Feuchter Keller


Useful Information

Location: Hintertrattbergalm near St. Koloman.
A10 Tauernautobahn, exit 16 Hallein, 159 to Bad Vigaun, then St. Kolomann, turn left at sign "Trattberg Panoramastraße", Enzianhütte to Hintertrattberg (toll road).
(47.648361, 13.284363)
Open: JUN to OCT after appointment.
[2023]
Fee: yes.
[2023]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave
Light: bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours: L=800 m, D=2 h. Deutsch - German
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography: Peter Hecht (1983): Feuchter Keller - noch nicht abgeschlossen, ATLANTIS 4-83, S. 16. Deutsch - German
Address: Feuchter Keller, Tel: +43-662-854117. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1923 expedition into the cave aborted because of the high risk of rockfall.
1981-82 exploration and survey by Roth, Gadermayer, Knapcyk.
1984 discovery of new cave parts at the bottom of 32 m deep shaft by Hecht, Gadermayer, and Strasset.

Description

The Feuchter Keller (Wet Cellar) is a so-called Naturschauhöhle (natural show cave) which is guided on cave trekking tours but has actually no development as a show cave. We have no idea if they This cave tour is a true caving expedition offered by the Höhlenrettungsdienst Salzburg (Cave Rescue Salzburg) for people interested in high level caving trekking. It is not really a difficult trip, but there are definitely no trails, and beneath full caving gear some vertical experience and surefootedness is necessary. However, the guys from the cave rescue are the right bunch to get anybody back to the surface, one way or another.

The entrance to the cave is a 6 m deep sinkhole, the bottom is easy to reach by light climbing, secured with a rope. The descent into the doline leads to the entrance of the cave. The tour follows the 15 m high gorge like main passage for about 400 m and descends further over boulders. Finally, the 32 m deep Plaßschlacht is reached, where the normal tours end and return the same way. This vertical shaft is reserved for participants with experience and the necessary climbing equipment. Abseiling is quite easy, but its necessary to climb back up using single rope technique (SRT).

The tour takes two hours and is typically ends with a stop at the Wimmeralm, 10 minutes away, with home-style cooking or a snack. It's a wonderful way to round off the caving adventure. The necessary caving ger is provided, including overall, helmet and headlamp. We recommend to bring fleece underwear, a towel, a plastic bag for dirty clothes, trekking shoes or gumboots, gloves and knee-pads.

During the last 10 years the popularity of the cave tours was quite substantial. They were advertised by reports in numerous climbing, trekking and tourist websites and actually had regular tours at Saturday and Sunday 10 an 14. It seems those regular tour dates were abandoned with the pandemic, but tours are still offered after appointment.