Every Thursday afternoon, not far from the Perovo metro station, a motley crew of young and middle-aged Russians gathers together after work for beers and cigarettes and to discuss their plans for exploring Russia's hidden chambers, underground rivers, lava tubes and 100-meter descents. They are the Moscow Caving Club, otherwise known as the Perovo Speloklub, a group of about 30 cavers who take off on five to six expeditions a year in search of adventure and even a little relaxation.

According to Grigory Sanevich, a long-time club member, there are few words to describe the rush of being in a cave. "You might as well ask why we love. When you see a place that no human has ever set eyes on before, it's fantastic," he said. Cavers say they are charmed by the thrill of exploring the unknown and being transported into a strange subterranean environment, completely cut off from the world above.

"The feeling you get when you drop into a cave is just so exciting, like you're entering a whole different world," said 18-year-old Stanislav Balashov. He also added that auditory hallucinations aren't uncommon. There is one artificial cave outside of Moscow, but according to club members it's not worth visiting, except for quick weekend trips.

"Everything is vertical, so for us it's not very interesting," said Balashov. There are several caving clubs in Moscow, but the three biggest and most organized are the Perovo club, Barrier - a club run by the Moscow Physical-Technical Institute - and Sokolniki at the People's Friendship University. The latter two are primarily run by students, but anyone is welcome to join.

Most of the club members go caving in the spirit of adventure only and leave serious speleology - the scientific study of caves - to the experts. But Sanevich did say that they occasionally receive requests from scientists to examine a new place, or look for a new chamber. To keep their skills up to date, Russian clubs organize competitions where they try to beat each other in crawling, climbing, knot-tying and other caving-related events. The latest competition was two weeks ago in St. Petersburg, where Moscow State University's caving team took first place.

To join, all you need to do is come down to one club during the usual appointed meeting time and introduce yourself. Perovo meets every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Barrier meets every Friday at 6 p.m., but they advise that you call ahead, because their schedule fluctuates. The Sokolniki School meets at the People's Friendship University every Monday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and also offers beginners the chance to take a course and join an expedition, but they require participants to pass a test before going. The good news is that it's free of charge.

Meetings at Perovo are very informal, as they proved by drinking beer as they rolled out their equipment on the night I visited. Members usually supply some of their own equipment, while climbing ropes and caribeners, plus some headlamps and helmets, are supplied by the club. Most clubs are student-oriented, so they usually don't ask more than 100 rubles per participant, and even that fee can be waived for young people with no jobs or means of support.

"For a student, 50 rubles is a lot of money," said Sanevich. Larger donations are more than welcome, of course. Perovo also teaches cave diving, but not for beginners and not for free. Membership is not restricted by age or sex; all clubs ask is that you be in shape and interested. There aren't many women among Perovo's 30 members, which is unfortunate, according to Sanevich, since they make better cavers than men. "Women are wonderful cavers. They're smaller and more agile, so they can make beautiful maneuvers," he said.

Some caves, like the deepest known cave in the world, Voronya, located in the former Soviet republic of Abkhazia, are difficult for beginners, but others are more accessible. Novy Afinya (New Athens) in Abkhazia, for example, even has its own metro inside, built for tourists during Soviet days. Of course, caving is not without its risks, and accidents are not uncommon. Overall, most expeditions come off without a hitch, but death and injury are always real possibilities. None of the cavers interviewed for this story wanted to discuss past accidents related to their organizations.

The equipment Perovo uses to descend into caves isn't of the highest quality. Most club members bring along their own foreign-made harnesses and headlamps and any other equipment they can afford, but a lot of the safety equipment, like caribeners, clamps and ropes, are of Russian manufacture - sturdy, but not lightweight or well-made. Other equipment, like backpacks and suits, club members make themselves, if they can't afford them. Perovo takes about five to six trips a year, while Barrier usually takes three around the student holidays. Reaching caves in the winter can be difficult, but inside caves the temperature rarely gets higher than one or two degrees Celsius.

Most trips are to the Caucasus, although the former Soviet republic and current supposed hotbed of terrorist activity of Abkhazia remains the most popular destination thanks to its beautiful limestone caves. Trips can last anywhere from a couple of days to three weeks. Forays inside the caves usually just take a couple of hours, especially with beginners, but more experienced members of the group will take trips for as long as one week.

Locations

CSKA Sports Complex
39a Leningradsky Prospekt
Metro: Aeroport
Tel: 213-7163

Torpedo Stadium
4 Vostochnaya Ul.
Metro: Avtozavodskaya
Tel: 275-1686

Luzhniki Stadium
24 Luzhnetskaya Nab.
Metro: Sportivnaya
Tel: 201-1164

Dynamo Stadium
36 Leningradsky Prospekt
Metro: Dynamo
Tel: 213-7781

Krylatskoye Cycling Track
10 Krylatskaya Ul.
Metro: Molodyozhnaya
Tel: 141-2224

Olympiisky Sports Complex
16 Olympiisky Prospekt
Metro: Prospekt Mira
Tel: 239-1994

Klyazma Water Reservoir
Village Vodniki; local train from Savyolovsky Station and local bus No. 33
Metro: Savyolovskaya
Tel: 576-4355

Perovo Caving Club
5 Metalurgov Ul.

Metro: Perevo
Tel: 306-3273
after 7:00 p.m.,
or 284-7412, 302-4325

Barrier Club
8 Pervomaiskaya Ul.
Metro: Izmailovskaya
Tel: 576-3463

Sokolniki Club
6 Miklukho-Maklaya Ul.
Metro: Yugo-Zapadnaya