2006 NSS Convention

[Sharon Faulkner]

The 2006 NSS Convention will be held August 7 - 11, 2006 in Bellingham, Washington. Hosted by the Cascade Grotto, convention will be located on the property of Western Washington University. Registration forms are available on the website at www.nss2006.org or email Convention Chairman, Michael McCormack, at [e-mail] for questions.

[Sharon Faulkner]

Note of interest - The Who's Registered feature is now online at the 2006 Convention website: www.nss2006.com/reg_whosregistered.htm

[L Roebuck]

2006 Convention Newsletter

Come to the NSS 2006 Convention!
Bellingham, Washington
August 7 – 11, 2006

Bellingham is located about halfway between the two great Northwest cities of Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia on Bellingham Bay. The weather in Bellingham is superb in August, with typical temperatures in the upper 70s during the day, and clear, cool nights.

Western Washington University is uniquely located above the city of Bellingham and has some of the best facilities (and views) for the NSS Convention you will ever find. From the time you arrive and sign in, you will find the Northwest atmosphere surrounding you with beautiful alpine vistas on all four points of the compass and lush vegetation only the northwest can provide.

The Bellingham area will provide you with many non-caving attractions. There are many museums in the area you might like to visit; Bellingham Railway Museum, The Radio Museum, Whatcom Museum, and Lynden Pioneer Museum all might be of interest. The Mt. Baker scenic Highway to the Mt. Baker ski area provides stunning views that are always a treat. Water sports abound in Western Washington (we get enough of it in the winter after all) with sea kayaking on Bellingham Bay or in the San Juan Islands or one of many whale-watching cruises.

But what about the caves? Well, we thought you would never ask. Even though the area is not as rich in caves as the southern US we do have caves that you will enjoy. In the local area, we have a several small limestone caves, talus caves, and snow caves (and we will even help you find them, or give you tours). The longest limestone cave in Washington State is a daytrip from Bellingham, accessible by hiking in the foothills of the Cascades.

A bit over an hour drive from Bellingham, in lower British Columbia, is the Chilliwack caving area. The Chilliwack has high alpine karst caves as well as low valley caving. The area sports vertical as well as nice horizontal caving options, and the Chilliwack scenery is truly spectacular.

The largest concentration of limestone caves in Washington State is about three hours from Bellingham and east of Seattle. These caves require a beautiful, but challenging hike. At the top, you will find numerous caves including Washington’s deepest cave, Newton, at nearly 700 feet deep.

Southern Washington state, five or more hours drive from Bellingham, hosts a huge concentration of lava tube caves in the Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams areas. If you want the big caves, then Vancouver Island is your destination. A 1-hour drive and 2-hour ferry trip to Vancouver Island will bring you to some spectacular international caving.

The Chilliwack, Vancouver Island, Victoria, and Vancouver, British Columbia Canada all require crossing the border. You must have your passport or other valid identification on hand to cross the border.

At this years convention you have a range of accommodation options from camping to motels and fantastic dormitories with fine dining in the cafeteria or one of many restaurants a short distance from the campus. If you are traveling far and want to travel light, you might consider one of the dorm rooms near the registration area. If you want to reserve a dorm floor for your grotto or a group of friends then let us know.

For up to the minute convention information, check the convention web site at www.nss2006.org. For more Bellingham information, check the Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism web site at bellingham.org/.

Looking forward to seeing you in August!
Michael McCormack and the NSS 2006 Convention Staff


www.nss2006.org/news_february.htm

[Sharon Faulkner]

The NSS 2006 convention committee would like to call your attention to one of the most unique caving opportunities in North America.

A once in a lifetime opportunity to go caving on the fourth highest mountain in the continental U.S.!


The Birdroom - The Birdroom is a large room in a steam cave on the summit of Mt.Rainier. Note the caver in the upper right corner.

