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<h2 align=center>Expedition primer</h2>
<h1>CUCC Austria Expeditions: Primer</h1>
<p><i>The annual CUCC expedition to Austria lasts up to five weeks each
summer and concentrates mainly on new exploration in the high alpine karst of
the <span lang="de-at">Loser</span> plateau (about 80km E of
<span lang="de-at">Salzburg).</span> The current main projects are:
<hr />
<blockquote>
<p>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
<span lang="de-at">Loser</span> plateau (about 80km E of <span
lang="de-at">Salzburg).</span> The current main projects are:</p>
<dl>
<dt><span lang="de">Kaninchenh&ouml;hle</span>
<dd>a cave now over 24km long and 534m
deep, explored by the club since its discovery in 1988;
<dt><span lang="de">Steinbr&uuml;ckenh&ouml;hle</span>
<dd>explored to 454m in depth and 5.3km in length by the end of Expo 2002;
<dt><span lang="de-at">Schwarzmooskogelsystem</span>
<dd>formed from the linkage of several caves into one system, 20km or so
long, and 972m deep, of which a third of the length and both the deepest
point and the highest entrance were explored by CUCC in the early eighties.
<dt><span lang="de-at">Steinbr&uuml;ckenh&ouml;hle</span></dt>
<dd>the most major cave in the area <em>not</em> to have been connected to the
master <span lang="de-at">Schwarzmooskogel</span> system, and the principal
focus of CUCC's work since 2000. At the end of Expo 2003 it had been explored
to 510m in depth and 7.2km in length.</dd>
<dt><span lang="de-at">Eislufth&ouml;hle</span></dt>
<dd>originally explored in the very early days of CUCC expeditions in the late
seventies, to a depth estimated at 506m. The original explorers simply
concentrated on getting to the bottom and were not unduly concerned with
exploring side passages or with accurate surveying; hence a return and
reexploration is planned for 2004.</dd>
<dt><span lang="de-at">Schwarzmooskogel</span> system</dt>
<dd>formed from the linkage of several caves into one system, 55km or so
long, and 1033m deep, of which around two-thirds of the length (and the highest
and deepest points) were explored by CUCC. CUCC has not been directly involved
in exploration in the system itself since 2002, but there are nonetheless plans
to return one day.</dd>
</dl>
<p><span lang="de">Kaninchenh&ouml;hle</span> was connected to the <span
lang="de-at">Schwarzmooskogelsystem</span> by a group of German cavers in 2002.
It is expected that <span lang="de">Steinbr&uuml;ckenh&ouml;hle</span> will
eventually be connected to this system. Around ninety shorter caves have also
been explored and recorded over the twenty year history of expo, and
prospecting for new entrances is still an important activity.</i>
<p>Over a hundred shorter caves have also been explored and
recorded over the twenty year history of expo, and prospecting for new
entrances is still an important activity.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<p>So much for the executive summary, but what does that mean for the new
expo member ? What is actually involved in going on expo ?
expo member? What is actually involved in going on expo?</p>
<p>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
@@ -40,84 +52,84 @@ 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.
to cave.</p>
<p>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
<p>But don't expect too much from that word "organising" &ndash; 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 <u>are</u> keen to explore.
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 <em>are</em> keen to explore.</p>
<p>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
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 - logbook 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.
and describe what you find &ndash; logbook 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.</p>
<p>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.
<p>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.</p>
<p>In Austria, expo is effectively split into "<a href="bcamps.htm">Base
Camp</a>" and "<a href="tcamps.htm#topcamp">Top Camp</a>". Base camp is in
Camp</a>" and various "<a href="tcamps.htm">plateau camps</a>". Base camp is in
the valley, near the pub, shops, lake and other "R&amp;R" facilities. It is
here that we have the bulk of the documentation, computers, lamp charging,
log book and survey book. Top Camp is 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 walking takes 30-45 minutes to top camp. Various cave
entrances are from a few minutes to maybe an hour and a half from here. Top
camp and Base camp are linked by mobile phone, which are much better for
coordinating and reporting activities than the radios we used previously.
However they should still be used sparingly to ensure that there is plenty of
battery power in an emergency. The result of this is that trips are mostly
organised by the people in top camp, and trying to participate in expo whilst
spending every night at Base Camp is somewhat frustrating. It also costs more
:-)
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 30
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 <span
lang="de-at">Steinbr&uuml;ckenh&ouml;hle</span> bivvy site, or somewhat less to
the proposed bivouac site at <span lang="de-at">Eislufth&ouml;hle</span>.</p>
<p>On the other hand, top camp is in 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. Top Camp 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. It is likely that in 2001 the main top
camp will be much more of a low-key affair, with additional bivouacs at
the entrances to two of our caves.
