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83.1621: UBSS Stellerweg write-up
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<font size=-1>Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelaæological
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Society, 1982, <b>16</b>(2) pp 77-83</font>
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<h2>The Stellerweghöhle System, Totes Gebirge, Austria</h2>
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<h4>by R.J. Barker, S. Kellet and S.R. Perry</h4>
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<h3>Abstract</h3>
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<font size=-1>Members of the joint C.U.C.C. and U.B.S.S. expedition to the
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Totes Gebirge in Austria in 1981 extended Schnellzughöhle (1623/115|) to
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a depth of around 500m and joined Stellerweghöhle (1623/41) to these
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extensions, making 650m in all. Both caves appear to continue beyond the
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limits of exploration, Schnellzughöhle as a descending canyon streamway
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and Stellerweghöhle in a steeply descending dry phreatic passage
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breaking into rifts above unentered streamways.</font>
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<h3>Introduction</h3>
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The Stellerweghöhle System is the name now given to the two caves,
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Stellerweghöhle (41) and Schnellzughöhle (115), since the
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connection was made, which is the subject of this paper. 41 was the
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original entrance to Stellerweghöhle and 41a is a higher one.
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<p>A description of the entrance series of both caves was given by
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<a href="811309.htm">Griffiths (1981)</a> following the expedition of 1980 by
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the combined Cambridge University Caving Club (C.U.C.C.) and University of
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Bristol Spelæological Society (U.B.S.S.) teams. In brief, the entrance
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to 115 is a dry draughting horizontal phreatic passage which, when discovered
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in 1980, ended in a choke. This was cleared to give access to a complex
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abandoned system. The limit of exploration then was a ramp leading upwards
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out of sight and downwards to undescended pitches at -80m. The exploration of
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the lower reaches of 41 had followed a series of pitches down a high rift
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passage. Here the stream was lost and then regained for a couple of pitches.
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In 1980 it was last seen pouring out of sight from an undescended pitch head.
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This last pitch (15m) gains a chamber now called Junction Chamber. It leads
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to the connection with 115 and also to a dry phreatic series. These are
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described <a href="#41andconn">below</a> in 'Stellerweghöhle and the
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Connection'.
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<h3>Explorations of 1981</h3>
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<h4>Schnellzughöhle (115) (Fig. 16)</h4>
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An inlet before the final ramp of 1980 was followed up eight cascades gaining
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30m to a choke, thought to be near the surface and with no draught. The limit
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of 1980 gave two routes on from the deepest pitch; a main shaft and a side
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rift. Rubble poised at the head of the shaft directed attention to the side
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rift.
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<p>The route down the rift involved pitches and roped climbs of 14, 9, 7 and
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27m. The pitches are broken by muddy ledges and awkward changes of angle.
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They give access to a small active 'well polished' streamway, taking only a
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dribble of water in fine weather. Two clean-washed pitches of 19 and 14m lead
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to a damp 9m pitch onto a 15 x 15m ledge. Here the water drops left into
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boulders. This section becomes very active but remains passable in light
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rain, which is not the only sort of rain in Austria. The way on is over
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boulders and down a 34m pitch into a 30 x 30m chamber of unseen height. The
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stream drops into an uninviting slot in the floor.
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<p>A 5m diameter phreatic tube can be followed downstream by traversing up
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through boulders from the stream bed. This is a difficult way to follow.
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Fifty metres from the chamber the tube branches into a phreatic maze of sandy
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and bouldery abandoned passages. The draught was initially pursued to a
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second stream and a small cairn was built.
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<p>60m downstream from the 30 x 30m chamber, a large inlet on the left can be
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followed up to a sloping aven. Following the stream from the chamber down the
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slot in the floor, one gains a narrow meandering trench streamway. This is
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some 800m long and is uncomfortable, with several awkward traverses and a
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couple of drops. The last 150m is of more comfortable streamway, enlarged by
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the entry of another stream, which may be the Stellerweghöhle water from
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Junction Chamber. After this a 7m roped climb drops to a sump.
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<p>The sump has a 10m bypass. This is a 3m diameter tube which emerges above
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a 7m pitch leading back to the stream. 50m of canyon passage, 1.5 to 2m wide
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and too high to see the roof, reaches a 5m pitch and 500m of fine streamway
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whcih gains depth quite rapidly by numerous sporting cascades.
