Canyoneering Courses - Canyons & Crags

Whether your goal is safer, more enjoyable adventures with friends or a career guiding canyons, your training with us will be a valuable investment in yourself.

Canyons & Crags continues to set the gold standard for courses in recreational canyoneering, canyon rescue and professional canyon guiding.

As the founder of the American Canyoneering Association in 1999, Rich Carlson developed the curriculum that is still being taught and copied by most canyoneering instructors in the U.S. Now serving as the Senior Instructor for Canyon Guides International, Rich continues to develop and refine courses that are comprehensive and fun.

Competencies Checklist

The Competencies Checklist was developed through a joint venture between Canyons & Crags and Canyon Guides International (CGI). Use the checklist as a road map on your journey toward acquiring knowledge and skills to become a more competent and self-reliant canyoneer.

COMPETENCIES CHECKLIST PDF

Intro to Canyoneering

Our Entry Level course covers the basic knowledge and skills you need to descend canyons (up to and including Class 3) with competent leaders/mentors. The curriculum includes Rappelling Basics, plus Canyoneering Essentials.

ART-1 Technical Canyoneering

This beginner-intermediate course is designed to teach you the skills necessary to be a contributing member of a team descending canyons up to and including Class 3.

Even if you have already been descending canyons for awhile, this course is your first step in transitioning from a handful of memorized techniques to a true understanding of anchor, rigging and rope systems.

ART-2 Advanced Canyoneering

In this intermediate-advanced course you will gain knowledge and competence with anchors, rigging and rescue systems while honing your personal rappelling, ascending and problem-solving skills to enable you to become a contributing member of a team descending intermediate to advanced canyons, up to and including Class 4.

ART-3 Canyon Leadership

In this course you will learn the technical, problem-solving and group management skills needed to lead a team descending beginner to advanced canyons, including when things don’t go completely as planned. Ideal for both recreational leaders and professional guides who desire the knowledge and skills needed to lead canyoneering groups safely and efficiently.

Our Canyon Leadership course will prepare you for the pro canyon guide or recreational canyon leader assessments offered by Canyon Guides International.

Canyon Rescue

This course goes beyond the self-rescue and basic partner rescue techniques covered in our level 1, 2 and 3 canyoneering courses. Canyon Rescue is an advanced technical rescue course that will teach you the skills and methods needed to respond to group emergencies with minimal gear.

Our Canyon Rescue course will prepare you for the Canyon Rescue Technician assessment offered by Canyon Guides International.

We offer private instruction, coaching and mentoring and can customize your training to provide the utmost in personal attention with the ability to progress at your own pace.

What our students and clients are saying ...

A person's most useful asset is not the head full of knowledge, but a heart full of love, an ear ready to listen and a hand willing to help.

-Unknown

I’m so thoroughly satisfied with how much l learned this weekend! I feel so revved up to keep at it! We shared so many different ways to complete various tasks on rope. My favorite thing about Rich Carlson as an instructor was how open he was to let others share how they like to do things. I dig a leader that doesn’t have pride issues. Very personable, lots of stories, thorough and patient with all my questions. Thank you Rich for expanding my abilities this weekend.

Lisa Hewitt

“I have had the opportunity to take several courses from Rich Carlson, and have come away with so much more new information than I expected. His depth of knowledge and experience is invaluable and it seems the more I learn, the more he has to teach. I most enjoy that no matter your level of rope work education, Rich makes the curriculum easy to grasp, and offers concepts and methods that challenge even the most skilled students. Rich has taught me that every situation has nuances that dictate the options and applicable best practice, and that “it depends” is an important mantra to prevent getting stuck in a “one size fits all” mentality. I have greatly benefited from Rich’s instruction and highly recommend!”

”The canyoneering classes that I have taken from Rich Carlson not only have been a passport to places only accessible via rope work, but have created a foundation of understanding of risk management in natural vertical environments. If you are looking for a path of self-reliance and clear understanding of canyoneering and rope work, look no further.”

"When I first got into canyoneering I quickly realized that I needed some training. While doing a deep internet search, two names kept popping up as people I might want to train me. When I found out that Rich Carlson had trained the other guy I knew I wanted him as my instructor. Over the years I have received training from other instructors, but I consider my training from Rich to be the best. Rich has taught me so much about canyoneering and I still learn every time I attend a course with him. I never thought I would go as far as becoming a guide and instructor myself, but here I am and I thank Rich for all he has taught me. He gives more than his knowledge to the community around the world and it’s usually for minimal financial gain. Rich was my instructor in the beginning and now he is also my friend. Thanks Rich!"

"I started canyoneering about four years ago. I took a class from Rich and quickly realized there was so much more I needed to know to be safe. He teaches the skills necessary to be a competent canyoneer while reinforcing critical thinking to understand why and not just how to do things. I feel more confident in my skills and abilities as a result of his training."