"It Depends"

In Canyoneering there are arguments that will just never die.  I guess this is the same in any other sport probably.  I mean how long are we going to be talking about Tom Brady's deflated Balls?  Well, I guess that's not an argument, if they were they were.  But, lets leave that for the campfire discussion.

Canyoneers get set in their ways and as a training school we like to help them get set in those ways early on.  We seek the opportunities to help train future explorers to be safe and rig their rope systems responsibly.  After a few years they hopefully gain enough experience and understanding to start making some decisions on the subject matter on their own.  One of the most hotly debated concepts is the subject of Single Strand Rope Rappel or Double Strand Rope Rappel - Often times abbreviated as SRT vs. DRT (Single/Double Rope Technique).

Photo from Climbing Magazine: Unbelayvable Article
The Art Project

This topic came up last week on a Canyoneering forum discussion and I used it as a Q&A topic for our Facebook page this week.  Just last evening while surfing Twitter I came across an article posted by Climbing Magazine poking fun at an anchor rigging set up that a climber stumbled across:

http://www.climbing.com/news/unbelayvable-the-art-project-anchor/  What was common in all these discussions about rope technique in canyoneering is the usual "It Depends."

For new Canyoneers we teach a single rope technique set up in what is called a contingency anchor format.  Climbers look at us and with one eye brow raised they go - Huh?  Why?  Why not just set it up Double Strand and be done with it.  No fuss, no muss.  Well, that's all well and good for a climber who understands putting a rope through a point and rappelling down to the next point, but in Canyoneering "It Depends."

Learning to lower a stuck rappeller on an SRT
contingency Anchor

Teaching a "Newb" to single rope a contingency anchor offers them the opportunity to better self rescue or buddy rescue if the need arises.  Without going into a long discourse on the how the setup works, it allows one to better ascend the rope, or have a partner lower them down from on top, or quickly convert to a haul and raise them up.  In a double rope scenario, all this can be accomplished as well, but through much longer processes and equipment usage.  

In Canyoneering, not all of our rappels are straight down.  Some wind around a corridor in the canyon, some squeeze through/over/or under pinch points, some land in pools of water where you may be swimming, or just wading, may not know til you get there.  Some are through waterfalls pounding on your head and back pack and forcing you to the ground.  "It all Depends."

Aaron dropping over an 80' rappel SRT on
contingency setup

Setting up a double rope rappel can complicate some of these situations with rope retrieval, or with plain old safety.  Halving a rope and dropping it into a pool of water could complicate the disconnect from the rappel if you are swimming at the same time.  40'-50' of rope being kicked underneath you while treading water can cause entanglement or complicate trying to disconnect as well as dropping your rappel device completely.  Single strand can alleviate some of these issues.

There are many many arguments for each side of the coin DRT vs. SRT or is it SRT vs. DRT???  "It Depends."  Once a Canyoneer gets some training under their belt, and some understanding of canyon dynamics, I hope you go out practice and understand the fundamentals more and you will be able to then decide on each and every drop, is it going to be an SRT or a DRT drop?

Oh, and that anchor in Climbing Magazine - it is called a Joker setup.  The pic shows two different setups used to rappel 2-4 people simultaneously.  If it were me, I would have equalized the setup off the two bolts instead of using each one independently, but Hey, they are a guide company, they must know what they are doing right?

Join us for Canyoneering chatter on Twitter: @North_Wash use #CanyonChat

The Dawn of the Ages

What did you do to ring in the New Year?  While most of us carry on with our wild parties, our fireworks and late night / early morning shennanigans, two individuals laid in their sleeping bags suspended high above the valley floor in Yosemite's National Park.  

On December 27th the pair of Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson embarked on a climb that captivated the world and held many of us hostage to our social media for 19 days.  If you have been living in a cave, you might not have heard about this, but for anyone watching any mainstream news source, you will have heard about these two.  They were climbing the Dawn Wall of the famed El Capitan peak in Yosemite National Park in California.  What's so great about that you ask?  Well, I asked the same thing when I started hearing about it.  People make climbs every day, why don't we hear about these all the time.  I think part of the reason this one is so talked about now, is that they were on social media during the entire 19 day event, (well except for Tommy who dropped his phone a week before the final push).

