Although there are many passionate canyoning enthusiasts who practice this activity alone, canyoning is a sport that in most cases is practiced in a group. The groups can be formed for example from 6 to 7 people, the optimal group size for canyoning. The importance of carrying out canyoning in a group is especially present in the descents where having the support of others is of great help.
Canyoning as an outdoor sport began its history in France. After a few years the passion for the exploration of gorges went beyond borders and it became famous in Spain. Shortly thereafter, canyoning and in general all the sports related to white water such as rafting spread throughout the Alpine mountains and it now popular in North America too.
This sport combines hiking, swimming, jumping, abseiling, and sliding through narrow canyons and most canyoning activities begin high up in the mountains, with some hiking required to get to the starting point. Canyoneering classes take you up the mountain following the trails and then they take you down the mountain by following the flow of the water streams. The journey can involve waterslides, waterfalls, white-water sections and some dry walking sections.
Another term sometimes used interchangeably with canyoning is water hiking or aqua hiking but it differs however in that it takes place in flatter areas of the canyons.
Aqua hiking is more of a walk or a swim than a descent as you usually don't use any rope. There is also very little climbing involved.
This activity is less rough than canyoning and it is a good choice for less athletic people and families with children too.
It is great to be outdoors in the cool Canadian summers and these water sports are a great way to explore the mountains and the streams alike so you can both exercise and cool down at the same time.
Canyoning can be done by adults as well as children. In order to practice canyoning you must be able to walk with agility, for this reason it is not recommended for children who are too young (the most frequent minimum age is 9 years) and for elderly people. Canyoning is perfect for having a different experience than usual, both for families who want to try an activity surrounded by nature, and for companies that want to give their employees a refreshing trip excellent for team building. Canyoning as an activity for adventurous stag and hen parties is also very popular.
As I was saying, the minimum age for canyoning is normally 9. This logically depends on the route taken and must be established by the guide. In any case, it is frequent to find canyoning for families where the track is easy and the minimum age of the children is reduced. In some cases, operators also require a minimum of height for canyoning, this is usually done for a technical reason of the operator who does not always have particularly small harnesses and equipment.
Canyoning operators are aware of the need of large groups and create special offers in which, for example, a barbecue can be included by the operator, the combination of several activities between them such as canyoning and rafting or, in the case of stag/hen parties, the operators have fun disguises that future grooms and future brides can wear during the activity.
Canyoning below
