Canyoneering History - Revised?

[Iceaxe]

I was eCanyoneering with the head honcho over at the ACA recently and discussing the history of Canyoning and US Canyoneering. According to Rich the sport of canyoneering is relatively "new" in the US. I find his take on this most interesting considering the fact that the ACA canyoneering book will supposedly have a "History of Canyoneering" section. I get the distinct impression that history is about to be rewritten

[Scott P]

[quote]Just curious what others take on

[Iceaxe]

Scott (or anyone else), I would be curious to know when the term "Canyoneering" first showed up in one of Kelsey's books?

Knowing the volume, edition and date would be really interesting to me.

:popcorn:

[Brian in SLC]

I used to work with a guy (since retired) who was on the first ascent of Goose Creek in Zion back in the 60's, with the bros. Gibbs and another or two, if I recall correctly.

"Beta" was a term for climbing info purportedly coined by Jack Mileski. Kind of a poignant short tribute to him in the lastest issue of Rock and Ice, by Jeff Johnson. Jack was murdered by his girlfriend...

Some of the early Zion trip reports are pretty interesting, and they go back a fair ways. Katie Lee's books are good, too, and they must have done a fair amount of slot exploration back in the day.

The steep creekin' folks in the Sierra were mining the stream courses for first kayak descent, using ropes and climbing hardware, for many, many years. I think Royal got way into it after his arthritis slowed down his rock climbing a bunch. Doug Robinson too? Plenty others, it seems. Hey day was 60's and 70'?

Jeff Lowe and some of the other early Zion climbing pioneers descended slots as the "easy" way off a bunch of different climbing routes. See Jeff's old anchors in Jacob Canyon, into the Court of the Patriarchs, for instance. Late 60's early 70's.

So, there was a generation of folks before the Turville era, and one at least before them (Lowe to Gibbs, early 70's to 60's).

Shoot, if you look at some of the moki steps and trails (yucca rope, trees and branches for anchors), in the Escalante (Davis, Stevens, etc), etc, the ancient ones where doing a fair amount of agressive canyoneering back then as well. Been in the US for a whole long time...

-Brian in SLC

[stefan]

Scott (or anyone else), I would be curious to know when the term "Canyoneering" first showed up in one of Kelsey's books?

Knowing the volume, edition and date would be really interesting to me.

:popcorn:

MK believes it was in his tech guide that it first appeared.

[Scott P]

....

[stefan]

MK believes it was in his tech guide that it first appeared.

Not so. Before MK had anything technical in his books, I had been talking with him about some technical canyons for years.

He just never had an interest until SA's books came out.

scott, i was answering ice's question about when it first appeared in HIS books. he just responded to me and said he thought (in his books) the word was first used in his tech guide.

[Scott P]

Oops, sorry. Read it wrong. :bath:

Your absolutely right. :hail2thechief:

[Iceaxe]

MK believes it was in his tech guide that it first appeared.

Interesting.... after thumbing through his Swell Book I think he might be correct. While MK has certainly been doing it for a while he more or less refers to canyoneering as hiking with ropes or hiking and rappelling. Before his tech book.


Shoot, if you look at some of the moki steps and trails

There are some old Moki Step's in the middle of Trail. Whoever cut them did some hardcore canyoneering to get that far.


climbing pioneers descended slots as the "easy" way off a bunch of different climbing routes.

Same deal with two of the better canyoneering routes in Red Rocks, NV. I believe both routes, Icebox and Icecube, were put in by climbers taking the "easy" way down. What's that old saying about canyoneering? It's just like climbing, only without the climbing. :haha:

:popcorn:

[Brian in SLC]

What's that old saying about canyoneering? It's just like climbing, only without the climbing.

Or...

Climbing would be fun, if it weren't for all that darn climbing...

-Brian in SLC

[Iceaxe]

Climbing would be fun, if it weren't for all that darn climbing...

:roflol: :roflol: :roflol: