Chourum des Beaux Yeux: 600 m below the Dévoluy

In the middle of winter, on a Dévoluy hillside, the snow melts in patches for no obvious reason. Small black holes appear: warmer air rising from a cave has hollowed them out from below. That detail led two cavers from Gap to an entrance nobody had ever passed through.

At a glance

• What: the discovery and exploration of the Chourum des Beaux Yeux, a previously unknown cave in the Dévoluy massif.
• Who: Philippe Bertochio, president of the Gap alpine caving club, and François Parinni.
• How deep: 600 m, after several years of exploration. The team plans to go back.
• Access: a network reserved for cavers on exploration trips; it cannot be visited.

An entrance hidden under a rock

According to France 3 Régions, a large rock had to be moved to clear the opening. Behind it lies a passage just one body wide, then a serious first obstacle: a 16 m vertical shaft. The two men were the first to go down.

Finds like this are not made beside a footpath. New caves in the Dévoluy are found after long walks off marked trails, with an eye on the snow or on the draughts blowing out of cracks in the rock.

Several years to reach 600 m

The exploration stretched over several seasons. The environment is dark, cold and damp, and a waterfall runs through the network. Water is what halted progress, 600 m below the surface. The work is not over: the team wants to return to reach small upper galleries, climbing back through 12 million years of geology.

What the Dévoluy hides underfoot

This chourum is just one piece of a far larger whole. The massif's limestone holds more than 600 caves and dozens of kilometres of passages. As this discovery shows, the underground network still holds surprises for those who explore it.

Want to try caving in the Dévoluy?

The Chourum des Beaux Yeux remains exploration ground for experienced cavers. For a first taste of the underground world, other caves in the massif host trips led by professionals, with no connection to the team behind this discovery. Marc Casali, a professional caver based in the Dévoluy, offers for example a sporty exploration from age 10, a via souterrata and a family option from age 5, with equipment provided. As with any mountain outing, read our mountain safety guide before you go.

Our local addresses

• Hôtel La Souloise: six rooms on the square in Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy, with a café-bar and terrace, to stay in the heart of the massif.
• Luc Bernard, mountain leader: outings to spot the Dévoluy's wildlife and plants, above ground this time.

Practical information

• The report: the exploration of the Chourum des Beaux Yeux told by France 3 Régions. More info
• Trying caving: guided trips in the Dévoluy, Marc Casali, +33 6 80 30 18 73. More info
• Information on the massif: Dévoluy tourist office. More info

Practical questions

Can you visit the Chourum des Beaux Yeux? No. It is a cave still being explored by club cavers, with no trips open to the public.

Do you need experience for a caving taster? No. Trips led by a professional are aimed at beginners, with equipment provided; the sporty exploration is open from age 10.