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Area D

This is the Jou de las Cuevas, Vega Aliseda, and the area eastwards as far as Gustuteru.

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D1
Location: 43${}^\circ$, 13', 40'' N, 1${}^\circ$, 15', 22'' W, labelled 12/8, incorrectly.
Description: Two pitches (15m, 20m) seperated by a rock bridge. At the bottom are two small chambers.

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D2
Location: In La Jou de las Cuevas. Follow the ridge from snow pole to Vega de Aliseda. Continue in the same direction for about 150m to large obvious entrance shaft, visible from knoll above new Top Camp.
Description: The shaft is 30m by 5m, split in two by a rock bridge at -20m. The pitch is rigged from two bolts on the edge of the shaft. Rebelay at -5m gives a descent on to a snow plug at -50m. Two rebelays on opposite wall follow down the side of the snow plug to a 45 snow slope which ends with no way on approximately 100m below the surface.

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D3
Location: 10m north of D2. Entrance has a Polifemo '81 paint mark.
Description: An awkward 4m climb down the shaft leads to a small hole at floor level. A fifteen metre pitch can be rigged from naturals here (needs a rope protector) through the hole. Penduling into a window at -10m breaks into a rift leading off left and right. At the base of the pitch a tight rift leads off. This is a lower level of the right hand part of the rift from the window. Heading right leads across two blind pitches before terminating below several inlet avens. Some of these where climbed for almost fifteen metres before they closed down. Heading left from the window leads to a free climbable pitch. The rift continues before closing down, with a pitch beyond the constriction. The constriction has yet to be pushed.

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D4
Location: From where ridge to snow pole joins Vega de Aliseda go right. Another track goes left to D2. The cave is the first depression on this track. There is a medium sized menhir in D4b. D4a is easily visible from the other side of the shakehole as a black hole.
Description: Both are blind shafts, 2m and 4m deep respectively.

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D5, A Dig
Location: First discovered on the 1979 expedition. Walk W along Vega de Aliseda towards direct route to Lagos and descend last shakehole.
Description: A slightly jagged 1m by 50cm entrance to 4m drop (climbable with care). Very good draft can be seen as steam from cave. The cave has a diggable boulder floor and is often snowplugged.

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D6, William's Wolf Trap
Location: On W side of Gusterteru. Turn N from Vega de Aliseda on route down to Sod 4 and walk for about 20m. A hole dug under the small climb on path.
Description: A loose slope leads into a small chamber, drafting from a tight rift to the south.

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D7
Location: By the Vega de Aliseda moraine, bearings La Verdelluenga 152, Conjurtao 274. Head direct from new Top Camp to orange rocks N of Vega de Aliseda moraine. Stop at prominent shakehole about 30m before reaching Vega. Prominent back wall has yellow/brown staining and a small bush growing out of it.
Description: Climbing down through large boulders for 3m leads to a small chamber. Draughting rift to 2 second drop, 3 second rattle.

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D8, Torca del Vasco
Location: UTM coordinates: 0341859 4788564; Altitude: 1780m; Depth: 375.79m; Surveyed length: 1386.61m. (All readings from 1996 survey).

The cave is located on the southern edge of the Vega de Aliseda, slightly to the west of the terminal moraine. The entrance is a six metre by four metre shaft, hidden from view unless standing on the rim of the shakehole.

The most certain way to find the entrance is to climb out of the Vega de Aliseda from the terminal moraine to the top of the first ridge. Walking west along the ridge for approximately one hundred metres leads to the edge of the shakehole. The cave is marked with a faded Polifemo mark.

Alternatively, from the Snow Pole walk down the left side of Shit Creek across the small shakehole at the bottom. Head directly down the grass slope, round a small boulder filled depression into a large bowl. Bearing slightly left, cross the bowl to a level grassy area. Follow this out of the bowl. Towards the Vega de Aliseda lies a low ridge.

The entrance is on the far side of the ridge and slightly left of the point where the grass track leaves the large bowl.
Description: See 1996 expedition report.

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D9
Location: UTM coords (GPS) : 0342122 4788681 Altitude (GPS) 1717m Bearings: 208${}^\circ$ to snow pole; 172${}^\circ$ to La Verdelluenga; 111${}^\circ$ to Jultayu. 2 shafts 20-25' deep in bare sloping rock on RHS of gully.
Description: Base of deeper shaft looks diggable and drafts.

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D10
Location: Just round corner from D9.
Description: Chamber 6m wide/long. Dry -- good potential cache. No potential.

