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Area 9

Area 9 is around the large vertical shaft (300m +) Tras la Jayada between areas 7 and 8. Details of 1-9/9 are to be found in OUCC Proc. 12.

$\otimes$: Tras La Jayada
Location: A large 300m plus open shaft first explored by SIE (see C. Puch,s book).
Description: A return was made to this cave in 1986 as it was thought to be worth looking for a way on. The cave was re-rigged using modern SRT methods down one wall with several rebelays, thereby giving several hangs of reasonable length rather than a single 300m pitch. The team thought they had cracked it when about 50m above the floor of the main shaft they managed to pendule into a parallel shaft. Unfortunately this landed after about 70m on a rubble floor with no ways on, extending the cave by no more than 15-20m.

$\oslash$: 1/9
Location: Large 300m diameter shakehole 200m SSE of TLJ, includes marked entrances of 7/9 and 8/9. Bearings from central boss of 1/9 shakehole: 172 ${}^\circ$ and 191 ${}^\circ$ to Cuvicente; 233 ${}^\circ$ to La Verdulluenga; Gustutertu 316 ${}^\circ$ .
Description: A way through boulders leads to a 5m pitch landing on a snow plug. A way on may just be possible.

$\otimes$: 2/9 La Jayada
Location: A huge shakehole, visible from miles away.
Description: This cave was re-examined in 1987 and a route on past the snow plug was found. A number of large chambers were found with sky lights to the surface. No way on from these chambers was found. The find added approximately 44m to the depth of La Jayada to give a total depth of about 100m.

$\oslash$

3/9
Location: From the giant entrance of La Jayada, head leftwards and uphill, past the large shake-hole `The Wiggly One' (13/9), to a shaft above a scree slope.
Description: The cave was originally explored in 1980 to a depth of 50m, where the shaft was blocked by a large snow plug. By 1990, this snow plug had been greatly reduced in size, and it was possible to continue to a depth of 90m. At the bottom, there was still a snow plug, although this appeared to be resting on a boulder floor. It is just possible that a way on may exist, and so it may be worth revisiting this cave in a few years' time, if snow levels are again low. There's also a possibility of a parallel shaft.
Rigging Guide:

Pitch	Rope	Rigging
Pitch	Rope	Belays
C5	120m	Spike with thread backup
Old Lags Can't Rig (P20)	"	Spike and bolt Y-hang; natural deviation at -10m
Global Warming (P55)	"	Spike and bolt Y-hang; spike and bolt Y-hang rebelay
'Snow Way On (P5)	"	Bolt

$\otimes$: 4/9
Location: On the approach to Tras la Jayada. up on the right hand side of the valley. Bearings: Jultayu, 64.5 ${}^\circ$ ; la Jayada, 202 ${}^\circ$ .
Description: 4m deep entrance climb (approx 2 x 1.5m) leads to series of small chambers, ending in a rift which can be climbed down about 4m, but becomes too tight.

$\otimes$: 5/9
Location: Due south of 4/9, on other side of small valley.
Description: Jagged rift partially concealed by a few jammed boulders. Ladder pitch to snow plug. Small hole leads to chamber with no way on.

$\oslash$: 6/9
Location: About 60m down valley from Tras la Jayada.
Description: Climb down to snow plug, followed by 5m ladder. Chamber at bottom leads into very narrow rift blocked with boulder. May continue, but attempts to shift the boulder failed.

$\otimes$: 7/9
Location: 10m ESE (120) of central boss of 1/9.
Description: 15m pitch to snow plug, sloping down at 20 ${}^\circ$ to another upwards shaft. Halfway down the slope it is possible to kick down into the snow to a rift leading to a blocked bedding plane. At the bottom of the slope it is possible to kick down into a blocked shaft.

$\otimes$: 8/9
Location: 10m NNE (10) of central boss of 1/9.
Description: A 30m deep rift with some choked passages leading off.

$\otimes$: 9/9
Location: About 70m upslope from Tras la Jayada.
Description: A 30m pitch to snow ledge, followed by 5m pitch to the bottom. Three ways off, all choked.

$\oslash$: 10/9
Location: On a bearing of 126 ${}^\circ$ to Jultayu and 172 ${}^\circ$ to Cuvicente. Below rillenkarren on west wall of rift valley between two rocky shakeholes. The valley runs N-S below summit of Gustutertu with view north to Lagos path and south to Cuvicente.
Description: Obvious hole above right of actual entrance goes nowhere. Small rectangular entrance into small chamber with very strong draft from narrow squeeze at far end of chamber. Ledge 2m below and quite large passage continues down. 2s rattle. 10m pitch lands on rocky floor with too tight rift. Hole in wall halfway down pitch leads to short walking passage with bones (Animal? Human?) to pitchead with 1.5s drop. This is a 6m pitch landing in an awkward 3-4m hgh rift with a small stream. Possible to traverse along rift at various levels for about 20m to almost passable squeeze. Rift widens beyond and rocks tossed ahead land in with an echoing splosh in a deep pool.