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<p>A 5m pitch drops to a further 500m streamway, followed by a 10m wet pitch
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and 300m more passage. In two places here the vadose canyon gives way to low
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wet ramps where progress is between boulders. A free 10m pitch drops into a
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dark pool running into 150m of stream to the next 10m pitch, broken by a
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ledge. Then after a 4m roped climb a further 70m of horizontal passage
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follows which has dismal pools, suggesting the appearance of a sump. However
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a 15m dry pitch gains an open streamway and a further undescended pitch of
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15m.
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<h4><a name="41andconn">Stellerweghöhle</a> (41) and the Connection</h4>
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Turning right out of Junction Chamber one follows a gently descending stream.
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Soon the way traverses the rift above the stream to anter a phreatic zone.
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Further traverses regaining and losing the stream lead to a series of
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5m x 5m tubes, floored in white dust with a black surface layer.
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The tubes can be followed back to the Junction Chamber, which they join
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10m above the floor. Ahead they take a series of swooping inclines punctuated
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by dramatic bends. A final incline to a sharp left bend regains the stream
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in its rift, at the site of the cairn built during the exploration from
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Schnellzughöhle. This was an encouraging sight to the explorers, who
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realised that they had made the connection between the two caves (Fig. 17).
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<p>From this, the lowest point of the connection, there are two routes on.
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One is a traverse over the stream and then a climb over large boulders into
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a passage entering from the left; the other is a 0.75m hole at floor level
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to the left at the start of the final incline. The two ways join in an
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uphill sandy passage, 1.5m high by 3m wide. This leads by way of a flat-out
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crawl in the face of a healthy draught to a large passage. Turning right,
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90m of phreatic tube lead to the main streamway in Schnellzughöhle.
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<h4>The lower reaches of Stellerweghöhle</h4>
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From Junction Chamber a 15m climb to the left gives a choice of phreatic
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passages with further avens gaping above. This is a large junctional
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complex into which the expected higher entrances to the system may lead.
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To the right after 50m the passage leads to a rift above a stream. The
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other choice is a large phreatic tube, 10 x 10m, in which easy progress
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down a 30° slope gains 50m depth. This scramble down boulders leads to
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a cross-rift after about 150m. To the right is a stream, to the left a
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traverse after a short distance. None of these routes have yet been
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pursued.
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<h4>The German Route</h4>
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For the purpose of completing the account by <a href="811309.htm">Griffiths
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(1981)</a> an extended elevation of the German Route is given in Fig. 18.
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<h3>Surveys</h3>
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Fig. 16 is a sketch extended elevation by Pete Lancaster. It includes the
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area surveyed to BCRA Grade 5 and included in Griffiths' (1981) paper. 115
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from the ramp to the bottom of the pitches and the Connection (Fig. 17) were
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both surveyd to Grade 4. The vertical misclosure is 2m but the horizontal
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misclosure is very large. It is thought that the compass may have been
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sticking. Pete's Purgatory was measured to 800m long. Below this the section
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of the streamway from the inlet to the Twelve Foot Climb (the second marked
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as p5) was surveyed to Grade 3 and this has been extrapolated downstream on
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the Grade 1 survey to give a total depth of 680m ± 40m.
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<h3>Acknowledgements</h3>
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Thanks are due to all the members of the joint C.U.C.C.-U.B.S.S. expedition,
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more particularly to Pete Lancaster for the drawings. The members of the
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expedition were Richard Barker, Dave Brindle, Charles Butcher, John Cownie,
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Judith Greaves, Simon Kellet, Pete Lancaster, Jane Lolly, Tim Lyons, Fraser
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Macdonald, Mike Martin, Pat Martin, Mick McHale, Janet Morgan, Clive Owen,
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Rob Parker, Tim Parker, Steve Perry, Phil Townsend, Julian Walker and Martin
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Warren.
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<h4>Reference</h4>
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GRIFFITHS,J.T. 1981 A description of some caves in the Totes Gebirge,
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Austria.<br>
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<cite>Proc. Univ. Bristol Spelæol. Soci.,</cite> <b>16</b>(1), 11-20
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<hr>
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<a href="../../smkridge/41.htm">41</a><br>
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<a href="../../smkridge/115.htm">115</a><br>
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