some missing 'id='links''

years/1978/npc79.htm

@@ -19,27 +19,27 @@ We were mainly interested in an area of the <span lang="de-at">Totes
 Gebirge</span> known as the <span lang="de-at">Loser</span> Plateau, which
 has recently had a new toll road built up to it. This meant that our area of
 interest was only an hour's walk away on level ground (hostile cattle
-permitting).
+permitting).</p>
 
 <p>The CUCC had been out the previous year and had only scratched the surface
-by the time they had to depart.
+by the time they had to depart.</p>
 
 <p>The three of us travelled out by train; a fairly arduous 30-hour journey
 without any real sleep. Eventually we met up with the other members of the
 expedition and I was able to swop my two-day old copy of the 'Times' for a
 good English cup of tea; it's remarkable how British one becomes when on the
-continent!
+continent!</p>
 
 <p>Our first night under canvas was greeted by a classic alpine storm with
 thunderbolts and lightning (pyrotechnics worthy of even Hryndyj). Later we
 made acquaintance with the Austrian lager, not a patch on Tetleys but very
-potent.
+potent.</p>
 
 <p>Next day we began prospecting and spent the following few days inspecting
 small shafts (100'). These all choked so we concluded that we were looking
 for the wrong sort of entrance. What was needed was an entrance with
 horizontal passage so that any glacial debris could not enter and block the
-pitch below.
+pitch below.</p>
 
 <p>We eventually came across a small hole which was draughting violently.
 Andy descended and found a snow slope on which he rigged a ladder as a
@@ -48,13 +48,13 @@ the hole he found another snow slope which led to the head of a pitch with a
 large gale, sufficient to put out a carbide lamp, blowing up it. Returning
 the following day, with a bolting kit, since there were no natural belays, we
 rigged the pitch and descended to discover a vertical snow plug. Deeper still
-a pitch belled out to Bar Pot dimensions.
+a pitch belled out to Bar Pot dimensions.</p>
 
 <p>We later had grave doubts about the stability of this snow bridge which
 was definitely melting and only seemed to stay suspended above the void by
 will-power. Pressing on down the shaft we had great problems rigging it; in
 fact we spent a good two days bolting/rigging and rerigging before the thing
-was satisfactory. The total depth of the pitch was 70 metres.
+was satisfactory. The total depth of the pitch was 70 metres.</p>
 
 <p>At the base of the shaft we passed into a hole with fluted walls soaring
 up into the distance further than our lights could penetrate; it was
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ came to a boulder choke! This was a surprise; we had not considered this
 possibility because of the large draught. First appearances suggested a total
 choke. However, a man-size hole was found at the base of the choke and the
 boulders seemed safely stuck. We pushed Andy through the hole and he found a
-pitch, so we retreated until the next day.
+pitch, so we retreated until the next day.</p>
 
 <p>The shaft was descended for 30 metres to another pitch but the draught had
 disappeared, so we named it 'Keg Series'. We traversed over this pitch into
@@ -76,26 +76,26 @@ taking the draught so we were back on the trail again. We found two more
 pitches; the first was a good hang of 16 metres, the second (down the side of
 a large vadose passage) was 11 metres. Then came the first bit of horizontal
 development we had encountered - it led to a large chamber and a hefty inlet
-making the place a maelstrom of spray.
+making the place a maelstrom of spray.</p>
 
 <p>Unfortunately at this point we ran out of both ladder and time so we had
 to derig with the sight of more pitches ahead (a sort of Ghar Parau in
 miniature). The pot is definitely still going and we shall be back next year
-to continue on into the unknown....
+to continue on into the unknown....</p>
 
 <p>I think we were all impressed by the area, which is virtually virgin
 territory. The <span lang="de-at">Loser</span> Plateau must be one of the
 least explored areas of Europe; it has 800 metres potential and large areas
-of cavernous limestone which are totally unexplored.
+of cavernous limestone which are totally unexplored.</p>
 
-<p align=right>S.Farrow
+<p align=right>S.Farrow</p>
 
 <h3><a id="id1978">Austria 1978</a></h3>
 
 <p>August 1978 saw a return of University cavers to the <span
 lang="de-at">Totes Gebirge</span> of Austria. Since five members of the
 expedition were also Pennine members, this report is included to show that we
-don't spend all year digging on Fountains Fell.
+don't spend all year digging on Fountains Fell.</p>
 