$\otimes$: 11/9
Location: Above an eyehole on the side of Gustutertu.
Description: A 12m vertical phreatic tube to a chamber. A crawl leading off becomes too tight but draughts.

?: 12/9
8m down to snow plug.

$\oslash$: 13/9 Wiggly Cave or The Wiggly One
Location: An extremely large shakehole located about 100m from La Jayada.
Description: Triskelion shaped (like the Isle of Man emblem), each leg being about 5m wide and 10m long, containing a large snow plug. Pitches can be rigged down to the snow plug from various places, but there seems to be no way on.

$\otimes$: 14/9 Bara Shigri
Location: At end of valley containing 10/9, on SE slope of Gustutertu heading towards La Jayada and almost directly below 27/9. Formally known as B1 and probably labelled as such.
Description: Large walk-in entrance, 4m high, 6m wide, used as an animal shelter. Phreatic tube in roof leads up for over 10m. Choked horizontal crawl to rear of entrance chamber drafts. This was dug to low arch into open passage. Rift 5m long, 1.5m wide and 1m high but choked.

$\otimes$: 15/9
Location: A small entrance in the bottom of a boulder-filled valley, 500m north of La Jayada. Formally known as B2 and probably labelled as such.
Description: 10m pitch. Chokes.

$\oslash$: 16/9
Location: Just below Cuvicente-Verdelluenga ridge, 100m to col on bearing of 160 ${}^\circ$ .
Description: Several 30m shafts with snow in them. Also known as 25/9.

$\otimes$: 16/9A
Location: This is the largest and highest of the 16/9 shafts.
Description: Twice as high as the tree outside Harvey's house. Twin shafts meeting at the bottom. No way on past the snow. The other shafts in this area are still worth looking at.

$\oslash$: 17/9
Location: To right (true left) of La Jayada is a green area with an obvious choked shakehole. Uphill to the right over a little ridge is a shallow valley with a snow plug. In the (true) right side of this wall is a cleft.
Description: Clamber down and double back under boulders. Not pushed further.

$\otimes$: 18/9
Location: In valley running down from Verdelluenga, just over the rocky ridge 400m NNW of La Jayada. Bearings: Verdelluenga 232 ${}^\circ$ , Cuvicente 144 ${}^\circ$ .
Description: 10m descent to snow plug; further 5m descent reaches too-tight rift.

$\O$: 19/9
Location: In the spur of Verdelluenga overlooking a 200m diameter closed depression. Bearings: Verdelluenga 222 ${}^\circ$ , Cuvicente 118 ${}^\circ$ .
Description: 25m deep shaft to snow plug. A shake hole behind has a window into the main shaft. Undescended.

$\otimes$: 20/9
Location: In the side of the spur of Verdelluenga, in an area containing many shafts and shakeholes. Bearings: Verdelluenga 216 ${}^\circ$ , Verdelluenga 110 ${}^\circ$ .
Description: Huge, 30m long gulley with snow plug. Entrance pitch lands on snow, and slope can be followed down to the top of a pitch, choked with snow 10m down. Traversing over this pitch reaches a pleasant, round, 20-25m deep shaft, unfortunately choked at the bottom.

$\O$: 21/9
Location: Near the western col on the Cuvicente-Verdelluenga ridge, overlooking a bowl. Bearings 148 ${}^\circ$ to col (about 300m), Verdelluenga 250 ${}^\circ$ .
Description: An undescended 25m shaft.

$\O$: 22/9
About the same height as Boca del Joon, and 60-100m to the right (true left), in a shakehole behind a little ridge, and to the left (true right) of some nasty karren. See map in Ario log book.

$\O$: unnumbered
Location: On west of Jou ridge beneath the scree slopes. Cuvicente 192 ${}^\circ$ . Two small entrances in rift on either side of large boulder.
Description: Choked but diggabke with slight draft.

$\O$: unnumbered
Location: Found in clag on path between Jultayu bowl and 27/9. At lowest end of valley that has a cairn at its north end.
Description: Small entrance beneath boulders in left hand wall. View through boulders to continuing passage below. Hand-line may be needed.

