European Canyons from the perspective of an Oz canyoner..
Let me start by saying : wa wa wee wa, hello, i like you

Spain:
The sierra de guara should be on all youse lists of canyon
destinations to visit
Technical, steep, and very narrow tributaries generally emptying into
small rivers, that are fine canyons themselves.
Seems the sierra de guara gets a bunch of snow high in the catchments
over the months of Dec-Jan-Feb then the rains arrive March and into
April.. then the hot temps
I am told the best time to see the tributaries flowing is May-June
and possibly into July.
After this time the water in the smaller tributaries ceases to flow
and the plunge pools at the base of waterfalls get blacker and
stinkier with each passing day.
So, when i was there in September the water in the pots was 'agua
negra' (black water!).. Very similar to the water quality encountered
in Zion, Utah... not so nice.
Once out of the tributaries and into the main rivers you return to
the land of flowing water. Because levels were low we were able to
pick our way upstream in a few of these rivers making for quicker
exits.. I am told it is impossible to do this at other times of the
year.
Anchors generally consisted of two glue in ring bolts.. to my
surprise these were generally not equalised with a sling.. canyoners
just thread their rope through both ring bolts (american death
triangle style) and abseil double rope on most drops. Not ideal in my
mind, but better then threading a rope through a sling. Folks i
talked to in spain were amazed that in oz we were prepared to abseil
directly off slings with no rapides/maillons..
There are a few exceptions to the double rope method, and when the
water is high, i am told techniques change to suit.
Hikes in and out were sometimes a little tuff.. Mascun, for example,
saw us hiking uphill (in the rain) for approx. 3hrs.. the hike out
involved about an hour+ of creek walking then a 30min uphill bash..
still fairly tame when compared to oz, but brutal when compared to
other euro canyons..

France:
Jump, slide, jump, slide, jump, slide, abseil
For what ever geological miracle, france has been blessed with
canyons that are full of jumps and slides.. folks will only use the
rope where absolutely necessary.
Jumps of up to 12m are not uncommon.
Vertical toboggans (slides) are not uncommon
Technical jumps- i.e: "land here, but what ever you do don't land
there"... and... "you have to run and jump to clear the rocks at the
bottom" are not uncommon
Technical toboggans- i.e. "use a rope to get past the ruff stuff then
disconnect and slide from there" ..or the always exciting "short
rope" are not uncommon
Water levels we encountered (late summer, September) were exciting
but not out of control. Obviously the earlier in the season the
higher the water.
Anchors were abundant.. generally at the top of a waterfall there
were several bolted options.. I believe this is so the canyons can be
done during times of both high water and lower water levels.. The
high water anchors generally have a "bolt ladder" leading up and out
of the flow to reach the abseil anchor high on the wall. Some have
permanent hand-lines to help you escape the flow, some have mini via-
ferratas complete with cable and "u" shaped metal hand and foot holds.
Again the "american death triangle" method seems to be used
(threading the rope directly through two bolted anchors), but setting
rope length, blocking against bolts and abseiling on a single rope is
common.
The technique used for blocking one line is generally done using a
figure of eight device.. very cool as it makes the anchor releasable
and allows controlled slipping of the rope to avoid abrasion points
on the rock.
When i explained the oz technique of abseiling directly off slings
without the aid of maillions/rapides i was again greeted with
disbelief and amazement.
Walks in and out were almost non existent. Most canyons either
start/end or start and end at road bridges.. However, unless you have
two cars and set up a shuttle you are still in for a walk.. Biggest
road walk we did was 9km and about 1000m vertical.. but still very
civilised as we passed through little villages stopping for coffee
and croissants along the way.

Italy:
Was only able to squeeze in three canyons in Italy.. was very late in
the season (early october).. the canyons we did were in the Milan
area and in the Alps close to the border with switzerland..
As a result the water was cold.. around 3deg
Air temps were not much better at around 8 to 12deg
The canyons we did were awesome... really carved up smooth rock with
beautiful, crystal clear water.. but cold, real cold.
In order to survive 6hrs in 3deg water I wore:
Three thermal pants
Two thermal tops
A 2mm neoprene shirt
Two pairs of neoprene socks
Neoprene gloves, with a pair of work gloves on the outside to protect
them
A 5mm, two piece diving wetsuit
A thermal balaclava
A neoprene beanie
...and was still only just comfortable.. after a full 6hrs in the
canyon i was getting cold..
Was a damn shame it was so cold as these were amongst the best
canyons i have ever been in.. but the cold really effected my overall
enjoyment.
Therefore i have decided to return in a warmer season.. or with a
warmer outfit.
The problem, i am told, with doing these canyons in the warmer months
is that they are glacier fed.. so the warmer the air temp, the more
water melts off the glacier and rushes into the canyon..
There are in fact many canyons in this area that cannot be done until
the winter months, when most water is iced up and flows are low..
So my trip report on Italy is incomplete for now.. i shall return.


for now i am ready to bail europe and head to warmer climates.. more
canyon fun in the american deserts..

For those who like to be visualy inspired, Ira has uploaded some
excellent photos from the trip to his site:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ira.lewis

cheese
joe

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