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Location Elevation Plan Description Rigging Guide How to Find Image Galleries
Pozo del Llastral (β3)
β3 lies 250 m west along the same fault line as Pozo de Cuetalbo (M2) and 50 m lower. It was first discovered in 1984 and marked bottomed in 1985, effectively snow-plugged at -30 m. The amount of snow around Vega Huerta changes from year to year and in 1987, the snow in the entrance of β3 had melted sufficiently to allow progress.
During that year, the cave was pushed down an 80 m snow ramp, and beyond the only major obstacle within the cave - Meander of the Elephants - finally to a depth of 240 m. Further exploration continued in 1988, down through large spacious shafts and rifts to the bottom of Pozo Negro at a depth of 368 m. The cave was bottomed in 1989 at 944 m at a green sump. Further exploration was attempted in 1990, but no major extensions were found.
Location X: 339,96 Y: 4784,56 Z 2020 m Depth -944 m
Surveys
Description
The Entrance Series
From the entrance chamber, the cave descends through an 80 m snow ramp, combining abseiling and glissading, and requiring re-rigging each summer.
A short section in the roof of a narrow rift (with more than its fair share of over suits to answer for), is followed by a pitch-ramp series. This beginns with a 7 m pitch, followed by some narrow passages leading into the rather exposed area of El Panico. A 5 m pitch is followed by a 31 m pitch (Pozo del Panico) with a deviation and rebelay in a narrow section 7 m from the bottom gains the base of the rift. A ramp leads to a 7 m pitch and ascent the final ramp allows you to drop down through it to land on a large block wedged across the top of a 22 m pitch. A trickle of water enters here down an aven.
A short section at the base of a rift and a 14 m pitch is followed by another ramp
and a pendulum (the far side requires a climb to enable rigging) into the narrow rift Meander of the Elephants.
The rift is passable by a 30 m descending
body-sized tube in the top of
the rift, made awkward by a constricted Z-bend - easily passed by raising
your legs high up in the rift behind you, finally emerging over a
20 m
pitch. This tube can be gained by traversing high up the preceding ramp,
descending and re-ascending - or alternatively, if you happen not to see
the obvious rope, you can just wonder along the bottom of the ramp and
climb up at the end. Meander of the Elephants,
or more simply "The Squeeze" represents the
only major obstacle in the cave and would pose a serious problem if ever
an injured person needed to be evacuated from beyond it.
Following the squeeze, a series of straight forward pitches (and trickle of water) through the Meandro del Polesu - Aquarius ends in a 10 m pitch (Escanciador Pitch). This requires a pendulum to avoid the water.
At this point the water parts company and the character of the cave changes dramatically. El Sekajo is a relatively spacious descending rift and is free from pitch-ramps. The area contains formations, clay-like sediments and rock that in places has been remarkably altered.
A 9 m pitch is soon followed by a 21 m free hanging pitch. At this point the draught is very noticeable - and very cold. The sizable, and rather chaotic rift beyond leads to the head of a superb 52 m free hang in a 10 m diameter circular shaft (Alicia). (This has developed following the descent of a fault angled at 70° in a series of vertical drops.) The resulting massive open rift (50-60 m high, 10-15 m wide) continues to a 10 m pitch leading to the rather terrifying and chaotic head of the 69 m pitch, Pozo Negro, Cabron, Juega Limpio. An acrobatic rig, descended initially against a sloping wall (to avoid the falling rocks), requires three rebelays. Its final part is very impressive and well washed.
Gareth's Old Bedroom, 16m pitch is followed by a
55 m pitch Null and Void and the South Transept,
a 25 m pitch. A 7 m pitch leads to the edge of a 'rather deep
pool', beyond which, all that can be seen is a large flake and 'caverns
measureless to man'. Approaching the edge of the flake reveals a friendly
but black hole - Thunderdome.
The rift can be clearly seen soaring into the roof.
A traverse leads to a 70 m hang broken
only by one re-belay and a sporting deviation to land in a small pool.
From here, Climbing up boulders leads to a high aven, 15 m
diameter wide, with rubble floor 20 m above the stream way split by a large
rock in the centre ('The Rock of Gibraltar') - site of the 1989 camp.
Descending from the base of Thunderdome, a
narrow meandering rift is entered (reminiscent of Crab
Walk in Giants Hole), with a small
stream. This continues for 80 m to a small pitch and small chamber, then a
further 120 m to a respectable 64 m pitch - Soldier of Fortune. This is followed by
Gardener;s Question Time, a 50 m pitch with a
lot of loose choss at the top.
Then next comes a rift, Death Row, with a traverse some where on loose blocks with equally loose blocks above, requires care. At the end of this, a short pitch Tendencias Suicidea lands in a small chamber with a pool, opening out into a large rift. The rift quickly closes down and after scrambling over flakes, descend through a small draughting hole to land 3 m further down on a large block wedged in a rift. This very draughty rift (Wind Tunnel Traverse) can be followed along a ledge in the roof, climbing down easily to regain the stream and the head of a 32 m pitch - The Interloper.
This is followed by el Otro Pozo del Comepiedras and then a series of pitches to a rather green sump at -944 m. Traversing across the final 12 m pitch gains inlet passage with two free climbable pitches.
