Vercors
2008 Expedition
In 2008 an Eldon
expedition is planned to coincide
with the 2008 European Conference of Speleology in the Vercors area of
France.
The Vercors 2008 European Conference of Speleology is a
European version
of Hidden Earth and will be held during the week of 23rd to 30th August
2008. The
Eldon expedition will take place from 16th to 30th August 2008 i.e.
the week
before and the week of the conference. Most Eldon members are coming
out for the second week only. More information about the
conference
including venue, ticket prices and program can be found [here]. Click [here]
for a map of the area.
A number of caves will
be permanently rigged by
French caving clubs during the time
that we are in the Vercors and a list can be found [here].
If you can't make the
whole fortnight come along for a shorter period of time. With so much
quality caving to do, of all types and levels of difficulty, I'm sure
that it
will be an excellent trip! Should be good for families as there's
plenty of
stuff to see in the Vercors including excellent walking, gorges,
canyoning, via ferrata and
showcaves.
About the Vercors
The Vercors mountains are
one of the most famous
karst areas of Europe and are situated in the Rhone-Alpes district of
France.
They are protected in the Vercors Regional National Park and the area
is around
one hours drive from the city of Grenoble. The Vercors can be split
conveniently
int two parts: the district of Isere in the north and Drome in the
south. We
plan to stay in the Isere area with some excellent caving very close by.
Travel to the
Vercors
Some people will be driving so hardware and
ropes can go out by car. The distance is approx 10270
km (800 miles) each way. It is also
possible
to fly to one of Grenoble's two airports: Grenoble Isere and Lyon
Saint-Exupery. Easyjet fly there. Geneva is not far away either and
Easyjet also fly there. Car
hire can be arranged from the airports at Grenoble or Geneva.
Accommodation
We
will be staying at Camping Caravaneige L'Oursiere in Villard de Lans.
Contact details are:
Camping Caravaneige L'Oursière - 38250
Villard-de-Lans - France
Tél.: 04 76 95 14 77 - Fax: 04 76 95 58 11
E-mail: info@camping-oursiere.fr
Website: www.camping-oursiere.fr
Camping places can be booked online with a credit/debit card and it's
worth booking asap as campsite places will be at a premium for the week
of the conference.
Booking tickets for the conference
BCA
have bought a load of tickets for the conference and are selling them
to British cavers. Tickets for the conference cost about £30.00
and can be bought by sending an email to
membership@british-caving.org.uk
with 'Vercors 2008' as the subject. You get an email back with a
phone number to ring and you can pay by card over the phone or
cheque. Tickets are initially available at a reduced rate. When the
BCA tickets are gone they will be available from the french
organisers at: http://vercors2008.eu/registration.htm#registernow
Vercors Guidebooks
The two French-language
caving guidebooks covering the Vercors are
'Speleo dans le Vercors' Tomes 1 and 2. Both are out of print but a
number of club members have these books and are happy to photcopy/scan
pages. The English-language guide 'Vercors
Caves' by Des Marshall has a smaller range of caves but is still
available [here].
Caves
The Gouffre Berger (which
will be rigged), Scialet du Tonnerre (which will
be rigged) and the Scialet du Blizzard (which will not) are on the
cards. The Scialet du Blizzard
is described as "Certainly
one of the most
beautiful caves in the Vercors. The prototype of the modern cave
(whatever that
means!). Plenty of courage is needed. Loads of pitches, a fantastic
river and a
vertical pitch to finish." Click [here]
for a topo of the Scialet du Blizzard. The Scialet du Tonnerre
is
described as "very pretty, vertical and sporting". Click [here]
for a topo of the Scialet du Tonnerre. It won't all be hard vertical
stuff. There will be shorter/easier trips happening on rest days and
I'm sure that plenty of
quality caving
can be fitted in during the trip.
A few notes from the
Vercors guide
about the caves that will be rigged by the French clubs and other
classic
Vercors caves that might be of interest. Click [here]
for the notes.
Maps
Most of the caves in the
Vercors are covered by two
IGN Blue Top 25 series (1:25,000 scale) maps. These are:
- IGN Blue Top 25
Series - Number 3235OT (Autrans)
- IGN Blue Top 25
Series - Number 3236OT (Villard de Lans Mont Aiguille Parc Naturel Reg)
These are available
laminated or unlaminated from
Aqua3 who are based in Hope in the Hope Valley. Visit www.aqua3.com
to order.
Weather
Obviously warm, dry
weather will allow us to get
most done. Click [here]
for a weather forecast for Lans en Vercors.
Come along to an Eldon
monthly meeting to express an interest and to be updated with
arrangements etc.
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