The Caving Podcast

Continuing the series of interviews conducted at the 2026 NSS Convention in Corydon, Indiana; National Cave and Karst Research Institute director Ben Tobin sits down to talk about his caving genesis, research pursuits, and the work currently being done at NCKRI.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Bib overalls for caving from Out Standing Stitcheshttps://outstandingstitches.odoo.com/The National Cave & Karst Research Institutehttps://nckri.org/International Day of Caves and Karsthttps://www.caveskarstday.org/Register for TAG Fall Cave-In!https://caves.org/tag-fall-cave-in-registration/NSS Calendar of Eventshttps://caves.org/calendar/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

In front of a live audience at the 2026 NSS Convention, Montana caver Jason Ballensky shares about his caving genesis, exploration and data gathering in the Grand Canyon, and discovery and exploration of deep caves in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness; including Tears of The Turtle, the deepest limestone cave in the US.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Bib overalls for caving from Out Standing Stitcheshttps://outstandingstitches.odoo.com/International Day of Caves and Karsthttps://www.caveskarstday.org/Indiana Cave Capers 2026https://cigcaves.com/cave-capers-2026TAG Fall Cave-In RETURNS!https://www.facebook.com/tagfallcaveinNSS Calendar of Eventshttps://caves.org/calendar/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

The prolific Indiana-based caver shares the genesis of his caving story, including his first trips to TAG, discoveries at home in Indiana, and first-hand recollection of a famous Indiana rescue from 40+ years ago.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Bib overalls for caving from Out Standing Stitcheshttps://outstandingstitches.odoo.com/REGISTER for the 2026 NSS Conventionhttps://caves.org/convention/2026-nss-convention/Indiana Cave Capers 2026https://cigcaves.com/cave-capers-2026TAG Fall Cave-In RETURNS!https://www.facebook.com/tagfallcaveinNSS Calendar of Eventshttps://caves.org/calendar/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

The former National Coordinator for the National Cave Rescue Commission talks about his caving genesis, his longtime association with Buckner Cave and the Richard Blenz Nature Preserve, and of course his long career in cave rescue.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Bib overalls for caving from Out Standing Stitcheshttps://outstandingstitches.odoo.com/REGISTER for the 2026 NSS Conventionhttps://caves.org/convention/2026-nss-convention/Volunteer at Convention!https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/8533252580101/false#/invitationCave Week 2026https://nckri.org/cave-week/TAG Fall Cave-In RETURNS!https://www.facebook.com/tagfallcaveinNSS Calendar of Eventshttps://caves.org/calendar/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Val McNamara---Val shares her caving history going back to the early 90s, along with a few harrowing tales in TAG and Mexico, as well as her big return to caving after her kids grew up.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Order custom cave survey notes from Custom Cave Pages:https://www.customcavepages.com/REGISTER for the 2026 NSS Conventionhttps://caves.org/convention/2026-nss-convention/Volunteer at Convention!https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/8533252580101/false#/invitationCave Week 2026https://nckri.org/cave-week/NSS Calendar of Eventshttps://caves.org/calendar/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml