Canyoneering is not for the faint of heart. It is an intense, adrenaline-filled sport where one uses ropes to rappel down narrow passages with waterfalls and occasionally jumping, swimming or sliding into pools between climbs. Technical rope and outdoor wilderness skills combined with an adventurous attitude, and boom, you have yourself a canyoneer.
It’s not nearly that simple though, as countless unplanned problems can occur. Getting tangled in your rope while swimming, jumping into shallow water depths, flash flooding-this is a very, very dangerous sport. Safety should always be your main concern, especially in an activity with as many treacherous variables as canyoneering. That being said, this sport is as thrilling and fun as it gets (for me at least).
I first tried canyoneering last year in the Chli Schliere Canyon just outside of Interlaken, Switzerland. When I first wrote about this experience, I joked that I had never worn so much protective equipment at one time in my life. I still haven’t topped that amount of gear for a day activity. Even now, as I type, I can still feel the rush of the freezing cold water hitting my face, one exhilarating jump after another. The sense of exploration paired with the adrenaline rush made this activity downright addictive.
Cameron Martindell from Off Yonder caught this action shot of our epic day.
You can imagine my excitement when just yesterday I saw the preview for the canyoneering movie Down The Line on my friend Kraig Becker’s blog, The Adventure Blog. The documentary features a group of seriously committed canyoneers’ first descent of the Squamish River in Vancouver, British Columbia. The movie, directed and produced by Francois-Xavier “Fix” De Ruydts, was featured in the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival this past February and received excellent reviews. I’ll be on the lookout to see the film in its’ entirety, the sooner the better if you ask me.
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