PROJECT MT.KANIN -2000 M - HISTORY ...

2000 – 2001

We started our operation at Kaninski podi plateau in the year 2000, when we made few winter sporting descents into abysses VRTIGLAVICA -643 m, SKALARJEVO BREZNO -911 m, the cooperation with the CAVEX club and in 2001 we went down to the bottom of BREZNO POD VELBOM abyss -850 m. It hides a huge vertical entering part, which ranges among deepest shafts in the world. Since the beginning of the project the absolutely clear fact was that it will be necessary to create a numerously strong team with the majority of experienced individuals. This was the most important thing to work on! That is why we chose the strategy of short, quick and relatively often sallies to the mentioned area in that year. The year 2001 was in the sign of four  numerously small expeditions. At first we rather orientated in the terrain, drew parallels of located caves, identified places for a summer bivouac, searched sources of water, survied GPS coordinates of perspective places and made a surface documentation. Within the winter descent into the BREZNO POD VELBOM abyss (-850 m; thereinafter – Velb) we also recognized the underground of the chosen area where we wanted to start the speleological research. The area beneath the LAŠKA PLANJA top appeared to us as a very perspective zone, mainly in its lower part in the place of a strong depression. Here you can also find the upper mentioned cave – Velb and its neighbouring suspects surround.

2002

The result of January expedition was the localization of more than twenty entries in the highest part of this deep gorge at spot heights from 2150m to 2300m above main sea level. The only perspective cave seemed to be KM 15 – WINDY HAMMER which was specified by the strong draught in the entry part. The cave is located 2150 meters above main sea level. After the breakage of the entering narrow we got into a slightly falling narrow corridor, which bent immidiately to the three-meter step and finished here with a huge rock. However we were prompted by the strong draught to go on. After destruction of the rock we continued through the low horizontal passage to another step, two meters deep, that led us to a small hall with unique sedimentary infillings and stalactical embellishment! Another narrow impeded to our loose elongation. Within the assistance of a hammer we penetrated by a side window into a downfallen area, or rather to the bottom of a shaft cluttered up with rocks. Following continuation seemed to be pent. However we located a small funnel in fine rubble at the bottom of an incrush where some individuals found way through it. We creeped among loose blocks ten meters more and then we stepped feet at a treshold of the step p13 with a soft draught. The cave is definetely determined by rubble and sediments. Total length of passages makes more than 60m, the depth – 30m under the surface.

Fourteen-day stay at the turn of August and September 2002 promissed some other progresses. 20 more entries were located and combing of the deep gorge approximated to the depression, where the cave Velb was. Already the surroundings itself prompted eyes and mind of an experienced speleologist to the thought that Velb wasn´t and wouldn´t be the only unique item in that area and of course wouldn´t be the most important thing here. Many disorders which intersected each other, perspective glaciated entrances where we got into depths more than 100m promted us to wariness and to a detailed exploration. Few days before the termination of this expedition one of the teams found out a fragment of so far unknown vertical system that for the first sight seemed to comunicate with Velb situated bellow. The entry of the cave (which was operationally named KM 48 according to the numeral notation) is situated 2109m above main sea level above the disorder in the N-S direction, which goes paralelly with the disorder where Velb is but with a fifty-meter inclination. Continuation was stopped at the depth of 130m in a bias narrow vertical part finally called FUCKERMANN PASSAGES. We were prompted to carry on by a strong draught as well as by the falling stone into unknown depths.

