CP16

The entrance of the CP16 is blocked by an enormous snow plug almost permanently. It then appears as a simple abri sous roche protecting a residual snow patch. In reality, the plug of snow and ice protects a large shaft 25 metres deep that leads into a fine chamber whose floor is covered with snow.

On the right, a meander topped by a small forced conduit leads to the top of a fine, very clean shaft of 14 metres. The bottom is irremediably choked by a collapse.

The continuation actually lies in the entrance chamber. A 7-metre climb allows one to gain a footing in a descending meander. About ten narrow metres lead to the top of a shaft of 6 metres. The meander continues a little wider, but broken by concretion, up to the top of a shaft of 5 metres. The gallery splits into two shafts that join again shortly after.

The cavity then develops along a large fault and the shafts gain in volume. Several ledges allow one to reach the top of a superb circular shaft 48 metres deep. Several smaller drops can then be descended until the -151 m level, where one is stopped by an impenetrable meander with a slight draught.

The continuation actually lies about ten metres from the bottom of the P48, where a pendulum allows one to gain a footing on a ledge that gives access to a new descending meander about 1 metre wide with a violent draught.

This window gives access to a short gallery, with two drops, that leads to a small crossroads: narrow and awkward crawls, in line with the gallery, lead to the top of a vast shaft, the base of the Rasoir shaft. In fact it is better to take a horizontal crawl in the right-hand wall that opens as a window into the same Rasoir shaft.