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D11
Location: UTM coords. (GPS) : 0342170 4788772 Altitude (GPS) : 1807m. 50m further on from D10.
Description: 2m climb down into dissolved hollow, A further 5m climb down a slot under a wall. Could say optimistically it is diggable.

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D12
Location: UTM coords. (GPS) : 0342111 4788835 Altitude (GPS): 1765m Bearings: 172${}^\circ$ to La Verdelluenga; 228${}^\circ$ to Peña Santa. From the climb where you normally leave the Vega Aliseda path to get to Top Camp, continue instead for another 20m past the cairn. Turn right at the next cairn and follow a small valley NW. Climb out of the valley to the highest point on its left and you are now in sight of the entrance.
Description: 25' shaft into a 4m by 6m chamber. Trickle of water in one corner and hole in floor to very small canyon. Climb over final meander gives some pretty formations, but ended in a choke after 10m.

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D13
Location: NW of D9 and 40m lower.
Description: Climable meander descends 10-15m to further pitchhead, a 10m pitch into canyon. Soon choked. Slight rattle and intermittent draft.

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D14
Location: Due W of D9 and 30m lower is ``shepherd's cave''. D14 is about 25m N of this, descending gully in loose rock.
Description: Chokes after 20m.

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D15
Location: 146${}^\circ$ to La Verdelluenga, 180${}^\circ$ to next peak W (Cabrones?). Alt 1733m, 43.14.146N; 4.57.321W.
Description: Awkward 5m climb down obvious fissure entrance chokes about 25m down. Rebecco skeleton in 1997.

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D16
Location: Follow Vega Aliseda to W end, and turn north into large doline. D16 is large shaft on N edge of doline. La Verdelluanga 141${}^\circ$, 180${}^\circ$to next peak west (Cabrones?).
Description: 20+m pitch to snow plug and choked chamber with inlets. Possible connects with drafting squeeze in D17.

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D17
Location: 50m W of D16 and on the same bedding/fault is 1m x 2m meander descending at 45${}^\circ$ for 15m to small chamber with four small outlets. Alt 1773m, 43.14.019N, 4.57.342W.
Description: Needs digging. Drafts out.

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D18
Location: Follow path W uphill from end of Vega Aliseda. Entrance under cliff which bounds right hand side, about half way up. La Verdelluanga 130${}^\circ$, 172${}^\circ$to next peak west (Cabrones?). Alt 1848m, 43.13.884N, 4.47.355W.
Description: Ramp descends 5m to diggable choke with draft.

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D19
Location: On W side of small hill S of Vega Aliseda at W end. Large open rift with snow plug. La Verdelluenga 139${}^\circ$, next peak west (Cabrones?) 174${}^\circ$.
Description: 10m pitch down to rock bridge over meander. Obvious way on ahead follows bolt traverse over large boulder and down ramp on righ hand wall to a 30m pitch into a very large boulder-filled chamber. 10m pitch at the far end of this drops into water-worn butthoroughly choked smaller chamber. Trending back underneath the entrance, the westwards continuation of the fault goes down 10m, 5m and 20m pitches. Through a small arch leads to a tall perpendicular rift passage, which appears to be upstream passage; this pinches out after 40m. Boulder floor by arch is effectively downstream and drafts, but is choked.

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Unmarked entrance
Cairned entrance by D19. Undescended.

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D20
Location: ``The cave in the bowl with lots of moonmilk that Rob showed me''. An ``obvious'' entrance at the fool of an outcrop between the ``notch'' and the Vega Aliseda, skirted on either side by the two conventional routes to Top Camp.
Description: A crawl from the entrance leads to a small rift. Round a few bends it enlarges to where a single ladder pitch lands on a false boulder floor. Left, a pretty, 7m high passage goes 10m to a drafting choke. A way through the boulders from the main passage leads to a descending rift that pinches out. Right at the bottom of the first pitch, going through boulders leads to another pitch (two ladders). Turning right at the bottom of this pitch leads to a boulder filled chamber with no way on.

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D98
Location: Needs more sensible number. Follow Aliseda path to cairn at turn off for Top camp. Head N (away from TC) and cave is found 250m N of cairn in direct line of sight to small peak. Where grassy slope meets lapiaz there is a group of down-dip entrances.
Description: Good draft into cave. Entrance leads to 15m pitch with continuing passage above, then free climbable pitches of 5m and 10m before undescended 10m pitch. Good prospect.

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