By Peter Jeutter
The
Grubstein (2035m) is a single mountain with steep walls situated in the
south-eastern massive of the Totes Gebirge. It is enclosed by lakes and meadows
on the eastern side and the rough high alpine shaft caving area "in den
Karen" on the West.
Since
the sixties there have been activities in the eastern parts of the mountain,
mainly to the Grubstein Eishöhle a recently re-opened ice cave with a large ice
tunnel and rather big chambers. However explorations came for a time to an End
when Mr. Ottmar Schauberger a famous Austrian explorer stopped his research.
In
the late eighties the area saw another time of stormy activities. In 1984 Gunter
Limberger discovered the Grubstein-Westwandhöhle and quickly recruited a group
to take up exploration an survey.
In
many cheerful explorations the Grubstein caving group brought the
Grubstein-Westwandhöhle to a length of 10500m in 1990 and a depth of 395m. Five
entrances in the western wall and the mountains top plateau were discovered. The
cave still continues. Several small caves in the area were surveyed and included
in the local cave park. Maps have been produced by G. Limberger, R. Seebacher
and P. Jeutter.
Under
Limberger’s lead explorations in the Gamsspitz caves were untertaken, too. The
Gamsspitz mountain is situated on the northern border of the Grubstein. A link
between the caves in Grubstein and Gamsspitz seemed possible. Untere Gamssptzhöhle,
as well as Obere Gamsspitzhöhle have been visited before by Schauberger, but
never pushed behind a nasty crawl and a risky boulder choke. The cave still
continues, however a connection to the Westwandhöhle was never found although
the remaining distance is just a few meters. Maps have been produced by G.
Limberger and R. Seebacher.
In the late 1990s the further exploration and survey of the long known Grubstein-Eishöhle was continued mainly driven by R. Seebacher, E. Geyer and P. Hautzinger. The current length is > 3km. The cave could connect to Grubstein-Westwandhöhle. It looks like the caves have the same speleogenesis in the upper parts (Glanzhalle). Also possible could be a link into the DÖF-Sonnenleiter Höhlensystem as a shaft system of Grubstein Eishöhle is approaching the southern parts of the phreatic tunnel system of DÖF-Sonnenleiterschacht. The explorations here continue. If all three caves were connected this would make up approx. 30 km of cave passages.
Literature:
Limberger, Gunter & Jeutter, Peter W. & Seebacher, Robert
1985-1991: Various editions of "Mitteilungen". Verein für Höhlenkunde
in Obersteier, Bad Mitterndorf.
Pfarr, Theo & Stummer, Günter 1988: Die längsten und tiefsten Höhlen
Österreichs, scientific edition no. 35 to the magazin "Die Höhle".
Verband österreichischer Höhlen-forscher, Wien.