Canyoneering newb

[ZachG]

I am really interested in getting into canyoneering but dont know where to start. A buddy and I have a 9 day trip to Utah planned and I really wanna tear up a couple canyons while I am there but I need some advice on where to go, what to bring, what i need to know...etc. Any bit of advice would be great. Thanks.

[ratagonia]

I am really interested in getting into canyoneering but dont know where to start. A buddy and I have a 9 day trip to Utah planned and I really wanna tear up a couple canyons while I am there but I need some advice on where to go, what to bring, what i need to know...etc. Any bit of advice would be great. Thanks.

Welcome to the Bog, Zach, and welcome to the sport.

There was a recent thread along the same lines:

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?64213-How-to-begin-canyoneering

Please ignore or be entertained by the usual childish Bogley personality tussles in the thread. There is some good information to be found mixed in with the snark.

Shane also has some good stuff on his website about first canyons to do in Zion, and the like:

http://www.climb-utah.com/intro.htm

Zion is a good place to start.

Tom

[restrac2000]

Enjoy the sport.

My biggest advice for this year....watch the weather forecasts. We have been experiencing a major monsoon season.

[ZachG]

Thanks for the links Tom. I found both to be helpful and entertaining. It is hard for me to find any canyoneering courses out here though. I have looked online and can not seem to find any. Do you know of any in Oregon?

[Deathcricket]

What date is your trip planned? My group is in the canyons pretty much every weekend, you can tag along with us. Or tag along with another group, at least for a bit until you know what you're up against. That's the best way IMO. :2thumbs:



Thanks for the links Tom. I found both to be helpful and entertaining. It is hard for me to find any canyoneering courses out here though. I have looked online and can not seem to find any. Do you know of any in Oregon?

Here is the rest of the story. Noob decides to go with another group, they post awesome trip report here:
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?64414-Spry-def-lively-active-energetic

Tom calls out this group for also being dangerous and they split the thread into two here:
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?64599-Security-of-the-belay-position

And then Tom has to go back and edit out most of his hostile comments, but you can see people quoted him a lot and piece the entire story together. It's a good read and most entertaining. *Two thumbs up*

[ratagonia]

Thanks for the links Tom. I found both to be helpful and entertaining. It is hard for me to find any canyoneering courses out here though. I have looked online and can not seem to find any. Do you know of any in Oregon?

Not really, but Matt from Desert Highlights goes out there sometimes in August, and you could get him to give you a course especially if you could round up a few friends.

http://www.cascade-canyoning.com/


If you are coming to Zion, we offer half-day and full-day courses, which might be to your taste.

http://www.zionadventures.com

Tom

[ratagonia]

What date is your trip planned? My group is in the canyons pretty much every weekend, you can tag along with us. Or tag along with another group, at least for a bit until you know what you're up against. That's the best way IMO. :2thumbs:




Here is the rest of the story. Noob decides to go with another group, they post awesome trip report here:
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?64414-Spry-def-lively-active-energetic

Tom calls out this group for also being dangerous and they split the thread into two here:
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?64599-Security-of-the-belay-position

And then Tom has to go back and edit out most of his hostile comments, but you can see people quoted him a lot and piece the entire story together. It's a good read and most entertaining. *Two thumbs up*

:facepalm1:

[Aj84737]

Im not really a noob but I'm game to tagging along with the Z team and seeing what they are all about one of these days. So if you got room for 2 intermediate people in your group one of these Sunday's jake let me know.

[Iceaxe]

Read this thread and then let's chat.....

10 Canyons for Noobs
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?30957

[ZachG]

Those were some awesome pics. I would be interested in tagging along if I could find a group that was willing to take my buddy and I. My buddy is an experienced climber and I have tagged along with him a few times so I have some experience and kinda wanna do a technical canyon. Your thoughts?

[ZachG]

Read this thread and then let's chat.....

