Canyon Beta

[Iceaxe]

During the long winter months when I'm not making hot passionate love to the ol' lady I spend a lot of time putting together possible new canyoneering routes for the coming year. Anyhoo.... I though this year I would see if there is any specific area or routes you would like to see betaed?

Maybe kick a couple of ideas around the forum and see if anything good comes from it?

Feel free to toss out any ideas, thoughts or suggestions you might have.

[marc olivares]

i chose moab, for a couple of reasons

1. compared to most southern utah city, there is a tiny night life.
2. off season rates are amazing for hotel/motel/condo stays
3. winter days are short, and so are most moab area routes.

and

4. if you get SNOWED out like we did last weekend, you can always find other things to do.

we got denied on that little project i was working on, but came up w 2 others i think you'll like (one in bull pasture area) and that little canyon you affectionately called the butt crack

[tanya]

During the long winter months when I'm not making hot passionate love to the ol' lady I spend a lot of time putting together possible new canyoneering routes for the coming year. Anyhoo.... I though this year I would see if there is any specific area or routes you would like to see betaed?

Maybe kick a couple of ideas around the forum and see if anything good comes from it?

Feel free to toss out any ideas, thoughts or suggestions you might have.

I choose "Guide Book Authors should be shot" ..... Because I must give you a hard time.

[Iceaxe]

Yeah.... Moab in winter is the place to hang...

I'm thinking of anther Moab trip around January 6th

Maybe we could spend a day working on your project and a day working on one of mine

[Iceaxe]

Hmmm... this poll is getting kind of interesting.....

Just a couple of thoughts.....

I think there is a bunch of good and easy to access stuff that is as yet unbetaed in Capitol Reef, Lake Powell/North Wash, Moab, Robbers Roost.

I think there is some good and easy to access stuff that is as yet unbetaed in Cedar Mesa.

I think there is some good but very hard to access stuff that is as yet unbetaed in the Swell.

I think there is a some good but very difficult/deadly stuff that is easy to access in Escalante. And some good, fun but hard to access stuff as yet unbetaed in Escalante,

I'm thinking Zion is about played out, but some of the canyons have yet to be published. I think there is still some good but difficult to access stuff outside the park that is as yet unbetaed.

[Scott P]

Seems once again no one is interested in Dinosaur. Anyway, if you are planning on gathering beta this winter, Dino isn't a good place for going canyoneering in winter. True mostly of Zion too.

Roost, Powell, GC, Moab,etc. are the places to be in winter.

It seems Moab is the top choice in the Poll. I've poked around there a lot (in fact I just got back) and there are quite slot canyons, but all I've seen so far are short, and I have yet to find a long one. Same goes for the other nearby areas such as Colorado NM and the Black Ridge. Just short stuff.

Anyway (if you don't want to disclose the location that's OK), has anyone here actually found a longer (or at least one longer than a few minutes) slot canyon in the Moab area?

[Iceaxe]

Seems once again no one is interested in Dinosaur. Anyway, if you are planning on gathering beta this winter, Dino isn't a good place for going canyoneering in winter.

I just do the planning in the winter.... not actual boots on the ground. As you probably already know most new routes often have dozens of hours planning over maps and known beta. I never have this type of time avaiable in the summer so I try and get all my basic preparation for new routes done during the winter.

Anyway (if you don't want to disclose the location that's OK), has anyone here actually found a longer (or at least one longer than a few minutes) slot canyon in the Moab area?

I haven't done it yet..... but isn't Professor Creek a longer type slot? And yeah..... I know of one other Moab slot that takes a couple of hours for the tech section, if I can get the access issues resolved I'll post it to Climb-Utah.

[Scott P]

I just do the planning in the winter.... not actual boots on the ground.

I see.

Winter is actually a great time to go scout out some of the isolated slots that take several days to get to and back (ie Powell). That way you don't have to carry so much water, but I guess you aren't as interested in the multi-day trips.

I haven't done it yet..... but isn't Professor Creek a longer type slot?

Yes, sort of I guess. Definately the longest I know of in the Moab area, definately narrow, but not tight. Hellroaring too and some of the Onion Creek stuff might be considered "fairly long", but also narrow, but not tight. Cutler group is the rock here.

For some reason the Moab area Navajo SS doesn't seem to act the same way it does in other areas.

And yeah..... I know of one other Moab slot that takes a couple of hours for the tech section, if I can get the access issues resolved I'll post it to Climb-Utah.

I do know of a "fairly long" one in Behind the Rocks, but it had some bushwhacking. I wonder if the big floods last October reamed it out though.

[Iceaxe]

Winter is actually a great time to go scout out some of the isolated slots that take several days to get to and back (ie Powell). That way you don't have to carry so much water, but I guess you aren't as interested in the multi-day trips.

That is why god created boats.... it turns the multi-day Powell canyons into a joyful romp..... you know my thinking.... back on the party barge in time for happy hour.

[Scott P]

That is why god created boats.... it turns the multi-day Powell canyons into a joyful romp..... you know my thinking.... back on the party barge in time for happy hour.

True , but when I said "Powell", I wasn't just speaking of the canyons right near the beach, but some are farther out. Some of the Powell stuff, for example around Mancos Mesa, Forgotten, Cedar Canyon, parts of the Waterpocket Fold, etc. etc., would be pretty hard to reach and explore in one day from the beach.

One of these days, I'll trick you into putting on a backpack by saying there's a hot nude women slot canyon convention in some remote area.

[Iceaxe]

One of these days, I'll trick you into putting on a backpack

Ain't goining to happen

I have my hands full of all the easy to access road side stuff.... why torture yourself. I'm thinking I'll leave all the hard to access stuff for the next generation of canyoneers to hide/find/name/play games with/debate and publish.

Wouldn't Waterpocket fold go under Capitol Reef? And yeah.... I think you might find all sorts of good stuff there.

[Scott P]

Wouldn't Waterpocket fold go under Capitol Reef?

Part of it, but keep in mind that the Waterpocket Fold extends all the way south to around the mouth of the Escalante River. Definately well beyond Capitol Reef and in the Powell area. The southern sections are not only the most inaccessible, but seem to contain some of the best or worst canyons depending on your point of view and many are quite long. Definately a lot of R's and X's in there.

And yeah.... I think you might find all sorts of good stuff there.

Lost Eden and Endless Eden are fairly well known now, so I'll mention, but there are definately more difficult and better ones than these, especially farther south.

[capn_blasto]

I'm thinking I'll leave all the hard to access stuff for the next generation of canyoneers to hide/find/name/play games with/debate and publish.

har har har...the next generation is already here...and you're missing out (har). you da Shane generation all by yo' lonesome. Roadside canyons, motel rooms, glass cookware!

[Iceaxe]

har har har...the next generation is already here...and you're missing out (har). you da Shane generation all by yo' lonesome. Roadside canyons, motel rooms, glass cookware!

Cookware.....

Dude.... what color is the sky in your world? You don't know me at all..... no way in hell I'm cooking unless sex in involved.

I'm thinking more like restaurants, bars, ATV access, hot waitresses, cold beer, hot showers, heated pools, hot tubs, HDTV....

Call it whatever ya want..... but I guarantee I'm not all by my lonesome... step over to the dark side.....

[stefan]

amusing to say the least, ye ol' pirate