Pozo Castillo – Snow Plug

By Alistair Gott

Castillo, the snow plug “dig” and boulder chocking. I’ve heard a lot about it, after some prospecting on the surface. We kitted up, all were going light just to see what the snow plug and block in the roof looked like. Stories of three previous trips to the snow choke saw the snow plug with too much snow in it, forcing people across to the left of the passage, looking directly up at a set of 4-5 fridge sized blocks held up by fresh-air and rotting wooden stemples.

Fast forward to this year, we entered briefly to work out what the snow  plug looked like, Alistair was posted in first and reported that it looked open. The first visit saw that there were a few blocks on the left and an open pitch past the snow on the right. Lying to the left-hand side of the snow plug was a winch made mostly of wood with some added metal for the winch handle, the winch itself was approximately 6 foot in length and 1 foot wide. We decided with the addition of some rope, a drill and some bolts and hangers, we could drop the pitch today.

Kitting up further with SRT kits, drills and other paraphernalia, we re-entered the mine, and quickly found ourselves showing Joe how to put bolts in.

Joe bolted down a 3m pitch to boulder floor, with some rope rub. Pitch descends wall of chocked boulders assumed unstable. Deviation required to pull away and reduce rub. Rebelay bolted and passage through snow plug followed to RH wall, culminating in second 3m pitch. Base of pitch lands at T junction of natural passage leading to mined level, assumed recently uncovered by retreating snow. Mine explored to discover too tight phreatic heading down 60 degrees, small draught. Found several mine artefacts including woven baskets. Mine exited and Joe pressed on following RH wall to reach open hole in snow plug heading up into black void, ~50m. Alistair bolted deviation and all entered Segura 2 into sunshine. Coke at refugio and cushy disco descent to Tresviso.