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Communications: discovery: first newsbreak (15 Jan. 2001) update: press conference (07 Feb. 2001) As all the original information is available on the mountain.ru web site, we are trying to provide you with translations where needed, but with original links wherever possible: Hosting site is the mountain.ru web site (russian character set) The official expedition and discovery information is on their mountain.ru home page Voronja Expedition News (in English) and discovery chronology, Information and maps are to be found on the UAYCEF web site, the NSS Ukrainian American Youth Caver Exchange Foundation home page. Access in Heavy snow conditions A map of the cave system Update: Press Conference announced (original press release in Russian) (communication by Denis Provalov) UKRAINIAN SPELEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION RUSSIAN UNION OF SPELEOLOGISTS press conference on February 7, 2001 Russian and Ukrainian speleologists have established the new World Record in Deepest Cave! The previous world record has been surpassed by more than 80 meters! Speleology is a blend of science and the most extreme kinds of sport! The press-conference of the Russian Union of Speleologists, Ukrainian Speleological Association and CAVEX Association with expedition members and organizers will be held on February 7, 2001 at 4:00 PM in the Hall #1, Humanitarian building of the Russian University of Friendship of Peoples (6 Mikluho-Maklaya Str., Moscow). For the first time the survey map of the new World Deepest Cave will be presented to the broad public. Expedition participants will present photo and video materials about expedition. During holidays of the first two weeks of the New Century, in the rugged mountain terrain of the carst massif Arabika in Western Caucasus (Abhasia), some events took place that will soon enter all world reference-books and encyclopedias of the planet of Earth and the Guinness Book of World Records. The expedition of the Ukrainian Speleological Association under the leadership of Yuri Kas'ian and consisting of 11 speleologists from Ukrain and Russia explored the new World Deepest Cave and established the new World Record in depth of exploration of natural caves &endash; 1710 meters. This expedition was a result of many years of efforts in exploration of deep caves in the Arabika massif. It was a continuation of the recent series of expeditions started in 1999, when a new promising prolongation was found in cave Voronya that was explored down to 340 meters in the '80s. In August-September of 2000, the expedition of the Ukrainian Speleological Association has "deepen" the cave down to 1410 meters bringing the cave to the ninth place in the world deepest caves' list. The cave did not come to the end, and the recent expedition has accomplished at last the goal pursued by several generations of speleologists from the former Soviet Union. The complex and expensive expedition was partially sponsored by firms "Bask", "Alpindustria" and "Canon" company with assistance from magazine "Vertikal'nyi Mir". The media coverage was assisted by TV-company NTV+ and mountain.ru web site. Directions to the press-conference: 6 Mikluho-Maklaya Str., bus 261, 224, 752 from metro station Yugo-Zapadnaya, or bus 261, 752 from metro station Belyaevo. Bus stop "Mikluho-Maklaya Str.". Hall #1 of Humanitarian building of the Russian University of Friendship of Peoples, Moscow. Contact phones: +7 095 335 4754 Denis Provalov +7 095 267 8630 Dmitri Sklyarenko E-mail: mrsklyar@mail.ru, dprovalov@mail.ru World's Deepest Cave is now -1710 m From the Western Caucasus Arabika massif (former sovjet republic Georgia), the news just broke that speleologists from Ukraine & Russia have reached the world's deepest cave. Voronja Cave (Crow's cave or Krubera Cave) is estimated to be 1710 m. Team members: Yury Kasjan, Poltava, Ukraine (leader), Nikolay Solovjev, Oleg Klimchouk, Denis Provalov, Sergej Zubkov (all from Kiev, Ukraine), Yulija Timoshevskaja, Anatolij Povjakalo (both from Poltava, Ukraine), Konstantin Moukhin, Dmitrij Skljarenko (both from Moskow, Russia), Vitalij Galas, Uzhgorod, Ukraine and Ilja Zharkov, (from Sverdlovsk, Russia & Pennsylvania, USA) Alexander Klimchouk (Scientist at the Institute of Geological Sciences and president of the Ukrainian Speleological Association, Ukraine ) provided JP Bartholeyns with this happy news, which was confirmed by C Mouret: "The end of the expedition has been extremely difficult. After successfully finishing the work in the cave, the team encountered real problems with weather that went from bad to worst. This prevented a helicopter to take the team from the mountains on January 11 and 12 as planned. Eventually the helicopter was cancelled and the team made it down from the mountains by feet through the heavy snow and complex relief. Almost all the equipment has been left in the mountains. A tractor arranged by a supporting team helped a only on some lower part of the route. It was only yesterday evening, January 14, that the team arrived to a safe place in a local village. Now they are warm and happy, trying to arrange a heli for January 16 to rescue the equipment because the weather has improved. The team plan to return to Kiev on January 18. The final reached depth of the cave is estimated to be 1710m (two watch altimeters and clinometer survey). This exploration ended with a big chamber and a boulder choke. The choke does not seem to be impassable, so the next expedition will work on pushing the cave still deeper. In the nearby Arabikskaja cave six boulder chokes had been worked out during 80-s on the way to the current -1110m deepest point. Voronja Cave ("Crow's cave") has also another name "Krubera Cave", after the outstanding Russian karst scientist of the beginning of the 20th Century. We'll study and decide which name has a priority. Meantime, in news publications it is better to refer to both names. It is very likely that the cave will be connected soon with the nearby Arabikskaja system (currently made by two caves - Kujbyshevskaja and Genrikhova Bezdna). The cave is located in Arabika massif, West Caucasus. This is in Abkhasia (Georgia). The depth of -1710m can be now published and included in the deep caves lists. Best regards, Sincerely, Alexander Klimchouk"