By Stu Coxon We left the hostel with the intention and kit to look at the tight section in Cueva Donga and hopefully enlarge it. Our secondary objective was to have a look at the pitch in the entrance of what is now known as Practice Pot. Alistair and Dreads went over to Practice Pot…
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by Dan Workman The planned trip as of Monday eve was Sam and I to continue the climbing whilst Dave and Derek resurveyed the upstream passage behind us. However, in the morning Derek was not feeling up for caving and we were reduced to a group of three. We set off slightly later than planned…
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by Sam Deeley Having been driven down to the entrance by Joe, we entered the cave at 1300. Bob and Dave led the way to the streamway, after which we split into two parties. Following the directions of Dave, specifically details of the climb over a calcite flow, we reached the first boulder choke. Quickly,…
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Josh Bratchley, Rob Middleton, Joe Daniels, Arwel Roberts A late start saw us in the cave not long after 13:00 (much better via Land Rover) and good progress was made down the entrance series to the 1st Pitch in the downstream passages where we’d left our 3 bags of cylinders the day before. Here…
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Pozo del Castillo After 30 years of a blocked snow plug, preventing access to the lower reaches of Castillo, the snow plug has melted. The previously scary boulder held up by snow, is now held up by air and luck. A 100 year old winch has now been revealed, and more large scary boulders. The…
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Expedition Dates 1st September to 15th September 2018 – main expedition dates Objectives The expedition has a number of goals. The following are a few primary objectives: Cueva del Nacimiento Jurassic World – Terror Firma – multiple avens and climbs, Pina Colada Bypass – a 3-10m rift leads off from the Pina Colada sump. Joe’s…
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Cueva del Nacimiento – Jurassic World – Terror Firma The ‘final’ aven at the end of the cave was climbed to over 40m, a split in the aven was followed to a new height of 534m above the entrance, but closed down. The second aven remains unclimbed and is ongoing Cueva del Nacimiento – Jurassic…
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Gareth had been having trouble sleeping over the few days previously, possibly due to the heat. This meant going on a push trip to the end of Cueva Marniosa to the Terminal Sump 2 would not be sensible. Josh was still determined to go but was not keen on the idea of a solo trip…
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It was decided that an assault on the final Sump 2 would need full cylinders, since the ones currently in the cave had been used to the point where it’d likely not be worth taking them the distance. Since GD decided to have a rest day after the previous days trip had caused much aching,…
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One of the objectives of the 2017 expedition is the aid climb of an 80m aven, in Cueva de la Marniosa. Unfortunately, the aven lies beyond a sump, so divers are required to pass the sump before attempting the climb beyond. The climbing of the aven is more for the desire to connect to any…
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