Huntsville Grotto FAQ

What caving events can I attend?

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 23:11:55 GMT

This is just a partial list of known caving events.

SERA Cave Carnival (This is the generic website. The actual event site varies from year to year.

OTR (Must be a TRA member or guest)

TAG Fall Cave-In (Must be an NSS member or guest)

Where can I talk about caving between grotto meetings?

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 22:01:40 GMT

There are multiple caving related Facebook groups you can join including Huntsville Grotto (Unofficial), T.A.G. Caver, Cavers of Facebook, Vertical Cavers, National Speleological Society Community, and SERA (Southeast Regional Assocation) of the NSS. However, some people don't do Facebook. Also it is sometimes hard to know who you are talking to and to prevent information from spreading farther than it should. Fortunately, the new grotto website provides an alternative. We have set up three discussion forums that are limited to Huntsville Grotto members only. The three forums are:

Huntsville Grotto General: For most any subject related to the grotto or caving. Huntsville Grotto General Forum

All Things Vertical: Specifically for vertical caving related discussion. All Things Vertical Forum

Who's Been Caving?: A place to talk about past, present, and future caving trips. Who's Been Caving? Forum

Any member can read, post, and reply within the forums. You can also choose to subscribe to a forum so that you will get email notifications when new activity occurs. Or don't if you don't like getting much email. We can add or subtract forums in the future depending on what people are interested in talking about. Please choose the most appropriate forum, keep it caving or grotto related, and above all be nice!

What is the Classic 8 Award?

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 22:34:04 GMT

The Classic 8 award is designed to promote proficiency in the 3-knot climbing system.

Requirements:
Descending and ascending 8 Alabama pit-caves on a 3-knot climbing system:

All of which were more than 100 feet, single pitch
Two of which were more than 200 feet, single pitch
One of which was more than 400 feet (on rope) in depth
Your climbing system must have three points of attachment and not include any mechanical device. Prusik or helical knots are acceptable. A quick attachment safety doesn’t count as a point of attachment - we encourage you to have a quick-attachment safety as part of your climbing system!
Personally rigging at least one of these pit-caves
Obeying reasonable safety and conservation practices
Membership in the National Speleological Society

Classic 8 Award Application

What is the Vertical 8 Award?

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 22:29:41 GMT

The Vertical 8 award is designed to promote better cave owner relationships by reducing the traffic to some of the more popular caves. It is hoped that providing an award such as this will also encourage vertical caving proficiency.

Requirements:

Descending and ascending 8 Alabama pit-caves:

All of which were more than 100 feet, single pitch
Two of which were more than 200 feet, single pitch
One of which was more than 400 feet (on rope) in depth
Personally rigging at least one of these pit-caves
Obeying reasonable safety and conservation practices
Membership in the National National Speleological Society

Vertical 8 Award Application

What is the Horizontal 12 award?

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 19:43:43 GMT

The Horizontal 12 award is designed to promote better cave owner relationships by reducing the traffic to some of the more popular caves. It is hoped that providing an award such as this will also encourage caving proficiency.

Requirements:

Traversing the major portion of 12 Alabama caves that are more than one mile in length. There are numerous caves you can choose from to fulfill this requirement, as there are currently over 50 caves in Alabama that are over one mile in length.
Obeying reasonable safety and conservation practices.
Membership in the National Speleological Society.

Horizontal 12 Award Application

What is the JV Award?

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 21:46:46 GMT

The award was conceived by the Huntsville Grotto in honor of long-time member, conservationist, cave steward, and SCCI Director John Van Swearingen IV, who passed away in 2001. JV served for many years as the Fern Cave Access Coordinator, providing stewardship of the Fern Cave system and preserve for both the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Southeastern Cave Conservancy.

The purpose of the award is to meaningfully recognize the successful stewardship efforts of an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization that has provided significant stewardship activities for one or more caves, cave preserves, or karst properties, personally conducted over an extended time period. The award, sponsored by the Huntsville Grotto and the SCCI, is also intended to promote long-term cave conservation and stewardship activities and to encourage and thank those individuals and organizations who perform them.

The award consists of a one-of-a-kind certificate, with one of JV's artistic photographic images in the background, and an honorarium in the form of a donation in the award amount of $250 or more made to the SCCI in the name of the award recipient.

Past Awardees

YEAR	AWARDEE	CITY	STATE
2025	Lin Guy	Fort Payne	AL
2024	Bill Stringfellow	Woodstock	GA
2023	Tom Whitehurst	Fort Payne	AL
2022	Julianne Ramsey	McMinnville	TN
2022	Mike Moser	Mount Juliet	TN
2021	No awardee
2020	No awardee
2019	Steve Davis	Bryant	AL
2018	Annette Reynolds	Vestavia	AL
2017	Andy Zellner	Bridgeport	AL
2016	No awardee
2015	Mark Ostrander	Madison	AL
2014	Steve Hudson	La Fayette	GA
2013	Chuck Henson	Rossville	GA
2012	Nathan Williams	Huntsville	AL
2011	SERA Karst Task Force (SKTF)	TAG Region
2010	Tom Moltz	Bryon	GA
2009	Jay Clark	Birmingham	AL
2008	Buddy Lane	Signal Mountain	TN
2007	Bill Overton	Pegram	TN
2006	Bill Birdsall	Ocala	FL
2005	Steve Pitts	Ardmore	TN
2004	Lonnie Carr	Sparta	TN
2003	Bruce Brewer	Tallahassee	FL
2002	William Oldacre	Gainesville	FL

Is there an App for accessing member information?

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 21:34:24 GMT

Yes, there is! It is provided by the host for our website, Wild Apricot. The App is available for Android and iOS.

Android App Info

iOS App Info

Please note that we don't do online event registration yet, but we are working on it.

