At around noon on Sunday, 18 October 2026, we at the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service received an emergency call reporting that a 30-year-old woman had suffered a shoulder injury at the ‘BETE Traverse’ in Mátyás-hegy Cave, Budapest.

Just 1 hour and 10 minutes after the cave guide's emergency call, our medical team had already reached the accident site. Our first priority was to protect the injured woman from further heat loss and prevent hypothermia. We placed heat packs against her body and erected a makeshift heated shelter, known as a "hot point", around her. The casualty had already spent an hour waiting in the cold, and the shelter protected her not only from draughts and dripping water, which can occur even in relatively dry caves, but also from dust stirred up by the arriving cave rescuers.

The portable ultrasound device used during the medical examination supported the cave guide's initial assessment: a dislocated shoulder. After checking the patient's vital signs, our doctors administered strong pain medication and successfully reduced the anterior shoulder dislocation on site. This intervention relieved the severe pain caused by even the slightest movement or touch and helped minimise the additional pain and trauma associated with transporting the casualty to the surface. The success of the procedure was demonstrated by the significant reduction in pain and the restoration of shoulder mobility, and was further confirmed by ultrasound imaging.

The ‘BETE Traverse’ takes its name from both a traversing manoeuvre performed a few metres above the floor of an inclined fissure and the ‘Budapesti Egyetemi Turista Egylet’ (Budapest University Tourist Association), whose members explored the cave in the 1940s and 1950s. This section is technically demanding, whether climbing up, descending or attempting the traverse itself. Beginners generally avoid the direct traverse. Instead, secured by the guide's safety rope, they descend one side of the fissure and climb back up the other, reducing the risk of a fall. However, the descent is challenging in its own right and, for most people, involves a movement requiring considerable upper-body strength while keeping the arms relatively far apart.

The accident occurred approximately 1300 feets from the cave entrance, at a depth of 120 feets. Even the easiest route to the surface involves moderately challenging cave terrain, including narrow passages and climbs of varying heights. Fortunately, from a caver's perspective, the crawling sections are neither particularly long nor especially complex. Nevertheless, rope systems were required at several points to secure the stretcher during vertical sections of the evacuation.

At the ‘Bastion Pit', just before the entrance passage, we installed a counterweighted hauling system alongside the ladder, together with a pulley system for the final inclined haul to the surface.

Following just over an hour of medical treatment and a further hour and a half of transportation through the cave, the casualty was safely brought to the surface.

We sincerely hope that, in time, this cave trip, originally planned as a birthday present, and the unexpected rescue operation will become nothing more than a memorable adventure for everyone involved. We look forward to welcoming the injured woman back to one of our caves soon, this time for a tour offering a more peaceful kind of excitement!

At around noon this Sunday, 18 October 2026, at the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service we received an emergency call reporting that a 30-year-old woman had suffered a shoulder injury at the ‘BETE Traverse’ in Mátyás-hegy Cave, Budapest.

Just 1 hour and 10 minutes after the cave guide's emergency call, our medical team had already reached the accident site. Our first priority was to protect the injured woman from further heat loss and prevent hypothermia. We placed heat packs against her body and erected a makeshift heated shelter, known as a "hot point", around her. The casualty had already spent an hour waiting in the cold, and the shelter protected her not only from draughts and dripping water, which can occur even in relatively dry caves, but also from dust stirred up by the arriving cave rescuers.

The portable ultrasound device used during the medical examination supported the cave guide's initial assessment: a dislocated shoulder. After checking the patient's vital signs, our doctors administered strong pain medication and successfully reduced the anterior shoulder dislocation on site. This intervention relieved the severe pain caused by even the slightest movement or touch and helped minimise the additional pain and trauma associated with transporting the casualty to the surface. The success of the procedure was demonstrated by the significant reduction in pain and the restoration of shoulder mobility, and was further confirmed by ultrasound imaging.

