What Equipment Do You Need To Go Canyoning?

There’s loads of different gear that can come in handy on canyoning adventure, depending on where you’re canyon is and how tough the descent will be. Specifics aside there are a couple of essential bits of canyoning equipment that will be useful on nearly any canyoning adventure:

Helmet: Canyoning is a dangerous sport and the risk of injury is ever-present – a helmet is the first essential first piece of gear you’ll need for gorge walking. Make sure you go for a model that’s built to withstand getting wet and is a bright colour to make you easy to spot in the water.

Rope: Even if you’re not planning a really technical descent a good length of climbing rope will always come in handy while gorge walking. Rope can be used to help the less confident members of a group down steep gorge sections and can be used for rescues if needed. Plus at the end of a trip a good old fashioned rope swing is always a good laugh!

Wetsuit And Buoyancy Aid: When you canyoning you’re going to get soaked, so a wetsuit will protect you against chill from getting in and out of water and keep you warm enough to keep on gorge walking. Buoyancy aids are also a good idea, reducing the effort of any long swims and keeping your head out of the water if you have an accident.

Stay In Touch: Canyoning can be a dangerous and remote pastime, so it’s not something to get stuck into without a bit of planning. Mobile phone signal can be a real issue at the bottom of a canyon but make sure you’ve got some way to call the outside world because on the off chance it works it could really help to get you out of a sticky situation. Also make sure that at least one person not on the trip knows where you are going and when you will be back so that if you get into trouble and can’t tell anyone, rescue can still be on its way.

Check Your Protection: If you’re heading to a well used spot, it’s important to check the condition of the abseiling or climbing protection you’ll be using. Popular canyoning spots there will often be permanent bolts in place for you to abseil from but even though many people will have used these, don’t assume they’re safe. Check each one before committing your weight or rope to it.

Pace Yourself: Gorge walking is a demanding sport which borrows from several other outdoor sports, so a good basic level of fitness is required. Once you have entered a canyon you’ll often only be able to get out by completing your trip down the watercourse, so make sure that you’ll have the energy and strength to keep going for the full trek. It’s a good idea to pack some extra energy boosting snacks for the trip and take breaks when you need them so that you’re giving 100% to each step of your descent because losing concentration at any point can lead to serious accidents.

Where Can I Learn Canyoning?

The best place to get started with canyoning is as part of an organised group. You’ll have all the essential canyoning kit provided for you and an experienced guide to quite literally show you the ropes. You’ll pick up a lot of basic technique and safety tips from your first couple of trips and your guide should be able to point you in the direction of good local spots to try out when you’re ready.

If you want to try an independent trip then make sure you get some training first. The UK Canyon Guides website is a good place to start as they offer both basic skills courses and training for anyone who wants to become a canyoning guide.

Where Are The Best Places To Go Canyoning?

There are lots of great places to go canyoning in the UK. Popular spots include Dundonnell or the Inchree Falls in Scotland, or How Stean Gorge in Yorkshire. The Brecon Beacons or Snowdonia National Park are among the best places to go canyoning in Wales.

Looking abroad, there are plenty of killer gorge walking spots around the world. Utah is home to some of the most famous canyoning (or canyoneering as it’s known in the USA) spots and there are also the iconic Grand Canyon treks in Arizona.

If you fancy something more exotic then Costa Rica or even Nepal might be for you, but basically anywhere with a decent sized gorge system and some experienced local guides is a go.

You May Also Like

Forgot Your Parachute? This Dude Used An Umbrella Instead When He Jumped Into A 250ft Canyon

What’s Weirder Than Skiing Down A Rocky Canyon In The Woods? Doing It Naked…Obviously