How do I learn about vertical caving?

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 19:43:16 GMT

Friday Practice

For those that are new to Vertical Practice it is a multi-faceted event; people new to vertical caving can become familiar with equipment, techniques, meet the people, and try out various systems; beginners may develop their skill on the self-pace training course, experienced folks can stay current, try new techniques and equipment, and socialize. It is neither necessary nor advisable for you to have your own gear until you know what you really want. There are lots of people willing to let you try their gear. The grotto hosts Friday Practice once or twice each month.

HCRU SRT Class

This class is designed to introduce students to Single Rope Technique (SRT) basic skills. Students will be instructed on how to safely climb and rappel using SRT with hands-on training in both classroom and field settings. While the class is a group setting, the instructor to student ratio is about 1:2 to ensure safety; each learning station has a dedicated instructor.
Topics covered include: rigging and equipment, climbing systems and their applications, ascending, descending, changeovers in both directions, and dealing with rope obstructions.
http://www.hcru.org/srt

OnRope

A great book on vertical caving.

OnRope from the NSS Bookstore

Alpine Caving Techniques

A european perspective on vertical caving.

Alpine Caving Techniques from Amazon

Derek Bristol YouTube

Some interesting videos related to vertical caving.

Vertical Caving Videos

Grotto Vertical Trips

The grotto conducts a vertical caving trip each month. Some trips are more challenging than others. You must have you own gear and sufficient experience for the trip. Please contact the trip leader to verify your eligibility.

Is Grotto membership different than NSS membership?

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 19:20:57 GMT

Yes, these are independent. Though, to be a grotto officer you must have both. It is recommended for everyone to do both. With an NSS membership you get:

1. Your own unique NSS id.

2. Access to the NSS membership directory.

3. A discount at the NSS bookstore.

4. A subscription to the NSS News.

5. Access to old NSS convention guidebooks.

6. Access to American Caving Accidents.

7. A discounted fee for attending the annual NSS convention.

8. Ability to register for the TAG Fall Cave-In without having to be someone's guest.

9. Eligibility to vote for the NSS Board of Governors

https://caves.org/committee/membership/index.shtml

What Is TAG?

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 20:26:39 GMT

The Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia caving region.

Also sometimes short for the TAG Fall Cave-In, a large caving event held every year in October by the Dogwood City Grotto.

See this video for a history of TAG. "TAG, You're It!" - TAG Caving

Vertical Trips

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 21:47:01 GMT

Vertical trips are for people who have experience with single rope technique (this is rappelling and climbing the rope itself). While rock-climbing experience is helpful for learning single rope technique, it is not the same. If you are new to vertical caving and would like to learn, the Huntsville Cave Rescue Unit periodically offers a Single Rope Technique class (which we encourage new and experienced cavers to take, as there is always something new to learn). Some information about each trip is provided in the schedule, but if you have any questions please ask the trip leader for that trip.

Horizontal Trips

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 21:41:43 GMT

You must have a hardhat and a hardhat-mounted light to attend a horizontal caving trip. If you do not have a hardhat or light, you can borrow them from the Huntsville Grotto. Wear sturdy boots and clothing that you do not mind ruining (once you wear clothing into a cave, it usually is good for nothing else but caving). Leather gloves are very handy, and for many caves, kneepads are recommended (we also have a few cheap kneepads you can borrow). You must have at least three sources of light, so bring extra flashlights (mini-maglites and LED flashlights make great emergency lights) and plenty of extra batteries. Also, don’t forget food and water. Although the relative difficulty of each cave is listed below, if you have any questions please talk to the trip leader for that trip. If you have never been caving before, we highly recommend reading our Information for New Cavers booklet (note: it is 23 pages long, so it might take a while to download).

Grotto Sponsored Cave Trips

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 21:32:44 GMT

The Huntsville Grotto sponsors one horizontal trip and one vertical caving trip each month for Grotto members. Horizontal trips are to caves that do not require any technical rope skills such as rappelling. Generally the horizontal trip is on the first Saturday after the regular monthly meeting and the vertical trip is on the third Saturday following the regular monthly meeting. There may be exceptions, so see the calendar for exact dates and trip locations.

For when and where to meet, email the trip leader. This information is also announced during regular monthly meetings

Notice is Required To Attend Trips

Advance notice indicating you wish to attend a trip must to be provided to the trip leader. Further the trip leader must agree to you attending before you participate on any grotto sponsored cave trip. Giving notice lets the trip leader know how many will be on the trip. It also reserves you a spot if the group size needs to be limited. This notice can be by signing up for the trip at the grotto meetings or by email. In the form say what trip you plan on attending, who you are and if anyone will be with you. Emails must be received no later than the Thursday prior to the trip.

NOTE TO VISITORS OR NON MEMBERS:

Visitors/non-members wanting to participate in a sponsored grotto trip will need to make verbal arrangements with the trip leader at a grotto meeting prior to the scheduled cave trip. Members are allowed to bring guests as long as the trip leader is notified in advance. NSS members/members of other grottos are welcome but must contact the trip leader to make arrangements.

Trip Policy

The Huntsville Grotto policy requires that everyone participating in a grotto-sponsored cave trip sign a Release From Liability form.

For vertical trips, you must have either successfully completed a Single Rope Technique(SRT) course or already be proficient in single rope technique before going on a vertical trip. You must also have all your own gear and be comfortable using it.

For all trips, the individual trip leader has the authority to disallow you from attending the trip if he or she does not think your skills or judgment are sufficient for the trip in question. They may also limit the number on the trip to limit impact on cave or insure they can safely lead the group. See above for Notice Requirements.

Meeting Times

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 17:54:15 GMT

Huntsville Grotto meets at 7:00 pm on the first Wednesday of every month