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Vercors —Diving the Systems of Southeastern Text and photos by Claudia Weber-Gebert

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The cliffs at Presles in the Vercors mountain range of southeastern France (left) PREVIOUS PAGE: William Thumy of Dive Xtrême in Isére, France, leads diving trips in the Vercors

declared a natural preserve. As for flora and fauna, one will find alpine plants and animals that are eradicated elsewhere in Europe. The plateaus and valleys provide habitat for eagles, various birds of prey and vul- tures, alpine ibex and mar- mots. More recently, lynx and wolves have also been reset- tled here. Alpine plants such as edel- weiss, gentian and carline

The karst area of the The access road to the Vercors mountain area penetrates the narrow gorges, where the restricted range is located in the road was partially carved foothills of the French out of the to form tun- , bordered on the nels. Coming from the south east by and via the little village of Die, the road serpentines up the on the west by Valence slopes of the plateau. Only in the Rhone Valley. size-restricted vehicles are authorized to use this road. It is an insider’s tip that found Tourists in buses are therefore this location where tourism excluded. has grown very slowly. There is The Vercors, divided into barely any industry, and there two parts by the canyon of are no congested roads, no the river, La Bourne, compris- large tourist centers es an area of approximately and just one small supermar- 1,350 sq km: the north, which ket. Quiet and contempla- has opened up and been tive, the area is characterized developed for tourism, offers by traditional crafts, agricul- all kinds of sporting activities; ture and tourism. The region is and the south, which is still frequented by scientists and wild and pristine. mountaineers, hikers, base Parts of the narrow, restricted road up to the Vercors jumpers, speleologists, bat Flora and fauna high plateau is cut out of the rock. Due to low over- researchers and cave divers. In the early ‘70s, Vercors was head, vehicles over 2.5m are not permitted The winding, serpentine road from the town of Die ascends the high plateaus of the Vercors

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thistle occur there, but a special feature deposits. Five caves have so far been are the 60 species of orchids, of which made accessible to visitors: Grotte de the well-known lady slipper’s orchid is Choranche, Grotte de Thaïs, Grotte only one. de la Luire, Cuves de and The Vercors boasts some 2,000m Scialet de Draye Blanche mountains, of which Mont Aiguille at So, how did the karst area in the 2,086m is not the highest, but probably Vercors and these formations the best known, as it was the cradle develop? In the Mesozoic Age—about of Alpinism. It was in this region that 250 million years ago when this area alpine mountaineering was “invented” was still below sea level—reef lime- in the beginning of the 15th century by stone was formed and layers of marine Charles VIII. At that time, the mountain deposits were created. This included was conquered by ropes, hooks and snails, mussels and other marine life ladders. Even today, many hikers and (now visible everywhere as fossils in the climbers come to the region, which by different rock layers). its status as a nature park, still shows In the Tertiary period, about 65.2 mil- a reasonably intact natural mountain lion years ago, rises and folds through landscape. tectonic plate processes were pro- duced by the pressure of the African Caves plate on the Central Europe plate. Particularly impressive in this region is Today, we can see the effects of these the karst system with its natural attrac- processes evidenced in the more than tions: the numerous stalactite caves 300m steep cliffs and drop-offs of the with their bizarre structures of calcium plateaus. THIS PAGE: Scenes from the Choranche Cave in the Vercors mountain range of southeastern France Folds in the earth created in the Tertiary era

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Rainwater, seeping through At the same time, a reverse pro- It is crystal clear and the plateaus, has carved out the cess takes place. The lime-satu- filtered—of the highest wonderful formations in the caves. rated dripping down from quality. In a nutshell, this process can be the cave ceiling leaves deposits The cave of explained as follows: Carbonated on cave ceilings and floors, which Choranche was dis- calcium is released from the lime- form into and stalag- covered in 1871, when stone, caused by mites after millions of years. The during a draught, in the water, and corrosion takes calcareous water forms gutters the inhabitants of place. Deeply penetrating water when flowing on the ground, some Choranche were leads to leaching of dissolved cal- of them also have bizarre shapes. searching for the cium carbonate, thereby forming These wonderful and unique forma- source of the Gournier large cavities in which water col- tions attract many visitors. River. Water came out lects and flows. of a gap in the rock. Choranche Cave After having cleared As can be clearly away loose scree, the seen on the 3D model inhabitants found a in front of the cave narrow corridor that of Choranche, the ended in a large hall water runs off and with a subterranean only gets out above sea. The two under- the ground when it ground rivers, Coufin strikes a waterproof and Chevaline, flowed together Choranche—after the water level barrier. Until then, here. During the draught, there had dropped again in another THIS PAGE: formations in Choranche Cave lit by LED display the water flows pre- was access to this hall. Only 20 period of draught. include fistula hanging from the ceiling (above) and stalactites and dominantly vertically years later, the pioneer and spe- Today, about 100,000 people per stalacmites that have merged to form pillars (top right); Over long through a 300 to 500m leologist Oscar Descombaz (circa. year visit the cave of Choranche periods of time, various cave structures are formed by water dripping thick limestone layer. 1866-1914) explored the caves of and explore the natural wonders down through the rock and leaving deposites (right)

