mirror of
https://expo.survex.com/repositories/expoweb/.git/
synced 2024-11-22 07:11:55 +00:00
143 lines
7.2 KiB
HTML
143 lines
7.2 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
|
|
<html>
|
|
<head>
|
|
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf8" />
|
|
<title>1984: BCRA Caves & Caving report</title>
|
|
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" />
|
|
</head>
|
|
<body>
|
|
<font size=-1>CTS 84.1580: BCRA Caves & Caving 23 (Feb 1984) p 14 [ISSN 0142-1832]</font>
|
|
|
|
<h1>CUCC in Austria</h1>
|
|
|
|
<p><font size=+1><i>With no underground leads from last year still to be
|
|
pushed, the Cambridge University Caving Club went right back to basics.
|
|
Prospecting for day after day gradually uncovered entrances until eventually
|
|
several systems were being explored at once. At the end of the expedition
|
|
three caves were still 'going'</i></font>
|
|
|
|
<p>Although we were back in the familiar surroundings of the Totes Gebirge in
|
|
Austria, it seemed in many ways like a new expedition. We knew that only
|
|
details of last years work remained to be tidied up, and some serious
|
|
prospecting would have to be done at the start to locate new caves. The new
|
|
area of plateau we selected was further from the road than we had been last
|
|
year, and increased the walk-in to over an hour. With the closing of our
|
|
traditional campsite we had to stay in the next nearest, some 45 minutes
|
|
drive from the caves. We kept to our usual system of caving in pairs as day
|
|
trips from the base camp but, as the caves became deeper, the additional four
|
|
hours spent travelling made for very long days. To continue exploration it
|
|
will almost certainly be necessary to camp on the plateau, which in the past
|
|
we have always avoided. Fortunately we had enough cars to keep the expedition
|
|
mobile, ranging from a smart TR6 to a disintegrating Datsun. Several veterans
|
|
of previous expeditions in the late seventies made a comeback and their
|
|
experience of the area was much appreciated.
|
|
|
|
<hr />
|
|
|
|
The expedition divided naturally into several groups to begin prospecting and
|
|
the older chappies soon showed that they weren't past their prime in any way.
|
|
The speed and efficiency of their early morning starts sometimes surprised
|
|
the younger generation. Initially the weather was glorious, with a deep blue
|
|
sky and the white limestone peaks towering upwards towards the sun. We
|
|
struggled upwards through the undergrowth, becoming scratched and torn on all
|
|
exposed areas, sweat pouring as we scrambled across the rock. From vantage
|
|
points on hillocks and ridges we would scan the surrounding land and roughly
|
|
divide it into smaller areas to cover one by one. But once down in the bushes
|
|
all sense of direction could be lost. Working in pairs, it usually took all
|
|
day to cover a couple of acres.
|
|
|
|
<p>Entrances abound in this part of the Totes Gebirge. Some are obviously
|
|
only rock shelters, but more commonly we would come across shafts, some wide
|
|
open, others partially hidden. Having convinced ourselves that the bottom was
|
|
out of sight, and rocks could be made to rumble down for a suitable distance,
|
|
we'd rig the entrance - usually to find the shaft choked or the way on
|
|
becoming too narrow after a couple of pitches. Each one was plumbed to check
|
|
the depth and the entrance numbered with paint. We also surveyed back to
|
|
fixed stations on nearby and distinctive surface features to locate the
|
|
relative position and altitude of each. A day was also spent surveying down
|
|
the hillside from the entrance of last years find (Schnellzughohle) in
|
|
another attempt to find a lower entrance. Despite locating the exact spot on
|
|
the surface nearest to the known cave, there simply wasn't an entrance where
|
|
we thought there should be.
|
|
|
|
<hr />
|
|
|
|
Initially, one area of exploration was near the upper entrance to
|
|
Schnellzughohle, called Stellerweghohle. The entrance series of the latter is
|
|
mostly horizontal and nearby is another short cave (142) ending in a pitch
|
|
into a huge chamber. Upon resurveying and superimposing onto the Stellerweg
|
|
survey, they were found to almost overlap. A later trip made the connection,
|
|
but also found that 142 is below Stellerweg and so no extra depth was gained.
|
|
Looking higher up the hill, two entrances were discovered quite close
|
|
together. One (143) became too tight after a splendid series of free-hanging
|
|
pitches at about -125m, but the other (144) met a phreatic level about 200m
|
|
below the entrance. We guessed that this was at the same level as the
|
|
entrance series to Stellerweg and looked to a new depth of 990m for the
|
|
latter. SAdly, although we followed the horizontal passage to within 130m of
|
|
Stellerweg, it abruptly dropped into a large chamber with an inaccessible
|
|
roof tunnel continuing. The cave continued downwards to nearly -300m, finally
|
|
dropping into a tiny streamway, but we felt sure that the way on was across
|
|
from the "Mud Wall" pitch. The obvious plan was to return to Stellerweg and
|
|
try to find the roof tunnel from the other side - but we ran out of time.
|
|
|
|
<hr />
|
|
|
|
As the expedition continued, the weather deteriorated and it would rain for
|
|
several days at a time. This was bad enough, but one day we reached the
|
|
plateau to find the hills under a sprinkling of snow. Snowball fights in
|
|
August proved to be an original amusement and strengthened by our training,
|
|
the caving continued.
|
|
|
|
<p>Two other major finds were made. The first was the well-named
|
|
"Steinschlagschacht", number 136. EXploration of this cave was done slowly
|
|
and cautiously as chunks of cave would follow the intrepid speleos down each
|
|
pitch. Teams returned with stories of "hanging deaths" and falling boulders.
|
|
Eventually, the cave broke into several small streamways at about -200m and
|
|
it is still going.
|
|
|
|
<p>A little to the north of 136 the entrance to "Wolfhohle" was found. This
|
|
caused some excitement early on when the well-preserved skeleton of a large
|
|
animal was found in it. Opinions still vary as to whether it is a wolf or
|
|
bear skeleton. The cave beyond continued in quite varied fashion to nearly
|
|
-300m and there are several leads remaining to be explored.
|
|
|
|
<p>With only three weeks actually out in Austria, the end came all too soon,
|
|
and we found we had to leave just as the real caving began. After completing
|
|
the exploration of the Schnellzughohle last year, we were pleased to show
|
|
that there is still a lot to do in the area. Despite some atrocious weather,
|
|
we hope to return next year.
|
|
|
|
<hr />
|
|
|
|
Thanks must go to our ever-tolerant and splendid drinking companions in the
|
|
local caving group, and to the Sports Council for a grant towards travel
|
|
costs. A full report will appear in "Cambridge Underground 1984".
|
|
|
|
<p align=right><i>Dave Brindle</i>
|
|
|
|
<hr />
|
|
<!-- LINKS -->
|
|
<ul id="links">
|
|
<li>1983 Expedition info:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
|
|
<li>Main Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1984:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><a href="wolf1.htm">Wolfehohle</a> - Act I</li>
|
|
<li>Exploration and Survey of <a href="exp142.htm">1623/142</a>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><a href="exp142.htm#possext">Possible extensions</a>
|
|
to the 41-142-115 System</li>
|
|
</ul></li>
|
|
<li><a href="143144.htm">143 and 144</a> Guidebook descriptions</li>
|
|
<li><a href="41svy.htm">142/41 Survey</a> - the truth</li>
|
|
<li><a href="list.htm">Summary of Caves 1983</a></li>
|
|
</ul></li>
|
|
</ul></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1983">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>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
</body>
|
|
</html>
|