CUCC Expeditions to Austria: 1976 - 2023

Despite sore knees we talked ourselves into another deep trip in Tunnocks. Wookey and Noel Whipped in ahead with the drill to start the pitches that were found off Above and Beyond yesterday, whilst Holly and I started to survey down Eh Bah Gum pitch and then to a small draft rift opposite their pitches. This rapidly poped out to a window into what we assume is The Beast again - stones thrown out beyond the immediate ledge dropped free for 4-5s - a project for another year. The others were still bolting so we surveyed a QMB i'd spotted at the base of Eh Bah Gum. This was another small, drafty rift which, again popped out into The Beast but this time we could get out onto a wide ledge so we started surveying along the left wall with various tubes on the left. "Holly did you walk down that mud bank", "No, I thought that looked like footprints" I peered again - it could be due to rock fall, but it did look very like footprints..... and then I saw two more - we've definitely got to somewhere people have been before. I walked over with tape and straight to survey station 23 and we finished the survey then went for a run to see where we were. We traced the footprints back and into a small muddy tube. Holly and I muttered to each other that this looked very like The Wares - but we didn't want to count our chickens so on we ran until "Oooh" said Holly pointing at a nondescript mud bank we had to crawl over "I've been here - for sure - its The Wares - WE'VE CONNECTED" we shrieked at each other, had a hug then Holly showed me what she'd pushed on her 204 camping trip. We went back to the others where Wookey had put in 3 short pitches with minimalist rigging and they were surveying back so we yelped them our news then helped them to finish their survey and showed them the connection then steadily out with some gear. Great final trip of Expo for me.

Noel Writes: Noel and Wookey's passages continued up rift in same direction as "Blackpool Sands". First bolted a traverse over rift (Wookey placed a thru bolt!) but the leads all were choked with mud. Then headed down the rift (1 bolt). Opened out into large chambers. P15 down R-hand wall to a 'rib' over (c3 up) which dropped down p20 into shaft with jammed boulders (pitch continues below boulders) ?QMA. Over shaft rift continues up climb and after walking drafty rift, we reached a c8 up ?A which would gain continuing rift (needs a rope?) with a c6 down loose boulders below to the top of a 7s rattle ?A. Then Becka and Holly turned up to tell us we'd walked right past the connection, hence the name 'its behind you'. Then got a guided tour of the far end of Steinbrucken. Excellent trip