Canyon Safety Article

[mtn_dude]

Skills can be taught. Common sense, well if you have to ask. Nevermind

I feel that as skills are learned, common sense increases. Take this subway incident for example; had this man learned the skill of ascending, common sense would've told him to simply ascend to get his device unjammed. But since he didn't have that skill set his common sense idea was to cut his harness off when stuck. Common sense is relative to ones experience and knowledge/skill sets.
Having been canyoneering for awhile, common sense now tells me to use a lanyard to clip into an anchor while rigging it because stuff just happens, like a ledge fell out from under me at the last rap in Pine Creek. Luckily I was being led by someone who knew more and had me clipped in before this happened. But while I was still a noob I felt that clipping into an anchor to just get it rigged or to get my rap device ready was a waste of time and unimportant.
Common sense, or what most of us would do for safety, comes from experience; even though we were probably taught from the beginning those safeties.

[mtn_dude]

And I ain't saying that classes will be a focus but more they could be additional places readers could look to learn before deciding, "Hey canyoneering is really cool! Let's GO!"
How could someone who is wanting to go canyoneering in Zion find someone willing to take them down? I know that when I get a permit i always open it up to my friends on Facebook but that only reaches my Facebook friends. Thousands of people each day go to Zion looking for a canyon experience but they aren't my friend so they can't get hooked up with me. How can they experience it? How can they find the more competant canyoneer?

[Mountaineer]

Common sense:Sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.
For some, skills in judgement come naturally and quickly. For others...well, I believe if those in this category first acknowledge they have a lack of judgement, then practice toward improvement, it is possible to gain a baseline competency. A bit of humility can help.

[Mountaineer]

How can they find the more competant canyoneer?

Bogley. Yahoo. Rendezvous....

[2065toyota]

That doesn't mean you learned common sense. You learned a skill or a habit. Common sense is when you hook up without being told because your "common sense" says your standing next to cliff. Maybe I should clip in because something might happen. Bogley is where you find partners. There are plenty of people on here willing to go with you or let you tag along. PM me your cell number and I will text you next time we have openings

[mtn_dude]

I think we're looking at common sense different, because how i see what you're saying about common sense is the same as why the mind screams out "What the Hell are you doing, that's a cliff you can't go over that!" the first time you go to rappel. Naturally man wasn't made to go over cliffs but as we learn and try it out we find that, "Oh this is safe and really fun!"
I'll gladly go with ya, but I know what I'm doing out there so this isn't about me finding people to go with. I've used bogley and the ACA's site to find people to go with or take. I'm just looking for other resources people could use.
I know of several hundreds of people in Cedar that want to go out and see the canyons that they see pics of, or hear of (127 hours and this subway incident), and some (who's common sense doesn't work well) would just go...then we hear about them later in a press release from Zion, etc.

[hank moon]

Skills can be taught. Common sense, well if you have to ask. Nevermind

I think it's an interesting question b/c many use the phrase "common sense" and claim it as a faculty, yet few are able to say what it is or how they acquired it. So, when I see vague and unsubstantial talk about so-called "common sense," it gets my radar twirlin'.