YUCPC has been regularly involved in expeditions to the Durmitor region of Montenegro since 2004. During the five trips we have made to the area we have collected a huge amount of data which has become increasingly hard to keep track of. Hopefully this website will provide a central location, not only for the reports from the trips, but also for all the raw prospecting data, and in a way that is slightly more useable than on some scraps of paper distributed across York. The information has been arranged in a number of ways to (hopefully) make it as accessible as possible.
2016 Expo summary
The first cave dive in Durmitor has been successfully completed! After a determined effort from a small group enduring some miserable weather for the first week on the expedition, Tony Seddon successfully carried out the first cave dive in Durmitor, reaching a depth of just over 30 m, the limit of his gas mix. Further details can be found in Descent 256, and the full report will be on this website shortly.
The first cave dive in Durmitor has been successfully completed! After a determined effort from a small group enduring some miserable weather for the first week on the expedition, Tony Seddon successfully carried out the first cave dive in Durmitor, reaching a depth of just over 30 m, the limit of his gas mix. Further details can be found in Descent 256, and the full report will be on this website shortly.
2014 Expo summary
The expedition team this year was the largest we have had to the region, unsurprisingly given our big leads from 2012 and 2013. A large amount of exploration took place, with YF1 pushed to a depth of just over 300 m, and Bunda Jama explored to a sump 622 m below the entrance.
The expedition team this year was the largest we have had to the region, unsurprisingly given our big leads from 2012 and 2013. A large amount of exploration took place, with YF1 pushed to a depth of just over 300 m, and Bunda Jama explored to a sump 622 m below the entrance.
2013 Expo summary (30/09/13)
This year saw YUCPC's most successful expedition in the last 20 years as we broke into a significant cave reaching -300 m after pushing one of our 2012 entrances.
After a winter of extremely heavy snow our most promising lead from 2012, YF1, was entirely blocked by snow levels 20 m (!) higher than last year. The entrance to Bunda Jama (YG20) was open, however, and a strong draft was followed down many pitches before we ran out of gear part way down a pitch at ~300 m down. Meanwhile Subway (YH48), another 2012 find was pushed past a constriction (that only one member could pass!) to an undescended pitch at ~60 m down whilst we reached an undescended pitch at -45 m down Braon Prst Jama.
Watch this space for the report, surveys and photos. We're getting the database up to date as quickly as we can! If you're interested in this year's or next year's Durmitor Expeditions, contact us via our our facebook page or send Mark a message via the YUCPC contacts page.
This year saw YUCPC's most successful expedition in the last 20 years as we broke into a significant cave reaching -300 m after pushing one of our 2012 entrances.
After a winter of extremely heavy snow our most promising lead from 2012, YF1, was entirely blocked by snow levels 20 m (!) higher than last year. The entrance to Bunda Jama (YG20) was open, however, and a strong draft was followed down many pitches before we ran out of gear part way down a pitch at ~300 m down. Meanwhile Subway (YH48), another 2012 find was pushed past a constriction (that only one member could pass!) to an undescended pitch at ~60 m down whilst we reached an undescended pitch at -45 m down Braon Prst Jama.
Watch this space for the report, surveys and photos. We're getting the database up to date as quickly as we can! If you're interested in this year's or next year's Durmitor Expeditions, contact us via our our facebook page or send Mark a message via the YUCPC contacts page.
Facebook page (17/04/13)
Check out our new facebook page. Updates will appear there in addition to this page, as well as photos of what we're up to now the planning for our 2013 trip is well under way. We'll also do our best to update the page when we're out there in the summer, so click like to keep track of what we're up to!
Check out our new facebook page. Updates will appear there in addition to this page, as well as photos of what we're up to now the planning for our 2013 trip is well under way. We'll also do our best to update the page when we're out there in the summer, so click like to keep track of what we're up to!
Sponsorship (03/04/13)
More great news on the sponsorship front: Mornflake have once again offered to support us, this time with 40 kg of tasty tasty Granola. Thanks guys! Expo wouldn't feel right without Mornflake to start the day!
More great news on the sponsorship front: Mornflake have once again offered to support us, this time with 40 kg of tasty tasty Granola. Thanks guys! Expo wouldn't feel right without Mornflake to start the day!
Sponsorship (15/02/13)
We're delighted to be supported again this year by the Ghar Parau Foundation who have confirmed they can donate a generous £500 to our cause, as well as two Alex Pitcher awards.
We're delighted to be supported again this year by the Ghar Parau Foundation who have confirmed they can donate a generous £500 to our cause, as well as two Alex Pitcher awards.
Expo '12 video (27/11/12)
A video from this year's expo is now online. Take a look at it on the videos page.
A video from this year's expo is now online. Take a look at it on the videos page.
Expo '12 preliminary report (24/10/12)
The preliminary report from our expo this year is now online here. Hopefully a slightly better version will follow soon...
The preliminary report from our expo this year is now online here. Hopefully a slightly better version will follow soon...
Expo '12 update! (26/08/12)
10 of us returned to the campsite we found in 2011 with the aim of pushing the entrances we found then, and prospecting the new areas we'd identified. We were relieved to still find no evidence of any exploration in the area, and that our leads from last year didn't immediately close down!
YF10 and YF11 were adjacent entrances that we entered last year, and turned out this year to be largely horizontal caves with a total length of about 300 m between them.
YF1 was our best lead from last year: an enormous shake hole about 30 m deep where we got to the end of our rope looking down a hole through a huge snow plug presumably created by a draft. This year we had a lot more rope and pushed it to a surveyed depth of 133 m where we ran out of rope with multiple possible routes on below us.
As well as these entrances, we found a very promising looking area an hours walk away and found plenty of entrances there which need revisiting.
Overall I think we all thought it was a great success, and hopefully we'll be able to return next summer to pick up where we left off this year.
10 of us returned to the campsite we found in 2011 with the aim of pushing the entrances we found then, and prospecting the new areas we'd identified. We were relieved to still find no evidence of any exploration in the area, and that our leads from last year didn't immediately close down!
YF10 and YF11 were adjacent entrances that we entered last year, and turned out this year to be largely horizontal caves with a total length of about 300 m between them.
YF1 was our best lead from last year: an enormous shake hole about 30 m deep where we got to the end of our rope looking down a hole through a huge snow plug presumably created by a draft. This year we had a lot more rope and pushed it to a surveyed depth of 133 m where we ran out of rope with multiple possible routes on below us.
As well as these entrances, we found a very promising looking area an hours walk away and found plenty of entrances there which need revisiting.
Overall I think we all thought it was a great success, and hopefully we'll be able to return next summer to pick up where we left off this year.