I didn't start paying attention to this event until it was almost over.  What was so great about this one vs. any other climb.  For me, a canyoneer (failed climber) I wasn't too much into the climbing stuff anymore.  As I started paying attention, I started studying the history of the Dawn Wall and realizing what was taking place.  This was a climb that had only ever been done using aid gear.  The holds and grabs were so small that no one had ever accomplished it cleanly without aid gear (bolts, cams, pitons attached with aiders).  These two, if accomplished, would be the first ever to get up the route cleanly and freely without the use of gear to stand on.  

The next thing I found out was that Tommy had been pursuing this goal since 2007.  That right there hit me, it smacked me in the face like a 2x4.  I actually became emotional when I realized what completing this climb meant to Tommy.  He probably really didn't care about all the fanfare that was following it, or about the amounts of attention he was getting and going to get.  He had his eyes on a prize, his eye on a goal and had a dream to accomplish.  This is what this meant to me after studying it.  As the world sat in our warm homes and chairs watching this event unfold, we were witnessing a man fulfill a dream and goal.  This climb is probably the toughest physically anyone could do, but mentally, Tommy was in charge.  He planned and prepped and studied and practiced this route in micro visits for years.  Having done every bit of the wall before hand in small chunks, he knew it was doable, if only time would give it to him.

The Dawn Wall ascent, while a physical triumph, will go down in history as one man beating his demons and accomplishing his goals.  We learn that perseverance can triumph.  We learn that having a team strong enough as you and keeping the pressure on is important.  Never ever give up on your goals and dreams.  Find your own Dawn Wall and beat the crap out of it.  Fight it and conquer it!

Mother Knows Best

As a young child I was taught that Mother ALWAYS Knows Best.  Many of us were taught this, or more or less, were forced to have this engraved into our psyche at a young age. We are given the opportunity as we grow to learn and develop our own sense of what we should and shouldn't do.  But in the end of course - Mother Knows Best or as I have modified - Mother is Always Right (and now that I'm married I'm constantly reminded that Mommy is always right).

What does this have to do with outdoor adventure you may ask - well it has everything to do with it.  It was the first outdoor lesson that I was taught without my parents even realizing it.  Let me elaborate a bit.

2014 saw it's shares of mishaps and misadventures in the canyons.  Early on in the year it looked like it was going to be a rough year for adventurers.  For those of you that have been in our office you might have seen my white board above my desk with the quote on it "Without Risk There is No Reward".  In adventure sports this rings very true.  We risk our lives in search of that next great thrill, or to see the next great landscape that many others are not willing to put risk into to see.  When I take clients out I explain to them that the places they will see today, the majority of the human race will never experience.  It is only with that step off the edge into the abyss and the trust in the rope do we see some wonderful sights.  "Without Risk There is No Reward."

What does this have to do with my Mother?  Well, not in the sense you are thinking, although I did tell a friend, Ram, this year that my mother would die if she saw what I was doing as I slid down a rock slab landing into a pool of water in a crevasse about 16" wide.  The Mother I refer to in adventure sports is our very own Mother Nature.  She always knows best, or in any sense, she is always right.  Her laws and rules are permanent and we had better be mindful of them.  

Many times we find a way to circumvent those rules for just a little bit, or a way to manage them to our advantage.  We mitigate gravity with ropes and parachutes.

One issue that has always plagued us is the decision to go or not to go.  This generally has more to do with the laws that Mother Nature has outlined in regards to weather and the safety that comes from the issues of diving into a slot canyon filled with water, or where water can potentially accumulate and take control of you.  I try to instill in students during our courses that the hazards in canyons can be mitigated to a point to enjoy the adventure, but that when the hazards start adding up to more than we can mitigate at once, the risk becomes too great and it's not worth the reward anymore.  The canyon will be there another day, let's make sure that we are as well.

I make no hesitation when booking trips to tell potential clients that if the weather seems questionable or the canyon seems out of reach at the time, then we won't be going in.  I know there has been many that have been disappointed in this.  A little over a year ago some potential clients booked and then proceeded to fly in from the Netherlands.  After frequent communication and constant weather checking I cancelled the trip.  They drove to our town just for the trip and showed up to talk with me.  I explained that the recent storms and the future forecast has me too concerned for the safety to feel it will turn out in our favor.  They, while being disappointed, expressed understanding and went on their way.  Their natural path of travel took them past the canyons we were going to do and they spent the night there getting up early in the morning to look around.  There were many other recreational canyoneers also camping at this location and they tried to convince these guys to go out with them instead.  The clients declined relying on my hesitation they later told me.  When they contacted me after getting back to the Netherlands they sent me some pictures of the wash outs in that area that happened that day from rain storms.  The entire campsite where they were was flooded out and later reports surfaced that some of the groups who had gone into the canyons were caught in flash floods and some minor injuries incurred.  Thankfully nothing serious.

Another client this year booked a trip and the weather the days leading up to it was pretty bad, but the day of the trip was really nice.  We headed out and entered the canyon drainage.  We donned our wet suits and harnesses and started down.  50 yds into the canyon we hit the first technical section requiring some gear to drop in.  I observed that the prior storms had filled the canyon with a large amount of debris and I knew that if this was just the beginning, and the rest of the canyon was like this we were gonna have a rough day.  By starting out this way we may hit spots that would be impassable.  I aborted the trip right there citing the potential obstacles and the hazards that may be encountered causing us some undue hardships and potential dangers.  

Currently in the past few weeks ending off the 2014 year, we have cancelled two trips that once we started down the road, the light rain we left town in turned to heavy snow and the roads were snow packed to a point that we were not sure about even getting to the canyon which was still over an hour away.  Trip aborted, clients taken back to town.  

As I began typing this out the other day, I sat here wondering if I was gonna be in a canyon the next day for the Annual FreezeFest Black Hole trip.  Due to the weather forecast it was predicting some snow fall. The day came and the snow was there.  Not only did I not go, but the rest of the crew that had been out camping also chose that the risk of attempting any canyon that day was far too high to make the venture worth anyone's safety.

This year several video's surfaced on YouTube outlining the question, do we sometimes risk too much in the outdoors.  Do we often push that envelope just a little to far?  Maybe with a little more training and some respect for our Mother things will look up this year.  I am hoping that the New Year will start off wonderful, that we may all be out in the back country enjoying our favorite activities, but that we head the call of Mother Nature in a way that will be able to bring us back again and again and again.  May the New Year bless you all with safety, entertainment, enjoyment, and fun.  The canyons will be there another day if only you will be too to enjoy them.  See ya in the Canyons.

WARNING NOTICE - SOME VIDEOS ATTACHED HERE CONTAIN STRONG LANGUAGE.  LISTENER BE WARNED!

Zion: Rock of Refuge from Eric Hanson on Vimeo.

Arches New Canyoneering and Climbing Management Plan

The inevitable has happened now in Arches.  With the growth of Canyoneering we will undoubtedly continue to see other areas and land management agencies start following suite, most especially if there is a continued rise in the the accidents and rescue calls for these activities in the future.  Here is the statement from the NPS regarding the permit system along with some links to more information:

Officially starting Friday March 7, free day use permits, required for canyoneering in Arches, will be available outside the visitor center at an information/permit kiosk. With the exception of canyoneering in the Fiery Furnace, all canyoneers must fill out a permit, drop the copy of the permit in the box provided and attach original to their person when canyoneering in the park. Group sizes for canyoneering in the park are a maxium of 10 persons per group, except in Lost Spring Canyon (6 persons or less are required). There are no day use limits on permits.  A kiosk will be placed out near Lost Spring Canyon on BLM land for canyoneers to acquire permits for these routes without having to go to the VC in the near future.

For those canyoneering in the Fiery Furnace, groups sizes are required to be 6 persons or less, and must obtain their permit for a fee through the front desk and normal Fiery Furnace process. There is no change to the Fiery Furnace process except canyoneers must be in groups of 6 or less. The canyoneering permit for the park is different than the one required for the Fiery Furnace. 

Rock climbers are not required to obtain permits but we are encouraging these users to stop by the VC at the outside kiosk to check on updates to route closures, read the new regulations and to fill out a permit for safety reasons and to help the park obtain better visitor use data. Rock climbers are now required to be in groups of 5 persons or less.

A free online permit system will be up and running by the beginning of summer for both activities. We will let everyone know when this goes live too.

The park website has now been updated with both a Canyoneering page and Rock Climbing page, both under "Plan Your Visit/Things to Do". 

http://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/canyoneer.htm

http://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/rock_climbing.htm

These pages list the new regulations, group size limits, permit process, established routes and new route establishment, updates on route closures and overall information on conducting these activities safely while practicing Leave No Trace ethics.

We are also compiling an email list of interested rock climbers and canyoneers to help the park review new route applications which require fixed gear. If you or someone you know would be interested in this process, please contact 435-719-2220. When the new route application process starts and applications are received by the park, I will post the applications online for your substantive comments. The park will then take these comments into consideration when completing the environmental analysis and approval process.

We appreciate your patience as we work through the phases and kinks of implementing these new requirements. If you have any questions please call 435-719-2220.

The Gear Conundrum!

Jared On Rappel in the Glen
Canyon Recreational Area.
Photo by: Ram

With the weather so warm this year, I am reading more trip reports than normal so early in the season.   We have had nearly 50 degree weather almost all January and that is downright absurd for this time of year.  I am really going to be jonesing to get out onto the lake if this keeps up.

With all this talk there is also talk of gear and equipment.  I have recently heard groups looking for gear they wanted to start to  plan for this year.  While some of us are still anxiously awaiting the return of Imlay Canyon Gear goods to gawk at, I thought this would be a good time to go over my thoughts and ideas on Canyoneering gear and some do’s and don’ts when buying.  These thoughts are geared mostly towards the new Canyoneer.

To participate in any hobby you need to have gear.  Fishing needs a boat and poles, Mountain Biking needs a bike and helmet, jeeping needs a jeep and so on.  With hobbies comes money to be spent or really good friends that have it all and you get to tag-a-long.  With Rock Climbing and Canyoneering there is no difference, you need gear from one source or another and to say the least, some of this gear can mean the difference between life and death.

When I started into Canyoneering I gave up several hobbies to be able to afford more of the gear I would need for this endeavor.  I tagged along with a friend for a little bit until I started procuring my own gear.  I made some mistakes in the beginning with some of my purchases and have gear sitting that is no longer used.  So what does all this banter mean?  Learn from others, and pay attention.  Try out different items before settling.  Take some courses where you can practice different techniques and use different items comparing them side by side.

One of the questions I hear quite often that scares me to death is “Where can I buy some used equipment from?”  Remember, some of this gear is designed to SAVE YOUR LIFE!  Do you really want to trust used equipment?  Per manufactures recommendations, some of it does have expiration dates.  Used ropes should never be trusted for a purchase.  You never know what kind of conditions that previous owner(s) kept them in or used them in etc.  NEVER EVER BUY A USED ROPE!

Other gear is not as hard to question.  You can look at webbing on harnesses and wear on hardware, but still do you really believe you know what kind of condition it is in.  THIS WILL BE YOUR LIFE HANGING ON IT!

So as a help for those looking to get into the Canyoneering Gear buying spirit, here is my personal list on equipment.  In order to help in the selection process I break it up into two categories to give you a priority list to start shopping for.  This list is based on travel through a Technical (class 3 rated) Canyon.  To get through a Technical canyon you have gear that you NEED and gear that is OPTIONAL or as I like to call it – COMFORT GEAR.  Some people are going to disagree with me, by all means, please leave me some comments below and let’s discuss it.  So here we go – 

Needed Items:

Rope: Canyoneering uses a static or low stretch/elongation rope to rappel on.  Any load rated rappelling rope will work, however the Canyoneering ropes do perform better in their respective environment. Canyoneering ropes are made to better withstand the rigors of being drug through sand and water and constant abrasion over rock and edges.  The most common sizes are 8-9mm diameter and lengths are gonna be double the length of the longest rappel in the canyon.  Most generally a 200 ft. rope is a good starter rope that will get you through a lot of really good canyons.  Popular brands include: Imlay Canyon Gear, BlueWater, Sterling and Petzl.

Harness:  You will need a seat harness.  Harnesses must be rated to hold your weight under load and not tear or come apart.  Canyoneering has some specific harnesses made for the sport that have some PVC plastic seat protectors built into it or these are also available as an add on.  You are constantly sliding and scraping your dairy air in the canyon and you will eventually wear out the seat of your harness and pants and everything else back there.  Plan on replacing your harness every so often due to the abuse it gets.  For this reason people often go really cheap to replace often, or really expensive to have them last a little longer.  Popular brands are: Black Diamond, Singing Rock and Petzl.

