Caver freed from Canmore's 'Psych Squeeze' after 12-hour rescue
Volunteer rescuers tested newly built underground radio technology for the first time during the operation at Rat's Nest Cave near Canmore.
Why it matters
The rescue highlights both the risks of narrow cave passages and new volunteer-developed technology that could aid future underground emergency responses in Alberta.
A caver became trapped vertically in a narrow passage known as the 'Psych Squeeze' inside Rat's Nest Cave near Canmore on Saturday, prompting a lengthy rescue operation, according to Search and Rescue Alberta.
The man became pinned around 11:30 a.m., and the Alberta/BC Cave Rescue team was called in to free him. Crews used hammer drills to remove surrounding rock, working in a painstaking process described as advancing only 'inches per hour.'
The operation marked the first use of volunteer-built underground radio technology to aid communication during a cave rescue. The caver was freed around 10 p.m. and finally emerged from the cave around midnight, roughly 12 hours after becoming trapped.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.