mirror of
https://expo.survex.com/repositories/expoweb/.git/
synced 2024-12-25 09:52:20 +00:00
154 lines
8.5 KiB
HTML
154 lines
8.5 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
|
|
<html>
|
|
<!-- from CTS 77.1649 -->
|
|
<head>
|
|
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf8" />
|
|
<title>
|
|
1977: Nick Thorne's Belfry Bulletin report
|
|
</title>
|
|
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" />
|
|
</head>
|
|
<body>
|
|
<center><font size=-1>Bristol Exploration Club Belfry Bulletin 354 pp 96-98</font>
|
|
|
|
<h2>TOTES GEBIRGE<br>1977</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>by Nick Thorne</center>
|
|
|
|
<p>It is many years since Britain could offer open potholes for pioneers to
|
|
explore, and now even Europe is fast running out of areas of genuinely virgin
|
|
limestone. One area where almost no work has been done however is the Totes
|
|
Gebirge in Austria. Cambridge University Caving Club had a short expedition
|
|
to that area in 1976 and I went with them when they paid their second visit
|
|
in the summer of 1977. Since, in their past, the B.E.C. have shown an active
|
|
interest in Austria, I thought that members might like to know how things
|
|
went.
|
|
|
|
<p>C.U.C.C. set up camp by a lake in Alt Aussee, a sleepy little village some
|
|
80Km (50 miles) east of Salzburg. The scenery is spectacular in the extreme.
|
|
On the opposite side of the lake to our camp stood the Trisselwand, a sheer
|
|
rock wall six times taller than the Avon gorge. Our interest was focussed on
|
|
the nearby Loser Plateau, a sharply undulating plain nearly 2000m (6,600ft)
|
|
above sea level. Until recently the plateau was inaccessible to anyone with
|
|
anything short of a helicopter. However, a few years ago, a road up there was
|
|
built for the skiers and the plateau is now a brisk three quarters of an
|
|
hours' walk along dubious tracks from where the road ends. The road itself is
|
|
no trifling effort but a great autobahn affair zigzagging its way up the
|
|
hillside. Near the top, it has a heart-stopping hang gliders' take-off ramp.
|
|
The road is a toll road, and a car plus four people would cost about £5.50
|
|
per trip. Before we parted with cash, however, a curious aspect of local
|
|
attitudes was utilised. Cavers in Austria, and I believe in other parts of
|
|
the continent too, are regarded as real heroes. The words "Hohlen Forscher"
|
|
were all that we needed to gain us free tolls, reduced camping fees and even
|
|
free beer!
|
|
|
|
<p>Once on the plateau, we began prospecting. The tens of miles of lapiaz
|
|
have rather daunted Carl, the only local caver. He welcomed our extra
|
|
manpower, pointed us in the right direction and essentially said "Explore
|
|
whatever takes your fancy!" I found that after the British caving scene, some
|
|
adjustment of scale was necessary, both above and below ground. Looking
|
|
across the plateau the Schonberg looked to be within spitting distance, but
|
|
in fact it would have been a long days' very tough walking. Crossing the
|
|
lapiaz was a real headache. Unlike Yorkshire, this stuff is faulted, folded,
|
|
overfolded and has patches of tough, hardy vegetation growing all over it.
|
|
The plateau can be a very unfriendly place with its abundance of snakes and
|
|
its very changeable weather. In two minutes, prospectors can have their
|
|
surtbthing (Oh! what a giveaway!) interrupted by some very spectacular
|
|
thunder and lightning and be pummelled by hailstones as big as marbles. The
|
|
run-off from these thunderstorms is so fast as to be almost comforting. I am
|
|
sure that if one were caught underground in a floodable passage (of which
|
|
there are thankfully very few!) and not be drwoned instantly, one could
|
|
almost hold ones breath until the flood subsided!
|
|
|
|
<p>When it comes to the caves themselves, finding the deep ones requires a
|
|
little thought and a lot of luck. At first we looked at big open shafts, and
|
|
found many fine and undescended examples. Some were up to 4Om (150ft) deep,
|
|
but they were invariably choked or plugged with snow. A much better type of
|
|
entrance to look for is the horizontal type. A short section of horizontal
|
|
development is all that is needed to protect subsequent shafts from the
|
|
debris that chokes the open pots. An additional clue for a good site we
|
|
learned was the presence of a draught. So healthy an indication of good
|
|
things is a draught that we even hammered out the entrance to one cave - a
|
|
Yorkshire trick that leaves the continentals absolutely staggered! The
|
|
subsequent hole led to a fine series of shafts before becoming too tight at
|
|
about 25Om (820ft) depth. Although deep, this is nothing to what Loser could
|
|
produce with its maximum depth potential being in the order of 900m (2,950ft)
|
|
|
|
<p>As an example of the type of caves that we were finding, I include a
|
|
survey of one of the caves with which I was personally involved. We are
|
|
provisionally calling our find the Eisluft Hohle. The official Austrian
|
|
number designated to a cave initially is only worth superceding by a name
|
|
when the cave reaches some 150m (490ft) depth. The cave draughts outwards.