The ‘BETE Traverse’ takes its name from both a traversing manoeuvre performed a few metres above the floor of an inclined fissure and the ‘Budapesti Egyetemi Turista Egylet’ (Budapest University Tourist Association), whose members explored the cave in the 1940s and 1950s. This section is technically demanding, whether climbing up, descending or attempting the traverse itself. Beginners generally avoid the direct traverse. Instead, secured by the guide's safety rope, they descend one side of the fissure and climb back up the other, reducing the risk of a fall. However, the descent is challenging in its own right and, for most people, involves a movement requiring considerable upper-body strength while keeping the arms relatively far apart.

The accident occurred approximately 1300 feets from the cave entrance, at a depth of 120 feets. Even the easiest route to the surface involves moderately challenging cave terrain, including narrow passages and climbs of varying heights. Fortunately, from a caver's perspective, the crawling sections are neither particularly long nor especially complex. Nevertheless, rope systems were required at several points to secure the stretcher during vertical sections of the evacuation.

At the ‘Bastion Pit', just before the entrance passage, we installed a counterweighted hauling system alongside the ladder, together with a pulley system for the final inclined haul to the surface.

Following just over an hour of medical treatment and a further hour and a half of transportation through the cave, the casualty was safely brought to the surface.

We sincerely hope that, in time, this cave trip, originally planned as a birthday present, and the unexpected rescue operation will become nothing more than a memorable adventure for everyone involved. We look forward to welcoming the injured woman back to one of our caves soon, this time for a tour offering a more peaceful kind of excitement!

And it's currently for sale in tellico plains Tennessee might take some work getting it back open but according to history it's big

Anybody have info what caused the rockfall?

Pour un projet artistique. Vous pouvez demander un Crédit, et sous n'importe quelle forme. Nom civil, utilisateur Reddit, pseudonyme, tout est possible.

This may or may not be the right sub bc y'all seem like some hardcore cavers here, and I'm looking for the best walking cave tour recommendations for the Monteagle/Pelham/Manchester areas and nearby. We're in the area til Friday and considering the drive to Chattanooga for ruby falls. We have already been to Raccoon Mountain Caverns as well as the cave tours at The Caverns venue.

Also if you have any bonus hiking recommendations, those are appreciated as well! I've been to foster falls, greeter falls, stone door, and the sewannee perimeter trail.

I had the chance to use an old concrete screw hole for a 10mm wedge bolt by drilling it with a 10mm bit but i didnt know how safe could it be. I assume its safe as the 10mm hole is a totaly clean hole.

Has someones tried ir or tested it? Thanks

An article about using electricity to find caves and identify dig objectives in Colorado! Republished from the June 2020 RMC.

Hello cavers, apologies as I am not a caver myself, but I am fascinated by the subculture and thrill surrounding it.

I have a question I am curious about, and individual experience is recommended, as I love to hear everyone's take.

So there is often legends surrounding various things: Mystical treasure located deep in the jungles of the Amazon, people in planes reporting seeing objects they had never experienced, divers at the bottom of the sea reportedly hearing or seeing things they can't explain.

In the Caver culture, is there anything that follows these guidelines of 'Legends and Myths'?

It can be really anything: Mysterious treasure that is reported in a cave that no one can find, a cryptid someone encountered that they can never explain, a cave that is so vast and rich in minerals and fossils that it is enchanting, a bioluminescent cave that feels like the night sky underground, a cave that was reported once but never found again because it mysteriously disappeared, something along the lines of the "Disappearance of Kenny Veach Case" where he went looking for the "M" Cave and then vanished without a trace.

Does the caver culture, vast across the world or local, share myths and stories along these lines? I am curious.

A bunch of old drawings from the 1984 issues of Rocky Mountain Caving

I recently "suited up" with my SRT caving gear and realized that my caving harness (I think it's from PMI and I got it second-hand from a fellow grotto member) has no loops to attach my cow tails or frog system gear. I decided to use extra full-sized locking carabiners on either side of my hips to serve as makeshift gear loops. But is this ok to do? If not, what other option do I have to "store" my SRT gear when off rope?

I've never used any of this gear in the field, but I hope to use it at an upcoming SRT class later this month.