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Bournillon Cave entrance (above and right); 320m waterfall at Bournillon Cave; Gours, or dams of calcite, are formations found in Choranche Cave (left)

Choranche are the numerous thin fistula ceiling. The water then accumulates that hang from the ceiling like straws, in underground lakes, which flow out growing only approximately 5cm over through these gours—a bizarre world is 100 years. These fistula resulted from the formed. constant flow of water in the , as the water descended slowly, but con- Bournillon Cave tinuously in these tubes. The longest of The Grotte de la Luire at 45km is the these fistulas has a length of 3.2m. longest cave system of the Vercors. Stalactites and in this During wet seasons, the level may rise cave are of different sizes and lengths, up to 450m in this transitional system. and some have grown together over It drains into the Grotte de Bournillon, millions of years into large columns. an impressive cave near Châtelus with In the “cathedral” of the cave sys- a ceiling height of 140m. The size of tem—an impressive space around 50 the cave opening is very impressive, by 80m in size—there are numerous ter- especially the pink rocks of the vaulted raced formations cascading down like ceiling that forms the largest cave in on paved paths and under the super- tacularly staged, since 2013, with mod- stairs. These are round gours, or rimstone Europe. vision of the cave guides. The part ern LED technology. dams (cave formations of calcite), into Nearby, the largest waterfall in opened for tourism is well-lit and spec- The peculiarity of the Grotte de which water drops steadily from the Europe, at 320m in height, can be seen.

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Map of Choranche Cave

Civilization has taken advantage of the such as antenna or whisker-like barbels to huge volume of water passing over the great scan the environment, and thus to “see” in height of the cliffs here, with a power plant the dark. generating electricity. Further down the val- The animal most associated with caves, the ley, the water is dammed again, and the olm (proteus) or aquatic salamander, is found resulting reservoir serves as a water supply for in Choranche only sporadically in under- the region. ground pools, as it is endemic only in the caves of the Balkans in what is now Slovenia. Unique species In other regions, these creatures are not to be In the part of the Bournillon cave that is not found, unless they are exhibited in aquariums. accessible to the public, speleologists have The pigmentless species is about 35cm and found eyeless and non-pigmented crabs, cat- eyeless and can live up to 60 years. At birth, Here, water rushes down from the semi-circu- fish and other species. As eyes and pigmenta- its eyes are present, but they wither away lar cliffs of the Cirque du Bournillon and then tion are not useful in a dark environment like rather quickly and are no longer recognizable merges with the water from the cave river. a cave, creatures have evolved other sensors later in the animal’s life. Olm or proteus, an eyeless aquatic salamander, is found in Choranche Cave

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THIS PAGE: Scenes from in Gournier Cave; “Medusa” jellyfish-like stalactite formation in Gournier Cave (right)

The space over the water surface within six to eight hours. the Vercors—William Thumy (www. in the numerous caves is almost The only access is through the vercors-plongee.com). Since his exclusively settled by bats, of which so-called “siphon”, a in an youth he has had a passion for cave there exist about 30 species in the underwater part of the cave of the diving in the caves and the crystal Vercors—an ideal retreat for light-shy Choranche. Passages, corridors and clear rivers of the Vercors. His diving animals. There are regular guided tunnels lead to differently-sized cavi- center, Dive Xtreme, specializes in tours for tourists and school groups ties with pockets of air on different conducting dives in the caves, grot- to see these species under the guid- levels. The exploration is still ongoing tos and rivers as well as diving, ance of skilled specialists. and will enhance the knowledge of with different levels of difficulty. Even A recently discovered endemic this system. Any further exploration with the scientific explorations in the insect in the caves of the Vercors attempts are recorded and docu- various caves, he is often involved is a species of longhorn beetle. mented on maps. However, access and is knowledgeable about the However, there is still not much pub- is limited to 10 to 20 times per year, latest state-of-the-art technology lished about it. even for the French Federation of employed on these expeditions. , in order to keep the cave system in its natural, pristine Gournier Cave Where the cave stops for day visi- state. In the cave of Gournier, which is not tors, begins the domain of speleolo- far from the cave of Choranche, gists, archaeologists and research- Diving you can dive autonomously. Here, ers. In the Choranche Cave, which Where water, rivers and lakes are however, the equipment must be has been studied the most exten- present, one can, of course, go carried to the cave entrance. The sively so far, a transitional system of diving. One, who has found his water is consistently cold, about 8 33km in length has been explored. niche in the large number of div- to 10°C and crystal clear. A drysuit is Scientists can penetrate this system ing centers in France, is a native of highly recommended, but not nec-

