Term "Canyoneering"

[canyonsrcool]

For a paper I am writing, I get to choose something from American culture (idea, thing, word) and describe how it came about and how it has diffused or moved from one place to another.

I am looking into the possibility of doing my paper on the word (not necessarily the sport) "Canyoneering", since it is something I am interested in

I need to know things like:
When and where was the word first used?
When was it used to refer to Canyoneering as we know it today?
Who started using it first? second? and so on?
How did the term spread to other places from it's original location?

Any info or ideas would be appreciated and helpful.
Thanks
Tristan N.

[stefan]

steve allen has a litte bit about this on p.40 of Canyoneering 3: Loop Hikes in the Escalante.

[canyonsrcool]

Didn't think to look in that one. But will do. Thanks.

[Scott P]

When and where was the word first used?

I know the word actually first refered to river running and dates at least back to the 1860's.

When was it used to refer to Canyoneering as we know it today?
Who started using it first? second? and so on?

The earliest book I have mentioning Canyoneering in the same sense of the word that is known today is my book on Copper Canyon (Mexico)which dates back to 1989. Second one I have is Steve Allen's Canyoneering I The San Rafael Swell.

[Brewhaha]

My first introduction was here:

[tanya]

Bo has been canyoneering long before the term was used and has a lot of opinions on it and should be able to tell you some history behind it. If he does not see this thread then pm him. He still likes to call it "hiking with a rope"

[stefan]

Bo has been canyoneering long before the term was used and has a lot of opinions on it and should be able to tell you some history behind it. If he does not see this thread then pm him. He still likes to call it "hiking with a rope"

you mean applying that term to descending canyons with ropes. i hope bo hasn't been around since the 1800's

turville, bogart et al. referred to it as gorging in the 70s.

steve allen uses the term canyoneering more generally than folks around here. he generalizes the term to essentially include everything down to doing off-trail hiking that involves nontrivial route-finding, ascents, descents, traverse, etc. which may not necessarily be "technical" in the sense that they require ropes or high-grade climbing skills. along these lines the term "technical canyoneering" can describe the use of ropes and high-grade climbing moves to negotiate the desert topography which is not necessarily exclusive to slot canyons.

some folks (especially on these forums) choose to use the term canyoneering or technical canyoneering to mean, in this exclusive sense, that you are descending (sometimes ascending) narrow or deep technical canyons requiring the use of ropes and/or climbing skills.


i am also curious when the term canyoning first originated, which tends to be applied to the watery narrow canyons found in mountainous regions around the world.

[Bo_Beck]

Bo has been canyoneering long before the term was used and has a lot of opinions on it and should be able to tell you some history behind it. If he does not see this thread then pm him. He still likes to call it "hiking with a rope"

actually... i started hikeering in the 60's, and then climbeering in the 70's, rappeleering during that course. my canyoneering began in the late 80's. in between all of this i enjoyeered skiieering, hanglideering, yachteering with celestial navigeering, mountaineering a bit, and a whole bunch of other eerings. actually..i believe i read somewhere that powells expedition down the mighty colorado somehow had the credit of the first "american" use of the word canyoneering? whatever it's called...it sure is fun!

[tanya]

There is a difference between when the term canyoneering was first used and those that did the activity actually heard it and it became commonly used. I doubt back then that there were internet groups or even much in the way of books on the subject and things were just spread word of mouth. That is what I meant by "before the term was used"

[Bo_Beck]

Bo has been canyoneering long before the term was used and has a lot of opinions on it and should be able to tell you some history behind it. If he does not see this thread then pm him. He still likes to call it "hiking with a rope"

actually... i started hikeering in the 60's, and then climbeering in the 70's, rappeleering during that course. my canyoneering began in the late 80's. in between all of this i enjoyeered skiieering, hanglideering, yachteering with celestial navigeering, mountaineering a bit, and a whole bunch of other eerings. actually..i believe i read somewhere that powells expedition down the mighty colorado somehow had the credit of the first "american" use of the word canyoneering? whatever it's called...it sure is fun!

oh yeah! can"t forget....annette funicello and mousekateering!

