Technical Canyoneering – Las Vegas

Instructor: Rich Carlson

Canyoneering Competencies: Level 1 Modules

Canyoneering is an adventure sport that combines hiking, wading, swimming, jumping, sliding, boulder-hopping, scrambling, rock-climbing and rappelling — often over waterfalls.

Canyoneering is not new, but it has grown significantly over the past two decades. The sport involves some unique risks and requires a specific set of technical skills to enjoy it safely. Knowledge and skills learned rock climbing provide a good foundation, but fall short and can even prove deadly in environments that combine rope and water.

This is a beginner to intermediate course designed to teach you the skills necessary to be a competent participant in a canyoneering team. 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 techniques to become a competent member of a canyoneering team.​

Topics covered in the course include:

• the importance of system safety checks
• knots, bends and hitches
• canyon rating systems
• ethics and style
• terminology and communication
• selecting, using and caring for gear
• belays, lowering and hand lines
• natural, artificial, transient and human anchors
• using friction and sequencing to utilize marginal anchors
• static rigging vs releasable contingency rigging
• rope deployment, coiling and rope bag use
• rappelling techniques and on-rope skills
• adjusting friction pre-rappel and mid-rappel
• locking off while rappelling
• dealing with difficult rappel starts
• climbing and down-climbing skills
• chimneying, stemming and bridging
• tips and tricks from Rich’s 40+ years of canyoneering

Gear Requirements:

• harness
• helmet
• rappel/belay device
• 5-6 locking carabiners, HMS (pear shape) preferred

If you have additional gear, feel free to bring it, but it is not necessary to purchase anything special for the course, other than what is listed above. Additional gear will be available for you to borrow, try and purchase during the course.

This is a Hybrid Course

This course includes online training material. Virtual meetings with your instructor will be available to you before and after the hands-on training days. In addition, you and other students in this course will become part of a private online group for ongoing consultation with the instructor.

Course Fee: $395

Canyoneering Karma Passport holders: $145

REGISTRATION: Buy your ticket(s) here on this page. If you have a Canyoneering Karma Passport, the $145 ticket price is your payment in full. If you do not have a Passport, the $250 balance will be due on or before the first day of the course.

Canyoneering Karma Passports are available HERE