Saturday, May 27, 2017

Solamäki caves


Yesterday we went to the Solamäki caves (Solamäen luolat) in Siuntio. We found a crack system, with a large cave hall by Finnish standards, and many interesting small cracks.

I particularly liked the curving, slanted crack "kaareva halkeama" (Curvy Crack). This crack is slanted 45 degrees and in addition turns a bit as it progresses. The crack is quite high, maybe 5-6 meters. You need to use chimney techniques to stay on the steep rock. At the upper end, you can enter your upper body in a small room where cracks lead further, but are too small at least for me. Intriguing though, wonder if they connect to the other parts.

In the main cave hall there is a nice side crack that you can easily descend from the top of the cliff towards the main cave. At the other end of the main cave hall there are some rocks that you can go through either under or above, and from above you can climb to the top of the cliff.

We also found two side caves further away, one small roof lid that would barely cover a couple of people sitting. The other side cave was under a large boulder, and also housed a gradually tightening end, with animal tracks that may lead to a hideout of some sort. Not big enough for a human to go there, but it would be interesting to know what hides there. This side cave was also a crack that was slanted sideways.

The main cave is at 60°16'57.4"N 24°17'45.5"E, the first side cave "Lid" is at 60°17'00.7"N 24°17'17.8"E, and the second side cave "Under a rock" at 60°16'53.9"N 24°17'53.9"E. We learned of the main cave from the excellent "Uudenmaan luolat" (Caves of Uusimaa) book by Tuomo Kesäläinen. Much recommended!

Here's a map of the caves, drawn without measurements but hopefully it helps show what is where:


Full-size version of this picture is here in JPG and PDF.


There are houses and private roads nearby; be careful to not disturb the locals. We parked far away on a forestry road and walked through the woods. Solamäki is half an hour drive from Espoo and Kauniainen.

Main cave:







Entering the side crack towards the main hall:


The Curvy Crack nearby:



The "Lid" side cave:


The "Under a rock" side cave:





Walk to the caves:


This blog is also available at the TGR site. Tämä blogi löytyy myös suomeksi Relaasta. Remember that pointers to all my stories about caving and skiing can be found at the ​Planetskier.net and ​Planetcaver.net web sites.

Photos and videos (c) 2017 by Jarmo Ruuth, Eino Ruuth, Eetu Ruuth, and Jari Arkko. Video editing on and sounds licensed from Apple iMovie. See discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4201.

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