If you are looking for a brand new adventurous activity to celebrate Christmas in the mountains, you just have to go 10 storeys underground to find it.
Canmore Cave Tours and Valley Winds Choir have teamed up to combine the adventure of caving in Rat’s Nest Cave with Christmas carols in an event dubbed Spirit in the Mountain.
The magical adventure is the result of Canmore Cave Tours owner Adam Walker’s imagination at work in thinking about combining the Grand Gallery in Rat’s Nest Cave with Christmas.
“I contacted Valley Winds and they were a little bit surprised, but I got two of the directors into the cave a couple of weeks back and they were blown away when they sang.
“I’m just jazzed about it.”
Eight Valley Winds choral members will sing carols in the Grand Gallery, which is 10 storeys underground. Expert guides will lead guests through the twisting passages of Rat’s Nest Cave into the cave’s largest chamber for the concert.
Afterwards, when guests emerge from the cave the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas will greet them. Beamer’s Coffee Bar and Canmore Sweatshop have also partnered in the event to bring it all to life.
Valley Winds board chair and member Robert Hudson admitted the exciting proposal to perform in an underground cave couldn’t be turned down, although there was mixed reaction.
“We have a choir with a mixture of people in it and ages; there were looks of delight on so many faces with the thought of doing this cavern (concert) that I knew we had a captive audience,” he said. “There were some of the older people who were rolling their eyes and thinking ‘I am never going to be down there.’
“It didn’t take long for the signup lists to fill up.”
Hudson said he went underground to the Grand Gallery to get a sense of the space and it created the sound one would expect from a cathedral, with the acoustics filling the entire space.
“We could fill our imagination with the possibilities,” he said. “I am sure people who participate are going to have an unforgettable experience, as will our choir members who will be able to perform and participate in this.”
Spirit in the Mountain runs Dec. 18-22 at 6 p.m. and lasts four and a half hours, with approximately two hours spent underground. The cost is $155 for adults and $135 for youth aged 10 to 15 years. The minimum age to take the tour is 10 years old.
The evening involves hiking into the cave at night with headlamps. Caving itself is a strenuous activity and all participants must have a good level of fitness and appropriate footwear.
Go to www.canmorecavetours.com for more information and to purchase tickets to the event.
