Canyonning is a relatively technical activity, pulling together skills from bushwalking, climbing and water sports. Personal and group skills are vitally important to ensure speed and safety in the canyon world.

As a novice preparing for an abseil canyon, you should make sure you are comfortable with:

• putting on your harness correctly
• the ABCDE checks- Anchor, Buckles, Carabiners, Decender, Every thing else
• abseiling - using an ATC or Jacobs ladder correctly
• abseiling - getting over the edge, including grovel start - where the rope is anchored near your feet
• how to bottom belay
• coiling ropes
• swimming at least 200m
• how to waterproof your pack
• the required gear, avoiding hypothermia and personal first aid

Beginner abseiling practice sessions are generally held towards the start of the year. Many canyonning trips will require you to have participated in one of these sessions unless you have significant previous experience, so make sure you sign up for one.

Once you are comfortable with the basics of abseiling, there are some other important skills you need to develop as your experience increases in order to become a self sufficient canyonner. These include:

• locking of your abseil device to free your hands
• getting extra friction from your decender
• abseiling using a prussik backup
• freeing yourself if something gets tangled in your descender
• setting and evaluating anchors for abseiling
• ascending and descending a rope with prussik loops
• prussiking past a knot
• making a chest harness from a sling
• knots - tape, double fishermans, klemheist and bachman, alpine butterfly, munter hitch.
• basic navigations skills

As you progress to more adventurous canyons and contribute further to supporting the group you might want to think about some of the following:

• setting the abseil with two independent strands or to allow easy lowering
• dealing with and avoiding stuck ropes
• hauling systems
• assisted abseils
• counterbalance method of getting the weight of an exhausted or helpless person off their descender.
• understanding the challenges of fast flowing water
• understanding the influence of topography and weather on water levels
• confident navigation
• first aid skills
• trip planning - destinations, group gear, required experience ...

During the cooler months there are skills sessions where keen canyoners (and climbers) get together, share knowledge and learn new techniques. If you are keen to learn more but no skills trips are currently on the calender - why not offer to organize one and get some experienced club members along to help. Contact the canyonning officer if you would like help organising a skills night.