MORE PLANETCAVER STORIES

Welcome to the Planetcaver blog, featuring stories from caves andunderground explorations around the world, from the point of view of a beginner caver.

More caving-related articles:

Exploring another cave in Kirkkonummi!
This isn't really an unknown place as such -- the geocachers and climbers regularly visit these cracks and the cliff. But it hasn't been noted in any of the usual places where Finnish caves are listed. Jarmo found this place on his hike in November, and we've been exploring it on several trips since then.
Full story
(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)

December 2018, Kauhalan luola, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Kauhalan luolan lohkaresivuluolat, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Kauhalan luolan halkeamasivuluola, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Kittelbergetin pieni lippaluola, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Caving (Rock, Rock-Granite, Morphology-Crack, Basic, Surveying)

Fortifications in Laajalahti
I recently blogged about a possible new cave in Laajalahti. But I didn't go there to look for a cave, I wanted to see the fortifications from before World War I, built by the Russians. I found many, including many small bunkers that one can easily visit.
Full story

December 2018, Laajalahden bunkkeri 1, Espoo, Finland; Laajalahden bunkkeri 2, Espoo, Finland; Laajalahden bunkkeri 3, Espoo, Finland; Laajalahden bunkkeri 4, Espoo, Finland; Laajalahden bunkkeri 5, Espoo, Finland; Laajalahden bunkkeri 6, Espoo, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)

The Leaking Tunnel of Pisa... Pispala
I've heard stories about the logging tunnel through Pispala, but today I finally got an opportunity to go see it myself.
Full story
(TGR version)

November 2018, Pispalan uittotunneli, Tampere, Finland; Pispalan ensimmäinen uittotunneli, Tampere, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Caving (Man-Made)

Brunkebergstunneln
This week I'm working in Stockholm, and did not manage to get my usual cheap hotel near the office. Staying at the city center, I noticed a tunnel that I had not seen before: Brunkebergstunneln. A nice walkway from 1880s, 231 meters long.
Full story

November 2018, Brunkebergstunneln, Stockholm, Sweden
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Caving (Man-Made)

Underground Art Exhibition
I'm in Paris for a meeting, and on the way to the airport we visited the abandoned underground railroad line. What did we find? An art show and sculptures deep inside the tunnels! And also wonderful graffiti!
Full story
(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)

November 2018, Old Charonne Station, Paris, France
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Caving (Man-Made)

More multi-flash practice in caves
The Finnish Caving Association was having a course on basic caving. I've been on that course... but it seemed like a fun thing to do and a nice visit to Turku. And I ended up doing more practice with cave photography using multiple flashes and radio triggers.
Full story
(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)

October 2018, Luolavuoren luola, Turku, Finland
Caving (Rock, Rock-Granite, Morphology-Crack, Basic, Training)

Garbage Caving
*Every* cave that I go to in Finland seems to have at least one beer can. Lets clean them up!
Full story
(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)

October 2018, Luolavuoren luola, Turku, Finland
Caving (Rock, Rock-Granite, Morphology-Crack, Basic)

Secret cave search Bastuberg and Tallbacka
The book "Suomen Luolat" gives a hint of a cave in Kirkkonummi, near someone's yard, with fuzzy coordinates that could be off by kilometres.
Full story
(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)

October 2018, Lohkareluola, Bastuberget, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Caving (Rock, Rock-Granite, Morphology-Boulders, Basic); History

More cave photo & flash exercise
Jarmo, Jukka, and I spent Sunday testing cave photography techniques again. I also got to show the Korkberget cave to Jukka who had not been there before. Hopefully he liked it.... to me it is by far the most interesting cave in Finland.
Full story

October 2018, Palloiluhalli, Kauniainen, Finland; Korkbergetin lohkareluola, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Caving (Man-Made); Caving (Rock, Rock-Granite, Morphology-Boulders, Basic)

Mustavuori photo tour
Today I went to Mustavuori to get a small hike and too see the tunnels and canyons.
Full story

October 2018, Linnoitustunneli 1, Mustavuori, Helsinki, Finland; Linnoitustunneli 2, Mustavuori, Helsinki, Finland
Caving (Man-Made); Urban-Exploration (Bunkers, Tunnels)

The Inkoo Superbunker
There's a big contrast between warm summer evening in the countryside, and what you find a few meters under your feet: a massive, blown up Soviet-era bunker. Damp darkness, rebar that is difficult to crawl through. And we're here to practice photography!
Full story
(TGR version)

September 2018, Inkoon jättibunkkeri, Inkoo, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)

Not really a cave nor could I get in...
Every time I go on a business trip, I try to look for places that I could either ski or go caving in. In Harbin, China, the language and Internet information differences were too big for me to figure out if there were any caves that I could visit. However, there was a reportedly nice bookstore that was built to resemble a cave.
Full story
(TGR version)

September 2018, Cave Bookstore, Harbin, China
Caving (Man-Made)

Dachstein Mammuthöhle
My first visit to a large cave system, in the wild. An all day adventure with geology lessons, and climbing steep and slippery clay tunnels!
Full story
(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)

August 2018, Dachstein Mammuthöhle, Dachstein, Austria
Caving (Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Basic)

Vienna Flak Tower
Is it an aquarium or a construct of the evil nazi regime? Well, both...
Full story
(TGR version)

August 2018, Haus des Meeres, Esterhazypark, Vienna, Austria
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)

Recycled Hamburg flak towers
During World War II, the Nazis built so called Flak Towers -- fortified air defence bunkers -- in three cities, Berlin, Vienna, and Hamburg. I had previously been in the Thumboldthain tower in Berlin. Now I was able to visit two similar bunkers in Hamburg.
Full story
(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)

August 2018, Heiligengeistfeld Flaktürme, Heiligengeistfeld, Hamburg, Germany; Energy Bunker, Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg, Germany
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)

Nixlucke
Moonmilk. Bats. Artefacts from 1800s. Still, inexplicably, all the other 15 participants have cancelled this excursion, including one of the guides. Why? Last nights party? Perhaps, the last guy to cancel says he partied too long. Or maybe it is the rain. It has been raining cats and dogs.
Full story
(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)

August 2018, Nixlucke, Ebensee, Austria
Caving (Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Basic, SRT)

This is the 12th set of articles. The previous sets were set 1, set 2, set 3, set 4, set 5, set 6, set 7, set 8, set 9, set 10, and set 11. The next sets are set 13, set 14, set 15, set 16, set 17, set 18, set 19, and set 20.

The Planetcaver articles appeared originally in the Blogspot Planetskier series, at TGR posts, or at the Relaa website. See also the articles about skiing, urban exploration, climbing, cycling, flying, swimming, and saunas.