Vertical Bill''s Tower

“Vertical Bill’s Tower” to be Constructed at the NSS Headquarters in Huntsville

By Miki Manning #70570

Director and Fundraising Chair, NSS

At the fall Board of Governors meeting in Golden, CO, the construction of, and fundraising for, a vertical training tower in honor of the late Bill Cuddington, was unanimously approved.

Perhaps there are still some among us who do not know the history of Bill Cuddington. He was widely known as the “Father of Vertical Caving,” or just “Vertical Bill” for short. Bill passed away on August 5th of this year at the age of 88, leaving behind his wife and climbing partner, Miriam.  Who whole heartedly supports this project. Bill’s NSS number was 2177–making him a 70-year member. He pioneered the Single Rope Technique (SRT) cavers use to this day, and was the first to use this method to explore 200’+ pits. He was also the first person to rappel 1000 feet on a rock face. In brief, a legend. To learn more about Bill’s epic history, we highly recommend “Vertical Bill: The Story of Bill Cuddington, and the Development of Vertical Caving in America,” authored by David W. Hughes, and available from the NSS Bookstore. 

Vertical Bill’s Tower is the perfect way to honor his legacy. He dedicated his life to mentoring cavers in SRT, and even had a rope climbing gym at his own house. Our hope is to create a premier outdoor education facility that will draw cavers from all over the country to our beautiful Headquarters. The tower will offer a safe learning environment where any number of organizations such as, Grottoes, the National Cave Rescue Commission, the Vertical Training Commission, and even the Boy Scouts, will be able to educate on Single Rope Technique, alpine rigging, and rescue training in a controlled environment.

We’ve set a fundraising goal of $150,000 to cover building costs, ongoing maintenance, and insurance. Help us build the future of the National Speleological Society and memorialize our dear Bill Cuddington at the same time by making a donation to the Vertical Tower Campaign today.