Locking Carabiner:  Locking carabiners are needed to attach the rope to your harness.  While any brand of climbing rated carabiner will work, I prefer a locking carabiner that is of the twist or screw lock variety.  This requires you to manually lock the carabiner each time you use it.  I recommend staying away from the auto locking carabiners.  In Canyoneering with the sand and grit that we are swimming through, this blocks up your auto lock, and could render it unsafe.  Screw locks are generally easier to keep cleaned out and with the manual function you are forced to check them each time you use it to confirm it is locked.  Popular styles and brands are HMS sized pear shaped carabiners: Petzl, Black Diamond, Rock Exotica, Cypher.

Rappel Device/Descender:  A device to attach to the rope to control your descent speed will be needed.  Generally a rappel/belay device is used for this.  While any device designed for this purpose can be used, there are a couple that are designed specifically for Canyoneering so as to be rigged and de-rigged in a multitude of conditions such as hydraulic water flows.  Popular devices include:  Sterling ATS, Rock Exotica Totem, Petzl Pirana.

Tubular Webbing:  1" Tubular Webbing is used to rig your anchors to attach your rope to.  When purchasing your webbing from a climbing shop, consider purchasing subdued colors so as to keep the aesthetics of the canyon appealing.

Quick Links/Rappel Rings:  Rappel Rings and Quick Links (also called Rapides), are attached to the webbing on the anchor to attach your rope.  We never attach our rope directly to the webbing as the nylon on nylon/polyester combination can create a lot of heat if movement is created and this can melt through the webbing causing anchor failure.  Sizes used for the links are big enough to put your rope through with some room for movement.  Sizes are generally 8mm or 5/16" sizes.  The links should be of a quality make and rating to hold your weight and then some.  Brands include: Maillon, Cypher and Kong

Optional/Comfort Items: Items that make the canyon a lot more fun, enjoyable, and safe.

  

Helmet:  The helmet really isn't necessary to get through a technical slot canyon.  It does make it safer and for this reason I don't ever recommend going into a technical canyon without one.  Helmets protect not only from dropped rocks and debris, but from hitting your head on slips, trips, falls and fumbles.  On many occasions I have stood up in a canyon only to find a rock ledge protruding out just enough for my helmet to smack it.  Helmets are any climbing rated helmet.  Popular brands include: Black Diamond and Petzl.

Shoes: Hiking shoes are decent to carry you many places.  Canyoneering shoes are however phenomenal.  The most popular shoe is the Canyoneer made by 5.10 (Five Ten).  Their sticky rubber soles grip wet rock and canyon walls like no other shoe out there.  They are however known by some to be one of the most uncomfortable shoes to wear and they are a bit pricy for a pair of shoes.  Other brands include:  LaSportiva

Packs:  Backpacks are necessary to carry your equipment in and out of the canyons.  They will get beat up and trashed if they aren't of quality make and let's face it, after so long the good ones will eventually get worn out as well.  Popular brands: Imlay Canyon Gear, Metolius.

Dry Bags and Wetsuits:  If you are going to be in canyons with lots of water and swimming you will need some thermal protection and a way to keep your spare clothes and lunches dry.  I recommend staying away from dry suits.  They are pricy and once they get a whole in them your thermal protection is gone.  A wetsuit continues to provide thermal protection throughout, even after a hole is scraped into it. Popular Wetsuit brands include: Henderson, NeoSport, Body Glove, NRS and Camaro.

Rope Bags Very useful to organize and carry your ropes.  They make packing and stowing the rope simpler and quicker when you are in a canyon. Popular brands include: Imlay Canyon Gear, Metolious, Black Diamond, Canyon Werks.

Cows Tails:  These are made up of webbing and/or material with multiple tie-in points.  These are used to tether yourself to the anchor on a ledge, hook into ascending equipment, or hang your pack from when stemming.  Popular brands include: Black Diamond, CMI, Petzl and Rescue Systems Inc.

Rappelling Gloves along with Knee and Elbow Pads.

Headlamp:  Always good for early starts, late exits, deep dark canyons and emergencies.

First Aid and Emergency Kit along with a Knife and Emergency Satellite Beacons(SPOT).

Ascenders and an Ascending System for Emergencies and Potholes.

GPS, Maps and Compass.

Extra food and water.

In a later edition, maybe we will discuss extra gear above and beyond this list that is needed for more advanced canyon explorations - Class 4 Canyons.

You're Thinking About Canyoneering?

With the new 2014 year, you may be looking at trying new adventures and new things.  We all make resolutions whether we admit it or not.  Many have decided to become more active and feel that spending time outdoors would be good for their body and soul.  Have you considered Canyoneering at all?  What is Canyoneering you ask? What does it offer me as an adventurer?  How does one start Canyoneering safely?

Brett on Rappel Blarney West

These are questions that we often hear from potential clients.  Obviously it's hard to get into a sport if you are not sure what it is, and even harder if you're not sure where to start.

Canyoneering is an adventure sport that has been around for several decades, but only begun gaining traction and notoriety in the last 10 years.  Canyoneering is a hybrid activity combining disciplines from many other outdoor sports - Rock Climbing, Rappelling, Caving, Hiking, River Running and Swimming to name a few.  We hike into narrow slits in the earth's surface.  Areas that have a rock density conducive to millions of years of wind and water erosion creating canyons and cracks.  Some of which are often times hundreds of feet deep. 

While in these canyons we climb up and over obstacles, rappel past drops, swim through pools and channels of water (sometimes ice cold which is great in the summer time), and stem our bodies between the canyon walls at great heights to make it past even narrower sections.  Canyoneering has become a huge draw in the desert southwest where many of these canyons exist.  These canyons are magical wonderful places with an awe and wonderment about them.  Every time I get to enter one it is nothing short of a spiritual experience.  

Brett Swimming Blarney West

There are several DVDs you can purchase to learn more details and get a visual understanding of the sport: Gorging and Canyoneering the Colorado Plateau. Of course YouTube has a plethora of homemade movies from individual trips.  We also have some resources here on our blog linking to some of our videos.  Click Here

 Now that you know a little about what it is, how should one start with this new adventure? Well, you're doing it right now by reading this.  Study everything you can find on the subject.  Make sure you have an understanding of what you will be getting into.  Research the web, books, friends and those that have been out there.  There are some really good online resources, and yet there are some really bad ones.  You have to be able to filter these out.  People have been seriously injured and/or died in canyons by using bad techniques and bad judgement.  Some resources can be found in Online Forums and groups.  Again putting your filter on, be careful, but some of the more prominent ones out there are: Bogley Outdoor Community and The Canyon Collective.  You may also find helpful information on Rock Climbing and Caving forums as well.

Aaron Rappelling Pleiades Canyon

For those looking to get a more hands-on technical study guide on the sport, don't expect to find a large library on the subject.  There isn't much out there in the way of Canyoneering specific technique books like there is for other sports.  I anticipate that this will slowly change as it continues to grow.  The best concept book you will find was written by my friend Dave Black.  It's really good and captures many of the essential techniques needed to travel through most of the moderate to challenging canyons.  He even throws in some rescue skills and other essentials.  Check out: Canyoneering: A Guide to Techniques for Wet and Dry Canyons.  Other books that cover a lot of rope techniques that translate over are: Climbing Anchors, How To Rappel, Knots for Climbers, Mountaineering-The Freedom of the Hills and The Complete Guide to Rope Techniques.

Jared Rappelling Fry Canyon

The best and safest method to really get immersed in the sport and start things off right is to take a class or  a day trip with a guide to see if it is something you are interested in pursuing further.  As mentioned, the sport has almost exploded over the last few years and there are a lot of guide services now offering to show you a great canyon.  Some things to consider when choosing a guide are: How long have they been in business? What qualifications do they possess? Are they insured? Are they permitted by the land agencies where they are guiding?

Jared and Aaron Teaching Ascending during

3 Day Technical Canyoneering Course 

(Photo Credit: Lynette Brewer)

In the state of Utah anyone can hang up a sign and advertise themselves as a guide.  All they need is a state sales tax license issued and a business license for the city they are in and off they go.  Whether they have any experience or not is never in question. Guides should be able and willing to share their experience and qualifications with a questioning client, after all you are going to be hanging on one of their ropes in a canyon.  Currently the only certifying entity in the United States for Canyoneering Guides is the American Canyon Guides Association (ACGA) and the only certifying entity for Canyoneering training schools is the American Canyoneering Academy (ACA).  While most companies have transformed their rock climbing guides into canyon guides, the AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) is currently not offering Canyoneering specific training and certifications.  If you want more information about trips offered through North Wash Outfitters check out our website and click on the "Adventures" link at the top.