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Waterfall near Gournier Cave (left); In Gournier Cave, a diver explores gutters (above), which drained water, that were formed millions of years ago when the water level was lower; Fallen stalactite underwa- ter in Gournier Cave (right)

There is a slight current towards Exploration findings the cave exit. On the back wall, The Gournier is considered you can see a sort of gutter and to have the most beauti- sinter pools through which the ful underground river in water drained in earlier periods. the world. Its course can Normally, the water is crystal be tracked up to 15km. clear, if sediment has not been Time and again, galler- stirred up by some divers previ- ies open along its course, ously. However, with the constant with waterfalls and pools light flow of incoming water, the connected by gours and suspended particles are trans- gutters. With ropes, ladders ported towards the cave exit, and hooks, scientists have and after a short time, the visibility now penetrated deeper is good again. and deeper. Some videos essary. Experience in night diving have been much higher even Not to be underestimated are about their expeditions in and good buoyancy control are over long periods. One particular the lighting conditions in the this cave can be seen on clear advantages here. feature is the “Medusa” on the cave, which are comparable to YouTube on the Internet. In this huge cave where the wall, a stalactite formation that a night dive. Although light is inci- Barnabé Fourgous, a water is 3 to 5m deep, you can has a jellyfish shape and is a real dent from the cave entrance and French scientist, has found see stalagmites on the floor, and eye-catcher. the walls are bright, the light is the fossilized skeleton of a bear tem, one can also find evidence previous experience in cave div- there are stalactites hanging from At the rear end of the cave, swallowed by the huge size of the that was extinct more than 30,000 of prehistoric people. More spe- ing and the appropriate training. the ceiling of the cave. The walls where the underground river cave of Gournier and in the water years ago. Due to the conditions cifically it is only by diving into the Not everyone is allowed to dive in have structures of calcium depos- enters, the cave becomes more no light remains. Good torches in the cave, the skeleton is very water-bearing passages them- these areas, and only under lead- its that are common for caves— and more narrow and the ceil- are recommended! well-preserved. selves that these findings can be ership. Here again, William Thumy a sign that the water level must ing becomes increasingly flatter. In some parts of the cave sys- made. To do so, one must have is the right partner for divers who

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one can clearly University of Savoi, consisting of spele- lated, out-lying farms. see the difficul- ologists, archeologists, geologists and Even today you can find evidence, ties in extreme geographers. like in Pont-en-Royans, that civilization cave diving: has come to terms with water and the way is long People of the Vercors taken advantage of this resource. The and partially Artefacts and human remains from tiny village of Pont-en-Royans was one narrow and the prehistoric ages document the fact of the first places in France that had its return trip must that the region has been inhabited own power supply. Until the ‘60s, parts be counted in. by human beings for a long time. The for electric installations were produced As the previ- caves offered protection against the in this village. In the Museum of Water, ously explored cold and water was available in abun- you can have a look at the entire his- part of the cave dance. There were also animals such tory concerning water in this region.  has a differ- as deer and ibex, which could be ence in altitude hunted. Marmots served as a source Claudia Weber-Gebert is a cave diver, of about 90m, of fat and furs. However, proof of real underwater photographer and dive an advanced settlement was found rather in the writer based in Germany. decompression deeper parts of the Vercors. procedure is During the Second World War, the want to undertake this adventure. required. Vercors served as a refuge for the From narrow, water-filled tunnels to Most of the time, only scientists people from the Resistance. Some spacious rooms with airy chambers, are found studying, exploring, docu- Medieval castles have been irrevoca- the cavities are always connected by menting and going even deeper bly destroyed during that period. underground rivers and tunnels. Few into the various caves. All scientific Today’s villages in the Vercors have fearless explorers can dive this unique studies are coordinated by EDYTEM a more rural character, with no big wonderland and admire the bizarre (Environnements, Dynamiques supermarkets but lots of small shops limestone structures underwater. et Territoires de la Montagne,­ or where one can buy specialties of the Technical equipment is required. One Environment, Dynamics and Territories region such as goat cheese, dairy should always ask in advance, what of the Mountain), an association of products, walnut products and handi- requirements are imposed. the CNRS (Centre National de la crafts. Hotels are reasonable in price, Pont-en-Royans (above) is a town located at the gates Based on the section of the Grotte Recherche Scientifique or National small and personal, and accommoda- of Vercors Regional Natural Park (top panorama); BASE de Thaïs (established by Yves Billaud) Center for Scientific Research) and the tions can also be found on many iso- jumper (left) and donkey on farm (far left) near the cliffs at Presles in the Vercors mountains of southeastern France

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