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Cigalèra Deth Malh Blanc

Cigalèra Deth Malh Blanc

Avenc d'uns 45 m. de fondària a la Vall d'Aran

Vielha e Mijaran • Val d'Aran50m45m

A pit about 45 m deep in the Vall d'Aran, in the Clòts de Betren area, with a single shaft and a significant plug of snow and ice.

Characteristics

Location

From the village of Betren, between Vielha and Escunhau, a track leads up to the old Era Tüca ski resort. Follow it to the area known as Es Cabanes, where there is a spring, a hut and the remains of two ski tows. From here, climb a steep meadow in a S direction towards the coll de Malh Blanc. After the first 300 metres you reach an area of grassy hollows (Clòts de Betren) where the pit is found, about 200 metres away and below a scarp (in 1985 it was next to a small, solitary fir tree).

Mapa

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Malh Blanc, Cigalèra Deth

    Elevation: 2201 m

    42.663191, 0.814707
    UTM 31T (ETRS89) 320907 4725729
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Cigalèra Deth Malh Blanc - Photo, Vielha e Mijaran, Val d'AranView image
Click to enlarge

Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

Image 1 of 5

Description

Morphology

It consists of a single shaft with a few ledges and a large entrance (8 x 4 m). 4 metres below the lower lip there is a sloping ledge.

Hydrology

On the sloping ledge 4 metres below the lower lip there is usually snow and ice, but from the -15 level onwards a large amount of snow and ice appears, leaving a passage only along one of the shaft walls and filling its entire diameter from the -25 level onwards. In the summer of 1985 a passage remained open between the snow and the wall, which on that occasion allowed reaching a depth of -35 metres. In July 2023 the snow plug is less thick and it is possible to descend about 10-15 m further.

Progression

The pit was located by members of SIRE – UEC Sants during a ski traverse at the beginning of 1980, but they did not return until the summer of 1982, when they were able to descend to a depth of 25 metres, observing a small passage between the snow that went down about 5 metres further. They themselves, by then as members of SIE – CEA, returned in the summer of 1985 and were able to descend 10 metres further (level -35), where it seemed to offer no possibility of continuation. On Tuesday 25 July 2023, the cave received a new visit from Yolanda Asensio and Jordi Francés, who were able to descend a few more metres between the wall and the ice, reaching an estimated depth of about -45m or -50m, being stopped again by a very solid ice plug that seems difficult to overcome.

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Bibliography

  1. Guarro, J. (1986).- “Cigalera del Mall Blanc (Escunyau – Vall d'Aran)”. Excursionisme (133): 22-23. Unió Excursionista de Catalunya. Barcelona.
  2. Guarro, J. (1986).- “Exploracions a la Val d'Aran”. EspeleoSie (28): 12-18. SIE del CE Àliga. Barcelona.
  • Fitxa actualitzada (maig 2020), coordenades i fotografies facilitades per Josep Guarro de l'exploració realitzada per la SIRE-Sants el 1982. Participants J.M. Latorre i J. Guarro.
  • Fitxa actualitzada (juliol 2023) amb dades i fotografies de Jordi Francès


Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/