Basecamp is located at the Gasthof Staud'nwirt, near Bad Aussee. This is where you'll spend time on rest days and bad weather days. Accomodation is camping but there is a communal building, the 'Potato Hut' or 'Tatty Hut' which is ours for the duration of expo. There is access to clean running water, a fridge (and beer fridge), and we have our own toilet cubicle. There is free access to showers accross the road at the Gasthof, as well as a washing machine for €5. We have gas cookers and an electric deepfryer for cooking, which are located insde the 'Bier tent'. This needs to be set up at the beginning of expo. There is also access to a small paddling area in the river across the road.
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The Gasthof
+ The Gasthof Staud'nwirt is the guest house / campsite where basecamp is located. We have a long term relationship with them and the owner Hilde, and they give us our own camping area and the Potato Hut for the duration of the expedition every year. They also allow us to store a lot of our kit year-round. While we have our own area, the main campsite and main building are just across the road from us, and expo goers can go there and pay for a nice meal if they don't feel like cooking.
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Caving
+ Caving happens on the Loser Plateau, on the Loser Mountain. The bottom of the mountain is a 15 minute drive from basecamp. From the bottom, there is a toll road most of the way up the mountain, which we normally have a deal in place to give us access to for the duration of the expedition. A select number of cars will be registerd with this every year. As of 2025, the only access to go up the mountain by road is outside the hours of 8am-4pm. Alternatively, there is a cable car that goes up there and costs us €11 for a single trip or €15 for a return. After that, it's an hour's walk to reach the Plateau, gaining around 300m in elevation. Caving can either be done directly from basecamp or from top camp. Generally, 2 caves are chosen by the expedition leaders each year to work in, as there are limited resources such as ropes, metalwork and caver-power. By focussing our efforts, we can explore them more effectively. Any exploration done must be surveyed, in order to avoid duplicating effort and as part of our arrangement with the Austrian goverment. Lots of the caves are very large, and day trips can often end up lasting 12 or more hours.
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Prospecting
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In addition to exploring the year's chosen caves, days on the plateau can be spent looking for new ones. There are lots of caves that still remain undiscovered, which also need to be surveyed. Some of these can be completed in a single day. If you find a really big one it could become a focus for the following year's expedition. You also get to name the cave if you discover it. Prospecting can make a nice change from caving, as you can walk around on the surface in the sun. For more information, look here.
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Top Camp
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This is where you'll be based for most of your caving. Currently it's located at Stone Bridge' cave, but moves around occasionally. It's a further hour walk from the start of the plateau and gives better access to the more distant caves. Most people spend a few days at a time here, but this is up to you as long as someone is willing to drive you up or down the mountain (or you can manage to hitchhike). There will be gas stoves here and rainwater collection, but water can be limited depending on rainfall. This will also need setting up at the beginning of expo, and taking down at the end.
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