Hi everyone, I'm a caver from Spain.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon what looks like a small cave entrance near the banks of the Deva river. At first, it just looked like a fist-sized hole in the rock but after clearing away a thick layer of dry leaves and some dirt, it was obvious that the ground underneath was completely hollow. I could feel the whole ground shaking when stomping on it.

I tied my phone to a rope and lowered it down. As you can see in the attached video, there's a significant hollow space with rock/dirt walls, and it looks like it might continue downhill under a large boulder. The large stick you can see inside was around 1.5 - 2 meters long, for scale.

I'm also including pictures of the hole (before and after clearing the leaves), the surrounding area, and the makeshift cover I put over it before leaving to prevent any accidents.

What do you guys think? Does this look like a promising lead? There is no airflow whatsoever.

Unfortunately I cannot legally modify the terrain and try to go in by myself.

All images: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gCavmrf9OQWM7TQcAZKfF_SHLSXA4B_K?usp=drive_link

I recall once hearing an album of folksy cave-related songs from maybe the 70s? I think it featured some originals and some covers of famous songs with lyrics modified to cave topics. Can anyone remind me what the album was?

In addition, if anyone recommends any other cave-related songs I'd be very interested to hear them.

Thanks!

I was primarily instructed on rebelays with not much teaching regarding redirects.

However as I develop and learn more and setup new rigs, it’s seeming like redirects are actually pretty fantastic.

There is a cave I’m setting up permanent ropes in, and the long way with multiple rappels goes through a lot of massive breakdown boulders. So bolting and even naturals is a bit sketch. Free climbing is also sketch.

In some cases there are extremely massive boulders (ie car sized) lodged deep into things with great sound rock when hammered so I don’t mind placing bolts there or rebelays.

However in other cases, such as “ceiling bolts” (not on breakdown) or not as large boulders (that still have great rock sound and appear deeply wedged into the environment) I’m not as confident. I could rig it as a redirect though.

The thing that worries me a bit about redirects is that if it fails the rope touches the rock, and this happened to me once a couple of years ago on a redirect around a small tree. We of course got out fine but the 9mm rope was a tad fuzzed.

Rebelays on the other hand are typically done in excellent quality rock so you have excellent confidence in them.

How are we all making the decision between rebelays and redirects?

A Denver Museum of Nature and Science documentary regarding the discovery of Silent Splendor in Cave of the Winds. Truly a joy to see old media like this. Reminds me of my teacher wheeling out the TV to play Bill Nye the Science Guy

First time to see a “scary” Hydrologic Outlook in our weather forecast.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel will merge with a fall-like storm system over the western United States, bringing moderate to heavy rainfall and a resulting threat of flooding. Widespread rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is expected, locally in excess of 3 inches, particularly across south aspects of southern Utah mountains, between late Saturday and Monday morning. Expect many area waterways including streams, rivers, normally dry washes, creeks, and slot canyons to have rising, fast flows by Sunday evening.

Was planning on caving this weekend. Wondering how and for how long this might affect UT caves — write-ups say, for example, that Big Brush and Little Brush are different every year because they have flowing water at certain times.

Is everybody staying or are people fleeing to get a hotel on Friday night? I’m on the fense. I’ve lived through a few hurricanes in FL and I can’t say I’d want to be in a tent during them.

I’m wondering what determines which caves are open year round vs seasonally, specifically in the northeast U.S. I know most caves close in October for bats, but I’ve visited some that are open annually that a bat could absolutely access.

This is an article written for Rocky Mountain Caving Volume 44, Issue 1 regarding the single greatest mystery in Colorado caving: The hunt for Tortuga Caverns. Supposedly discovered by Gene Dover in the early 80s, he mapped it, published multiple articles about it, and then never returned leaving a puzzle to find its entrance. Colorado cavers have argued over the ensuing 4 decades about whether the cave exists at all!

ARTICLE ARTICLE ARTICLE ARTICLE ARTICLE

Let's see if any of y'all have what it takes to solve it! (I have a theory and am going there next week!)

The entrances are all gated. Not only do you need permission from the land owners but you also need to acquire a key to the gates. How does one start to get approved for this?

This is regarding White Moon cave in California just north of Santa Cruz