Questions and Answers With Canyoner and Verdus founder J.M. Viallatte
by Jesse Goldstein
Q: A lot of people have never heard of canyoning. What is it?
A: Canyoning is a tremendous sport, a mix of climbing, diving and caving. Essentially, it's going down a river (or canyon) using climbing and caving techniques. It is a water sport that is really a lot like a climbing sport. The main difference is that in canyoning you are always going down instead of up, and, of course, that you are moving through rushing water, down under waterfalls, over rocks, through slots.
Q: Canyoning might be banned in the U.S. because it is thought to be too dangerous. Just how dangerous is canyoning?
A: Canyoning is very dangerous! However, the way to prevent accidents is certainly not by forbidding canyoning, but by informing people about the sport. There are a lot of articles and advertisements that deal with canyoning, saying things like, "You're young, want a strong sensation? Try canyoning." But canyoning is not an easy sport, and it is never entirely safe to practice it. Even after many years of practice, I still know that I am not completely safe when in a canyon.
Some misconceptions about canyoning stem from the fact that canyoning equipment appears to be similar to climbing equipment, in that it is easy to find and affordable. It also seems possible to go canyoning by just reading a guide book and buying the right stuff, but that is far from the truth. Canyoning cannot be explained by a manual, because all canyons are different and there are few rules that can be applied across the board. Before a descent, you must learn about the water, the rocks, the climbing and only then can you get a feel
for how to proceed.
Most accidents are due to lack of experience, technique, equipment or preparation. No one should go canyoning without the proper equipment and training because the risk is never null and even experienced canyoners have accidents. Weather is also an important factor to consider. Water levels can increase so much in a few seconds that you won't have time to escape. You must be able to "read" the water.
Q: What is Verdus?
A: Verdus or "Association Loi 1901" is a group of canyoners from all over Europe, but mostly from France. It was founded by a group of friends and is not commercially-oriented. To be a member, you must demonstrate that you have the technical skills that the sport requires. These can be gained from any related sport, like climbing or caving. You also must prove that you are self-responsible.
Verdus provides the canyoning equipment for all of its members, and gives them an opportunity to meet people interested in canyoning or other sports. We all share technical tricks as well as locations of good canyoning sites, and, of course, go canyoning with each other.
Q: What do enjoy about canyoning?
A: I go canyoning to enjoy being with my friends alone in a wild place. We play around in the water, and enjoy the countryside and landscape. I do not practice canyoning because I want to feel any great sensations or get a great rush. Of course, I wouldn't enjoy canyoning at all if I didn't like a little adventure, but canyoning safely is not about finding the most daring dangerous thing. Practicing canyoning and enjoying it is just trying to find the safest way to go down the river.
It is fun to go down very high (80-100m) water falls though!
Q: How can someone interested in canyoning try it out for the first time?
A: First of all, never go by yourself into a canyon! Whether it's your first time ever or you've been practicing canyoning for years, never descend alone. Until you are experienced enough, it is very important to canyon with people who have a lot of experience, who you feel you can trust. Do not go if you don't feel like you click with your guide. You must be very confident in your guide, because it's a matter of life or death.
There are many different levels of difficulty for different canyons, and your first experience should probably be an easy aquatic canyon with no rope utilization. Then you could start trying a slightly technical canyon. My best suggestion would be to practice a little rock climbing before you start canyoning. Actually, no one is allowed into Verdus without a little climbing training first.
Canyoning is a very fashionable sport at the moment, and I hope that doesn't last. Actually, it has been practiced safely for years. Now, however, it is more likely to be seen on the news because of an accident rather than in a sports magazine. Canyoning is not for everyone and should only be practiced by those with a particular interest in water, climbing, caving and the countryside. Doing a little canyoning just to try it out is a good thing, but going unprepared or alone is highly risky and not worth it. All people interested in trying out canyoning for the first time really need to contact a guide before doing anything else.
