mirror of
https://expo.survex.com/repositories/expoweb/.git/
synced 2024-11-27 01:32:03 +00:00
125 lines
6.7 KiB
HTML
125 lines
6.7 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
|
|
<html lang="en">
|
|
<head>
|
|
<title>1984: BCRA Caves & Caving report</title>
|
|
</head>
|
|
<body>
|
|
<font size=-1>CTS 85.1463: BCRA Caves & Caving 29 (Aug 1985) pp 34-35 [ISSN 0142-1832]</font>
|
|
|
|
<h2>CUCC in Austria, 1984</h2>
|
|
|
|
<h3>Pete Lancaster</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p><i>The 1984 Cambridge expedition was the smallest for many years (10
|
|
people for 3 weeks in July/August), but it managed to tie up most of the
|
|
leads which had been left at the end of the previous year. As usual, activity
|
|
was centred around the small village of Altaussee in the South western Totes
|
|
Gebirge, 55km south east of Salzburg. Unfortunately the expedition was
|
|
characterised by conditions which were wet even for this mountainous region.
|
|
A week of continuous rain hit the expedition before it had really got
|
|
underway, and brought morale to an all time low. With the return of the sun
|
|
and reasonable conditions, the considerable attractions of letching at the
|
|
topless sunbathers on the Grundlsee proved as much of a deterrent to caving
|
|
as the rain had the week before.</i>
|
|
|
|
<p>The main aim during the early stages of the expedition was the exploration
|
|
of Wolfhöhle, which had been left wide open in 1983, a pleasant phreatic
|
|
entrance series leading to a succession of fine pitches. It was during the
|
|
second two-man rigging-in trip that the expedition hit its low point. The
|
|
team tackled to the 1983 limit, which was a superb 40m free hang in a
|
|
circular shaft. They roped on down a large clean washed rift which was
|
|
completely dry until a change of character was met at the muddy Beezley
|
|
Street, where they retreated, having finished the rope. They had just reached
|
|
the streamway when there was a characteristic rush of wind and sudden
|
|
increase in water level. On reaching the big pitch (Tiddley-Pom), they found
|
|
the water level had increased by five times and ascending the pitch was out
|
|
of the question.
|
|
|
|
<p>From reports by the surface partyit was later estimated that the water had
|
|
risen to this level in less than two hours, with the arrival of the worst
|
|
thundestorm experienced in many years of expeditions. Fifteen hours of caving
|
|
had depleted the team's food supplies, but solid planning based on equal
|
|
quantities of food and rope meant there were a few sardines, the dust-like
|
|
remains of a few packets of digestive biscuits, and some dried soup. They sat
|
|
down to wait, trying to gauge whether the roar was increasing or decreasing,
|
|
and experimenting with the best way to keep warm in a furry suit. After
|
|
twelve hours, with no sign that the water would dramatically decrease (in
|
|
fact it rained for the next 3 days), they took advantage of a slight
|
|
improvement in the water level and struggled up the wet pitch.
|
|
|
|
<p>Defensive rigging meant that the first rebelay was out of the main volume
|
|
of the water, but was still painful with hands tingling as they recovered
|
|
from the numbing water. They struggled out through the remaining 200m of
|
|
pitches, all unrecognisable in the increased water, expecting at every pitch
|
|
to see the lights of a rescue party. They dreamed of burnt rice pudding (a
|
|
CUCC rescue speciality), but emerged after 28 hours underground to a rain
|
|
swept and misty plateau with no sign of anyone. Halfway back they met an
|
|
ill-assorted bunch of cavers. Apparently the rescue had a slow start - this
|
|
would be the first caving of expedition for some; stops for food and beer at
|
|
the restaurant and finally 3 hours spent wandering fruitlessly looking for
|
|
the entrance all meant that the operation was not of the standard that might
|
|
have been hoped for. It was probably just as well that they never did get
|
|
underground.
|
|
|
|
<p>When the rain finally stopped and courage was summoned again, the cave
|
|
beyond Beezley Street was pushed down a muddy rift to a peculiar area of
|
|
dried out phreatic tubes and a small sump at -426m. The final ignominy was to
|
|
come, when the "wolf" skeleton which had given the cave its name was removed
|
|
at the request of the local cavers, who declared it to be a brown bear.
|
|
|
|
<p>During the later stages of the expedition, activity centred on the search
|
|
for an upper entrance to the 898m Schnellzug-Stellerweg Höhlen System,
|
|
explored by CUCC in 1982. The 1983 expedition had linked in the largely
|
|
horizontal 1623/142 to the entrance series of Stellerweghöhle (1623/41),
|
|
but this did not produce an increased depth. The main hopes for 1984 were in
|
|
trying to connect 1623/143 and 1623/144, shaft systems further up the hill.
|
|
Several trips were made to the area above the big pitch in Stellerweg,
|
|
pushing the hitherto neglected maze of ramps and tubes in the search for a
|
|
connection. Fortunately we were blessed with modern technology, and
|
|
semi-instantaneous plotting of the survey data on a BBC micro showed that an
|
|
aven which had been found in the far reaches was very close to the bottom of
|
|
143, which ended in a narrow slot. A trip was arranged with parties down 41
|
|
and 143 in the hope of establishing a connection; this was done, with
|
|
hammering in 143 being heard in Stellerweg. The two ends of the caves are
|
|
probably about 30m apart, but explosives would be needed to enlarge the rift,
|
|
and this is unlikely to happen, even though the combined system depth would
|
|
be 971m.
|
|
|
|
<p>Other work done included the bottoming of the unloved Steinschlagschacht
|
|
(1623/136) at approximately 240m, with a narrowing of the rift; and a small
|
|
amount of prospecting on the Schwarzmoos Kogel which found some interesting
|
|
phreatic tunnels.
|
|
|
|
<p>Full details of the expedition will be found in the forthcoming Cambridge
|
|
Underground 1985. A return trip is planned for this summer.
|
|
|
|
<p>Once again our thanks to the local Austrian cavers, for many pleasant
|
|
drinking sessions, to the landlady of the Staudnwirt, and to the Sports
|
|
Council for a grant.
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
<!-- LINKS -->
|
|
<img alt=">" src="../../../icons/lists/0.gif">
|
|
1984 Expedition info:<br>
|
|
<img alt="--->" src="../../../icons/lists/1.gif">
|
|
<a href="log.htm">Logbook</a><br>
|
|
<img alt="--->" src="../../../icons/lists/1.gif">
|
|
<a href="stopp.htm">Stop Press report</a>, CU 1984<br>
|
|
<img alt="--->" src="../../../icons/lists/1.gif">
|
|
Main Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1985:<br>
|
|
<img alt="------>" src="../../../icons/lists/2.gif">
|
|
<a href="report.htm">Austria 1984 Exposée</a><br>
|
|
<img alt="------>" src="../../../icons/lists/2.gif">
|
|
<a href="cavegd.htm">Wolfhöhle</a> - A Guidebook Description<br>
|
|
<img alt="------>" src="../../../icons/lists/2.gif">
|
|
An Ascent of the <a href="twand.htm">Trisselwand</a><br>
|
|
<img alt=">" src="../../../icons/lists/0.gif">
|
|
<a href="../../pubs.htm#1984">Index</a> to all publications<br>
|
|
<img alt=">" src="../../../icons/lists/0.gif">
|
|
<a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a><br>
|
|
<img alt=">" src="../../../icons/lists/0.gif">
|
|
<a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a>
|
|
|
|
</body>
|
|
</html>
|