Rigging Guide
| Pitch No. | Depth (m) | Name | Height (m) | Rope Length (m) | Slings | Dev Crabs | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | Snow Ramp | n/a | 100 | 10 | 8 | 15 | Nat; 4m trav 1s; 3m trav 2s -5 1s; -8 block -13 1sd; -18 (groto) 1sd; -20 1sd; -25 1s; -37 1sd; -39 1nd; -44 1s; -50 1sd; -55 1s; -65 1sd; -70 1s; -75 1sd |
| 2 | -85 | P7 | 10 | 2 | 2s: Leave rope on ramp | |||
| 3 | -90 | P5 | 15 | 5 | 3s: 5m traverse; Y hang at head 2s | |||
| 4 | -95 | Pozo del Panico | P31 | 37 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1s; head 1s; -7 1nd; Y hang rebelay 2s where it narrows. |
| 5 | -116 | P7 | 12 | 3 | 10 m up ramp 1s; traverse 2s | |||
| 6 | -120 | P22 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 3m up ramp 1n, 1s; -4 1s | ||
| 7 | -139 | P14 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 m up ramp, 2 m traverse, 1s 1n -4 1s; -7 1sd | |
| -140 | Pend. | 30 | 3 | 2s; pendulum; start of Meander of the Elephants | ||||
| 8 | -148 | P20 | 25 | 1 | 5 | Y hang at head 2s; -3 1s; -8 Y hang rebelay 2S | ||
| 9 | -168 | P4 R14 |
45 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 18 m traverse 3s; -6 1sd; 2s; 1n | |
| 10 | -195 | Meandro del Polesu - Aquarius | P8 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 4 | The pitches may be avoided by following the bottom of the rift |
| 11 | P5 | 8 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 12 | P4 | 7 | 1 | |||||
| 13 | -215 | Pozo del Péndulo | P10 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1s; -2 1sd; pendulum 1s; dry gallery |
| 14 | -238 | P4 | 13 | 2 | Traverse | |||
| 15 | -250 | P21 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2s; -9 1nd | |
| 16 | -288 | Pozo Alicia | P52 | 60 | 4 | Y hang at head 2s; 3m traverse 1s; -4 1s | ||
| 17 | -348 | P10 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1n; -2 opposite wall 1sd | |
| 18 | -358 | Pozo Negro, Cabron, Juega Limpio | P63 | 70 | 6 | Y hang at head 2s; -3 ramp 1s; -5 on ramp 1s; -17 pendulum 1s; -39 small ledge 1s | ||
| 19 | -418 | Gareth's Old Bedroom | P16 | 18 | 2 | |||
| 20 | -435 | Incompetencia -Null and Void | P55 | 70 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1s, 1n; -1.5 1nd; -3 1s; -26 block 1n; -28 1s |
| 21 | -490 | South Transept | P25 | 30 | 1 | 2 | Small chocks 1n, 1s; -3 1s | |
| 22 | -515 | P8 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Blocks 2s; -2 1nd | |
| 23 | -519 | Thunderdome | P72 | 85 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Y hang at head 1n, 2s; 3m traverse 2s; -1.5 1nd; -4 1s; -16 1s; -35 1s; -60 1nd |
| 24 | -598 | P18 | 26 | 3 | 1s; -3 1s; -5 1s | |||
| 25 | -613 | P8 | 12 | 2 | 1s; -1.5 1s | |||
| 26 | -628 | Pozo del Mercenario | P64 | 75 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Y hang at head 1s, 1n; 4m traverse 2nd, 1s; -3 1nd. A lot of water, the rock is very loose. |
| 27 | -686 | Gardener's Question Time | P50 | 60 | 4 | Traverse line 3s; -18 1s | ||
| 28 | -740 | P13 | 16 | 2 | ||||
| Trav. | 15 | 2 | ||||||
| 29 | -756 | The Interloper | P32 | 40 | 6 | 3 | Y hang at head 3n; -3 1nd; -9 1nd; -12 1nd | |
| 30 | -780 | El Otro Pozo del Comepiedras | P46 | 50 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Y hang at head 1s, 1n; -1 1sd; -26 1n |
| 31 | -816 | Pozo Oficial Y Camarero | P23 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 3 | Y hang at head 2s; -3 2s; -8 1sd |
| 32 | -830 | Pozo "To Roto" | P28 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Y hang at head 2s; -4 1s; -6 1s; -12 1nd; -20 1nd |
| 33 | -860 | P5 | 8 | 1 | ||||
| 34 | -869 | P7 | 9 | 1 | ||||
| 35 | -875 | P10 | 11 | 1 | ||||
| 36 | -890 | Negreros | P9 | 11 | 2 | Y hang at head 2s | ||
| 37 | -930 | Pozo de los Mosqueteros | P12 | 14 | Leads to final sump |
How to Find
From the collapsed refugio at Vega Huerta
head west, below the main path towards Vegaredonda;
down valley. On the right the ground widens to form a semicircular slope.
Straight ahead a boulder and scree strewn (or snow filled)
gully slopes
down towards you across the other side. Head to the the bottom of the far
side of this through the large blocks.
β3 is in the right hand wall where
the Canal de la Duernona begins.
Bibliography
Kaos de Bloques, Dec 1989, No 3, SEG in Spanish.
Picos 89, Expedition Report, Paul Thorlby (YUCPC) in English.
Top Camp Log Book, YUCPC, 1989 in English.
"Beneath Vega Huerta"; Y.U.C.P.C. Picos '89 Expedition, Caves & Caving 49, Paul Thorlby (YUCPC) in English.
- Expedicion Picos - 90, SEII, in Spanish.
Kaos de Bloques No 4 1992, SEG in Spanish.