The crew at the Cave Park has been looking for exciting new ways to help the public experience the caves and this Summer we have made three new changes to way we have rigged the ropes for the Achilles Challenge Tour and the Max Depth Adventure Tour.
1. A Rope Swing!
A pool of water dubbed “Flemmings Folly” due to an incident in 1971 when a man fell in and got completely soaked had for years been filled in with river rocks to prevent any other such follies from occurring. Over the winter, a turbulent river flowing through the cave pushes all of those rocks within it further into the cave, so every summer when we access the back end of the cave the beautiful pool would be back. Obviously the cave is trying to tell us that the pool should not be tampered with! So we decided on a new approach and installed this fun little rope swing to get people across the pool. It’s short and sweet but it puts a smile on your face and adds to the adventure. The fact it is still possible to have a folly and get a bit wet keeps things exciting!
2. A Traverse Line at Achilles Pot
What may be the largest Calcite Formation on Vancouver Island dwells within Achilles Pot. This ancient formation has been growing for thousands of years and deserves to be fully seen in all its glory. So to give people a better view we added at traverse line that gets people around a narrow corner (40ft above a pool of water below) and onto a ledge just a few feet away from the crystal formation. Clipping into that line and edging along onto that shelf takes courage and this new element is THE Achilles Challenge. Do you have what it takes?
3. A Guided Rappel at the Rainbarrel
Rappelling meets Ziplining with this new technique that changes the trajectory of the rappeler and keeps them clear of the walls their way down their descent in this beautiful 7 story chamber. You control the speed of the descent with your rappelling device and enjoy the ride as the guide line you are clipped to pulls you into the centre of the chamber for a magnificent view of your surroundings. Our new system for belaying the clients through the experience makes things more fun and more efficient. This Rappel is a big moment so we figured out the best way to do it justice!
Stay tuned for more exciting new elements which may be in store for the future. We’ve got so many ideas!
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