CUCC Expeditions to Austria: 1976 - 2024

I'd promised Martin I'd go down Gaffered today if he did On a Mission yesterday but I wasn't particularly looking forward to it, especially as I'd got miserably damp on the 70m last time as it was raining on the surface. In the event, though, it was a fine trip to a very starnge bit of cave with stunning pretties, best I've seen in Austria I think. Down to top of last pitch that Martin + Earl had rigged to (on their trip - on 26th or 27th?) [Not written up apparently]. I looked at the mud tube (Eeyore) that went off from the bridge - it led, after a a short crawl, to a huge chamber. We surveyed to it then I left Martin there + went down the final pitch into the Underworld + walked around shouting but Martin couldn't hear me so that chamber seems to be separate from the Underworld despite being so close. Then we went to the end of Earl + Martin's previous survey + rigged down Poohstyx (Mark's name!) This dropped 25m in a drippy shaft to end in a flat floor with a v. thin rift going off, cold + small stream running. I clambered up 2-3m up a wall at the bottom of the shaft + looked over - a passage continued on down - perhaps not needing rope but looking wet + sharp + not at all inviting given how cold I was so we consigned it to a B QM and went up the pitch. Martin, ever the keen surveyor, then insisted on looking across the top of the pitch - and yes, that went too. A cold survey ended in a fine aven [There is an asterisk here but apparently the footnote it corresponds to was never written.] via some odd, mud-coated passage + random lumps of ceiling that had landed on the floor. Oh, and bat bones which had been washed donw the cave. All rather strange. Had a little time left so Martin pointed out another unpromising QM which I climbed up into - which emerged in a huge chamber (Sirens) with stunning bright white active stalactites, as well as loads of cauliflower and a couple of exciting-looking potential QMs as well as the usual dull pitches. Finished that survey + I was freezing. Martin fettled the rigging a bit on the way out + I'd just about got warm at the top of Gaffered.

T/U 10hrs