Aven du Cochon

The entrance P19 leads to a collapsed chamber. The Pouget gallery is narrow and linear, pierced by numerous windows overlooking lower volumes. It finally opens into a large chamber (known as the salle de la boite à lettre). The former boite à lettre is found in Un petit effondrement bien visible at the top of Un petit ressaut de moins d’Un mètre de hauteur. The descent is made down a narrow diaclase but with numerous natural steps. One reaches a chamber with the passage located at its centre in Un cône de soutirage. The sloping gallery then reaches a sharp break where the gallery continues at a right angle to the left. At the top of the obstacle, several small parallel diaclase chambers in relation to one another open up; two of these well-marked chambers are separated by Un pont de boue solide bien défini. In the following large chamber, a large slab collapsed from the ceiling can be seen on the right. The réseau de la grande diaclase ends after about a hundred metres of progression at Un grand P25 concrétionné.

The salle de la boite à lettre is found on the left while staying at the level of the speleothems visible from the exit of the Pouget gallery. The P25 is decorated.

The network opens after about fifty metres into Un lac temporaire (fil clair à main gauche).

The descent is easy to the edge of the pit proper, but from the entrance it is preferable to install a MC as far as the network of entrance shafts. The entrance P19 leads to a collapsed chamber that continues on the right through 2 steps on diaclase (R7 and R9) allowing one to reach the Pouget gallery. In the middle of it, a boite à lettres (R4) requires Un équipement because the risk in down-climbing remains significant. Progression in this sector must be careful (risk of slips and falls) and can possibly be belayed (spits in place). Do not try to descend along the left wall, but rather stay on a descending “crest line”. The descent is made easily over nearly 30 metres of height difference. A little ramping gives access to large galleries. Progression is then obvious. In a marked down-climb on calcite blocks (presence of a metal step), the installation of a C15 for comfort of progression is necessary. This break delimits Un P10 to be equipped on the left of the gallery. This is followed by “slippery” progression in the sector known as “des montagnes russes” as far as Un P27 which opens on the left at the bottom of Un avaloir de boue. The obstacle is bypassed on the right before starting an exposed climb on the right (E15) that must be equipped for le retour. Continue progression in the right-hand chamber, then equip the pont de boue to come back along this bridge towards a pocket located higher up. Then look for a series of small vertical constrictions allowing one to emerge into a large, clearly visible chamber. In this chamber, look just behind the large slab for Un passage bas giving access to Un réseau bien marqué. A rope (E10) allows one to climb back up into a scree cone. The shaft is equipped by following the notch drawn on the ground starting from the right wall.

(JM Salmon)