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87 lines
4.5 KiB
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<title>1978: Andy Waddington's report for BCRA Caves & Caving</title>
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<h1>1978 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY CAVING CLUB EXPEDITION</h1>
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<font size=-1>CTS 78.2037: BCRA Caves & Caving 2 (November 1978) pp 9-10 [ISSN 0142-1832]</font>
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<h2>CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY CAVING CLUB EXPEDITION<br>
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To the <span lang="de">Totes Gebirge</span> of Austria 1978</h2>
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<p>The 1978 expedition of CUCC returned to the promising area of the last two
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years to continue the exploration of last year's deep pot
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<span lang="de">Eislufthöhle</span> (1623/106) and to prospect for
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further pots on the <span lang="de">Loser Augst-Eck</span> plateau. Seven
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members of the expedition were present for shorter periods, all during August
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this year.
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<p>The expedition formed two groups, the first of which were to continue
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forcing <span lang="de">Eislufthöhle,</span> abandoned at -150m last
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year due to lack of time. We were not prepared for the increase in snow this
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year and it took us three cold trips of rebolting and digging through snow
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plugs to get down the 80m "Plugged Shaft" just inside the entrance; but below
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this rigging was fairly easy. Several short drops of 12-20m led to last
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year's final chamber "The Taproom" from which a short climb led to a rift
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passage with a strong draught. This led us to the head of a pitch, which
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dropped 60m in three sections, the bottom 15m being very damp in wet weather.
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A traverse above the stream led to the head of a 55m free drop and then a
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short balcony pitch to the floor of the Hall of the Greene King, a large
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chamber of 25m in diameter and at least 80m high. Beyond a boulder pile was a
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subsidiary chamber and the way on was a pitch into a high vadose streamway
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where progress was by traversing 3-15m above the narrow stream trench. This
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passage took us to a depth of 350m via a very muddy pitch in an oxbow and we
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were forced to terminate exploration 10m down a 40-60m pitch when a car crash
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removed two of the team of five after an overnight trip. De-rigging was
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achieved in two trips of 10 hours (bottom 50m and spare tackle) and 6 hours;
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and a trip to the furthest point would take about 6 hours with the pot fully
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rigged.
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<p>The stream should be rejoined by the next pitch (it could be heard below)
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and the final draught is inwards suggesting a lower outlet, though the
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entrance draught is inward [this "inward" is a typo for "outwards",
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WebEditor] suggesting a higher entrance, probably coming in via the high aven
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above Hall of the Greene King. The other group spent a few days investigating
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entrances on the plateau, including one hole of about 50m, before finding a
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powerfully draughting entrance which required 3 days digging to enter,
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revealing a pitch of 18m to a series of passages. Two further pitches were
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descended to a junction of ways. One way by-passing an 80m direct shaft and
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leading to a series of smaller pitches which joined the other route. This
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involved a short pitch to boulders and then a 95m shaft. Beyond the
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confluence, a streamway dropped down various climbs and pitches to another
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rift, ending at a fairly conclusive choke, though it is conceivable that a
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route could be found above this. The total depth of the pot, named
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<span lang="de">Gemsehöhle</span> (1623/107) was 280m.
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<p>Together with last year's finds of
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<span lang="de">Schneewindschacht</span> (-265m) and
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<span lang="de">Bräuninghöhle</span> (-220m), these pots represent
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four of the five deepest holes in the area.
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<span lang="de">Eislufthöhle</span> at 350m comes twentieth in the
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Austrian list (based on Spelunca Special 1977) and as a going hole certainly
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justifies our return in 1979.
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<p>A provisional report has been prepared (not for publication, though copies
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are available from N.Thorne, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge) and a full
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report will be published in "Cambridge Underground 1979" out about May 1979.
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<p align=right>A.E.R.Waddington
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<hr />
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1978 Expedition info:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="log.htm">1978 Logbook</a></li>
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<li><a href="report.htm">1978 Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1979</a></li>
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<li>Eislufthöhle - <a href="descnt.htm">from Descent 40</a></li>
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<li>Nick Thorne's write-up in <a href="782034.htm">Belfry Bulletin 366</a></li>
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<li>1977/78 report from <a href="npc79.htm">NPC Journal</a></li>
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<li><a href="sponsr.htm">Sponsors</a></li>
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</ul></body>
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</html>
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