<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN"> <html lang=en> <head> <title>1623:148</title> </head> <body> <center><table border=0 width=100%> <tr><th align=left><font size=+2>148</font></th> <th align=center><font size=+2>Marilyn Monroe Höhle</font></th> <th align=right><font size=+2>2/t/S +</font></th></tr> </table></center> <b>Altitude:</b> 1655m, deepest surveyed point is -39.2m<br> <b>Position:</b> E 35836 N (52)82639 <b>Marking:</b> red painted number "148". 1998 tag "1623 148 CUCC 1984" on survey point on RHS of entrance. <p><b>Location:</b> On the plateau, next to cairned path from the col past 82 leading to 107 etc., just by a short climb up; noticeable by (and discovered by) its cold outward draught. <p>Not really pushed in 1984, since discovered right at the end, but relocated in 1987: horizontal tube entrance about 1m in diameter. An awkward crawl over boulders for 10m leads to a squeeze down behind a boulder with light entering ahead. Short freeclimb reaches a phreatic tube of about 3m diameter. To the right silts up in boulders while to the left descends gently over snow and big rocks to reach a sizeable chamber and pitch of about 20m. Avoiding the pitch, a route down through boulders for 3m reaches a very unstable boulder slope, which is crossed to reach another 3m pitch to a rift with a further pitch on the left. To the right, the roof lowers over large boulders, and a small ice chamber is reached with a frozen stream. A narrow section leads down to a rift of 5m down to an earthy passage. <p>Back at the boulder slope (I think), the 20m pitch can again be attained and from here is 15m to the floor of a 20m high chamber with three ways on. Facing away from pitch, righthand rift leads to a flat-out crawl over ice. This passes remarkable ice formations to emerge at <b>The Ice Castle</b>, a chamber with a large ice-stalagmite formation. The route terminates in a steep ice slope at the far side of the chamber. <p>Way directly ahead from pitch is a 3m climb into a large phreatic tube round a 90° bend to a solid wall of boulders. Ways into the choke proved very loose and tight, but a continuing rift/chamber could be seen through a tiny but strongly draughting hole. <p>Third way on from pitch ascends steeply and becomes tight, with a jammed boulder now in the way. Route ends at a steep ice-climb for which no equipment was available. <p><b>Exploration:</b> CUCC 1984, 1987 <hr> <!-- LINKS --> <img alt=">" src="../../icons/lists/0.png"> <a href="../index.htm">Back to Expedition Intro page</a><br> <img alt="--->" src="../../icons/lists/1.png"> <a href="../indxal.htm">Full Index</a><br> <img alt="--->" src="../../icons/lists/1.png"> <a href="../areas.htm">Other areas</a><br> <img alt="------>" src="../../icons/lists/2.png"> <a href="index.htm#148">Plateau area index</a> </body> </html>