[stefan]

i believe i read somewhere that powells expedition down the mighty colorado somehow had the credit of the first "american" use of the word canyoneering?

in the book i mentioned above, steve allen makes a comment about this being the first time the word appears in print ... but i believe the word that was uses was "canyoneer." i am not sure if the word "canyoneering" was used or appears in print in regards to that expedition. perhaps they used the term as well.

whatever it's called...it sure is fun!

[Bo_Beck]

There is a difference between when the term canyoneering was first used and those that did the activity actually heard it and it became commonly used. I doubt back then that there were internet groups or even much in the way of books on the subject and things were just spread word of mouth. That is what I meant by "before the term was used"

yeah, i know what you are referring to. i can't remember the first time i heard the word canyoneering referring to an activity i had always just assumed was, and had called 'hiking"? i guess it was called canyoneering to distinguish it from other forms of hiking? maybe if we don't follow a trail and a lot of the hiking we do might be referred to as bushwackeering? i've accepted and now call the sport "canyoneering" as to fit in and realize that i didn't coin the word, but know that it is now a commonly accepted form of recreation.

[Brian in SLC]

yeah, i know what you are referring to. i can't remember the first time i heard the word canyoneering referring to an activity i had always just assumed was, and had called 'hiking"?

If you've read Krakauer's book, "Eiger Dreams", then you might recall a story about "canyoneering" in Arizona. Was from an article previously published in the '80's.

-Brian in SLC

[erial]

After a bit of googling I came across this letter to the editor in the February 1960 issue of Desert magazine viewable at Scribd.com

Canyoneer," Continued . . .
Desert:
The debate between "Doc" Marston,
Randall Henderson, et al., over "canyoneer"
versus "river rat" strikes me as rather
pointless, since both men seem to have
overlooked the different shades of meaning
in the two terms.
To me a "river rat" is one who finds his
recreation in boating on rivers whether fast
or slow, placid or turbulent. A "canyoneer,"
on the other hand, is one who loves the
canyons, whether his mode of travel be by
boat, pack mule or shanks' mare. He need
not even be a competent boatman to be a
canyoneer.
As editor of American White Water 1
have endeavored to avoid using the terms
interchangeably; even though the two avocations
can (and frequently do) overlap in
the same person, they may also be distinct
and separate. Take my own case as an
example. I am a river rat 12 months a
year; during the brief weeks I am able to
spend in the West 1 am also a canyoneer.
And in both capacities I am saddened by
the apparent success of the campaign to
destroy our beautiful rivers and canyons
with dams of questionable justification. Let's
quit quibbling over terms and get together
to try to save the sites where both fraternities
find their enjoyment.
MARTIN VANDERVEEN

[ratagonia]

After a bit of googling I came across this letter to the editor in the February 1960 issue of Desert magazine viewable at Scribd.com

Canyoneer," Continued . . .
Desert:
The debate between "Doc" Marston,
Randall Henderson, et al., over "canyoneer"
versus "river rat" strikes me as rather

MARTIN VANDERVEEN

Call me old-fashioned, but perhaps Tristan should do his own research...

...unless the class is one in pyschology, or in manipulation, getting other people to do your work...

(harumph)

Tom

[cp0915]

But this is research, isn't it?

[stefan]

as long as bogley is cited in the references

[hank moon]

...unless the class is one in pyschology, or in manipulation, getting other people to do your work...

Get with it, Pops...the card catalog's gone! Sources may now include shady internet figures such as rcworld76 or joegunner88.

Maybe a class in late 19th century American lit?

[kaptain]

[Felicia]

Call me old-fashioned, but perhaps Tristan should do his own research...

I have to agree with Tom on this issue. I was about to answer with a great find that I discovered during my research of this question, when I realized I was doing his homework. canyonsrcool needs to do his own homework.

Now this is not to say that I did not appreciate the original question. I had a great time doing my own research and was looking forward to chatting about my finds. (I love to research. Ask a question - who, what, when, where, why and how?)

Experience is gained when you do not get what you want. Don't do canyonsrcool's homework and he will gain research experience.

On the upside; this is a fascinating subject and I would love to read the final work product and see an engaging conversation ensue as a result of his research.