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1988: Cambridge Underground report
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<center><font size=-1>Cambridge Underground 1989 pp 15-17</font>
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<h2>CUCC Austria Expedition 1988</h2>
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<h3>by Keith Millar</h3></center>
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<p>This year's expedition to the old faithful, Austria, proved to be the
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largest on record. At the final count 25 members took part, staying between
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two and three weeks. About half of these were new to the delights and horros
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of Austria, having been swayed by stories of topless bathers, delicious
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ice-creams and glorious sunshine while in an alcoholic haze at the annual
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club dinner. At this point we feel we should apologise for the lack of
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reports over the last few years and hope that this will bring you up to date
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with our activities in the area. 1987 proved a very poor year as far as new
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caves were concerned, with 158, Donner und Blitzen Höhle being the only
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significant find. This was explored to a depth of -130m where a tight rift
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stopped further progress, the passage could be seen to widen and continue
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beyond this constriction, but resisted our hammering, a shame as this had the
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potential for a higher entrance to the Stellerweg system therefore reclaiming
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the system from the Germans. Apart from much prospecting, and pushing some
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odd leads in 113, a large amount of time was spent surface surveying in
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collaboration with the Austrians to locate known caves to fixed points set by
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the Austrians using laser rangefinders.
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<p>This year's expedition started off with the usual race across Austria by
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various forms of transport ranging from the Land Rover ('Rover'), the work
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horse of the party, carrying all the tackle plus four drivers who were
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squeezed into the remaining holes, with the more affluent members travelling
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by car, inter-rail or jet resulting in everyone arriving at Hilde's at
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various unearthly hours, but being unable to beat last year's record of 12
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hours from Austria to Calais.
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<p>The first day saw everyone soaking up the sun and swimming in the lake
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while consuming vast amounts of beer. Once everyone had recovered from the
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travelling and the effects of alcohol, a posse was mounted, with instructions
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to search for virgin holes in the inhospitable wastes of the Totes Gebirge,
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(that's after the new recruits had been shown what to look for). This
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resulted in two promising leads, both emitting a strong draught. A site was
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also proposed for a camp, being relatively sheltered from the wind and having
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running water, a rare commodity on the plateau. This later formed camp 1.
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<p>A new day dawned with everybody keen to descend their new finds, even
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though the weather had turned for the worse. So vast amounts of food, camping
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gear, tackle, and rope were carried up onto the plateau, resulting in the
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setting up of camp 1. At the end of the day, both the caves were still going
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strong, both with undescended pitches.
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<p>The following day saw the discovery of 161, later to be named
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Kaninchenhöhle (after the Snow Rabbit's skeleton found along Adrian's
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Route). This proved to be the cave we had all been hoping for, with a 37m
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entrance pitch situated on a prominent ridge between the Hinter and Vord
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Schwarzmoos Kgl, giving a depth potential of over 1km before hitting the
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known water table. This entrance pitch landed in a boulder chamber with two
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ways on. The most obvious being a clean-washed shaft, this was subsequently
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descended but unfortunately narrowed to a too-tight stream canyon. A way off
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is known just before the canyon, which would involve crawling under a very
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large boulder supported on loose rubble. At the time, no-one seemed prepared
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to risk this, but it is thought to continue. After this disappointing start,
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attention was diverted to the other known way on 'Adrian's Route' (after the
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rope). This entered a small phreatic tube emitting a very string draught,
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which opened out into a small chamber. This is where the rabbit skeletons
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were found showing how close we were to the surface even after descending the
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40m entrance pitch. The most obvious route leads to a short pitch with a drip
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(very rare in this cave) followed by a 45m free hanging pitch in a large
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rift.
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<p>This news was brought to us by the day's pushing party whilst exchanging
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details with the German/French group also working in the area. Last year this
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group broke into the Stellerweg system originally explored by CUCC to a depth
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of -971m. This has since been linked with Eishöhle. The extent of the
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full system is, as yet, not known to us as the Germans are very secretive
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about their finds. They were shouting out "copyright", "copyright" as Mike
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produced a piece of tracing paper and proceeded to trace their survey.<br>
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[Webeditor's note: so secretive, in fact, that we failed to spot that this
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particular group were French - perhaps this owed more to CUCC's drunkenness
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and inability to communicate than to the other group's paranoia :-)]
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<p>The 40m pitch landed on a very loose boulder ramp leading to yet another
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47.5m pitch in an inclined rift. This proved most difficult to rig as the
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rock was very shattered and there were few good naturals. This was eventually
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rigged, landing in a passage covered with large boulders. This continued
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until it petered out into a sand-filled crawl with no way on, giving another
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disappointing end.
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<p>This left one other possible route, an eye hole spotted while descending
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the second pitch (on the original route). This proved to be the key to a very
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complicated system, found after a week of continuous exploration. The eye
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hole formed a traverse along a ledge on an inclined rift (undescended)
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leading to an ascending boulder slope in a large chamber. At the top of the
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slope, a pitch on the right hand side ('Skull Pitch' due to its shape), so
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far undescended, but thought to join up with the main route lower down. The
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boulder slope ends in a 20m pitch landing on a very loose boulder slope
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'Hanging Death' leading to a further pitch which spirals around and lands in
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a small chamber with a canyon type passage leading off. This continues to a
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slot in the floor which had to be hammered out to gain access (still
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inaccessible to the larger members of the club). It is hoped to bypass this
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squeeze and the hanging death pitch by finding an alternative route down
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Skull Pitch or by traversing over the hanging death pitch. The squeeze occurs
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at the top of an 8.5m pitch dropping into a large phreatic passage with many
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possible ways on.
