Expedition Name (& Club): Ario Caves Project (OUCC)

Destination country: Spain
Region: Picos de Europa

Lat: 43.2727 Long: -4.9851 Elevation: 0 m
MEF funding: none

Leader: Miss Steph Dwyer

Brief Expedition objectives:

List a short summary of the main Expedition objectives.

The Ario Caves Project is a continuation of 50 years of Oxford University Cave Club’s exploration in the Massif Occidental of the Picos de Europa. The “ACP” is an extension and expansion of this work whose primary aim is to facilitate and further the exploration of caves associated with the Vega de Ario and the hydrology of Cueva Culiembro - this one day yielding a super deep system in excess of 1,800m. This would be the deepest in Europe and one of the deeper caves of the world.

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 scientific justification for this super deep system comes from the culmination of many years of exploration, surveying, geological studies, shaft bashing, careful GPS documentation and dye tracing. This work has uncovered many systems who in their own right range from depths of several hundred metres to >1,000m (namely C3-C4, 2/7, Xitu and Culiembro) but whom are connected by either overlapping survey data, physical connection or positive dye tracing. C3’s survey overlaps with upstream 2/7 and upstream Culiembro is 2/7 (dye confirmed) together that is a system with a vertical range of 1,564M. Pozo del Xitu a significant 1135m deep cave in its own right is a tributary to the 2/7 – Culiembro system. C3/C4’s current limit of exploration is an unascended waterfall whose volume of water is described as significant. The ACP’s aim for 2013 is to discriminate which of the many promising leads/shafts in the “top camp” area unhill of these caves are the most likely to connect in the aforementioned system and these will be explored bolted and dye tested to Culiembro.

Another aim for 2013 is to conclude the many on-going leads in Pozo del Xitu – following on from the very successful re-bolting effort over the 2011 and 2012 expeditions where Xitu was bolted with longer lasting more sustainable stainless steal bolts. This is will also facilitate an effort to clean the cave of all previous human impact and also do a thorough photography trip, documenting the well celebrated Flat Iron 140m shaft and the numerous spectacular and unusual cave formations.

The exploration of Xitu in addition to the discovery of new passage is being conducted in the hopes of finding a way into 2/7 below a currently impenetrable boulder choke - Choke Egbert – this would make exploration of the 2/7 streamway downstream of the choke to its limit of exploration (upstream of Culiembro) a lot easier than the current alternative of bolting upstream from Culiembro.

Some examples of the promising entrances above C3 and 2/7 that have not been brought to conclusion and will be looked into further over the coming expedition(s) are:

9/4, a 25m shaft leading to an undescended hole beyond a climb.
•12/4, a 15m shaft leading to a squeeze and a climb.
•28/4, a 60m shaft leading to a squeeze.
•29/4, a 25m shaft leading to a draughting squeeze.
•35/4, an undescended 30m shaft-bashing.
•58/4, a 5m undescended shaft leading to a passage.
•67/4, a strongly-draughting and easily-diggable choke.
•77/4, a 40m shaft with various leads including an undescended pitch.
•29/5, a rediscovered shaft at the head of a line of otherwise blocked dolines. 2011 exploration pushed the cave beyond one squeeze to another, but it is hoped that it may end up dropping into 2/7, another nearby cave with depth potential of over 1500m (the current exploration front is choked at some 600m).
•33/13, a large undescended shaft with a strong draught.
•E25, a 60m shaft with a diggable floor leading to a pitch
•Various shafts in Area D of the Shaft-Bashing Guide.

Diving
In continuation of the very successful Culiembro-Xitu traverse last year – this being the world’s deepest cave diving traverse – a number of the party will be completing this traverse in the hopes of completing a significant achievement (one member if successful will be the first woman to complete the world’s deepest cave diving traverse) but more importantly prospecting open leads, carrying out more robust rigging out of the water between the sumps and way marking in Culiembro. This being carried out in preparation for a return exploratory expedition to Culiembro in 2014. Dye detectors will also be placed in the 2/7 streamway upstream of the Culiembro Stag pool.
A sump in the Teresa series of Xitu will be explored and lined in the hopes that it might offer a way into the 2/7 stream downstream of Choke Egbert.

Cave conservation
The 2011 & 2012 expeditions revealed large quantities of discarded rope, metalwork, carbide dumps and rubbish left at various levels throughout the cave by various expeditions. As part of our commitment to preserving the cave in as near to an untouched state as possible, we intend to remove as much of this litter as possible. As an ongoing principle, great care will be taken around delicate calcite formation and other features of interest.
Techniques commonly used in the UK but rarely seen on expeditions will be used to minimise the impact on the cave, including using conservation tape to mark out delicate areas; removing boots and other items as necessary when passing formations and limiting access to particularly fragile areas. Several of our members have experience in cave conservation. To supplement this we will seek detailed advice if needed.
'Leave No Trace' principles will be applied to regarding all waste produced by the expedition below and above ground. All solid waste will be removed from the cave and liquid waste disposed of according to LNT's advice for river canyons.

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.

Xitu was explored by OUCC in 1979, 1980 and 1981, when it was bottomed to become the deepest cave explored by a British team at the time. These expeditions are documented in
the Proceedings of the club, available here: http://www.oucc.org.uk/expeditions/expeditionsspain.htm. It was also revisited by OUCC in 2001, when it was explored upstream of the main
entrance. The main part of the cave was re-explored in 2011 as a totally fresh look at the cave. Though Xitu was bottomed in 1981, it was by no means fully explored. For example, on one
of the first rigging trips in 2011, a team accidentally swung into a window in a shaft which looked like the way on, and found a large continuing passage (named 'Pendulamus') within an
hour of the surface. The 1981 expedition was focussed entirely on achieving record-breaking depth, whereas there is a great deal of potential for expanding the cave sideways, possibly
connecting with other caves and deepening the system overall. Many of the aims of the 2012 expedition were taken directly from the 2011 expedition – this is because despite our best
efforts, very bad weather prevented any of the major leads being explored. As a result, the cave was rigged to about 950m, and little exploration took place – In 2012 the cave was successfully rigged to the bottom and allowed a historic cave diving traverse from its resurgence cave to be carried out.