Stepping out into Unchartered Territory

[JerseyDude]

Hello, I'm Jersey Dude ( Trail name of course, the handle given to me by my folks is Dennis). I have a very good friend that has been looking for someone to go canyoneering with for some time, & I finaly took the bait. Trying not to dance around the point too much, is the fact that I have never canyoneered before. I'm a backpacker by trade, & love to kayak, & every now & again I can be spotted bouldering around the very few parks in my area with some rocks to climb up. We are planning to head out to the Zion Canyons sometime next year, which leaves me with an oppurtunity to gain some knowledge, & perhaps some gear.
So, I throw myself on the mercy of the forum, & the members that keep it alive & flowing. I will graciously & humbly accept any & all knowledge that is passed to me. Also if I have posted this in the wrong forum, I do apologize.

Thanks
:)
Jersey Dude

[DJ Meding]

JD,
If you haven't done any research yet let me tell you that you are in the same situation many adventuresome people are now finding themselves in. This "sport" is growing at an unbelievable rate, and for just cause, it is very addictive. Zion is a great place to start since there are so many canyons of varying degrees of difficulty. Problem is for you, as is for me, is that it is an extended plane ride away. You may be able to occasionally get a reasonable fare into St. George, but you are usually much better off flying into Vegas and then driving the remainder of the way. Cheaper airfare and car rental rates and the drive to St.George is only hour and half with some great scenery. Watch out for highway patrol all along the way, but doing 80 is usually acceptable.

First priority is training. It is well worth the expense of the level 1 and 2 courses which are offset by the knowledge gained and the people you will meet during them. Also, to say you were tutored by the master himself carries a certain degree of prestige, envy, disdain, guess it depends who you talk to. Anyway I have found that you can't learn enough because there are so many scenarios that you will run into out there and you need to be prepared for every one of them.

Second priority is once you have the acedemic knowledge you must put it to practical application. Get out there and use what you have learned. The rendezvous are great for getting out there with people of various skill levels. The problem again for you will be is that canyoneering turns you into a kid again. At the beginning it will be, this is scarry, and at the end you will be saying lets do that again and again and again. So many beautiful places, so many thrills, so much fun. But you will be in Jersey and the canyons will be 2000 miles away. Deal with it as best as possible to make the best of you time outside of Jersey.

Equipment wise you may turn into a gear junky because there are the basic necessities and then there are the back ups and the just in cases. The just in cases are the worst of the group since there are many pieces of equipment that will do the same things that others do but just a little better or a little differently. Anyway here are my suggestions for starting out.

Petzl makes a great harness designed for canyoneering, but there are a few others designed for caving that are popular also.

rappeling devise: my personal choice is the pirrana since it is so versital but a figure eight has many uses also.

Ascenders: Tibloc for ease of use and easy to carry.

Five ten canyoneering shoes a must for wet canyons and any quality approach shoe for dry. Problem some times a dry canyon can be very wet.

Wet suit vs. dry suit: Much to debate. Wet suit type will depend on how easily you get cold and how you handle it. 3mm minimum of full coverage? Or will you need 5mm?

Back pack: How many are you willing to go through before you get one designed for the abuse it will take? Again go with Petzl or Resurgence or I think that Metolis now has a canyoning pack in production.

Rope: Hard to beat Blue water canyon pro 8mm or canyon 9.2mm, expensive but durable and strong.

Please remember these suggestions are my prefferences and will gaurantee debate from many sources on all of them as well as agreement from others. Also there are many people out there that are willing to share in there knowledge of technics and locations to apply them, so don't be affraid to ask. Best of luck and have fun out there and most of all be safe.

Dave

[JerseyDude]

Dave,

One thing that I have learned through out all my outdoor adventures, is that those who do "it" & live "it," are the best sources for resources. In the handful of years that I have been backpacking, the best thing that I have found to do to learn about what works for whom, is to head north along the AT & " peek " over the shoulders of the northbounders & see what they're using & eating, what they like & what they don't.

Thank you very much for your help. I feel like I have at least a direction to go in, which is something that I needed. I dislike going to a store & asking them for knowledge or help. They are there to sell their stuff to me, thats their main concern. Whether its the right stuff for what I want to do , isn't there problem. I've seen people fresh from EMS or another outfitter, loaded to the brim with gear & accessories that are good, but truly not needed. So before I got my pockets turned inside out, I searched for some knowledge.

But again, I appreciate your help & for sharing your knowledge to me. I noticed that there were a good amount of people who read my post, but weren't willing to respond. So I thank you, I thank you.

Take Care & enjoy your adventuress & all your endeavors.


Dennis

" Jersey Dude"

[Spatulator]

I agree with most of what Dave had to say, but I think his list of stuff you need was a little long if you're just getting started and want to try the sport before you buy a lot of stuff. A regular climbing harness will work just fine for starting out, so if you have one or can borrow one it would be fine. Wetsuits tend to take some abuse, but if you're careful and take a few preventative measures (wear synthetic shorts and t-shirt over your wetsuit) you should be able to get away with borrowing one of these as well. Some old trail running or other athletic shoes will work fine for your first trip. A bike helmet isn't ideal, but it will work. I assume your friend has ropes if he's into canyoneering. That means all you really need to buy is a rappel device, large carabiner, and maybe some neoprene socks. That's at most a $50 investment if you shop around. If you're already pretty sure canyoneering is going to become a hobby for you, then by all means buy all the cool stuff you can find. My point is just that you can start out in this sport with very little expense if you want to.

-Zach

[mtngoat59102]

Just my thoughts from some of what I went through:

Leave your good stuff at home, canyons tend to trash gear. My first canyon tore up a brand new pair of $40 brand name hiking shorts. I started out taking an old backpack and retro fit the thing to drain water by installing grommets in all the compartments/pockets so they would drain. IMO, stay away from the 'dry bag' style packs. You will tear holes in them and they will leak.

I think the advice about using old tennis shoes at first is good. I have sunk a ton of money into this sport with time but you certainly don't have to start that way.

Inexpensive Climbing Harness - $30
Helmet - $50 +
Rap device - $18-$25
Sewn 2' runner - use for leash
Couple larger locking biners
one or two small non-lockers

If you have specific questions just ask,

[Steveeb]

I would go ahead and pony up for a nice fitting pair of sticky rubber shoes. I personally can recommend the Nike ACG Air Rioveros, the Cinder Cones, maybe the 5.10 Canyoneers,and the La Sportiva Exum Ridge or other sticky rubber approach shoes.

In introducing a number of people to canyoneering, I've noticed that the one piece of gear that has the largest effect on enjoyment level is shoes that fit well and stick to the rock. People who slip and slide or suffer from blisters and malfunctioning footwear frequently become frustrated and bail from the sport. See what you think.