10 Canyons for Noobs
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?30957

Thanks for those links. Out of those 10 technical canyons for noobs which is your fav?

[Aj84737]

Thanks for those links. Out of those 10 technical canyons for noobs which is your fav?

If your going to southern Utah Yankee doodle is a good first canyon. Short mainly dry and nothing to hard to overcome. Just make sure you know what exit to take i could see people missing it. Keyhole is also a short and easy canyon but it adds a fair amount of water into the mix so that's one more thing you have to think about. Das boot is a great adventure if you can get the subway permit to finish it. Das boot does add some route finding difficulties so if that's the route you go make sure you have a good beta a map and compass. I might want to add pine creek to the mix of these canyons if you have rappelling experience. It's a great half day trip. But it does have more rappels and longer rappels then the other Zion canyons in the list so it's a bit more difficult but not extreme by any means.

[ratagonia]

If your going to southern Utah Yankee doodle is a good first canyon. Short mainly dry and nothing to hard to overcome. Just make sure you know what exit to take i could see people missing it. Keyhole is also a short and easy canyon but it adds a fair amount of water into the mix so that's one more thing you have to think about. Das boot is a great adventure if you can get the subway permit to finish it. Das boot does add some route finding difficulties so if that's the route you go make sure you have a good beta a map and compass. I might want to add pine creek to the mix of these canyons if you have rappelling experience. It's a great half day trip. But it does have more rappels and longer rappels then the other Zion canyons in the list so it's a bit more difficult but not extreme by any means.

Yankee Doodle? Got a bunch of water in it now!!!!! :cool2:

Tom

[ratagonia]

Those were some awesome pics. I would be interested in tagging along if I could find a group that was willing to take my buddy and I. My buddy is an experienced climber and I have tagged along with him a few times so I have some experience and kinda wanna do a technical canyon. Your thoughts?

Canyoneering is not climbing, though there is quite a bit of crossover skills.

You WOULD be good tag in with another group... helps a lot.

Bring wetsuits. There is very little that can be done in Zion right now without wetsuits. It has been raining a lot.

The easy classics are: Keyhole, Subway (Russell Gulch start perhaps), Fat Man's Misery (requires reading a map), Middle Echo, Orderville.

Up a bit in seriousness: Pine Creek, Mystery, Birch Hollow.

Up a bit more: Spry, Behunin.

Someone just did a "first trip to Zions" report, check that out.

Tom

[IntrepidTraveler]

You might think about some of the more easier canyons to start as a noob. That's what I did. Like over in the San Rafael Swell - Little Wild Horse (popular but beautiful), Crack, Ding/Dang (a bit of technical scrambling). And then see my Trip Report on Goblin's Lair, an excellent easy technical with an 80' rap.

[Aj84737]

Yankee Doodle? Got a bunch of water in it now!!!!! :cool2:


Tom

I guess I should have been more clear. Yes it does hold water but most of it is easy to stem around I was down it on the 11 and only had one pool I could stem over and only got wet up to my knees. I ment it was more of a dryer canyon because you dont have to worry about rappelling on wet ropes or having floating disconnects like keyhole has. Because the rappel or rappels in Yankee doodle are before you have any water to deal with.

[Iceaxe]

Thanks for those links. Out of those 10 technical canyons for noobs which is your fav?

I don't know if I have what you would call a favorite.... but.... the ONE canyon I think everyone should do is the Black Hole. It packs a tremendous amount of bang for the buck and there is nothing else like it on the Colorado Plateau. But you will not be sorry with selecting any of the canyons on either of the top ten lists I posted

Black Hole Route Description

(http://climb-utah.com/CM/blackhole.htm)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqXQ8n_0FMc

[B-rizzle]

Other then the GnR that was a good video thanks for sharing it. Love water canyons and that one looks like a Beauty. :2thumbs:

[IntrepidTraveler]

OK, Black Hole is now on my bucket list. Pun intended, I suppose....