What is canyoning or Canyoneering?
Many of you
may have never heard of Canyoning. In the USA they call it Canyoneering. It is
one of my favourite things to do. If you love waterfalls as much as I do you
are going to love it too! It involves travelling down a mountain canyon with
flowing water by using various methods, walking, scrambling, swimming,
climbing, jumping or abseiling (rappelling). Canyoning usually involves rope
work to negotiate waterfalls along the canyon.
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| Cobcrofts Cascades - NSW Australia |
It usually
involves donning a wetsuit, climbing harness and water shoes and setting off at
first light with a small group of people. You then follow the river downstream,
scrambling over boulders, wading or swimming through pools, or walking along
the bank through glades of ferns and orchids. Sooner or later you will come to
a waterfall. Sometimes it might be possible to negotiate it and climb down the
steep bank to one side or the other, sometimes not. Either way, you would
probably prefer to pull out the ropes and set up a descent rope. Then you
abseil (rappel) down beside or under the waterfall and continue down the river.
 |
| Claustral Canyon - Blue Mountains NSW Australia |
I love
canyoning because it takes you to some of the most beautiful, wild, untamed
places on the planet. Canyons are often remote, difficult to access, and a fair
amount of skill and experience is required to get there. This is partly why I
love them so much. While some canyons are used by commercial groups and may
have high traffic on them, most are very secluded and private. It often gives
one the feeling that you are the first person that has ever set eyes on what
you are seeing. The sense of discovery, and exploration is exhilarating. I also
love the technical aspects of the challenge.
 |
| Grand Canyon - Blue Mountains NSW Australia |
Slot canyons
Slot canyons
Canyons can
occur in many different types of rock - basalt, limestone, granite, or
sandstone. Where it cuts into soft rock like sandstone it often forms slot canyons.
These canyons are often very narrow and deep, carved deep by the river flowing
through. They twist and turn and have fantastic shapes carved by running water.
 |
| Grand Canyon - Blue Mountains NSW Australia |
Hazards
There are
many potential hazards to canyoning, but please don't let these dissuade you
from giving it a go. Canyons can be very easy grade 1 canyons that take a few
hours to complete or a many day highly technical expedition through some of the
world's wildest country. Start out with some easy ones and then progress to
harder challenges as your skills improve. Canyoning is becoming a lot more popular and you can usually find a commercial
group running canyon trips or at least a canyoning group which you could join
if you are in the areas where some of these canyons exist.
 |
| The squeeze |
Awesomeness!
Sliding down
a natural waterslide, jumping off large boulders into dark bottomless pools,
feeling the weight of 100m of falling water drumming on your head as you bounce
down the smooth slippery cliff face, swimming through long cold dark pools with
the steam from your body rising between sheer rock walls, it brings a level of
awesomeness few have ever felt! It brings out a wild, primeval part of me. The
discovery of new things at every bend, the wonder of what lies around the next
corner, the awesome power and majesty of falling water, the deafening noise at
the bottom of a large waterfall and the wind that it generates. The chattering
teeth and the shivering bodies of your group as you huddle together in a small patch
of sunlight that found its way through the slot. It truly is like nothing else
on earth.
I have
travelled the world - rafting the mighty Zambezi River under breathtaking
Victoria Falls in Africa, tramped through Iceland on a photography expedition, Dived
on the gorgeous tropical reefs of Vanuatu, and Skied in USA, but canyoning will
always be one of my favourite things to do!
