IN THIS MODULE
02.0 Your Safety!
I am going to repeat this throughout the entire book, so you might as well get used to it now. These are my three golden rules of canyoneering:
1
Safety First — Your safety—and the safety of your group—is the top priority. Always.
2
Have Fun — This is an incredible sport. Enjoy it. Otherwise… why are we doing this?
3
Follow the Order — Rule #1 always comes before Rule #2. No exceptions.
“If you remember nothing else from this module, remember the order.”
Sometimes the best canyon decision is the one that stops the trip before the canyon makes the decision for you.
02.1 What “Safety First” Actually Means
“Safety first” sounds simple, but in canyoneering it affects almost every decision you make—from who you go with to which canyon you choose, what gear you carry, and whether you even leave the trailhead that morning.
• It is a team effort. Everyone should understand the basics, carry appropriate gear, and be able to contribute.
• Do not make solo canyoneering your starting point. Learn with experienced people and build your skills around a team.
• Weather matters more than most beginners realize. Canyons are shaped by water, and water can change them very quickly.
• Plan ahead. Know the route, current conditions, your group’s ability, the expected time, and your exit options.
• Build in redundancy. Backup plans, extra gear, and “what if?” thinking are not overkill—they are normal canyon preparation.
Preparation is what makes canyoneering enjoyable. Lack of preparation is what turns a manageable problem into a very bad day.
Water can transform a canyon or drainage quickly. Weather is not something you check once and then forget about.
02.2 Risk Can Be Reduced But Not Eliminated
Canyoneering is exciting, but accidents do happen. People get injured. Equipment gets damaged. Anchors fail. Groups make poor decisions. Sometimes a small mistake gets corrected immediately. Other times, the consequences are serious.
The goal is not to eliminate risk—you cannot. The goal is to recognize it early and reduce it as much as reasonably possible.
02.3 How You Reduce Risk
• Learn from other people’s experiences—especially their mistakes.
• Practice technical skills before you need them in a real canyon.
• Think through “what if?” scenarios before the trip.
• Take weather, water, cold, heat, route-finding, and group ability seriously.
Knowing knots, anchors, rappelling, and rescue concepts absolutely helps. None of those skills guarantee that everything will go right. That is simply the reality of the sport.
02.4 Match the Canyon to the Group
Part of safety is choosing the right canyon for the people who are actually going—not the group you wish you had.
Bringing an inexperienced child—or an inexperienced adult—into a long, technical, committing canyon is a poor match. The same canyon that feels casual to one group can be overwhelming to another. Match the canyon to the group, not the other way around.
02.5 Learn From Other People’s Mistakes
The canyoneering community has documented a lot of accidents, rescues, and close calls over the years. They are not just stories. They are lessons, and many of them reveal the same patterns over and over again. Please, learn from other people’s mistakes—otherwise, we are doomed to repeat them.
02.6 Learn From Real Incidents
• “I Can’t Believe I Survived” — StGeorgeUtah.com
• “Kolob Canyon Disaster” — Climb-Utah.com
• “Flash Flood in the Black Hole” — Climb-Utah.com
• “Flash Flood in Little Wild Horse Canyon” — Climb-Utah.com
• “Special Report: The Keyhole 7” — Outside
• “Surviving a Flash Flood in a Slot Canyon” — Outside
• “The Death Thread” (Bob Allan) — SmilingCricket.com