Secure hold in the abyss: When everything hangs on one anchor

Cave explorers rely on fishermen

Secure hold in the abyss: When everything hangs on one anchor
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“Twelve people were already on the moon,” says cave researcher Axel Hack. “But there are still places on our planet that no one has ever entered.” What is under the surface of the Earth in caves cannot be measured and observed by satellites. Axel Hack and his colleagues go into this unfamiliar terrain time and again, revealing what is hidden here. An area of research also known as speleology. “We explore caves to learn more about our earth so that we can better protect it,” explains Axel Hack.
Image: Axel Hack

Property description

Type of object
Cave
Overall lengths
113 km
Depth
Ranked 9th worldwide with a height difference of 1,560 m
Since 2012, he has been a member of the Dachstein Caving Expedition, which has been exploring and mapping the caves on the plateau of the Dachstein Mountains in Upper Austria for over 40 years. “Over 850 metres underground, far away from help, we pave our way through the narrowest passages and deep shafts,” Axel Hack describes the roof tile expeditions. “We are struggling with cold, hard rock, floods and liquid clay.” Axel Hack continues: "Numerous verticals are dominated by former river loops that have been buried deep in the rocks. It takes a lot of energy to cross these so-called meanders. Not to mention the many steep walls that cave explorers would have to climb over and over again.
Image: Axel Hack

“Especially here, where it goes down or up so vertically and slipperily, the cave ropes must be securely anchored,” says Axel Hack. "We rely on fish steel anchors for this. I feel more secure when I hang on the fasteners of a German quality manufacturer." Thousands of fish bolt anchors, such as the FBN II and the FAZ with an eight-millimetre diameter, have already been introduced into the cavities for cable fasteners. Most of this was used in the Wot U Got Pot (WUG) shaft system.

The breakthrough then took place at the beginning of 2018 September: After more than ten years of research at the WUG, the researchers discovered a new connection from the WUG to the Hirlatz cave. As a result, the total length of the underground labyrinth under investigation increased by 7.2 kilometres to over 113 kilometres. This makes the Hirlatz cave the 20th longest cave in the world. In depth, it ranks ninth with a height difference of 1,560 metres.  

 

Image: Axel Hack
Since then, the research team has been hoping for the merger of other higher caves. The system is expected to grow up to 90 metres vertically. As a result, the Hirlatz Cave was catapulted into sixth place in the world ranking and second place in Europe. Further manholes are also to be explored. From 17 August to 5 September, altitude scientists from all over Europe set off again into the slum of the Alpine cave. The meeting point was the roof tile plateau on the Hallstätter side. “Safe equipment is a top priority on such expeditions,” says Axel Hack. "This time, we were once again able to assess what was ahead of us: temperatures around two degrees, high humidity and frequent water ingress in the vertical parts as well as heavy claying of the aisles." In some cases, the walls into which anchors are to be installed are coated with a centimetre-thick layer of clay, adds Axel Hack. "And the roof tile lime is hard and thick. In some cases it is also cracked or corroded."
Image: Axel Hack
The cave explorers took plenty of ropes, drill hooks, cordless hammer drills and freeze-dried meals and equipment for the warehouse into the underground world, transported in sanding bags made of truck tarpaulins. Also included in the luggage: 300 fischer bolt anchor FBZ 8/10 in stainless steel (A4) and galvanised steel. The fasteners ensure a secure hold in the tough limestone. Curved M8 tabs made of aluminium or 304/316 stainless steel are anchored to the rock. Ropes can be attached to it using screw links.
Image: Axel Hack
Initially, the weather prevented progress: "WUG, our gate to the Hirlatz cave, was under seven metres of snow. But where there is a will, there is also a path – which we were able to successfully shovel free," reports Axel Hack. “However, it rained for days and the caves were heavily flooded.” After all, the underground gorges and corridors could be explored even further. This allowed the team to continue exploring the Thundergasm Cave, which they discovered in 2017. Last year, the researchers measured them at a depth of about 200 metres, but were slowed down by an unknown moor. Now the team learned more. "We never know what to expect: In this case, it went from a deep and slippery canyon to a wide aisle and then into an area with falling water and rusty red, crumbly and sharp rock. There was a deep and cracking meander on the ground," Axel Hack describes the unfamiliar mountain world. 
Image: Axel Hack
The cave researchers also learned a lot about the WUG. “Coming from vertical shafts and canyons, we entered giant fossil pipes.” Sticky mud was constantly spread over the equipment, making the boots twice as heavy as usual. From the chutney mine, we went to another passage, which was explored and measured: a very muddy dead end with a crime at the end. The section Left Fork and the so-called Time Bandit were also explored.
We explore caves to learn more about our earth so we can better protect it.
Axel Hack, member of Dachstein Caving Expedition

Further research was also carried out at the end of the Uphill Gardens. Here Axel Hack and his team drilled a steep clay ramp 25 metres up. In some cases, the rock had to be freed of ten centimetres of deep and moist clay in order to be able to set the drill anchors. The team worked for four hours in these adverse circumstances. After around 30 drill anchors had been inserted, the job was done: The researchers were standing in the spacious, unexplored passage no. 33. "I have never seen a more beautiful aisle in the WUG. It is abundantly adorned with stalagmites and other formations," says Axel Hack enthusiastically. "After just over 100 metres, we unfortunately had to reverse. Although the gangway is still pulling much further into the mountain, time ran out of it for us. We also had to get back to the ropes to climb 650 metres. After a total of 18 hours, the team reached the surface tired and well-rested.

Image: Axel Hack
Although no further connection between higher caves has yet been discovered, However, the researchers bring a wealth of new knowledge about the mountain world and its intertwined paths to the surface of the earth, bringing it a whole lot closer to its destination. “The fish bolt anchors we used remained stable throughout the entire expedition, even in surprisingly poor rock,” says Axel Hack with relief.

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