MEDIA RELEASE www.banffcentre.ca

February 16, 2001

Beneath the Peaks – Caves of the Canadian Rockies

Beneath the Canadian Rockies lies a hidden environment, where temperatures never change, where underground rivers flow through sinuous passages and where stalactites and stalagmites decorate huge caverns. On Thursday, March 1, the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture invites you to join caver/speleologist Jonathan Rollins for "Beneath the Peaks – Caves of the Canadian Rockies". Rollins’ presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Max Bell Auditorium.

The Canadian Rockies are home to the longest cave in Canada and the deepest caves in North America. Notable historic explorations include Conrad Kain's 1911 foray into Arctomys Cave—the deepest cave in North America—and the 1924 Columbia Icefields expedition when Byron Harmon took pictures in the entrance of Castleguard cave.

Today cave exploration in the Rockies is the preserve of a relatively small number of individuals who have the skills and the knowledge to venture into this underground world.

Jonathan Rollins has been an active caver for 20 years, exploring caves in Canada, Mexico and Central America. He was a member of a National Geographic expedition to Belize during which one of the largest subterranean chambers in the world was discovered. Rollins is a past president of the Alberta Speleological Society and author of the soon-to-be-published Great Caves of the Canadian Rockies. Rollins makes his home in Canmore, Alberta where he runs a professional cave-guiding company.

Research for Great Caves of the Canadian Rockies was supported by a Banff Centre for Mountain Culture Grant. The book is scheduled for publication next fall/winter by Rocky Mountain Books. An exhibit of cave photographs gathered during Rollins’ research will remain on display in the Max Bell Foyer until mid-May.

Tickets for "Beneath the Peaks – Caves of the Canadian Rockies" are $5.00 per person, free to CMC members. Tickets are available at the door or in advance by calling the Banff Centre Box Office at 762-6301.

Jonathan Rollins: 678-3522