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THE ANIALARRA 1998 EXPEDITION
  
This time, we were fully prepared . An altitude camp was set up near
the entrance of the AN506, at an altitude of 2170 m. It provided shelter
for 4 persons. Since we worked simultaneously in two different caves, some
2 kilometres apart, all gear (ropes, bags, hammer drills etc..) had to be
doubled. Our base camp was again Camping Ibarra in St. Engrace.
AN506-POZO DE LOS NINOS (-410m)
After 10 descents in the AN506 the balance was more than positive! The big
pitch indeed deserved its name "Monstre" since it measured 259m and
kept its massive section all the way down. It became to be the second deepest
pitch in the area, after the famous Puits Lepinuex (320 m deep). At the
foot of the Monstre, at -310 m, the cave split up in several parallel pitches.
The most evident one was another big 100 m drop, but there was also a P68
(Puits Paul), a P62 (Puits Jos) and a P18 + P41 (Puits Maéénn?. Unfortunately
the cave ended at -410m depth, on a flat and sandy bottom. Though we were
really close to the underground river of the Anialarra System, we had to
give up our ambitions in making of our cave a 4th and spectacular
entrance to this big cave system. But we weren't unhappy at all!
Follow this link for a detailed report on the
first descent of this giant shaft!
FR1-TROU VAILLE QUE VAILLE (-337m)
The FR1 was the first deep cave that the Spéléoclub de Frontenac explored
on the massif, more precisely in 1971. Leader of this club was the legendary
Jean-Fran?is Pernette (at that time, only 16 years old!). Later, he would
discover the BU56, with its 1400 m depth still one of the deepest in the
world and deepest of the Pierre-St-Martin massif.
The FR1 was, according to the old surveys, very well situated in relation
to the terminus of Pozo Estella; only a couple of hundred metres before
it and exactly above the cave. The FR1 ended at -337m where it became too
narrow.
We thought that it should be a good idea to review the cave, since it hadn't
been properly explored for over 25 years now. Digging techniques had evolved
a lot the past 10 years (e.g. battery hammer drills) and there was a chance
of connecting this cave to the Pozo Estella. This would result in an easy,
fast and safe access to the terminus of Pozo Estella.
In the summer of 1998 we made 11 descents in this cave. We made several
artificial climbs, such as in the P90 that started at around -130 m. The
strong draught that is aspired in the cave, changes direction here and disappears
in the ceiling of the P90. At the same team, we started enlarging the narrow
end of the cave; not very easy since we had to carry the hammer drill and
the batteries down to -340 m all the time. Finally the work payed off and
we found a small continuation, about 50 m long. We forced to abandon here
were since our holiday had come to an end. But we couldn't feel a lot of
air-flow here, so it would probably not have been the way to Pozo Estella
anyway. Also, precise GPS-readings had indicated that the FR1 wasn't situated
above, but besides the Pozo Estella: over 300 m away from it!
AN519-POZO IBARRA
During our frequent prospecting we found several other interesting entrances.
The best seemed to be the AN519. It exhaled an icy cold and very strong
draught and was situated upstream of the FR3 cave. Jos and Paul widened
up the entrance and the very narrow meander that soon followed, and explored
a big lead that descended steeply. They had to stop (no ropes) at -40m,
at the top of a big black hole. Since it was again the end of our holiday,
we postponed this big "première" to 1999. Maybe another -400m cave? Wait
and see in 1999.
AN523
Collapse doline, with a very strong draught seeping through the boulders.
It is situated exactly above the Pozo Estella, very close to the terminus.
We already worked a couple of hours in it, and progressed 2 metres between
unstable boulders. In 1999 we will start a big dig here.
To find out if our dreams became true in 1999, go to the
Anialarra 1999 Expedition!
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