$\otimes$: Unlabelled entrance
Location: Bottom of boulder filled ravine down slope and to true right of 3/9.
Description: Possible to drop between boulders into small chamber, but all ways on are choked.

$\otimes$: 23/9
Location: 035 ${}^\circ$ to Ario Refugio. 112 ${}^\circ$ to Cuvicente. On karst above La Jayada, approximately 200m upslope and to left of spur from main ridge.
Description: Thin crack opens out to 5m free climb. Choked at bottom.

$\oslash$: 24/9
Location: 037 ${}^\circ$ Ario Refugio. 114 ${}^\circ$ Cuvicente. On karst above La Jayada, approximately 200m upslope and to right of spur from main ridge.
Description: Body-sized vertical crack needs hammering to reach a small chamber.

$\oslash$

25/9
Location: 037 ${}^\circ$ Ario Refugio. 114 ${}^\circ$ Cuvicente. Several shafts in depression just to the north of Cuvicente-La Verdulluenga ridge, roughly halfway between the two peaks. Subsequently identified as 16/9 but has been tagged 25/9 a-e.
Description: 25/9a. Bridge Pot. Large open shaft with 3s drop to snow plug. 40m rope did not reach snow-plug, but 70m rope reached snow and allowed some progress between snow and walls before these pinched in (LB). A rock bridge part-way down the shaft leads to an alternative pitch which also lands on the snow-plug. May be intesting in lower snow conditions. Revisted towards end of expedition but still snow-plugged.

25/9b. Downslope of 25/9a and obvious continuation of the same rift. 10m pitch but choked.

25/9c. Two shafts seperated by a rock bridge down to a snow plug. This can be accessed by clambering through boulders from a depression down-slope from the shafts. No way round snow-plug.

25/9d. 10m open shaft to snow-plug. The bottom of the shaft can be reached from a depression upslope of the shaft. Upslope in the depression leads to a 5m crawl, then 10m of walking passage to a moon-milk decorated chamber with skylights to the surface. Rig a 20m hand-line from top of depression to climb down loose slope to reach the bottom of the snow-plug. From here a 20m pitch between boulders can be rigged (JC).

25/9e. Unentered smaller shaft to west of main group. Keith's Lost Caves. On a line between 25/9 (16/9) and Gustutertu, roughly as you cross another (imaginery) line between La Verdulluenga and Ario, in an area of karst high up on the eastern of the valley below El Regallon. Two unentered holes in a small rifty valley.

``The caves up on the La Verdulluenga-Cuvicente ridge that JC, Keith and Lynn found (25/9a, b, c,d) have been retagged. The cave that was 25/9a or 25/9c or possibly 25/9b or 25/9d has now been reinstated as 25/9a. This being the pot with the bridge that is not a bridge but is in fact a bidge and may warrant further exploration. 25/9a is also still 25/9c, or possibly 25/9b or 25/9d because the tag for 25/9c (or b or c) which was on what was and is now 25/9a could not be found, and therefor 25/9a is still also 25/9c or b or d. The cave that was not 25/9a, but was 25/9a for a day is no longer 25/9a but is not 25/9b or 25/9c or 25/9d either, because the tag on 25/9a when it was not 25/9a could not be found for this cave. Hopefully the other 2 caves are correctly tagged. I hope this clears up any confusion.''

$\oslash$

26/9
Location: Bearings: 162 ${}^\circ$ to Cuvicente. 190 ${}^\circ$ to La Verdulluenga. Three holes at the bottom of the northwesterly (southeasterly?) slope of Gusterteru located in the corners of 2 small rocky depressions.
Description: 26/9a. Jultayu 134 ${}^\circ$ , Cuvicente 176 ${}^\circ$ , La Verdulluenga 226 ${}^\circ$ (editor's note: these bearings are inconsistent with the ones above!). Short climb down in corner of higher depression to head of 10m pitch in rift. One way on at bottom chocked, and others routes are chocked, but a passage can be seen beyond and there is a slight draft. Half way down the entrance pitch a squeeze enters a continuation of the rift which can be free-climbed to a very (howling) drafty junction with a pitch down and a continaution of the rift blocked by a large boulder.

26/9b. Hole in opposite corner of depreesion from 26/9a. Possibly the same rift. Appears to choke but not thoroughly investigated.

26/9c. Hole in corner of a nearby depression in same rift line. Tight squeeze to probable boulder choke. Unentered.

?: 27/9, Bill's Cave
Location: 065 ${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Llambria, 118 ${}^\circ$ to Jultayu, 156 ${}^\circ$ to Cuvicente, 218 ${}^\circ$ to La Verdulluenga. Rectangular depression with rift entrance on east side of the south-west upper slopes of Gustutero, about 100m from summit in direction of Cuvicente. Follow path from Martini pool, then climb up slope before reaching a large boulder.
Description: Spiky 10m entrance pitch to chamber (Bolt Y-hang with natural back-ups) with a squeeze through to 2s drop. Second 10m pitch leads to a third 10m pitch in the same rift with progress again barred by a dig. Boulders passed to enter Rocking Horse Rift, with 20m pitch The Chocalate River reached through a small hole in the floor after 5m and named after the mud and calcite streamway ahead. Next pitchhead is very loose but opens into a fine 35m shaft The Singing Pastuer. This lands in a large rift with a small stream. Upstream leads to wet crawl For Carbide's Sake or too tight rift. Downstream leads through pretty calcite formations and the head of the 6th pitch, another 20m drop. At the base of the way on in the rift becomes impassable, but may yield to long term hammering to gain widening rift below. Alternatively climbing up the rift over calcite flowstone Nocilla Streamway enters The China Grotto, a superbly decorated chamber with crystal pools, Chinese Flames, and plenty of stal. A way on may exist over the China Grotto, but this would certainly destroy the formations with no guarantee of reward. A second hole in Rocking Horse Rift was pushed leading to an 8m where a tight rift beneath boulders joins the base of Chocolate River.

$\otimes$: 28/9
Location: 067 ${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Llambria. 124 ${}^\circ$ to Jultayu. 168 ${}^\circ$ to Cuvicente. 227 ${}^\circ$ to La Verdulluenga. Large rillenkarren-ringed depression on south slope of Gustutertu, about 100m below obvious rock shelter.
Description: Small 2m deep rift blocked by rocks.

$\oslash$: 29/9
Location: Might be 5/9. 063 ${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Llambria. 115 ${}^\circ$ to Jultayu. 152 ${}^\circ$ and 172 ${}^\circ$ to Cuvicente. 236 ${}^\circ$ to La Verdulluenga. 350 ${}^\circ$ to Gustutertu. Large (30m x 40m) bouldery depression with rillenkarren on east slope of La Verdulluenga above Tras Le Jayada.
Description: Various ways into meandering rift with strong draft. Stones rattle for up to 10s (?!) Rigged 10m pitch/climb in meandering rift to bouldery floor. Rift continues over short traverse to a squeeze and tight 3m climb down. Rift at bottom too tight.

$\otimes$: 30/9
Location: 120 ${}^\circ$ to Jultayu. 144 ${}^\circ$ and 169 ${}^\circ$ to Cuvicente. 211 ${}^\circ$ to La Verdulluenga. Shake hole by path from C3 col down valley on SW slope of Gustutertu, on right of path going down.
Description: Block-filled rift. Climb into rift and crawl under surface boulders. Looks into hole at top of meandering rift 1 to 2m deep. Too tight. Not worth talking about.

$\oslash$: 31/9
Location: 059 ${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Llambria. 120 ${}^\circ$ to Jultayu. 175 ${}^\circ$ and 185 ${}^\circ$ to Cuvicente. 230 ${}^\circ$ to La Verdulluenga.
Description: Drafting dig at bottom of a shakehole. Dug to reveal a pitch, down which a crowbar was lobbed. Ladder pitch for 5-7m to boulder floor and too tight rift. May be diggable (KH, FL). Not clear if crowbar was retrieved.

$\oslash$: SIE Mark1
On path from C3 col on left hand side of valley spightly lower than TLJ. Within 5m of path on RHS going down. Circular shaft with snow plug.

?: SIE Mark2
123 ${}^\circ$ to Jultayu. 167 ${}^\circ$ and 182 ${}^\circ$ to Cuvicente. 229 ${}^\circ$ to La Verdulluenga. Circular depresion with rillenkarren benches.

$\oslash$: 33/9
Location: Jultayu 130 ${}^\circ$ , Cuvicente 190 ${}^\circ$ & 199 ${}^\circ$ , La Verdulluenga 237 ${}^\circ$ , Gustutertu 299 ${}^\circ$ . Below scree slope down from path leading from Jultayu to the La Verdulluenga valley.
Description: 2m square entrance leads to narrow rift with small draft. Needs digging or hammering.

$\O$: 34/9
Location: Originally known at 33/9, and possibly labelled as such. 1-2m open shaft with 2s drop. Cuvicente 154 ${}^\circ$ , La Verdulluenga 240 ${}^\circ$ .
Description: Undescended.

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Gavin Lowe