<p>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. However they should still be used sparingly to ensure that there is
plenty of battery power in an emergency. 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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.
the middle of expo, when the greatest number of people can attend.</p>
<h3 align=center>What to read next ?</h3>
<h3>What to read next?</h3>
<p>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
@@ -127,77 +139,73 @@ however, not everyone wants to effectively memorise the guidebook, and
devour several books on the history, culture, geography, geology, food,
weather and other <span lang="la">minuti&aelig;</span> 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
start &ndash; 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.
exploration is considered complete.</p>
<p>We have attempted to condense the "how to do it" material into an
<a href="handbook/index.htm">Expedition Handbook</a>, which covers topics
such as Surveying, Prospecting, Rigging and Rescue. There is also a rather
embryonic section on photography. 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 <b>everyone</b> 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.
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 <b>everyone</b> 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.</p>
<p>To get a feel for what trips are like, it is perhaps worth dipping into
one of the <a href="years/2001/log.htm">logbooks for recent
years</a>. To get an idea of what expo will be trying to achieve, there is a
"<a href="years/2003/goals.htm">mission statement</a>" for the current year.
And to see how much potential there is, a glance at the current
<span lang="de">Steinbr&uuml;ckenh&ouml;hle</span>
<a href="smkridge/204/qm.shtml">Question Mark list</a> is a
revelation. Leads are numbered by year, with the oldest first. Following
links from any of these leads will get you into the cave description, which
gives an idea of the sort of caving.
one of the <a href="years/2003/logbook.html">logbooks for recent years</a>. To
get an idea of what expo will be trying to achieve, there is a "<a
href="years/2004/goals.html">mission statement</a>" for the current year. And
to see how much potential there is, a glance at the current <span
lang="de">Steinbr&uuml;ckenh&ouml;hle</span> <a
href="smkridge/204/qm.shtml">Question Mark list</a> 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 <a
href="smkridge/204/204.shtml">cave description</a>, which gives an idea of the
sort of caving.</p>
For the ambitious there is the
<a href="smkridge/161/top.htm">complete <span
lang="de">Kaninchenh&ouml;hle</span> description</a>, which runs to c 90 A4
pages
when printed, so is rather too much to digest in one go ! We recommend
<p>For the ambitious, there is a complete description of <a
href="smkridge/161/top.htm"><span lang="de-at">Kaninchenh&ouml;hle</span></a>,
which absorbed almost all of CUCC's expedition effort from 1989 to 1999 and now
forms the largest single component of the <span
lang="de-at">Schwarzmooskogel</span> system. The description runs to c 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.
descriptions.</p>
<p>If you want to delve deeper into the site, it's worth a quick look
at the site <a href="../rdmap.htm">road map</a>. This gives you an idea
of the structure of the site and where you can expect the graphical links
to lead. There are also plenty of textual links, as exemplified by the
expo <a href="infodx.htm">site index</a>.
expo <a href="infodx.htm">site index</a>.</p>
<hr>
<hr />
<!-- LINKS -->
<img alt="&gt;" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
Back to <a href="../index.htm">CUCC Home page</a><br>
<img alt="&gt;" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
CUCC <a href="handbook/index.htm">Expedition Handbook</a><br>
<img alt="&gt;" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
<b>Main Indices:</b><br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../icons/lists/1.png">
<a href="infodx.htm"><b>Index</b> to Expo</a> information pages<br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../icons/lists/1.png">
<a href="areas.htm">Description of CUCC's area</a> and split to subareas<br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../icons/lists/1.png">
Full <a href="indxal.htm">Index to cave descriptions</a> in area 1623<br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../icons/lists/1.png">
List of (links to) <a href="pubs.htm">published reports and logbooks</a><br>
<img alt="&gt;" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
<b>Pictures:</b><br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../icons/lists/1.png">
<a href="gall0.htm">Text only Index</a><br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../icons/lists/1.png">
<a href="gallery/0.htm">Index pages (with thumbnails)</a><br>
<img alt="&gt;" src="../icons/lists/0.png">
Other info:<br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../icons/lists/1.png">
Table of <a href="folk/index.htm">members of CUCC expeditions</a> 1976-2000<br>
<img alt="---&gt;" src="../icons/lists/1.png">
<a href="others/index.htm">Other groups</a> who have worked in the area.<br>
<ul id="links">
<li>Back to <a href="../index.htm">CUCC Home page</a></li>
<li><b>Main Indices:</b>
<ul>
<li><a href="infodx.htm"><b>Index</b> to Expo</a> information pages</li>
<li><a href="areas.htm">Description of CUCC's area</a> and split to subareas</li>
<li>Full <a href="indxal.htm">Index to cave descriptions</a> in area 1623</li>
<li>Adjacent area <a href="1626/index.htm">1626</a></li>
<li>List of (links to) <a href="pubs.htm">published reports and logbooks</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><b>Pictures:</b>
<ul>
<li><a href="gall0.htm">Text only Index</a></li>
<li><a href="gallery/0.htm">Index pages (with thumbnails)</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li>Other info:
<ul>
<li>Table of <a href="folk/index.htm">members of CUCC expeditions</a> 1976-present</li>
<li><a href="others/index.htm">Other groups</a> who have worked in the area.</li>
</ul></li></ul>
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