About

The VPI Cave Club strives to promote interest in and to advance the science of speleology, to promote conservation of caves and safety in their exploration, and to encourage fellowship among Virginia Tech students and alumni interested in caving.

The club, which is now hallmarked as one of the university’s oldest organizations, was created in Fall of 1942 by five Virginia Tech students. In addition, it was recognized by the National Speleological Society as the first student “grotto”, or club.

In recent years, the club has only expanded in membership. We strive in excellence in safety, conservation, and exploration.

Caving

The Virginia Tech community is blessed to have a plethora of caving locations around the Blacksburg community. Because of this, our club turns a relatively niche activity into a hobby for a total of almost 500 members (active and alumni).

A larger community generated a wide range of caving types – including, but not limited to, horizontal caving, vertical caving, sport caving, research caving, and surveying.

Each cave trip offers a different experience. Some are more difficult than others, but prospective members will learn the ropes soon enough (no pun intended).

Meetings

In normal semesters, the VPI Cave Club meets at 7:00pm in Torgersen 1020 on the Virginia Tech campus Friday nights. The club meets when the university is in session, and normally does not have summer or winter meetings.

We highly encourage prospective members to attend one of these meetings. There is no prerequisite for joining, or coming to a meeting.