|
|
This we find very puzzling as the cave temperature is considerably lower than
|
|
that outside. The draught varies with the temperature of the atmosphere -
|
|
implying a convection draught as opposed to a stream driven one - and there
|
|
are no higher entrances that draught in. Indeed, no entrances on the plateau
|
|
seem to take an inblowing draught. We are still thinking this one out and
|
|
would welcome any suggestions.
|
|
|
|
<p>The cave has three entrances that each share the draught. These soon unite
|
|
above a snow slope. A handline descent of this leads to the top of Plugged
|
|
Shaft which is over two hundred feet deep and broken by numerous but very
|
|
small ledges. The icy draught is at its strongest at the top of the shaft and
|
|
on a good day difficulty was found in keeping carbide lamps alight. Sound
|
|
natural belays are scarce as all good looking flakes and threads just come
|
|
off in your hand, so bolting was the order of the day. This was very slow as
|
|
the limestone is very hard and rock anchors soon blunted. Half an hour's
|
|
hammering in the cooling breeze and the snow at the top of Plugged Shaft was
|
|
nothing if not soul-destroying.
|
|
|
|
<p>The shaft descends through snow plugs to a very dubious platform of dirty
|
|
snow. It was while standing on this that we began to wonder about the degree
|
|
by which the caver's presence alters the cave environment. ("I don't want to
|
|
worr you chaps - but it's melting!") Further down, the shaft enlarges and a
|
|
small rock bridge is met. Behind the bridge is some horizontal passage to a
|
|
shaft. Time was short, we left this undescended and followed the draught down
|
|
the main shaft. The shaft ends at a chamber and some short horizontal passage
|
|
that thankfully marks the end of the snow. Saved Shaft was descended to a
|
|
chamber and a fearful looking boulder choke. The draught filtered enticingly
|
|
through the ruckle and, prudence lost, we crawled through to a rift beyond.
|
|
We reached a pitch and descended 32m (105ft) and pushed on to the head of
|
|
another shaft, when we realised that we had lost the draught. We therefore
|
|
left this next shaft undescended anc returned and traversed over the pitch
|
|
head to another up which the faithful old draught was blowing. We then
|
|
descended 30m (98ft) down this one, past a ledge to a rift passage. This
|
|
enlarged to a reasonable sized chamber with a choice of routes onwards. We
|
|
had just about run out of tackle and, with the expedition nearing its end,
|
|
time was short too. We started the awesome task of de-rigging. (Yes, we were
|
|
on ladders!)
|
|
|
|
<p>We've left the cave with enough promise and question marks that I am sure
|
|
will draw us back to it next year. If you think that I've been a little rash
|
|
in telling you of this unfinished find, then I might warn the would-be pirate
|
|
that the plateau is very, very big and the Eisluft Hohle, like many of
|
|
Loser's caves, cannot be seen from more than five yards away! And, whilst on
|
|
his wanderings across the unexplored lapiaz, the pirate might just find
|
|
something better than the Eisluft Hohle. How about it ? "Noch ein Bier,
|
|
bitte!"
|
|
|
|
<dl>
|
|
<dt>References:
|
|
<dd><a href="../1976/report.htm">Cambridge Underground 1977</a>
|
|
for details of C.U.C.C. finds in 1976
|
|
<dd><a href="report.htm">Cambridge Underground 1978</a> to be published
|
|
next spring/summmer for details of finds on the 1977 expedition.
|
|
</dl>
|
|
|
|
<hr />
|
|
<!-- LINKS -->
|
|
<ul id="links">
|
|
<li>1977 Expedition info:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a> (currently missing)</li>
|
|
<li>Andy Waddington's <a href="andylg.htm">Logbook</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="report.htm">Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1978</a><br>
|
|
<!-- <li><a href="bcracc.htm">BCRA Caves & Caving Report</a><br> -->
|
|
<li>Eislufthöhle - <a href="descnt.htm">from Descent 40</a></li>
|
|
</ul></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1977">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>
|