2003

In January we built the strongest international team up to now (Czechs, Slowaks, Poles) and in the number of 22 during 16 days focused on KM 48 and Velb at the same time. We supossed that both caves would be interconnected. Anticipated points were the sections at a depth among –750 and – 850m consequently at the bottom of  Velb, where is mostly the draught dissipated. First three teams focused on KM 48 and they moved to the depths. The entering shaft p50 is followed by FUCKERMANN PASSAGES - p165, FIRST STRIKE – p50 then and finally SHUBBY DUBBY - p85. At a depth of 320m they were stopped by a huge block of rock called FLYING STONE which measured 3 x 2 x 1,5 m. It was hanging freely above the unknown depth where a thrown rock was falling more than 11 seconds! The team was consumed by euphory and everything was frantically discused in the cottage. We prepared the material for the next advancement. However, extreamly dangerous was the setting fixed anchors to the deep shaft under the freely hanging rock of prodigious proportions. So that is why the strategy of  advancing was changed. The declining part of Velb at a depth among –541m and – 850m was once more combed by two teams to locate some side windows. The action was successful – many side windows were located, but due to a difficult access (in difficult accessable sections of p70 at a depth of 850m) they were not inquired. The most suspected seemed the area or shaft, if you like, 70m deep, and beginning at a depth of  - 750m and continued to the bottom (at a depth of – 850m). Here it was difficult to identify the draught circulation and it seemed to be dissipated. The bottom was a static area or let us say the last shaft - p40 was without chance to any elongation. That is the reason why the cave was tidied out, documented and all the material was fetched out. The expedition focused on the entrance of KM 48. Some dare-devils outfitted CHILD OF TIME - p150 step, under the freely hanging rock block. Only a glimpse up to the point where was the instable rock block held by rock massif raised fears, mainly when you think of crossing the rock to the other side of the shaft to the fixed anchor. Provisional descent route led directly through the point of flowing water and it revealed another free continuation of the abyss during the January expedition. On a small mirador at a depth of 480m was the main trait of the cave divided into two branches. The January move finished in shallower of those branches at a depth of 570m with a chance to continue freely. Running of the January expedition gave us the reason to plan another expedition in February.

Next expedition (in a half of February) uncovered big secrets. The first team should destroy the FLYING STONE – a blast. Unfortunately due to picking off the stone many natural anchor points were in the closest neighbourhood loosen and limestone was faulted at the place of fixed anchor either. During a descent of one of those teams in the shaft p150 came about a five-meter fall and to loose and then to the fall of a huge rock block (about 100kg) as well as serious damage of the rope. All of that happened thanks to the extraction of one of the anchors. Any serious injury was not caused.

In one of the branches, there was built a temporary bivouac. Exploration was continuing with few short steps and it was stopped at the depth of 570m in a very narrow meander with an active flow but with a very strong draught. From the point (THE BRIDGE), where the main trait of the cave is divided into two branches, continued another team in explorations in the meantime. WTC – WORLD TRADE CENTRE p80, the most beautiful shaft in the cave so far, flows into a roomy space called TORA BORA which sideways falls into the depth of 580m to the vent of very narrow and old meander. On its bottom we could hear the subterranean flow - massive. The thinnest of the whole team creeped the meander painstakingly and stepped foot by a cascade weir that he climbed down freely and stayed at the edge of another deep shaft so that the aim for the next expedition was clear – widen the narrow and continue exploring.

Four days at the turn of April and May were planned in the „light“ style – on skialps to the entrance, 30 hours under ground, ascent to the cottage and by a cable railway down to Bovec. Reality was absolutely different – much worse. We built a small but strong team. Due to the wet snow and tin snow layer our skies were inapplicable. After recognizing the situation we transported the material on foot (4 hours from Peter Skalarj cottage to the entrance) when participants of the expedition sank into the wet snow to the waist. We were much more surprised at the bottom of the entering p50 shaft. Other continuation was hopelessly covered by a three-meter thick wet and hard snow layer. We were digging the entering narrow for two hours in the falling water (from the melting snow). After that the way to FUCKERMANN PASSAGES p165 was finally free! Following parts of the cave were frozen and dry. We get on very quickly. The TORA BORA narrow – 580m was widen very swiftly and explorations could go on - small cascades and entrance into the p50. Its bottom is problably by a mirador naturally interrupted continuation of the shaft. The mirador was created by falling stones and it led to another step p13 or rather to a wall of the biggest place in the cave so far with the name THE QUARRY. This gigantic hall measured 40 x 25 x 60m and was choked up with a rubble in its whole base. Here vanished the underground flow. We found the continuation down through the bury among gigantic blocks of rocks and went on in a very dangerous setting about 6 meters. This colossal clunch led with a thirty-degree slant out of a small rock window to a neighbouring higher situated room. But the window was closed in its whole profile by huge rock blocks. Final temporary depth inside the incrush was – 654m. Water leaked out among rocks further to depths, so that the journey was finished here for this time. We climbed to the surface after more than 30 hours. The cable railway was not working  and rucksacks on our backs weigh about 50kg! So we skied down to the “C“ station of the cable railway or rather to a place SKRIPI, where the snow cover was finishing and the running surfaces of skies sounded really strangely. Pieces of plastic were a real confirmation of it. The aim for next expedition was clear. Endless ascents with an accumulator drill out of the cave and charging-up procedure at a solar-board were tiring and tedious in so far as we were forced by those circimstances to buy a pretty long inflected petrol drill. By the help of the drill it was necessary to take the incrush to parts and pass this supposed hermetical barrier of rock blocks in The QUARRY. Next branch with a meander and strong draught was also very promising. Results of mapping were directly put into a notebook where the 3D map of Kanin was. Outcomes were obvious – sooner or later would be both caves interconnected!  

