Expeditions

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3600 m in the Tennengebirge-Ost - Marcin Furtak

This year's expedition of 10 cavers from Zagan to the massif Tennengebirge-Osc was led by Halina Zyzanska. The goal was cave P-28. This cave was explored down to - 599 m in 1988 and numerous leads have been found then. The results of exploration in this cave did not meet the expectations. Only a series of shafts was found, parallel the one earlier known. The exploration moved then co Jaskinia Pod Snieznymi Korkami (Cave Under Snow Chocks), discovered in 1999 near the refuge which was the expeditions main bale. Twenty raids to this cave brought about a discovery of 3600 m of new galleries, mostly horizontal, which is unusual in chis area. The cave is now the longest in the eastern part of the Tannengebirge massif but its depth is "only" 280 m. An attempt at exploration of a window in the wall of the Hadesshacht shaft (-455), failed due to an snow-ice block at ca. -200 m prevented access. The expedition was also locating the caves explored earlier and marking them according to the Austrian numbering system.

White Corridor in Under Snow Chocks	photos: M. Furtak

Lamprechtsofen 2000 - Marcin Czart

A team of eighteen cavers from KKTJ, led as usual by Andrzej Ciszewski, explored the upper part of the Leoganger Steinberge (Northern Calcareous Alps). The aim of the expedition was to search for a connection between Lamprechtsofen the world's deepest cave - and other caves situated above it. The expedition started on 22th of July. The main explored objects were cave CL3 with entrance 61 m above the Lamprechaofen's highest entrance (PL-2) and Jaskinia Lodowa (Ice Cave) situated another 25 m higher. CL-3 was discovered by Polish cavers in 1997 and pushed to -350 in 1999. The Ice Cave is known lince 1981 and the main problem there is a squeeze which possibly might bypass the ice chock at the cave's bottom. This year's expedition discovered one kilometer of new galleries, including the 120 m deep Studnia Bez Dna (Bottomless Pit), and deepened CL3 to ca. 600 m. There are still four leads left in the cave. The comparison of maps of Lamprechtsofen and the Ice Cave shows that the lowest explored points in CL3 lie beneath the
wide galleries in the upper part of Lamprechaofen. The exploration in the Ice Cave was unsuccessful.

Sections of CL-3	and part of Lamprechtsofen system, click for bigger version.

In CL-3 Cave, photo: K. Nowak

Hocher Göll 2000- Piotr Tambor

A team of Fourteen cavers from caving clubs in Poznan, Katowice and Ruda Slaska, led by Piotr Tambor, worked in the Hoher Göll massif. They cleared litter From Zakrystia the habitual camping Bite used during the exploration of caves in this massif in the 60 ties, 70-ties and 80-ties. By the aid of a helicopter 27 bags with a total of 350 kg of rubbish were removed. Exploration was conducted in Gamsstiegschacht, known earlier to the Austrians and situated near Zakrystia. A depth of -160 m was attained this year. Turbowywiew (Turbodraft) cave was explored down to -231 m after conquering a squeeze near the entrance. A descent was attempted to the Latajacych Lodów (Flying Ice) shaft in the Gadajacych Kamieni (Jabbering Stones) cave, but frequent falls of ice led to a decision of postponing the descent to the planned winter expedition. The team worked also in Schartenschacht and found several new entrances.

Göll massif from Rotwant ridge in Hagengebirge, photo P. Krzyszkowski

Meziad Cave, Romania, photo: S. Kotarba

The Jura

Brzozowa Cave - Adam Sanak

The authors present the plan and descriptions of Brzozowa Cave, discovered in Fall of 1999. The cave is situated in the northern part of the Kraków-Wielun Upland and is one of the longest caves in the area. It was explored after digging through a bottom of a small depression in the ground in September 1999. The cave extends horizontally. It is 645 m long and 18.5 m deep. The name (Brzozowa Cave) Birch Cave - comes from a birch growing just over the entrance.

Inside cave, photo: J. Zygmunt	Plan of Brzozowa Cave, click for bigger version

Biology

The owners of the eternal darkness - Łukasz Przybyłowicz

The author describes the fauna of Polish caves, mainly bats, and points to the need of its protection during the visits to the caves

Myotis myotis, photo Ł. Przybyłowicz

Austrian Alps

A few notes on the karst in the Kitzsteinhorn massif and tlre Feichtnerschacht cave (Salzburg, Austria) - Philippe Audra

The Feichtnerschacht cave, explored for several years by Polish cavers, is situated in the Kitzsteinhorn massif in the Hoche Tauren. The is carved in metamorphic calcareous shists which include some mica. The rocks are clearly stratifed, and dip at 65°N. The entrance lies in the close vicinity of a glacier and the cave was active as a subglacial cave until recently. In winter the cave is almost completely devoid of water streams, while during snow melting or heavy storms some parts are, at least temporarily, completely filled with water. The shapes of the galleries depend on the direction of dip (Fig.) and on the calcium carbonate content in the rock. The stratified calcareous shists flake off the roof in many places and accumulate as debris of various size. The cave is rich in speleothems. There are several generations of them, some heavily corroded. The U/Th dating brought no positive results. The cave has abundant clastic sediments with marks of periodical drying (mud-cracks).

Click on picture for bigger one	Zyklopengang in Feichtnerschachthohle, ph.: R. Feichtner

Meziad Cave, Romania, photo: S. Kotarba

Training

Non-rope caving techniques - Part II - Jakub Nowak

The author describes the methods of moving in vertical rifts and meanders in caves without rope, by thrusting oneself against the opposite walls.

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Last change 2001.03.28