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<center><font size=-1>Cambridge Underground 1989 p 18</font>
<h2>Description of 1623/161 (Kaninchenh&ouml;hle)</h2>
<h3>by Keith Millar</h3></center>
<p>Lat: 47&deg; 40' 40"<br>
Long: 13&deg; 48' 50"<br>
Altitude: 1790 metres</p>
<p>The entrance to 161 was located at the start of what proved to be a very
successful year for CUCC. The entrance is located on a limestone ridge, just
along from the col between the Hint. and Vord. Schwarzmooskogel. Due to its
location, the cave has been unaffected by the large amount of rock shattering
usually found blocking shafts in the area.</p>
<p>The relatively free hanging entrance shaft lands in a small chamber with
two ways on. The most obvious being a 20m shaft leading to a 3rd pitch
through an eye hole, being 10m in length landing on a boulder strewn floor,
with two ways on.</p>
<p>The left way continues as a 12m pitch landing on a loose boulder slope
ending in a choke. The right way through a small hole under a huge boulder
resting on a loose boulder slope, this continues at an angle of 30 degrees to
a further pitch, this has as yet not been descended due to the unstable
nature of the boulder slope.</p>
<p>The second route out of the chamber at the bottom of the entrance pitch,
known as the "Rabbit Warren Series" leads via a small phreatic tube to a
series of shafts of 10.5m, 40m, 47.5m in length eventually ending in a sand
filled tube with no way on at a depth of 170m.</p>
<p>The key to the system is to be found on the second pitch, where, after
descending approx 12m, you pendulum off on to an inclined rift leading to a
large boulder strewn chamber. This leads after some distance to a 10m pitch
followed by a very unstable boulder slope leading to a further 26m pitch
known as "Death's Door" in an inclined rift. This is followed by a free
climbable rift ending in a very tight 8m pitch "Beer Belly Blues". This rift
then enlarges and merges with another, entering a huge phreatic passage. This
gives two possible ways on, the Left Hand Route and the Right Hand Route.</p>
<p><b>LEFT HAND ROUTE</b></p>
<p>This consists of an inclined rift which you continue along avoiding the
holes in the floor. Many ways on have been seen, but none pushed, along this
rift. The rift eventually leads to Arrow Chamber where there are two shafts.
These are thought to join, and so the easiest to rig being the one found by
climbing down through some boulders in the middle of the chamber was
descended. This 42m pitch lands on a choked shaft floor where a further
parallel shaft can be seen through cracks in the walls. A large eye hole
shows the way on, being a traverse followed by a 10m pitch. This series of
shafts continued down with ledges hindering your descent, until a large black
hole with sheer walls is found. This, the "Niflheim" has as yet not been
fully descended. The word Niflheim comes from the Norse Myths and means "A
realm of freezing mist and darkness under one root of Yggdrasall (world tree)
which hell lies within".</p>
<p><b>RIGHT HAND ROUTE</b></p>
<p>This takes the form of a large phreatic passage which is covered by a thin
layer of moon milk. This continues via a short 5m pitch to an area with rock
pinnacles and highly weathered rock slabs. Once yu have picked a way through
this mess the phreatic level continues via several climbs needing handlines
to a large 45 degree boulder slope "Boulder Alley". The passage continues
descending with the roof gaining height all along until a 32m pitch is
reached at the edge of a large black space. This pitch lands in a very large
sloping chamber (60m x 45m approx) called "Knossus" containing a frozen
manganese oxide stream and house size boulders.</p>
<p>A walking sized route through a boulder choke "Star Wars" leads to yet
another large chamber (possibly a continuation of the first) called "Tower
Blocks" in which you can quite easily get lost. Various routes lead off, none
of which have yet been properly looked at.</p>
<p>The 1989 expedition to Austria will be concentrating mainly on further
pushing 161 as there are many wide open leads to be looked at left from last
year's expedition.</p>
<ol>
<li>The Niflheim (Left Hand Route)</li>
<li>Phreatic levels of Tower Blocks (Right Hand Route)</li>
<li>Skull Pitch (possible by-pass to Death's Door)</li>
<li>Passage above Death's Door Pitch</li>
</ol>
<p>Also it is hoped to investigate by diving, the known resurgence in
Altaussee Lake.</p>
<hr />
<!-- LINKS -->
<ul id="links">
<li>Cambridge Underground 1989,
<a href="http://cucc.survex.com/jnl/1989/index.htm">Table of Contents</a></li>
<li>1988 Expedition info:
<ul>
<li><a href="index.htm">Index</a> (more detail than in this list)</li>
<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
<li>Cambridge Underground Expo Report:
<ul>
<li><a href="report.htm">Austria 1988</a> expedition report</li>
<li><a href="164.htm">1623/164</a> exploration</li>
<li><a href="rover.htm">A Rover's return</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><a href="to1989.htm">And so to 1989</a> work for 1989 expo to date</li>
<li><a href="bcracc.htm">BCRA Caves &amp; Caving Report</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1988">Index</a> to all publications</li>
<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a></li>
<li><a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a></li>
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