Technical Canyoneering Course (ACE-L1) Boulder, CO – with Optional Monday Descent

3-Day Technical Canyoneering Course (ACE-L1) Boulder, CO – with Optional Monday Descent

Learn to Canyoneer!     

Canyoneering and Canyoning are terms used to describe an adventure sport that combines hiking, wading, swimming, jumping, sliding, boulder-hopping, scrambling, rock-climbing, sometimes packrafting and always rappelling — often over waterfalls.

Canyoneering is an emerging adventure sport in the US and has grown significantly in popularity over the past decade.  This sport has unique risks and requires a very specific set of technical skills to enjoy it safely.  Rock-climbing, caving, mountaineering and swift water training teach related skills for your ‘toolbox’, but Canyoneering has become highly specialized, and much of the gear and many of the techniques of Canyoneering are distinctly different from those of the other sports …and that’s where we come in!

Prerequisite: None

This is a beginner to intermediate course which teaches the skills necessary to safely descend canyons as part of a group (being a competent participant and the knowledge to recognize and implement safe canyon practices). This course is designed to quickly get the beginner up-to-speed on basics, to give both the rookie and intermediate canyoneer new tools for his/her toolbox and will help intermediate cayoneers refine their current skill set!  The topics and skills covered will include:

• Knots, Bends and Hitches
• Canyon Rating System
• Rules, Ethics, Style, Communication and Courtesy
• Specific Gear Choices, Requirements, Use and Care
• Belays, Lowering and Handlines
• Natural, Artificial, Transient & Human Anchors
• Static and Contingency Riggings
• Rope Deployment, Coiling, Bagging and Etiquette
• Rappelling Techniques & On-Rope Skills 
  (Adding Friction Pre-rappel, Mid-rappel, Locking Off, etc.)
• Specialized Rappelling Techniques 
  (Hard Starts, Soft Starts, Free-Hanging, Over-Hanging, etc.)
• Basic Climbing & Down Climbing Skills 
  (Bridging, Stemming, Partner Assists, Partner Captures, etc.)
• Safety Checking and Basic Self-Rescue
• And, within each of these broad subjects are a myriad of skills and tools.

Instructor:  AJ Pastula,

The cost of this course is $395. (The course fee is non-refundable but may be put toward a future class during the same calendar year if 30-day notice is given, cancelling your participation in this course.  If 30-day notice is not given, the remaining balance will be due whether you attend the course or not.)  Please read more course/company policies here.

SCHEDULE: This class will begin on Friday evening (meeting at 6:00pm to around 9pm.) An e-mail with specific directions, and a link, will be sent about a week or two prior to the class. Friday will be an orientation and introduction with an emphasis on the canyon rating system, gear, weather, canyon topography … and getting to know each other. The course will reconvene on Saturday and Sunday at the same location and will run from 7am to 5 or 6pm both days with hands on learning. There will be an optional Monday descent where you can apply the skills you learned over the weekend – we will discuss details during the course.

Required gear for this course is a harness and a helmet (We will loan these out if you don’t have them), and we’ll also be loaning out carabiners, descenders, tethers, foot loops, prussiks, etc.  Feel free to borrow our gear for this course, until you determine what your needs will be.