mirror of
https://expo.survex.com/repositories/expoweb/.git/
synced 2024-12-24 17:34:39 +00:00
90 lines
4.6 KiB
HTML
90 lines
4.6 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
|
|
<html>
|
|
<head>
|
|
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf8" />
|
|
<title>1978: Andy Waddington's report for BCRA Caves & Caving</title>
|
|
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" />
|
|
</head>
|
|
<body>
|
|
<font size=-1>CTS 78.2037: BCRA Caves & Caving 2 (November 1978) pp 9-10 [ISSN 0142-1832]</font>
|
|
|
|
<h2>CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY CAVING CLUB EXPEDITION<br>
|
|
To the <span lang="de">Totes Gebirge</span> of Austria 1978</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>The 1978 expedition of CUCC returned to the promising area of the last two
|
|
years to continue the exploration of last year's deep pot
|
|
<span lang="de">Eislufthöhle</span> (1623/106) and to prospect for
|
|
further pots on the <span lang="de">Loser Augst-Eck</span> plateau. Seven
|
|
members of the expedition were present for shorter periods, all during August
|
|
this year.
|
|
|
|
<p>The expedition formed two groups, the first of which were to continue
|
|
forcing <span lang="de">Eislufthöhle,</span> abandoned at -150m last
|
|
year due to lack of time. We were not prepared for the increase in snow this
|
|
year and it took us three cold trips of rebolting and digging through snow
|
|
plugs to get down the 80m "Plugged Shaft" just inside the entrance; but below
|
|
this rigging was fairly easy. Several short drops of 12-20m led to last
|
|
year's final chamber "The Taproom" from which a short climb led to a rift
|
|
passage with a strong draught. This led us to the head of a pitch, which
|
|
dropped 60m in three sections, the bottom 15m being very damp in wet weather.
|
|
A traverse above the stream led to the head of a 55m free drop and then a
|
|
short balcony pitch to the floor of the Hall of the Greene King, a large
|
|
chamber of 25m in diameter and at least 80m high. Beyond a boulder pile was a
|
|
subsidiary chamber and the way on was a pitch into a high vadose streamway
|
|
where progress was by traversing 3-15m above the narrow stream trench. This
|
|
passage took us to a depth of 350m via a very muddy pitch in an oxbow and we
|
|
were forced to terminate exploration 10m down a 40-60m pitch when a car crash
|
|
removed two of the team of five after an overnight trip. De-rigging was
|
|
achieved in two trips of 10 hours (bottom 50m and spare tackle) and 6 hours;
|
|
and a trip to the furthest point would take about 6 hours with the pot fully
|
|
rigged.
|
|
|
|
<p>The stream should be rejoined by the next pitch (it could be heard below)
|
|
and the final draught is inwards suggesting a lower outlet, though the
|
|
entrance draught is inward [this "inward" is a typo for "outwards",
|
|
WebEditor] suggesting a higher entrance, probably coming in via the high aven
|
|
above Hall of the Greene King. The other group spent a few days investigating
|
|
entrances on the plateau, including one hole of about 50m, before finding a
|
|
powerfully draughting entrance which required 3 days digging to enter,
|
|
revealing a pitch of 18m to a series of passages. Two further pitches were
|
|
descended to a junction of ways. One way by-passing an 80m direct shaft and
|
|
leading to a series of smaller pitches which joined the other route. This
|
|
involved a short pitch to boulders and then a 95m shaft. Beyond the
|
|
confluence, a streamway dropped down various climbs and pitches to another
|
|
rift, ending at a fairly conclusive choke, though it is conceivable that a
|
|
route could be found above this. The total depth of the pot, named
|
|
<span lang="de">Gemsehöhle</span> (1623/107) was 280m.
|
|
|
|
<p>Together with last year's finds of
|
|
<span lang="de">Schneewindschacht</span> (-265m) and
|
|
<span lang="de">Bräuninghöhle</span> (-220m), these pots represent
|
|
four of the five deepest holes in the area.
|
|
<span lang="de">Eislufthöhle</span> at 350m comes twentieth in the
|
|
Austrian list (based on Spelunca Special 1977) and as a going hole certainly
|
|
justifies our return in 1979.
|
|
|
|
<p>A provisional report has been prepared (not for publication, though copies
|
|
are available from N.Thorne, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge) and a full
|
|
report will be published in "Cambridge Underground 1979" out about May 1979.
|
|
|
|
<p align=right>A.E.R.Waddington
|
|
|
|
<hr />
|
|
<!-- LINKS -->
|
|
<ul id="links">
|
|
<li>1978 Expedition info:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="report.htm">Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1979</a></li>
|
|
<li>Eislufthöhle - <a href="descnt.htm">from Descent 40</a></li>
|
|
<li>Nick Thorne's write-up in <a href="782034.htm">Belfry Bulletin 366</a></li>
|
|
<li>1977/78 report from <a href="npc79.htm">NPC Journal</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="sponsr.htm">Sponsors</a></li>
|
|
</ul></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1978">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>
|