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    Since 1990 thousands of people from around the world have participated in Rich Carlson's technical canyoneering and canyon rescue courses. Here's what some of them had to say about their experiences with Rich and the ACA.


    “Learning canyoneering from Rich is like learning religion from the Pope."
    --Briget Eastep, Southern Utah University
    "Rich Carlson could be considered the father of American canyoneering because of his influence on style, technique, and ethics. In 1999 Carlson established the American Canyoneering Association to promote safety, responsibility, and ethics in American canyoneering. Rich and the ACA have been critical factors in building national standards that have become the cornerstone of canyoneering at the recreational and professional levels throughout the Americas."
    --Dave Black
    "I learned more ropework in 6 days with Rich than I learned in 25 years of climbing. Thank you for introducing me to the world of canyoneering."
    --Tom Jones
    "Rich is a gifted instructor with a good sense of humor. I found his descriptions of complex (at least for me) systems and setups to be clear. He's also a great evaluator of skills assessment."
    "As always I am much the richer for my time with Rich. An excellent instructor. Always come away with having learned something new."
    "Every canyoneering guide in the U.S. - and the overwhelming majority of recreational canyoneers - have learned from or have learned from someone who learned from Rich Carlson."
    "Not only is Rich an expert but he's a great teacher as well. He's patient and explains procedures and techniques clearly. I appreciate that he is willing to do these classes for the community. I've been able to attend several of his Meet-ups, but also his 3 day canyon leader course with the Boy Scout group from Salt Lake. He provides a great resource to the community. Thanks, Rich!"
    "I learned more in 2 days of class from Rich than I have learned in the last 5 years of canyoneering. His style of teaching makes seemingly complicated ideas extremely simple. My confidence level in my abilities has greatly increased as a result. I will surely be taking future courses from Rich."
    "Rich is a wealth of knowledge in his field. His funny, open-hearted teaching style is welcomed by all students. I felt more prepared going forward in my own canyoneering. I look forward to learning more from him."
    "Super helpful class - I learned a lot of rappelling and rappel set up techniques that I can't wait to use on my next trip. In the meantime, I have A LOT to practice."
    "Just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know that I really enjoyed your course. Thanks for your patience. You are a great teacher. I have found in the past that just because one has the knowledge on something, doesn't mean they have the ability to convey that information to others in a way they can retain it. You actually have the gift. I know I retained more that I thought I would. It was a pleasure spending those three days under your guidance."
    "All I can say is WOW! Terrific course. I had already taken a course from a private guide service and was concerned I might not learn anything new in the ACA basic course. My concerns were totally unfounded. I paid half as much for the ACA course and learned at least twice as much. By my math that's four times the value. Keep up the good work, ACA."
    "This course will easily become the standard by which any other canyoneering course will be judged. It was amazing that the professional mountaineering guides found a lot to learn, but the pace was such that a neophyte like me could also pick things up quickly."
    "Thanks Rich for a fun packed two days of great canyoneering training. New methods, new tricks, new tool, the totem."
    "Thank you to Rich and the rest of the group for sharing all your knowledge with me and taking the extra time to help me get up to speed with the rest of the class. Even if I only remember a fraction of what I learned it will be worth every minute in the class."
    "I have been a rock climber for over a decade and didn't really expect to learn anything new. Was I ever wrong. I didn't realize that there were so many specialized systems employed in canyoneering. All of it makes sense. Rock climbing systems are fine for dry rock, but not at all appropriate in a canyon - especially if there is water present."
    "Maybe I shouldn't say this since I'm planning to take more courses in the future, but your fees are too low. I learned more in three days than I have in my first six years of canyoneering with friends. The course is worth at least twice what you are charging. Kudos."
    "Your devotion to the sport and your concern for your students was very apparent during the course. The entire canyoneering community is in your debt for the fine work you are doing."
    "It was immediately obvious that your instructors are not just canyoneers, turned guides, turned instructors. The course structure and quality of instruction was as good or better than any college course I have ever taken. Very professional."
    "My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the course and now have a new rule for choosing canyoneering partners -- ACA course graduates only. You guys are the real deal and you are raising the bar for all canyoneers."
    "Even though I have climbed for 15 years, I learned a lot of new, cool techniques. Wow! Great course."
    "This was definitely an eye-opening experience into understanding how much there really is to canyoneering. It was a challenging week with tons and tons of information and skills to be learned. Thank you for taking extra time and effort in seeing I understood things clearly. I'm very pleased with the setup of the course. I had so much fun - the canyon trips were excellent. My excitement for canyoneering has greatened even more."
    "This was a great opportunity for me to get exposure to a myriad of new techniques for use in future canyoneering exploits. The experience and perspective of the instructors added another dimension and contributed greatly to the value of the course."
    "In all my years of guiding I've learned to use many varied anchor systems. In just one day of the course I learned three new and efficient ones specially adapted to canyoneering."
    "I wanted to thank you again for the course on technical canyoneering last weekend. It truly was a great course and I am very glad I took it. I learned so much that I think I went into information-overload. So I tried to focus on the main principles you reinforced in the scenarios more than anything else: repetition, repetition, repetition. I guess I am writing because I am so grateful. I have been on the ACA website these last few days and I have noticed how much effort you put into the site, promoting the sport and the proper techniques. Thanks, it has opened up a whole new world for me."
    "It's unbelievable how much we have learned in one week. Great teaching and patience displayed by all instructors. Great body of knowledge taught. Good hands-on experience. Good pace and sequence of topics."
    "I just wanted to let you know I had a great time at the canyoneering course. Thank you guys for being so flexible with the group and for making sure we were all being taught material that suited our experience and interests. I hope to be able to attend one of the advanced courses in the next year."
    "It was a privilege learning from a master like Dave. The natural anchor systems he taught showed a great deal of creativity. It was refreshing to hear from someone who could speak from many years of real practical experience, instead of those chest-thumpers on the chat group. Thank you for caring about us newbies."
    "I just wanted to let you know what a fabulous time I had in the Level I course that finished last week. I learned an incredible amount of information and had such fun doing it. Dave Black has an infectious, tangible passion for the canyons. Being in his class was a priviledge. Rarely have I met such a capable man. I felt completely secure and comfortable in his presence. He's the kind of guy you believe could cook you dinner, fix a radio and build a quonset hut from a couple of carabiners and some webbing. No doubt he has forgotten more about canyons and climbing than I will ever know. It is such a gratifying discovery to realize how much you don't know about something. I have a long way to go, but I am genuinely looking forward to more canyoneering. Thanks very much for a great course."
    "Excellent course. Well thought out. I felt I learned a great deal and had a lot of fun doing it."
    "The cumulative structure of the course was right on. We had three opportunities to learn each technique - classroom (camp), controlled situation (bridge), then actual application in the canyons."
    "The knowledge I have gained in these few days was incredible. My expectations were far exceeded. Thanks to Rich and Stefan for great instruction and smooth improv when needed."
    "I am really impressed with not only the skills and techniques but the fact that you put together such a great course. You did a great job and I learned a lot."
    "The technical info and application of methods was outstanding. Rich and Stefan provided some great approaches to common canyoneering problems. If Rich had not told me that it was the first [ACA] course, I would not have known. Everything went very smoothly."

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