 <p>Following a successful trip in 1977, a much more organised group set off
 in July with a ton of gear (mainly food and rope) for the two-and-a-half day
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ days of icy digging and bolting to rig 'Plugged Shaft'. At the bottom was a
 15-metre free drop overhung by a large ice boulder in the process of melting
 - indeed, below this point, we were the target for any ice falling in the
 shaft. The pitch lands in a large round chamber, on a pile of shattered ice
-blocks.
+blocks.</p>
 
 <p>From the chamber a further 13-metre pitch (Saved Shaft), drops over the
 last of the ice into 'Boulder Chamber'. A small hole in the wall of huge
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ down leads to the head of 'Follow-through shaft', a 30-metre pitch broken by
 a large ledge half-way down. An abandoned stream passage leads out into a
 high rift chamber - 'The Taproom' - last year's terminus. On our first trip,
 the heavy drip in the chamber was absent, but later it returned with a
-vengeance.
+vengeance.</p>
 
 <p>A climb down leas to the continuing rift - too narrow at stream level -
 but a travese to sections of false floor leads to an alternative way down.
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ boulders, a large black hole suggests a chamber going up a vast distance, but
 downwards is more directly interesting and accessible. The explorers rigged a
 short drop to a narrow slit which rapidly opened into a magnificent 55-metre
 free drop from which it was seen that the upward black space is the top of an
-80-metre high chamber - the Hall of the Greene King.
+80-metre high chamber - the Hall of the Greene King.</p>
 
 <p>Doug and Andy reached the chaotic boulder floor of the chamber after
 descending a short 'Balcony' pitch. The Hall is about 20 metres in diameter
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ split in half, causing the floor below Andy to drop 6 inches! Shortly after,
 a series of mysterious sump-like gurgling noises from below suggested that
 surface rain was coming through - the explorers retreated from the
 increasingly intimidating hole - twelve hours plus, this time, having been
-spent underground.
+spent underground.</p>
 
 <p>The third and final overnight visit was the last pushing trip. Nick, Simon
 and Julian descended the rift to find a muddy stream passage - again too
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ down. More traversing led to an oxbow containing an incredible volume of
 sticky mud. A 13-metre pitch descends down a filthy wall - prussiking here
 was a losing battle except with Gibbs. We called the pitch the 'Fiesta Run'
 for reasons soon to be apparent. More traversing leads to an unbottomed black
-space where the stream could be heard below.
+space where the stream could be heard below.</p>
 
 <p>We got 5 metres down what seemed to be a 50-ish metre pitch. From a depth
 of about 330 metres the party slogged out to the surface after 12 hours
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ spectacular leap (double somersault with twist). Nick, Simon and Julian woke
 up to find themselves in the river - eliminating two of our group of five on
 the spot. There were three more trips involving members of the other groups.
 Two derigging and one surveying trip cleared the pot and took the survey to
--140 metres.
+-140 metres.</p>
 
 <p>Meanwhile, the other group had found a powerfully draughting entrance
 which took three days of Yorkshire digging to enter. This soon proved to be a
@@ -189,18 +189,18 @@ smaller rift by pitches of 5, 40 and 30 metres (by-passing a parallel
 75-metre free drop) to more rift streamway and further pitches. ExCS
 descended the big rift in a 95-metre pitch to reach the same point and
 eventually reached a very nasty choke at -280 metres, thus making <span
-lang="de-at">'Gemseh&ouml;hle'</span> the second deepest on the plateau.
+lang="de-at">'Gemseh&ouml;hle'</span> the second deepest on the plateau.</p>
 
 <p>At least two NPC will be out again in 1979 to push <span
 lang="de-at">Eislufth&ouml;hle,</span> and to look at other leads in <span
 lang="de-at">Gemseh&ouml;hle</span> - finding deep pots is amazingly easy out
-there, pushing them just a little more trouble.
+there, pushing them just a little more trouble.</p>
 
 <p align=right>A.Waddington</p>
 
 <hr />
 <!-- LINKS -->
-<p><ul>
+<ul id="links">
 <li><a href="http://www.pennine.demon.co.uk/NPC/">Northern Pennine Club</a>
 <a href="http://www.pennine.demon.co.uk/NPC/1979/MENU.HTM">1979 Journal</a>
 (from which the above is taken)</li>