Jared and Aaron Teaching Ascending during

3 Day Technical Canyoneering Course 

(Photo Credit: Lynette Brewer)

If you're looking at taking classes, there is everything out there from one day introduction courses to three day Beginning (Technical) and Advanced courses to Rescue and Wilderness First Aid.  Look for something that is going to build with your current strengths and further expand on what you want to do to learn and grow your skills.  If you want more information about courses offered through North Wash Outfitters check out our website and click on the "Courses" link at the top.

I hope this intro has been able to give you some thought on how to get started in this exciting world of adventure.  We always love hearing what others have experienced in canyons and how they started in Canyoneering.  Whether you are already an accomplished Canyoneer or have only been in a few canyons, we would love to hear about your experiences.  Tell us how you got started or share some tips for the beginners and some advice on what some of your favorite pieces of Canyoneering gear is that you have discovered.  We hope the best for you in this new experience and look forward to answering any questions that you may have.

Ringing in the New Year with a bit of Cold Psychotic Shenanigans

For those that aren't fully engulfed in the sport of Canyoneering, this whole idea seems a bit psychotic.  For those that are into the life of a Canyoneer, this post will draw up stirrings and feelings of jealousy and rage at not being able to be there and they will understand this feeling.

Canyoneering is often times thought of as a warm weather endeavor and rightfully so.  You are constantly swimming and splashing through narrow slot canyons where the sun doesn't shine and the earth seems to swallow you up.  When you get done with the cold water swims you quickly seek out the opportunity to bask in some warm sunlight and strip down the layer of neoprene that has protected your body for the past several hours.  This is what it's like in June and July, when it's 100+ degrees outside.  Now take away the sun and 100+ degree temps and do it all.  Now you have Freeze Fest.

The winter months can be somewhat agonizing for the Canyoneer to get through when it's cold out and all you do is dream about your next slot canyon adventure.  Freeze Fest was dreamed up 12 years ago by some die hard Canyoneers who just couldn't take sitting around the house during the winter months any longer.  Dubbed as "The Bad Idea that Caught On" Freeze Fest has been gaining momentum ever since.  The "Main" event as it has been dubbed is a trip through "The Black Hole" which is a section of White Canyon in south eastern Utah just north of Lake Powell.  While most of the Freeze Fest canyons done during the 5-8 day event are dry canyons, meaning there is no water in them, The Black Hole event is designed to completely mess with your body and test how much cold you can endure, or how much neoprene you can pack on in order to stay warm.

I don't always get to go out and participate in this event, but living only an hour away from it, I try to meet up with them each year as I am allowed between work and weather conditions.  For Jan 1, 2014, the weather forecast was set to be one of the best ever and I was not working so it worked out great.  Aside from that, it was my 10 year anniversary from the first time Dave Black took me out to this event and I met some of the best Canyoneers and later friends that you can have in this sport.

I took along Aaron who was eager to just get out of the house and play during his Christmas break.  We loaded up the Tahoe and hit the road at 8:30 a.m.  Knowing there is usually a 10:00 a.m. start time this would give us time to get out there and gear up.

As we arrived there were several cars already in the parking lot.  Turns out one would be Jenny who I have spent some time canyoneering with.  She was excited to see us and greeted us with great big hugs.  As more and more people arrived from their campsite in North Wash, we continued to greet old friends and start making some new ones.  We shuttled vehicles and made the start of the hike with 30 participants (a record number I understand).

Photo by Malia

The hike into White Canyon turned into a sweaty march and showed how warm it was for January.  Hats were removed and jackets stored for later.  We approached the suit up point and as the group had kinda spread out, we all started combining together again as we changed into wet and dry suits.  As small groups finished changing they set out through the water and off into the canyon.

Photo Sequence by Aaron

It turned out to be a great day.  Everyone kept moving and stayed warm.  One key was to keep your hands out of the water, but after a while that became tiresome and you started swimming just to get out and walk to warm up.  We kept calories going in to keep our internal core temps up and we kept moving as much as possible.  What a great 10 year anniversary for me and to be able to spend the day with some old friends and find some new ones, it was fabulous.

Photo Sequence by Jared