Cambridge push the hard pots of Altaussee

Mike Perryman, CUCC

FOR THE SECOND YEAR running, Cambridge Cavers, somewhat disillusioned after several summers prospecting in the Pyrenees, made a visit to the karst regions of western Austria in 1977. The 1976 expedition (full details in the current Cambridge Underground) did important foundation work in the area, and even though little of note was found, sufficient knowledge was gained to make our prospecting last summer easier and more rewarding. It also found the Dachstein/Totesgebirge area excellent for tourist trips into the huge phreatic systems that abound, but attention was focussed on the extensive lapiaz plateau above Altaussee, where the caves have turned out to be of a very different nature.

Until recently access to it had been difficult and the area consequently remained unexplored, but a toll road now serves this limestone mass nearly 3300ft above the nearest valley floor. Although prospecting now involves a mere one and a half hours walk, one arrives much poorer!

The depth potential of this region is of the order of 3300ft, but serious dye-testing has yet to be carried out. Rumours this summer of a 2300ft+ pot discovered further east on the Tauplitz plateau by a French team lifted morale even further. If confirmed this find would displace Gruberhornhöhle as the deepest in Austria. Then bear in mind that serious prospecting in the mountains has only just begun!

Our finds have been more modest - amongst numerous small pots they include those now catalogued as holes 82, 97 and 106. The first of these would not be out of place in Yorkshire, with a stream cascading in at -130ft. After an awkward 65ft crawl, a series of wet pitches in progressively larger rifts reaches a sump at -754ft.

97 is equally sporting with a tight entrance series leading to a succession of smallish pitches again in large rift passage. At 886ft it suddenly closes down and becomes too constricted.

106 was not pushed to definite conclusion due to lack of time, but a team reached 460ft in a series of enormous shafts.

Exploration of these and other smaller shafts went rather slowly - partly because of their location in relation to our camp, and partly due to their nature. We were rather surprised to find the systems wet and responding rapidly to rain, and cold even by English standards. And almost without exception the pitches had to be bolted due to the scarcity of good natural belays.

But we have returned with valuable knowledge of the region, and more than enough enthusiasm to organise another visit.