Expedition Name (& Club): Tresviso 2011 (SWCC)

Destination country: Spain
Region: Picos de Europa

Lat: 43.2566 Long: -4.6669 Elevation: m
MEF funding: none

Leader: Phil Walker

Brief Expedition objectives:

List a short summary of the main Expedition objectives.

Continue renewed UK exploration in the search for a possible 1500m through trip from Sima 56 to Cueva del Agua, centred around unpushed avens in Agua, looking for a route further into the moutain towards the deeper systems.

How can the GPF support your Expedition?:

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

why_gpf_benefit

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 main objective of the expedition is to re-investigate the leads left over from the 1986/7 SWCC exploration at the back-end of Agua. A series of steep ascending ramps (‘The Teeth of Satan’) contain a number of unexplored avens, with surface debris, that may hold the key to a route deeper into the mountain and towards the current limit of exploration in Sima 56 (at -1169m). The plan is take 2 climbers, aided by an underground camp, and an experienced support team to re-rig and ascend the known ramps before undertaking a series of bolt climbs up the unexplored avens. The objective will require a number of days of route finding and re-rigging of the main cave. The furthest reaches of Agua have not been visited since 1987 and the in-situ ropes are in dubious condition and will need replacing. The expedition members include a number of the original explorers of the cave, so familiarisation with the cave and route finding should not be problematic. 1. Approximately 25m up the first section of the ‘Teeth of Satan’ ramp is an obvious active inlet coming down an aven. The aven is around 27m high and would appear to be a separate system coming into the cave. 2. A side route from the ‘Teeth of Satan’ leads to an area called ‘Space, The Final Frontier’. Here a steep ramp, at least 20m, has never been climbed. 3. Continuing on from ‘Space, The Final Frontier’ is a massive chamber, called ‘Death Race 2000’ which is entered 2/3rd of the way up. There are 2 unexplored avens over the deepest part. 4. The main ramp continues before encountering a passage and chamber with a climb down to a small stream, ‘The Twilight Zone’. The stream has not been fully investigated. Secondary Objectives: In addition there are a number of known undescended shafts and unfinished leads around the Sierra del Corta and Valdediezma areas that lie right above the furthest known points in Agua. A second entrance in these locations would provide a quick route into any major system connecting the cave locations. 1. Valdediezma / Sierra del Corta leads. Various unexplored leads require re-visiting. 2. Torca Septrin, pushed to -140m in 2010. Depth potential of around -800m, heading for Cueva del Agua. 3. Climbing of unexplored ramps in Cueva del Rio Chico, possibly heading toward Fallen Bear Hole (Torca de Branarredonda) and a parallel cave system to the Sima 56-Agua system. 4. Re-logging of 1970’s, 1980’s co-ordinate data at numerous sites for publication on relaunched website. 5. Help A.D. KAMI with push of Torca Jou Sin Tierre – currently at -856m

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.

3 of the original explorers of Agua, SIma 56 and others will be on the expedition (Dave Checkley, Howard Jones & Colin Boothroyd) and have vast knowledge of the area. Phil Walker and Derek Cousins are also previous members of LUSS and have been invovled in more recent trips to the area. In addition, good relations have been established with the Spanish caving club AD Kami (Madrid) whol will be in the area at the same time and resources for some objectives will be pooled.