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122 lines
6.4 KiB
HTML
Executable File
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<title>1984: BCRA Caves & Caving report</title>
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<font size=-1>CTS 85.1463: BCRA Caves & Caving 29 (Aug 1985) pp 34-35 [ISSN 0142-1832]</font>
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<h2>CUCC in Austria, 1984</h2>
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<h3>Pete Lancaster</h3>
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<p><i>The 1984 Cambridge expedition was the smallest for many years (10
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people for 3 weeks in July/August), but it managed to tie up most of the
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leads which had been left at the end of the previous year. As usual, activity
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was centred around the small village of Altaussee in the South western Totes
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Gebirge, 55km south east of Salzburg. Unfortunately the expedition was
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characterised by conditions which were wet even for this mountainous region.
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A week of continuous rain hit the expedition before it had really got
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underway, and brought morale to an all time low. With the return of the sun
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and reasonable conditions, the considerable attractions of letching at the
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topless sunbathers on the Grundlsee proved as much of a deterrent to caving
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as the rain had the week before.</i>
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<p>The main aim during the early stages of the expedition was the exploration
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of Wolfhöhle, which had been left wide open in 1983, a pleasant phreatic
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entrance series leading to a succession of fine pitches. It was during the
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second two-man rigging-in trip that the expedition hit its low point. The
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team tackled to the 1983 limit, which was a superb 40m free hang in a
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circular shaft. They roped on down a large clean washed rift which was
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completely dry until a change of character was met at the muddy Beezley
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Street, where they retreated, having finished the rope. They had just reached
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the streamway when there was a characteristic rush of wind and sudden
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increase in water level. On reaching the big pitch (Tiddley-Pom), they found
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the water level had increased by five times and ascending the pitch was out
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of the question.
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<p>From reports by the surface partyit was later estimated that the water had
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risen to this level in less than two hours, with the arrival of the worst
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thundestorm experienced in many years of expeditions. Fifteen hours of caving
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had depleted the team's food supplies, but solid planning based on equal
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quantities of food and rope meant there were a few sardines, the dust-like
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remains of a few packets of digestive biscuits, and some dried soup. They sat
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down to wait, trying to gauge whether the roar was increasing or decreasing,
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and experimenting with the best way to keep warm in a furry suit. After
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twelve hours, with no sign that the water would dramatically decrease (in
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fact it rained for the next 3 days), they took advantage of a slight
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improvement in the water level and struggled up the wet pitch.
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<p>Defensive rigging meant that the first rebelay was out of the main volume
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of the water, but was still painful with hands tingling as they recovered
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from the numbing water. They struggled out through the remaining 200m of
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pitches, all unrecognisable in the increased water, expecting at every pitch
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to see the lights of a rescue party. They dreamed of burnt rice pudding (a
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CUCC rescue speciality), but emerged after 28 hours underground to a rain
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swept and misty plateau with no sign of anyone. Halfway back they met an
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ill-assorted bunch of cavers. Apparently the rescue had a slow start - this
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would be the first caving of expedition for some; stops for food and beer at
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the restaurant and finally 3 hours spent wandering fruitlessly looking for
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the entrance all meant that the operation was not of the standard that might
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have been hoped for. It was probably just as well that they never did get
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underground.
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<p>When the rain finally stopped and courage was summoned again, the cave
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beyond Beezley Street was pushed down a muddy rift to a peculiar area of
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dried out phreatic tubes and a small sump at -426m. The final ignominy was to
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come, when the "wolf" skeleton which had given the cave its name was removed
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at the request of the local cavers, who declared it to be a brown bear.
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<p>During the later stages of the expedition, activity centred on the search
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for an upper entrance to the 898m Schnellzug-Stellerweg Höhlen System,
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explored by CUCC in 1982. The 1983 expedition had linked in the largely
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horizontal 1623/142 to the entrance series of Stellerweghöhle (1623/41),
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but this did not produce an increased depth. The main hopes for 1984 were in
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trying to connect 1623/143 and 1623/144, shaft systems further up the hill.
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Several trips were made to the area above the big pitch in Stellerweg,
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pushing the hitherto neglected maze of ramps and tubes in the search for a
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connection. Fortunately we were blessed with modern technology, and
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semi-instantaneous plotting of the survey data on a BBC micro showed that an
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aven which had been found in the far reaches was very close to the bottom of
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143, which ended in a narrow slot. A trip was arranged with parties down 41
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and 143 in the hope of establishing a connection; this was done, with
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hammering in 143 being heard in Stellerweg. The two ends of the caves are
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probably about 30m apart, but explosives would be needed to enlarge the rift,
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and this is unlikely to happen, even though the combined system depth would
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be 971m.
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<p>Other work done included the bottoming of the unloved Steinschlagschacht
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(1623/136) at approximately 240m, with a narrowing of the rift; and a small
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amount of prospecting on the Schwarzmoos Kogel which found some interesting
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phreatic tunnels.
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<p>Full details of the expedition will be found in the forthcoming Cambridge
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Underground 1985. A return trip is planned for this summer.
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<p>Once again our thanks to the local Austrian cavers, for many pleasant
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drinking sessions, to the landlady of the Staudnwirt, and to the Sports
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Council for a grant.
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<hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<ul id="links">
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<li>1984 Expedition info:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
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<li><a href="stopp.htm">Stop Press report</a>, CU 1984</li>
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<li>Main Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1985:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="report.htm">Austria 1984 Exposée</a></li>
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<li><a href="cavegd.htm">Wolfhöhle</a> - A Guidebook Description</li>
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<li>An Ascent of the <a href="twand.htm">Trisselwand</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1984">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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