A ten-day stay at the end of September 2003, a strong ten-member team and newly bought petrol drill should guarantee further successes in the cave Češka jama –645m. There was built a bivouac at the depth of 580m at a place called TORA BORA. Some parts in the TORA BORA narrow were widen due to a troublefree transport of material by the help of the drill. We focused mainly on a narrow meander with an active flow and deuced stron draught in the other branch beyond SLEEPING SHAFT at the depth of. 570m. The first team after a demanding overnight action and a subdual of a very narrow meander series got into the unknown roomy dome, into the big room of Velb abyss at the depth of 600m, as we noticed later. The length of the meander counted about 50m, 20 meters of it was the real purgatory. Portage of one specially modified bag lasted at those 20m about one hour. In the meander there was an extremely strong draught and in the time of its discovery it was run through a tiny flow (10 l/s) which fell down through p8 to the room of Velb. Theese parts were called CONNECTING MEANDER.

The weather went wrong at the second half of our stay at Kanin. It was raining and it started to snow accompanied by a strong wind. Water forced everybode to the surface. It was seething like in a turbine in CHILD OF TIME p150 and only due to a safety development of shaft the ascent was troublefree. The most dangerous parts during the sudden down pour of water could be the enetring bias slanted passages – FUCKERMANN PASSAGES p165 and extremely dangerous places from this point of view stayed the mirador leading to WTC p80 at the depth of 480m as well. The only natural outlet of the main streamline from p150 CHILD OF TIME was relatively small window (3 x 2m). The way out was rather intuitive. Chosen strategy as trial and error method testified with searching the signal flags within returns to the cottage. Rain, snow and strong wind extended the way to the cottage for more than 5 hours.

2004

We made four expeditions to Kanin in that year. The situation slightly complicated. A lot of snow did not melted after the winter and the cave was closed by more ten-meter high snow end-seal. Expedition in January was finished due to 10 meters of snow at the bottom of the entering p50 shaft. There was much more snow in the cave in June than in January – the whole entering fifty-meter deep shaft was completely filled up with snow. We dug down to the depth of 20m. The third expedition at the end of July dug down the snow to thirty meters. Very helpful were high temperatures, draught and mainly rain. Finaly in August was the cave tolerably free. Only one meter of the snow was left to dig. Connecting meander at the depth of 570m made us more troubles that we had presupposed. Extremely narrow parts were widen with the help of petrol drill to the length of 2 meters but the worse place was still in front of us. Horrible 3m were still to smash. The August expedition finished thanks to the serious disorder of the drill.

