CUCC Expeditions to Austria: 1976 - 2023

Started by surveying by-pass to <Penguin Falls>. From <5-Ways> climbed up mud slope to left. At large pitch traversed to passage on the right and started surveying along <Shaft Mine Passage> (<Pothole Passage> bears left at start). Surveyed passed pitch on left to end of passage where left hand bend leads to 6m pitch dropping into choss filled shaft. Across shaft on same level wide phreatic continues. At bottom of shaft in far right corner a narrow winding fissure continues.

We returned to the earlier shaft in <Shaft Mine Passage> descending from the left hand side (looking from the passage) on naturals. From the 1st ledge a thread in the window to the far right gains a free hang passed the second ledge to the shaft floor. A too tight fissure meanders from the base. Climbing up a 2m drop leads to a too tight mud inlet on the left and a descending hading rift forward. This can be descended for 5m to where rift closes down and is partially blocked with mud. Rocks rattle downwards for 5 seconds. Descent may be possible, but would be tight + horrible.

From the top of <Pot Hole Passage> continuing forward leads to a hole which leads back to the far left hand passage in <5-ways> via annoyingly low passages. To the right of this hole a vadose passage leads upstream to branched inlets.

Bearing right at the top of <Pot Hole Passage> leads immediately to a blind pit. To the left of this is a hading phreatic passage, closing rapidly down to a small roof passage (QM).

Surveying continued into <Completely Loopy> which eventually comes out at the '3rd' exit from <5-ways>. This starts as a traverse across the 'blind pit' to the lower level passage. This breaks into two levels. The upper one is a calcited passage; the lower a mud floored passage. At the bottom a wide, low, mud-floored inlet enters with a draught. This is too low but mud could be removed (!) to gain access to higher passage seen beyond. This inlet drops down a tight pitch with a long rattle. Sam says he can get down (QM). Surveying ended here. The way to <5-ways> is back in the main passage at high level over mud.

8 hrs.