At 14,410’, Mt. Rainier is the highest mountain in the Cascades and the fourth highest mountain in the 50 United States. It is the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States and is still an active volcano. The heat from the mountain forms substantial steam caves in both craters. For the hardier soul, this could be a unique caving experience.

Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI) has agreed to offer a private guided group. Registration and payment information is as follows. Please note registration deadline date. If you are interested in this offering, please contact RMI before the deadline.

The dates for this program would be August 1-5, 2006. The price is $1,730 per person. We will need a minimum of four participants for this program to operate. Due to this minimum requirement, it will be necessary for four participants to be registered for this program by April 1, 2006. If we have not reached the minimum registration by April 1, 2006 the program will be cancelled.

In order to secure a space on this program a deposit of $275 per person is due at the time of reservation. The final payment is due 90 days prior to the start of the program. Payments can be made via Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or check.

Clothing and equipment rentals are available from Whittaker Mountaineering. Please visit their website at www.whittakermountainering.com for more information.

For the experienced mountaineers, another option is the self-guided climb. There are various guidebooks available for climbing Mt. Rainier and the National Park Service page at www.nps.gov/mora/ contains links and information on climbing Mt. Rainier. Please be aware that Mt. Rainier is a technical mountain with real risks. Anyone attempting the summit must research and be prepared for the conditions the mountain can present.

Because of the nature of this Pre-Convention trip (August 1-August 5), the sign up dates are fast approaching. For more information, please contact [e-mail]

[madratdan]

I wonder what the formation is made of? It almost looks like ice, but it says it's a steam cave. Very cool, but odd looking feature.

Anyone going to convention this year?

[Sharon Faulkner]

Whether I'm going to convention this year is still up in the air. I have been checking into airfare, so we'll see.

The caves look pretty cool though and from the website it seems
like a reasonable variety of caving is being offered.

[madratdan]

I'm not committed to going yet. Our group pulled a couple of river permits for the Selway and Cataract Canyon. Washington might not fit into my vacation time this year.

(Rumor has it that Colorado will be putting in a convention bid for 2011).

[Sharon Faulkner]

NSS 2006 Convention Newsletter for April 8, 2006

Your Stay at the 2006 NSS Convention
OK, you should now know when and where Convention is, how about where you’re going to stay?

Dorm Rooms:
WWU and the NSS 2006 Convention are pleased to offer dormitories at an exceptional rate of $127 per person for a single room and $113 per person for a double room for a five night stay beginning on Sunday or Monday (all rooms have single beds; double rooms have separate beds or bunk bed configurations). Extra nights are available for $26 per person per night for single rooms and $23 per person per night for double rooms. WWU is offering a linen package for an additional $25 including pillow, pillowcase, light blanket, sheets, one bath towel, one hand towel, and one washcloth. Earliest check in is on Friday, 8/4/6 and latest check out is on Monday, 8/14/6.

We have most of the rooms in buildings 10, 11, and 12 of the Fairhaven complex on the WWU campus and you can check out the floor plans at www.housing.wwu.edu/facilities/acadweb/fairhaven.php. Room type and availability are limited, so make your reservation soon!!

Don’t forget that these are dorm rooms and a great place for all of us cavers to hole up together. They are also ideal in their location to the sessions, howdy party, banquet, and other Convention activities. Rooms do not have phones and hotel amenities cannot be provided. Bathrooms are shared – a minimum of two rooms per bathroom to a maximum of five rooms per bathroom. Laundry rooms are available. Some rooms are part of suites, but rooms are rented by the room, not the suite. We will do our best to accommodate special requests, but unfortunately we cannot guarantee specific room assignments.

Camping:
Your least expensive option is camping at Sehome high school near the WWU campus for $15 per person for the entire Convention week. Sehome has given us permission to use a couple of their open soccer fields, in addition to bathrooms and showers. This is tent camping only and vehicles must remain in the paved parking area at all times. We will have wagons available to help you set up camp. Due to the amount of rain the fields receive during the year, vehicles will cause irreparable damage to the fields, and we want Sehome to be able to continue to use them for their intended purpose. RVs and the like will be allowed in the parking lot, but no hook ups will be provided.