2005

The pre-determined attendance in the half of April was rather to check the situation. We reached the entrance by skis, the weather was beautiful.The entering p50 was fulfilled to more than half by snow (which made more than 25m snow!). After digging about 3m we found free caverns and air holes. We found that it would be better to let the draught and water work and not to work hard uselessly. There was much time to the main expedition in August. In the half of August we stroke with full manpower. The team of 12 people made a summer bivouac beneath Veliki Babanski Škedejn top over again but disillusion came very quickly. In the enering shaft there was much more snow than in April so that plans of the expedition were changed very fast. We were digging the entering meander nearly NON-STOP and we started the surface explorations in our sector at the same time. The snow digging lasted whole three days and more than sixteen-meter deep snow shaft was dug. Nobody wanted to work at the bottom of the shaft. Snow was not compact, large ice pieces were falling down directly on the back of digging man and for more the lumpy firn was falling by kilos down through the dug shaft. The bottom of the shaft was now only for extremly bold fellows. Only one bigger serak of many hanging here would bury everyone working at the bottom and the way out to the surface would be closed. After three days we stopped works that seemed to be risky here. We focused on surface explorations. At the second half of the expedition very perspective entrance was located in a very hardly reachable terrain near the Velika Baba top. It got the number signification KM 68 and it was called BLACK JACK later. Entering nicely eroded shaft was dicontinued at the depth of 30m by a huge rock clunch where the abnormaly strong draught vanished. The incrush was raked up quickly and we got into the ceiling of  a gigantic shaft p75 which we called SECOND STEP. The shaft was opening into big measures and its whole bottom was in the whole profile engulfed by rocks and rubble. Although the main trait of the cave continued in the wall on the left side. The entering mirador (situated as though on two fallen rocks) let us see to the centre of the earth or it appeared to us as that at least for the first time. The sound of thrown rock into darkness beneath us was not hearable at all. Euphory and enthusiasm possessed the whole team. We were going down to the absolut darkness on few last meters of the rope. A twenty-meter remnant of the rope was enough to look into something realy colossal. We could not see neither ceiling nor the walls only a huge bias slanted block of rock was bented after 40 meters somewhere into a gigantic shaft. It could be an underground canyon or rather a huge underdround disorder which proportions far exceeded the huge shaft Zlatorog at the neighbouring plateau Goričica. During the following action we descended through the whole impressive vertical shaft. It was called BIG BOSS p160. For the most of time of climbing down the shaft we could see nothing. The descending route led on the bias slanted block at first than after circa 40 meters it bent into a huge vertical shaft. In this part there was problably the smallest profile of the shaft which diameter was assessed about 15 meters but you could not see any walls neither on your left nor on your right side. From here to the bottom it was possible to see only the wall in the line of descent. The dark and unexplored unknown surrounded everyone who dared to enter the internals of BLACK JACK. Walls were still unexplored. The last climbing down of 60m led in the absolut darkness without any contact with walls. The bottom created irregular shape, its dimensions were 40 x 25 m and its whole profile was overhelmed by rocks and rubble. There were some places which seemed to us as perspective but there were also incrushes. We tried to overpower the clunch during the next descent by following the compact ceiling or the firm rock wall. Taking of the incrush into the parts was quick on the whole – we could progress about four meters per two hours. It was very difficult to locate the draught in theese parts and we could not objectilvely appreciate its following flowing. We climbed about 30m up to the walls from the bottom of this mega shaft but without any chance to find continuation (the try to find secondary outflow). When we were returning we located another inconspicuous vent of another shaft at the bottom of p75 SECOND STEP. We climbed down and we reached a huge clunch which created large bottom of this shaft. After difficult crawling among big rock blocks we found continuation, now in the compact rock. We descended freely down the shaft as it was possible but a broadening profile of the shaft stopped us. We stared into darkness. It was possible to see a pool and continuation underneath (after approximately next 15 m). In the opposite wall of the abyss there you could see another bias slanted disorder also vanishing somewhere in darkness. There was no time to explore that.

At the end of September we were here again. A strong ten-member team went up (for this time) from Italian part of Kanin round the bivouac Manzano. From here the way was shorter, more passable, faster and more agreeable. Descending teams were ready to map, to take photographs, to document the cave and also to continue in further explorations and even more to rake up the incrush. Unfortunately due to a strong wind and relentless rain we descended only to the bottom of p30. Next way was closed. There was hardly rainig in the p75 SECOND STEP and from lower parts we heard impressive rambling of underground waters. We canceled this action and planned to appear in Kanin mountains for the fourth time that year in November. Regrettably the bad climatic conditions did not let us to realize this last expedition.

More information:

Within the framework of a speleological project all recommendation, rules, agreements and orders from JZS, DZRJ Ljubljana are observed. All waste is liquidated and transported to Bovec (namely in the time of hardest winter expeditions). Maps of the caves are generally sent to Cave registr and to the club DZRJ Ljubljana.

Coordinator of the project:

Oldřich Štos / Spider / E-mail: info@mrspider.eu

Special thanks to:

DZRJ LJUBLJANA – J.PIRNAT, M.DULAR, G.PINTAR

JD KOOPER - R. STOPAR

We are much obliged to upper mentioned men in this way for a maximal help, giving us many valuable advices and for cooperating with us for few last years.