Application for Grant Aid

Submitted on: 31 Jan 2010


Expedition details (GPF2010a-001)

Expedition Name (& Club): Cambridge Austrian Cave Expedition 2010 (CUCC)
Destination country: Austria
Region: Styrian Alps
Lat: 47.7175 Long: 14.0642 Elevation: m
MEF funding: none

Leader: Martin Jahnke
Total cavers: 24
Cavers ≤25 yrs old: 0
Cavers 25-35 yrs old: 0
UK/nonUK cavers: 21/3
Eligible for grant aid: 0
Alex Pitcher nominations: 0
Expedition dates: 24th Jul 2010 - 29th Aug 2010
Duration (days): 37
Man-days in field: 336 Man-days travelling: 0
Brief Expedition objectives:

List a short summary of the main Expedition objectives.

Continuing exploration and survey of the Schwarzmooskogel ridge caves Kaninchenhöhle, Steinbrückenhöhle, and Tunnockschacht (Styrian Alps, Austria) with an ultimate aim to connect the systems. Surface prospecting in the area north of Tunnockschacht.
How can the GPF support your Expedition?:

Please explain the aspects of the trip which make it eligible for Ghar Parau funding.

Detailed description of objectives:

Give a more detailed account of the purpose of the trip, including any particular known caves you intend to visit, specific areas where you will explore for new cave, and scientific experiments you will attempt.

The Schwarzmooskogel cave is the most extensive cave system below the Loser Plateau (Styria, Austria), with a length of 55 km and a depth of 1003m. During the 2009 expedition, CUCC returned to the furthest reaches of its northern part, Kaninchenhöhle, replaced permanent rigging and continued surveying where the original exploration had left off in the 1990s. This area is now within 100 m of known passages in the neighboring cave, Steinbrückenhöhle (16 km), at a depth of about 300 m. This year we plan to continue exploring a number of open leads in both Kaninchenhöhle and Steinbrückenhöhle, with the aim to connect the two systems. Also in 2009, we made a breakthrough in Tunnockschacht, a cave that we have been exploring for a few years. A 100 m pitch lead to a new horizontal level with large passages leading towards Steinbrückenhöhle. During this expedition, we want to survey passages in the new level as well as in other parts of the cave that appear to lead to this new level. In addition, we discovered an extensive deposit of bat bones and mummified bats in the this cave. We aim to document the species composition (based on bone and skull morphology) of the hibernating bat population in Tunnockschacht provided we are granted permission for the work by the local environment agency. We observed that the snow fields north of the Tunnockschacht entrance area have retreated in the past few years. This has opened up a number of new cave entrances previously buried under ice. In 2009, we surveyed three new caves and we hope find additional caves this year. The nature of the Austrian Alpine caves is such that there are hundreds of open leads left to explore. Last year we began trialing a new piece of software known as Troggle, written by expedition members, which aims to keep an accurate record of the various cave surveys, descriptions, measurements, logbook entries and databases of open leads that are produced during each expedition. The development of Troggle will continue in the expedition base camp.
Previous work in this area:

Give details of any previous work in this area by your own and other teams. Include references to reports and articles published on the area, and the names of any local cavers or academics with whom you have discussed the Expedition.

CUCC has been exploring in the area since 1976; an expedition has been held every year since then, except in 1986. We have explored large parts of the Schwarzmooskogel system, including its highest and lowest points as well as the entirety of Steinbrückenhöhle and Tunnockschacht. All our data, including surveys, descriptions, photos and logbooks, are available on the Expo website, http://cucc.survex.com/expo/. The ARGE Grabenstetten from Germany, with whom we have a good relationship, holds regular expeditions in the adjoining kataster area on the Loser Plateau.

Expedition Finances

Travel

Travel plans:
CUCC organises travel to expedition on a communal basis, with exceptions for those travelling from or to unusual destinations. The communal transport is largely by car and ferry, which is the most economical method of transporting people and equipment. A few individuals may use plane and train if car space is not available. Transport of gear to the bivouac is by foot.


# from UK: 24 Travel costs breakdown (for personnel leaving from the UK):
Total costs from UK: £3,960 International travel £ 3360
Local travel £ 600

# from outside UK: 0 Travel costs breakdown (for personnel leaving from the UK):
Total costs from outside UK: £0

Travel total: £3,960 Travel p.p. from UK: £165
Travel p.p. from outside UK: £0

Subsistence

Total: £3,948 Comments:
Subsistence p.p.: £165 Accomodation £ 2500
Food £ 1248
Camping consumables £ 200

Gear

Total: £1,100 Comments:
Gear p.p.: £46 Medical / health & safety £ 300
Communal caving gear £ 800

Special 1

Total: £600 Comments:
Special 1 p.p.: £25 Pre- and post-expedition preparations £ 400
Permissions and fees £ 100
Training weekend £ 100

Special 2

Total: £961 Comments:
Special 2 p.p.: £40 Contingency 10%
Exped Total: £10,569 Exped cost p.p. travelling from UK: £440
Exped cost p.p. travelling from outside UK: £0
Mean Exped cost per person: £440

Other Funding

Total: £0 Comments:
We regularly receive sponsorship, mainly from food manufacturers, which will reduce food costs.
Total shortfall: £0 Mean shortfall per person: £0

Referees and Report

Please give the names, addresses and phone numbers of two suitably qualified people whom the Committee can contact. You should ensure that they are aware of the objectives of your trip, and that you have their permission for the Committee to contact them.

Referee 1: Robert Seebacher
Affiliation:

Reason: Chairman, Verein für Höhlenkunde in Obersteier (VHO)

Permission obtained?: No
Referee 2: Dr James Hickson
Affiliation:

Reason: Fellow, Pembroke College, University of Cambridge

Permission obtained?: No

Expedition report author:

Attachments

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