Scintilena - English Version

News from Gabo Lesinsky, SSS.sk editor
Slovak speleological society invites all cavers and admirers of mysterious underground world
to participate a national encounter

XVII. SPELEOMEETING

to be held on the 12th april 2008 at 9.00 AM
in the Culture House in Svit – Slovakia

During the undertaking cavers will present speleology attractions and exploration results in 2007 home and abroad as well

PROGRAM:
- significant discoveries in Slovak republic
- fresh discoveries abroad
- expeditions, recognizing trips
- technical news and attractions
- exhibition of map and photo documentation

Award for:
- discovery by SSS members in Slovakia in 2007
- disovery by SSS members abroad in 2007

Spectators´ award for
- the most valuable contribution from home localities
- the most valuable contributions from localities abroad

Visitors are invited whole day to listen interesting lectures, see videos by slovak cavers from significant discoveries in home karst areas, but unique discoveries abroad too.
Slovak cavers discover caves in Slovakia and throughout the world as well, take care to protect them and bring them closer to public as natural and culture-historical monuments. Nature reveals its underground mysteries to them, also its beauties and treasures, in order everybody could admire them.

News of Filippo Felici, Explorations in Pian Cansiglio - News

Adaptation of Annalisa Basili    Translated by Maurizio Lancia.

Let’s talk of “Bus della Genziana”.

During the 70’s, the new branch (also called “of the Little Green Men”) is explored by the Group coming from Vittorio Veneto and by some components of XXX October’s group. It is a long meander that seems to not have an end (a bit less than a kilometer). Just a little bit is known about its continuation. A question mark to its end, printed on the map, suggests for some narrow paths to open. The branch falls more or less into oblivion. Until now. May 2007: the group from Vittorio Veneto arranges two small steps (8 to 10 meters) of the branch with the intention to have a closer look to that unresolved doubt. August 2007: During the Cansiglio Expedition organized by groups coming from Ferrara, Urbino, Pordenone and Sacile, the speleologists visit the branch, carrying explosives and digging tools. Beyond the 30-metre narrow path, they find that those areas had already been visited in 1975, even if they were not reported on the survey map. Two days later, they are underground again. About 300 meters of tunnels are measured and mapped, while they explore new possible continuations. October 2007: (more…)

This text by Jean-Marc Mattlet is also available on :
http://fsue.ffspeleo.fr/forums/viewtopic.php?pid=432#p432

If you have articles, posters, photos, slideshows or films that describe the history of speleology in your country, they are most welcome, please send quickly an email to :
articles.vercors2008@ffspeleo.fr

For the other thematics for which you have presentation ideas, the full list of the other sessions of Vercors 2008 is on :
http://vercors2008.ffspeleo.fr/events/sessions.htm#section1
You have surely speleological works who will interest other European cavers in one of these fields.
We have already received more than 100 communications for the congress, so please send asap your presentations proposals (films, communications, slidshows, etc).

Should you have any further questions about this session or other, please let us know,
Best Speleological Regards,

Olivier Vidal
Secr. General FSUE
+33 / 6 81 61 16 70

Dean Zobec’s news from Sezione Grotte SPDTrst: Traslated by Elio Sbrocchi
An interesting discover has been made by Claudio Bratos and Stojan
Sancii about a new cave on Monte Carso in Val Rosandra near Trieste.
There it’s a very seen and scouted by several caving people, so the
discover symbolizes a rarity. The unique morphology of the entrance and the air flow create an idea of several huge rooms.
You can look pictures and news on their site: http://www.jospdtrst.org/photos/D20071124/index.html

News from the CNSAS press national coordinator Mauro Guiducci; abstract and translation by Annalisa Basili

The Czech speleosub body, disappeared Sunday in the submerged cave “White Elephant” in the little pond of Subiolo in Valstagna (VI - Italy) has been detected and recovered Tuesday evening thanks to a submerged robot that followed the indications of Alberto Cavedon (CNSAS Committee Speleosub technician). The man has effected more than 300 immersions in the underwater cave and he knows this cave really well. The speleologist experience has brought the rescuers to choose to make to go up the robot toward a ceiling of the rooms where in fact the body has been sighted. Cavedon dipped alone, he has reached the dead speleosub, he has brought him up to around -45 meters and he has tied him with the lead lines not to make him drag away from the flood, then he has removed from the old abandoned lead lines dangerous for other speleosub passages (because can confuse the orientation in the cave). Then the CNSAS technical has returned in surface and the firemen have recovered the body. The integral news in Italian

Dear Caving Friends,
This message to remind you that there is still 12 days up to the 22th of January to send your proposal of films or work presentations for Vercors 2008. It’s very important to send your email now, even if you send the full text later on. Films from the last 30 years or more recent are most welcome, and also (more…)

During the last months of 2007 the Bergamo’s group has restarted an exploration exit to the Crevazza Fruttari (one of the most important abysses in the Arera Peak in the italian Pre-Alps) with three teams. The photographic team is devoted to the Pit of Speck, up to -114 m. The team “deep” has checked a different way to descent along the Pit Archimede, going back to the notorious “Caviale” fund (-260 around) without finding windows noteworthy. The team “transversal”, has finally tried a control to the high parts of the “Podzilla” pit (153m). After some meters of an aerial sub-horizontal progression and one climbing again (wet) of around 30 meters, the explorers are found before two routes. Chosen the airiest street and gone through three narrow un-banal passages, they are stopped to the beginning of a vertical climbing for ended ropes. Now the new ramification is not topographed and it is difficult to say what can offer. Unfortunately it would seem to theoretically aim in opposite direction to the connectable abysses (Increduli first). Realize that the “Podzilla” is around 200 meters in total deep, considering it seems to continue well upward. Also the friends cavers of Brescia (ASB group) participated to the expedition.

Participants: C. Brescianini, M. Gerosa, G. Pannuzzo, M. Sassi, GP Foti, G. Frassine, R. Gaiti.

News from Giorgio Pannuzzo GSB Le Nottole

Version by Annalisa Basili

Six french cavers are missing in the Biefs Boussets cave.

They entered Saturday morning and had to go through the cave. The exit was scheduled for Saturday or Sunday morning at 8 chilometers far away.
The french rescue teams started Sunday afternoon. Three teams came into the cave. The last team entered this morning at 2 and returned back. The weather conditions do not allow to enter it because continues to rain and the water level does not go down.
29 rescuers are involved in recovery operations.

They use the “Nicola System” for comunicate external-internal of the cave.
More details, interview and tv-movie are available on the site www.scintilena.com in Italian.