Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 14, 2026) - Ridgeline Minerals Corp. (TSXV: RDG) (OTCQB: RDGMF) (FSE: 0GC0) ("Ridgeline" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the initiation of the Company's 2026 partner-funded drill program at the Chinchilla Sulfide Carbonate Replacement ("CRD") discovery at the Selena ("Selena") project.

Drilling will take a phased approach in 2026 with the program starting with three deep holes targeting the Chinchilla Sulfide discovery (Figure 1 & Picture 1)

• SE26-055 is a 250m step-out to the northeast of 2025 discovery hole SE25-053 which intersected multiple lenses of massive sulfide CRD style mineralization ranging from 1.1 - 17.4m thick including highlight intercepts of 1.1m grading 27.0% Zn, 60.1 g/t Ag, 0.7% Pb, 1.5 g/t Au, 0.4% Cu, 0.03% Sb (766.4 g/t AgEq or 31.9% ZnEq) starting at 943m downhole, true thickness unknown
  • And: 17.4 meters grading 6.0% Zn, 35.6 g/t Ag, 0.5% Pb, 0.2 g/t Au, 0.1% Cu, 0.1% Sb (219.9 g/t AgEq or 9.2% ZnEq) (Figure 1)
  • And: 8.7 meters grading 7.0% Zn, 13.9 g/t Ag, 0.3% Pb, 0.1 g/t Au, 0.1% Cu, 0.01% Sb (175.5 g/t AgEq or 7.3% ZnEq) (See December 18, 2025 PR HERE)
• SE26-056 will test between SE25-053 and the Company's 2022 RC drillhole SE22-038 that intercepted 1.5m grading 97.4 g/t Ag, 4.9% Zn, 0.1% Pb and 0.4 g/t Au in the same oxide upper horizon as SE25-054 (see March 16, 2026 PR HERE) but did not drill deep enough to test the projection of the same sulfide CRD horizon that was intercepted in SE25-053 (Figure 1)
• SE26-057 will test a new target concept adjacent to the Butte Valley Cu-Au-Ag-Zn porphyry system with the goal of intersecting copper-silver enriched skarn mineralization that is projected along the margins of the Butte Valley porphyry (Figure 1)
• Borehole electromagnetic ("BHEM") surveys will be completed in early-mid June in holes SE25-053 and SE25-054 to assist in the 3D modelling of conductive sulphide-rich zones at depth and laterally from the drill holes. It is anticipated that results from the BHEM surveys will help guide additional future drilling at the project.

About Selena
The Selena project is a silver-lead-zinc-gold-copper ± antimony carbonate replacement ("CRD") style exploration project operated by Ridgeline Minerals and funded by a wholly owned subsidiary of South32 Limited ("South32"). The project is currently operating under Phase I of an exploration earn-in agreement totaling up to US$10,000,000 in qualifying expenditures over a 5-year period. South32 has spent approximately US$5,600,000 in qualifying expenditures through year-2 of the earn-in agreement and approved a year-3 work program and budget of US$4,400,000. This budget, once funded and executed, is expected to satisfy Phase I of the exploration earn-in agreement (for more details see August 22, 2024 press release HERE).

Figure 1: Plan view map of the Selena property with Chinchilla Sulfide drill results and the Phase I 2026 drill collar locations (red stars)

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Picture 1: Photo of National EWP's RC rig collaring SE26-055, a 250m step out from 2025 discovery hole SE25-053

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QAQC Procedures
Selena HQ & NQ size core samples are split by core saw with ½ the sample retained at the Company warehouse and the other ½ bagged and submitted to American Assay Laboratories (AAL) of Sparks, Nevada, which is a certified and accredited laboratory, independent of the Company. Independent check samples are shipped to Paragon Geochemical Labs (PAL) of Sparks, Nevada. Samples are prepared using industry-standard prep methods and analysed using FA-PB30-ICP (Au; 30g fire assay) and ICP-5AM48 (48 element Suite; 0.5g 5-acid digestion/ICP-MS) methods. AAL also undertakes its own internal coarse and pulp duplicate analysis to ensure proper sample preparation and equipment calibration. Ridgeline's QA/QC program includes regular insertion of CRM standards, duplicates, and blanks into the sample stream with a stringent review of all results completed by the Company's Qualified Person, Michael T. Harp, Vice President, Exploration.

Technical information contained in this news release has been prepared under the supervision of, and approved by, Michael T. Harp, CPG, the Company's Vice President, Exploration. Mr. Harp is a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Ridgeline Minerals Corp.
Ridgeline Minerals is a discovery focused precious and base metal explorer with a proven management team and a 200 km² exploration portfolio across seven projects in Nevada, USA. The Company is a hybrid explorer with a mix of 100%-owned exploration assets (Big Blue, Atlas, Bell Creek & Coyote) as well as two earn-in exploration agreements with Nevada Gold Mines at its Swift and Black Ridge projects and a third earn-in with South32 at its Selena project totaling up to US $60 million in partner-funded exploration expenditures. More information about Ridgeline can be found at www.ridgelineminerals.com.

On behalf of the Board
"Chad Peters"
President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release

Cautionary Note regarding Forward Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, the assay results for core holes SE25-053 and SE25-054 and the potential significance thereof. The words "potential", "anticipate", "meaningful", "significant", "pending", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "plan", "historical", "historic" and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify Forward-Looking Information. Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Information. In preparing the Forward-Looking Information in this news release, Ridgeline has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions that the current objectives concerning the Selena project can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected; that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner; and that all requisite information will be available in a timely manner. Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Ridgeline to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks related to dependence on key personnel; risks related to unforeseen delays; risks related to historical data that has not been verified by the Company; as well as those factors discussed in Ridgeline's public disclosure record. Although Ridgeline has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Ridgeline and may cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Ridgeline does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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Source: Ridgeline Minerals Corp.