Whats a caver?
A caver is someone who explores caves. Organized cavers in the US, by which I mean those formally or loosely affiliated with the National Speleological Society, do not use the word `spelunker’, which seems to cause them (us!) an enormous amount of discomfiture. The word `caver’ is preferred and used virtually exclusively by `those in the know’. A recent bumper sticker even proclaims `Cavers rescue Spelunkers’. Demographically, caving as an activity draws from nearly all walks of life, from professional and academic professions to any and all sorts of employment, or indeed unemployment. Hollywood movie starlets and `super-models’, however, are conspicuous by their absence. The sport is dominated by white males, and the male/female ratio may approach 10 to 1 or better in some clubs. Many cavers find the caving a life-long draw, describing their first cave trip as a conversion experience. Consequently, many local clubs are composed of small groups of cavers that have been caving together
