -junction: downhill the Belgica passage, of fairly small dimensions, which -leads, after traversing past three holes, to a descent of an 8m and a 17m -pitch and to the squeezes passed by our French colleagues.
- -Uphill, discovered by D.Motte and PIE, in the course of the expedition in -1974, is the Galerie de Francs Comtois. This is a -large ascending fossil passage interspersed with traverses, dips and pitches. -It reascends to -90m. At -150m, a 20m pitch reaches the Résomega.
- -A little before the 20m pitch, a short descending canyon passage avoids -the 20m pitch and the series of squeezes following it. The Résomega is an alternately ascending and descending -passage, very chaotic, interspersed with several junctions and pitches which -leads to the Balcon du Visionnaire, offering several -possibilities. A 60m pitch gives onto another 60m pitch which is undescended. -There is another big pitch in excess of 100m and an unfinished ascending -passage. A little before, a 10m pitch allows one to reach a passage -interspersed with 3 junctions and 7 exits ! This shows the level of -complexity which we ran into.
- -It was also at the Balcon du Visionnaire that an -accident occurred in 1975, which terminated exploration in that year.
- -Back in the Horizontal network, and after passing a little bouldery climb -an inlet is encountered, named The Bath. The passage continues a little -longer, to end in a pitch. [ exploration incomplete ]
- -The following junction has been named Mammoth Junction because the -passage to the right leads onto the pitch of the same name. It is necessary -to exercise great care and attention not to slip hereabouts, because a fall -would drop you into same.
- -The Mammoth Pitch, Para-pitch and probably the Negus pitch, form part of -the same system (see survey) which is composed of a 146m pitch, a 10m -pitch and a narrow canyon interspersed with several cascades leading finally -to a 35m pitch giving onto the sump at -612m. The Para-pitch, p106, is -followed by pitches of 5, 10 and 50m and drops via the latter into the -Mammoth Canyon.
- -The Negus pitch, which is undescended, should also drop into the same -canyon. Several other small pitches and active streamways should also rejoin -this system.
- -The depth of 612m should be treated cautiously because the method of -survey used (based on the height of a man) is fairly imprecise. The bottom -could be anywhere between -580m and -630m. The shortage of time prevented us -from redoing our survey. [The depth quoted in Atlas des -Grandes Gouffres is -607m, which is shown as the bottom of this -system. However, a Belgian survey shows the Yodl system (which is supposed to -end at -607m) to be somewhere else entirely, so it is rather unclear which -survey is wrong.]
- -Turning left, the Zipfer passage is followed for 150m before reaching an -important junction: to the left Chimneys passage, to the right Draughting -passage.
- -This is very large with a constant slope, interrupted in the middle by a -squeeze and a couple of drops. The Schnaps pitch (40m -with an unexplored, narrow canyon) is avoided by traversing to reach a 25m -pitch in which you must pendulum 5m from the bottom in order to reach a -chamber in which is met a small stream. Climbing up a little opposite, a -short upper passage rejoins the stream by a 20m pitch. In the chamber, the -descent of a 10m pitch allows the stream to be followed to a squeeze beyond -which one can hear the grumble of a large river ? A place to go back to.
- -This is fossil, and tight in places, and allows exploration of a very -complex network which intersects itself in various places and which could -hold very great surprises, since its exploration has only been sketchily -outlined. The exit from this passage is in an area of boulders where two -possibilities exist:
- -To the left: a tight passage has been forced on a slope to -Kitschacht (Tackle Bag Shaft) a magnificent 50m drop, -very wide and completely free hanging. At its base, several possibilities. A -tight active canyon which can be bypassed by a fossil passage, broken by an -earthy drop of 3m to a huge 15m pitch leading to a sump at -360m.
- -A drop of a few metres gives access to a huge fossil passage (10 -× 5m). The floor of this is cut by a deep canyon which has not -been explored. After a hundred metres or so the passage ends at a vast wet -pitch. Climbing over a big boulder on the right gives access to another pitch -upwards.
- -Just after the base of Kitschacht, a passage of 80m -makes a connection with the system of the -Décollement pitch at the bottom of the 40m -shaft. A canyon leaving the junction passage can be followed for more than -300m, and exits, in several places, into the side of the big fossil passage, -just before the pitch upwards.
- -To the right: The Décollement pitch, -with, at its base, a sloping chamber full of boulders. To the left a very -deep ascending canyon is unexplored. In the bottom is the -Méandre Emeri, so called because the formations -are orientated in the direction of progress and of the draught. This rejoins -a wide pitch with an inlet. After this 15m pitch is a short canyon and a damp -40m pitch. At the bottom, a huge descending passage suddenly turns almost -vertical. This is the Toboggan, needing 20m of rope (a very spectacular -passage). At this level one again cuts a new streamway. The passage -continues, then contracts, and chokes at -385m.
- -After the Bivouac: a 10m pitch, then turn left into a small -passage, ignore three pitches to the side, then descend pitches of 8 and 13m -to arrive at some easy squeezes on the left. After this, a climb of 5m and a -42m pitch. Stops in a sand blockage at -410m.
- -Over the 13m pitch a small passage goes to several climbs in a fossil -series. There is a 25m pitch and two 10m pitches ending in several very -tight chimneys.
- -From the entrance, after 70m down Josef schacht, -climb down 7m over a large block and descend about 12m in the bottom of a -meander. Progress is then in the meander, with a short climb in a fault on -the left and a 120m pitch, in sections of 22m and 100m. Beyond is a tight -canyon with a 20m pitch to a sump at -607m (the last part of the 100m pitch -is wet).
- -Atlas des Grands Gouffres du Monde 1979 says that -the original -395m route goes on to c-470m (unsurveyed) and there are also -routes ending at -385m and -386m.
- -Exploration: Discovered by Upper Austrians in 1856.
- -The point -320m was reached by them in 1958.
- -In 1967 and 1968 the Bristol Exploration -Club reached -395m, the Horizontal network, with a length of 1 km, was -discovered.
- -In 1972, 73, 74 and 75, the GSAB "Les Gours" explored -and discovered over 5km of passage and about 1500m of pitches. This got them -to -612m. We note also the participation, in 1974, of three clubs from -Eastern France: S.C.Vesoul, G.S.Clerval & -S.S.Daules. In 1975 CARSS joined a mini-expedition in July and -likewise, CASEO in August.
- -A GSAB expedition in August 1977 connected a new entrance -(Frigoschacht) at -130m, surveyed the Vegetable Garden -and explored the new areas Yodl and KGB.
- -Descent 176 (Feb/Mar 2004) p18 states:
- -- --Meanwhile, on the other side of the range, Upper Austrian cavers have -undertaken some homework that others left behind a quarter of a century ago. -Ahnenschacht (Ancestors' Shaft) was discovered in the 1950s and pushed -to -395m. In the 1970s, Belgian cavers found vast horizontal passages amounting -to about 5km in total – and a continuation to -602m. Their pushes came to -an abrupt halt, however, when in 1975 a caver fractured his pelvis and had to -be transported out of the cave. It was Austria's biggest cave rescue operation -in the 20th century.
-Since documentation of the Belgian finds was fragmentary and of very poor -quality, some members of the Verein für Höhlenkunde -in Oberösterreich decided to fill in the gaps in the maps and -resume surveying activities. So far, 1.7km have been accurately surveyed.
-Correspondent: Theo Pfarr-
(I fear attempting to reconcile the chronology of the above snippet with the -information above is a hopeless task.)
- -References : -
The above description was translated from the references by Andy -Waddington and Jill Gates.
- -| 55 a-q | -Raucherkarhöhle | -4/T/S/E x |
|---|
More information on this cave, by those exploring it, can be found on the -Landesverein für Höhlenkunde in Oberosterreich -site, with text available in both -English and -German and -with a number of excellent photos. - -
Altitude:
-55 a Durchgang Fensterhalle 1532 & 1539m
-55 b Bärenhöhle 1547m
-55 c Neuer Eingang 1563m
-55 d Grundloch ("Brunnen") 1544m
-55 e Schacht I 1570m
-55 f Schacht II 1547m
-55 g Schacht III 1560m
-55 h Schneegrube 1540m
-55 i Schacht IV (Pilzlingschacht) 1560m
-55 k Obere Himmelspforte 1630m
-55 l Untere Himmelspforte 1593m
-55 m Durchgang Feistor 1540m
-55 n Einstieg Altausseergang 1553m
-55 o Planer-Eishöhle 1470m
-55 p Humuspforte 1635m
-55 q Gigantenkluft 1518m
-
-Location: NE of Hinterer Raucher - -
There are seventeen entrances, of which the highest is at 1635m. This -gives the cave a vertical range of -718m, +7m, total 725m. - -
The cave had been surveyed to 6000m long and -216m by 1965. An Austrian -National expedition in 1965 reached -530m. A sump in the -Hinterland at -538m was reached in 1966, when the -length was over 10.3 km. In 1970, Großen -Rundgange and Ischler Esteiler brought the -length up to 16.3 km. In October 1973, the Dunkler -Grund area led to -718m, (-723m in some sources) at which time the -length was 18km. In 1975 the system was connected to the nearby -Planer-Eishöhle. The length in January 1976 was -19052m and in December 1977, 20155.5m. Sektion -Ausseerland journal gave 23900 m in July 1980. -Spéleo Flash number 128 gives 16 entrances -and a length over 30km. Die Höhle 1986(3) gives -747m, 40km, which is about the same as LVHK Steiermark -Journal for 1984, which states length 40.2km, depth 746m as at the end of -1984. The World Deep/Long caves list (end 1995) from Bob Gulden of the NSS -Geo² Long and Deep caves committee gives 70km and 725m, quoting BCRA -Caves & Caving number 44, p 47 as its source (Summer 89). - -
The labyrinthine system contains several levels of development, mostly -southwards towards Nagelsteghöhle -(the probable resurgence at 850m). The current deepest point (a sump) has -been reached by systematically traversing over pitches of 40 to 90m. - -
Exploration: Under the aegis of LVHK
-Oberösterreich, 1961-present,
-Austrian National expedition took place in 1965,
-Both LVHK Oberösterreich and LVHK
-Steiermark worked together in 1973.
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References : -