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<p>A decision was made to explore the two main routes on simultaneously (Left
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Hand Route, Right Hand Route) so optimising time and manpower.
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<h4>Right Hand Route</h4>
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<p>This formed a descending phreatic tube about 5m in height, with a clean
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floor. This continues along with small drops requiring ladders or hand lines
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to aid progress. This eventually leads to a chamber with holes in the floor
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(as yet unexplored) with the phreatic tube continuing over them. This leads
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to another chamber with a very bold step over a hole in the floor (Over the
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Rainbow). The area is characterised by huge rock pinnacles and rock sheets
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due to extreme weathering, and having a thin coating of moonmilk. The passage
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continues with the roof gaining height all along as you descend huge boulder
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ramps, with avens and routes leading off all along. This ends at a 32m pitch
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into a vast open space, forming the main chamber. To give some idea of size,
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during the exploration of this chamber got lost and it took ages for them to
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find their rope, also resulting in the discovery of yet another chamber via a
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huge boulder choke known as 'Star Wars' containing huge block of rock (Tower
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Blocks). This is as far as the present survey goes due to lack of time, but
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the way on still wide open with another large phreatic level leading off,
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plus many other leads.
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<h4>Left Hand Route</h4>
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<p>The Left Hand Route starts off as an inclined rift but soon opens out into
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a stooping sized passage with holes in the floor. This continues to a large
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chamber (Arrow Chamber) with two possible pitches to descend. It is thought
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that these two shafts are linked and so the one giving the cleanest hang and
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having the least loose boulders was descended. Our thoughts were verified as
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we landed on a boulder pile and climbed through an eye hole to the sight of a
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huge shaft (first seen in Arrow Chamber) that we had entered ¾ of the
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way down. This series of shafts continue down via a broken shaft to the top
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of a huge clean pitch formed by a phreatic uplift, now known as 'Niflheim' (A
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realm of darkness and ist where hell lies within), This got its name due to
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its univiting nature and a vibrating boom as a huge boulder was dropped. This
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shaft has so far only been descended by a superb free hanging pitch to a rock
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bridge (Birds Eye) with a 4 second drop still to be descended.
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<p>Apart from all the caving and walking, numerous tourist trips were taken
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to Halstatt, and to the summer Bob sleigh run, giving a welcome break. Vast
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amounts of beer (totalling ½ tonne) were consumed, as well as many
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kilos of muesli. The obligatory arguments between the Vegetarians and
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Carnivores were continued again this year, as well as many hours spent
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drinking and reminiscing in the Potato Hut kindly lent to us by Hilde.
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<h4>Next Year</h4>
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<p>The incentive to return to Austria in 1989 is great with the 4 second drop
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on the Left Hand Route, the large phreatic passage on the Right Hand Route.
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As well as these eads it is hoped to find an alternate route to that of the
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Death's Door pitch and the squeeze. Possible routes are that of the Skull
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pitch, bottom of the second pitch under large boulder, or by traversing over
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the pitch before Death's Door.
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<p>There are no known caves nearby, and so the chance of a major new system
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like Stellerweg is great, and who knows, a possible link, and a depth of well
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over 1 km.
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<p>It is interesting to note that the phreatic levels in 161 and the other
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known systems in the area all occur at approximately the same level.
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<p>As well as the continued exploration of the system, it is also hoped to
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further explore 164 found in the first week, but exploration was hindered by
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the high rainfall experienced this year.
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<p>We wish to thank the Sports Council for their most generous grant, and
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also to Hilde the landlady for putting up with us for the three weeks. But
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most of all to the Austrian Caving Group for their hospitality, which we hope
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to repay by arranging an exchange visit during 1989.
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<p>[This was the article sent to 'Caves & Caving']<br>
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[Web editor's note: it is almost identical to <a href="bcracc.htm">CTS
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89.1793</a>, BCRA Caves & Caving 45 (Autumn 1989) pp 8-11, except in
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minor detail, and the fact that Mark Dougherty is credited as the author in
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C&C]
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<hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<ul id="links">
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<li>Cambridge Underground 1989,
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<a href="http://cucc.survex.com/jnl/1989/index.htm">Table of Contents</a></li>
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<li>1988 Expedition info:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="index.htm">Index</a> (more detail than in this list)</li>
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<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
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<li>Cambridge Underground Expo Report:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="cavegd.htm">161 Description</a> to date (ie. 1988)</li>
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<li><a href="164.htm">1623/164</a> exploration</li>
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<li><a href="rover.htm">A Rover's return</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="to1989.htm">And so to 1989</a> work for 1989 expo to date</li>
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<li><a href="bcracc.htm">BCRA Caves & Caving Report</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1988">Index</a> to all publications</li>
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<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a></li>
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</ul>
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