How Do I Get Into Caving?

1. Generally we suggest that if you’ve never been caving

before, you may wish to start out with a guided ‘wild

cave’ tour offered by a commercial operator, such as

Horne Lake or Cody Caves in BC, or Canmore Cave Tours

in Alberta, or the tour of Trou du Diable of Saint-Casimir

in Quebec.

Alternatively, you can accompany experienced cavers,

preferably ones who are affiliated with one of the

provincial caving clubs, most of which hold events every

year at which novices are welcome. If you enjoy the

experience, go to step 2. If not, you will still have a nice

adventure tale to tell.

2. Joining an organized caving club or society is your

next logical step. Although they are not formal training

or certification agencies, they can provide progressive

orientation or training experiences and opportunities

for mentorship from experienced trip leaders. You will

be able to make contacts with other cavers and become

aware of self-organized trips among members, in

addition to the "club" events. Getting mentoring from

advanced cavers and gaining experience on actual trips

is a terrific way to gradually build your skills and

confidence. You will learn that caving has its own

subculture, jargon, body of literature, and norms /

expectations regarding cave conservation, naming

conventions, responsible exploration, and of course

safety. Most provincial caving societies will have a Code

of Conduct for you to sign which will embody these

principles.

3. If you want to get very far into caving in more

advanced environments, particularly in the Alberta/BC

Rockies where the caves tend to have a significant

vertical component, you are definitely going to want to

learn Single Rope Technique (SRT) and acquire the

necessary gear -- some of which is deliberately different

from standard climbing gear. Please note that while

prior experience in rappelling, rock or ice-climbing etc.

is certainly helpful, you will need to learn some

specialized techniques to handle vertical caving safely

and efficiently.

4. Take on a variety of progressive challenges with

cavers who have skills, experience and goals with which

you are comfortable. You can branch out in many ways,

from continued “tourist caving” to serious expedition

caving, take courses or attend events with the US

National Speleological Society, or become involved in a

Cave Rescue organization, for example.