The Berger chasm is without doubt the most beautiful chasm in the French Alps. It offers the full range of possible underground landscapes and impressions. It is a kind of benchmark for underground aesthetics.
The gouffre’s prestige is immense. Just look at the number of visitors every summer. It was the world’s deepest chasm from 1954 to 1963 and the first -1000 underground.
This chasm has a history above all of friendship to share. In the 50s, it was the scene of a great adventure by a team of Grenoble speleologists, whose spirit of camaraderie, solidarity, trust and friendship made it possible to achieve this feat. They were able to surpass themselves, united in an action to the point where the notion of command, of leaders, was no longer relevant… The story of this team can be an example of the performances that can be achieved by a group when the “human factors” are brought together: complementary individuals united in a collective force to achieve the set objective.
Today’s enthusiasts of the sport share this same spirit. Caving is one of the few sports where it is still possible to explore unknown territories, to achieve “a first”, to experience the exhilaration of the depths, “to go where the hand of man has never set foot! (Jean Lavigne).
Since 2022, a new network called the Etoile Sardine has been under exploration. The Fromagère and Cuves de Sassenage networks are also the focus of new advances. With these latest discoveries, the network now exceeds 45 kilometers of development.
The subterranean world is a fragile environment that needs to be preserved.
The 60s and 70s saw the unfortunate dumping of a lot of waste in the cave, some of it very unusual (see photos).
Since 2013, clean-up operations initiated by the guides, Rémy Limagne and his teams have been carried out, largely cleaning up the chasm.
Collection points have been set up and in 10 years more than 10 tonnes of various objects have been brought up.
So if you go down there, please bring up your garbage (save your strength for that) and collect full rubbish bags from the collection points in the chasm.
The planet thanks the clean-up cavers.
Because of its fame, depth and beauty, the Berger chasm attracts cavers from all over the world. It presents no particular difficulty for regular cavers. However, the gouffre is a large-scale -1000 with exceptional assets. Too many cavers enter it under the assumption of their abilities or the difficulties they will encounter. It’s for these very exceptional reasons that visits are organized by periods allocated to teams on an equitable basis, facilitating access for as many people as possible, and in particular for cavers who come from afar, and who can’t afford to risk not being able to descend due to overcrowding.
In case of bad weather, it may be forbidden to go beyond -600 m. For your information, there have been five dramatic accidents due to precipitation in this chasm, and others in the “fromagère”.
Only go underground if you’re in top physical condition and well-trained in alpine caving techniques.
A decree regulating access to the chasm is the result of collaboration between the Engins town council and the Fédération Française de Spéléologie. We ask you to respect it, and in particular not to visit the chasm without first contacting the team who booked the current period.
Some links :
Photos : Daniel Lavigne, Rémy Limagne
