How NOT 2 Canyon
In Collaboration with Brent Roth, the white water pirate
Welcome to our free course, where we will introduce you to canyoning and show you a few
different ways to set up rappels while descending a canyon. This is NOT all-inclusive.
There are many aspects to learn before you should commit to a canyon on your own.
Please check out the continued education at the bottom to learn more.
This blog format allows this "textbook" to be easy to read on any device, easy for us to
add and update the information, and easy to translate. Consider each blog we send you to
as "chapters" and they will always point to the next place you should head. Treat this
page as the topo map on how to guide yourself down this course, get it?
Rappelling Wizards: Intro to Canyoning
50 minute video with Shawn Breaux and Brent Roth introducing the sport
Brent's Gear Guide
☠️ WARNING!!! ☠️
There have been a number of incidents resulting in severe injury or death while people were rappelling. A recent accident happened while a group was practicing for running canyons. A person loaded the wrong strand, leaned back, and fell.
- Practice In A Low Consequence Environment! - Do not try these systems for the first time in a canyon at height!
- Back up Your Systems!! - Some of the parts of the rigging in the videos were omitted for clarity. Always back up the system until the last person rigs for retrieval!
- Use A Process Every Time!!! - Use a lanyard or Personal Anchor System (PAS). THIS IS THE FIRST AND LAST THING TO CLIP/UNCLIP DURING A RAPPEL!
Lean back and check everything before removing your Personal Anchor System / Lanyard!
I started a store and sell canyoning gear. We have Glacier Black's entire product line and will be adding more canyon brands soon. Buying from us helps us make more content and if you get 20% off EVERYTHING if you become a $99-a-year supporter.
How KNOT 2 Tie Ropes
You need to know these knots to follow along in this course. These are very short stand-alone videos not on the main channel. If you don't know how to tie these knots, grab a rope, watch these, and start practicing. The key to every knot is that it is properly tied, set, and dressed before use.
Figure 8 on a Bight
This is a very common end-loop knot in climbing, caving and canyoning.
Blocking Knot - Figure of 8
This knot is a simple way to rappel on a single strand and retrieve your rope.
Blocking Knot - Clove Hitch
This knot is a simple way to rappel on a single strand and retrieve your rope.
Stone Knot & Carabiner
This knot is a simple way to rappel on a single strand and retrieve your rope. I found that this is the easiest to undo afterheavily heavely loaded.
MMO - Munter Mule Overhand
This knot is the baseline for building a releasable anchor. It is used in many rescue situations from load transfers to passing a knot. Here it is tied to the anchor to allow a person on rappel to be lowered if needed, manage abrasion or set specific rope length.
Stone Knot & Carabiner
This knot is a simple way to rappel on a single strand and retrieve your rope. I found that this is the easiest to undo afterheavily heavely loaded.
EMO - Eight Mule Overhand
This is a veriation of an MMO using a figure 8 device as a blocking system. This system does not need to be retied for rope retrieval
EMO Without Quickdraw
This is an EMO using less gear to rig a secure rappel anchor.
Big Butterfly
This is a quick way to set up a remote anchor point and have two strands ready for rappel.
Main Course
Here are a few things to consider when rigging for canyon rappels:
- How will I get my rope back?
- Is there an abrasion point or flowing water?
- What are the skill levels of people in your group?
- Is there a way for you to rescue someone on rappel by just staying at the anchor?
- Do you have to toss out your entire rope to just go down 20 feet?
General Overview
Episode 1
Definitions and Terms with an overview of every system.
System Explanations
Episode 2
Static and release blocks for a single rope.
Episode 3
Setting up 2 strands to move a group through a canyon quicker.
Episode 4
How to have two usable strands but also be rigged and ready for a rescue if needed.
Episode 5
How to go down two strands and how to do it to prevent abrasion.
Episode 6
How you can rig every system above with just one device. A summary and example of every system you just learned.
Gear Tests
Episode 7
How much friction do different lowering methods produce?
Episode 8
How much friction does that extra wrap on your descender create?
Episode 9
We broke the hard stuff you use in a canyon and said "WOW" after every test.
Episode 10
How strong is EMO vs MMO + Stone Block, Clove Hitch and 8 Block and whatever else you can do with a rope?
Continued Education
We made our HowNOT2 course because this material wasn’t available online in this way and
we like to help spread knowledge in the extreme sports community. There is another great
canyon resource that can show you how to move down the canyon, the stuff you need and
how to be a better participant on a canyon trip. The first V7 course is free and we
HIGHLY RECOMMEND you take it. Their 2nd course is more advanced and is only the cost of
a rope.
Go sign up and see if you benefit from the first course!
High-quality and affordable PNW-specific canyoning courses from certified swiftwater rescue instructors and canyoning guides.
For local training and information, the Seattle Mountaineers has a canyon program that is a great way to get plugged into canyoning in the PNW. Their curriculum follows the V7 course and has great hands-on training with a great group of people….
If you are a bit farther south, the Portland Mazamas has a canyon program as well. Kevin
Clark wrote an extensive book,
Canyoning in the Pacific Northwest: A Technical Resource, that is available from a lot of places these days (NorHex in Portland, Ascent
Outdoors in Seattle, Valhalla Outfitters up in Squamish -- and a bunch of others
including Imlay, On Rope Canyoneering, Adventure Plus, CanyonZone, Canyon Store, etc.
Amazon delivers fast, but one can probably get it a bit cheaper and help support local
canyon businesses at the same time. 🙂
Proceeds from this book support the Mazamas Canyon Program.
AAI is starting a new hands-on canyoning program in Washington with Brent Roth. Contact
them for more details about courses and scheduling.
Brent Roth
Living in the Pacific Northwest, Brent Roth is passively-aggressively going to get back
at all the stupid Facebook forums by providing educational content that will at least
piss off the southwestern canyoneers at best and everyone at worst. He was in the Army
for only 4 years until he realized canyoning was the only thing worth doing. He has 2
cats. That’s about all you need to know. written by Ryan Jenks Real funny Ryan…
Yes, I live in the PNW and I am from here. I retired from the Navy and started working outdoors as a rafting and swift water rescue instructor. I have taken a few technical rope rescue courses from American Alpine Institute and Rigging-for-Rescue and really connected with how technical rope systems work. I volunteer with a local Mountain Rescue Unit and continue to train in rope systems. I am a classic rope nerd.
I am in several online groups and see lots of debates and questions about systems and
techniques. Most of these debates try to define “what is best” for everyone. I like to
compare the capabilities and limitations of things and then determine what I should do
in a given situation. The more I learn, the more options I have. That is “what’s best”
for me and I like to share what I learn. I do have two cats.
See Brent's full bio HERE
👇 Now Head Over to Chapter 1 👇
1st Episode
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