This camping area is in a convenient location, no more than a ½ mile walk to sessions.

If you don’t want to haul your gear all the way across country, check out the REI in Bellingham (400 36th Street, Bellingham, WA 98225) to rent your camping gear at www.rei.com/stores/rentals.html#washington or 360-647-8955. The store is practically next door to Sehome High School.

If you’re looking for a Washington State campground, check out Larrabee State Park at www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Larrabee&pageno=1, but make your reservations early as Washington State Parks tend to fill up well in advance of peak season.

Note, all prices above for dormitories and camping are quoted for early registration. Registration after 6/15/6 incurs additional charges, so check our web site at www.nss2006.com for current pricing.

On your walk to sessions, you can find Sehome Hill Arboretum and a great climbing/rappelling rock between WWU and Sehome High School. We hope to have this rigged sometime during Convention for your vertical fun.

Hotels/Motels:
The official Convention hotels are:

Days Inn Bellingham
215 North Samish Way
Bellingham, WA 98225
800-734-0888
360-734-8830
$99-$139/night
www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=00996&brandInfo=DI

and

Bellingham Travel Lodge
101 N. Samish Way
Bellingham, WA 98225
360-733-8280
$60-$95/night – weekends are priced higher
www.travelodge.com/Travelodge/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=08842&brandInfo=TL

Make sure to check exact rates with the individual hotels for the week of Convention and let them know you’re with the NSS 2006 Convention.

We are informed there are several other events occurring in Bellingham the weekends before and after Convention, so please make your reservations early or you may find yourself without a room to sleep in!!

But, why spend all that money on a hotel when you can be right next to sessions and socializing with other cavers in one of our fantastic dorm rooms.

Can’t wait to see you all there!

Michael McCormack
NSS 2006 Convention Chairman, and the Convention committee.

[Sharon Faulkner]

The 2006 Convention discussion/message board is now available:

www.nss2006.com/msgboard/

[Sharon Faulkner]

Last day to pre-register for the 2006 NSS Convention!

[Sharon Faulkner]

Couldn't resist passing on this unique call for volunteers. Sounds like being a part of the Convention volunteer staff will be a blast with Matt leading the troops.
----------------------------

Hey cavers -

If you missed out on those sharp looking OSHA-Orange t-shirts at Porterville a few years ago, here's your chance to get with the "in" crowd!

Impress your friends and startle your enemies by volunteering for Security Detail at Convention 2006! You too can be all-visible in your blaze-orange t-shirt that proudly identifies you as a member of the Bellingham Advanced Reconnaissance Force (Team BARF!)

But wait, there's more!

Call us crazy, but we're giving away FREE t-shirts to anyone that volunteers 3 (or more) shifts on the security detail at the Bellingham convention. At last report, we've been told they expect around 700 cavers to descend on the Pacific northwest in a couple weeks. You're certain to make new friends when you proudly declare, "YES!", they really do have to wear those badges and, "NO!", their minor children can't drink alcohol!

Grab life by the nostrils and seize the day, fellow cavers! Rise to the level of an uber-explorer while directing the huddled masses into the photo salon and guarding the doors to the Howdy Party.

Our top-secret staffing list has now been declassified so don't delay! Visit www.thirdmedia.com/nss2006/ before all the cool jobs are gone. This is sure to be the BEST NSS CONVENTION ever held in Bellingham, Washington!

Is security just too exciting for you? For other volunteer opportunities, please contact Sam Kilian at [e-mail] for program support & general staffing options. Yes, he has free t-shirts too!

Serious enquiries only. Team BARF is an equal opportunity employer. Offer not available in stores.

See you up north!

Matt Bowers
Security Coordinator
Bellingham Convention
[phone]

Please feel free to spam every cave list you can think of with this important message. That is all.