New Zealand Canyoning Festival

A canyoning festival in New Zealand

In February, the NZ (New Zealand) Canyoning Festival took place in this beautiful country at the end of the world. The event was organized by the NZ Canyoning Association. Places are limited but not expensive, $80 to register online. It's best to book in advance. The concept is simple: get together to go canyoning together and talk about our shared passion. The festival took place over three days.

The day before the festival, rescue drills were held supervised by LandSAR NZ, the official search and rescue service in New Zealand, in partnership with the NZ Canyoning Association and the Christchurch Alpine Cliff Rescue team. On the first day, workshops were held. One of these was called; Walking Like a Ninja. The workshops perfected the skills of moving from rock to rock, adding a ninja touch to the move. Then everyone met at the canyon base, at the Oxford Cultural Centre, Canterbury, for a meal. It was an opportunity to meet up with people from the canyoning community who were in New Zealand, as well as others who had come specially from overseas. For me, it was an opportunity to meet up with familiar faces, some well-known at Spéléo Canyon Ariège (SCA), and to meet new ones.

carte nouvelle zelande dessin — L'île du Sud de la Nouvelle Zélande

The first night, over a buffet of build-your-own burgers, I met Adrien Paris, who now lives in New Zealand and with whom wehad been canyoning a while earlier, as well as Gus Schiavon. Both were canyoning photographers at SCA and they were the ones who trained me. It's been a while since we've been together and it was a pleasure to see them again! George Yates was also there, a former intern of Rodolphe at SCA. He now owns his company in Scotland, The Canyoning Company, with whom he offers sports trips in Ariège. I had the pleasure of meeting him on several occasions. Other former trainees and acquaintances of Rod were there, I was able to meet Andrew Humphrey, Usa Colorado, Toine Hountenbos, Abel Tasman NZ and Mike Barnett,Hawaii, Usa.

The canyoning world is not that big, the activity is still young, especially in New Zealand, we find each other easily and that was the goal of this first evening; to meet up for a beer with a burger while laughing hard. The next day, we went canyoning, we had to decide where. It was difficult but we managed to agree on Curtis Creek, in Arthur's Pass. On the V4A2III side, with an hour and twenty minutes of ascent for three hours and twenty minutes of descent, it seemed appropriate to us to do a pleasant and sporty canyoning outing together.

Arthur's Pass Nouvelle Zélande — Arthur's Pass

We met up in front of the famous Sheffield Pie early in the morning. Well, early in the morning, there were two who managed not to find the meeting place and who arrived like flowers half an hour late. Our team was composed of Adrien, Gus, George, Mike, Camille the only Kiwi of the expedition, Pitt an Australian who works in a canyon company in Queenstown, Laura the only French of the expedition and me. The road to reach Arthur's Pass is superb, it lasts almost two hours, especially with an old Toyota van. When we arrived there we dropped off the second car at the exit of the canyon and we started the approach walk under a beautiful sun in the Ottira valley. Grey clouds clung to the distant peaks of the valley.

ottira vallée nouvelle zélande canyoning — The Ottira Valley

We found ourselves in front of a large scree slope that was quite steep. During the climb, the gray clouds gathered and a light rain surprised us in our swimsuits. We arrived too high compared to the entrance of the canyon and we had to go back down a little.

pierrier canyoning nouvelle zélande — Climbing the scree slope

We got kitted out in the rain before starting the descent through the New Zealand bush, an experience in itself. We didn't really know where the entrance to the canyon was but we had to go down. We finally got there and the descent could begin, the rain had passed, we could enjoy the adventure.

bush bash down curtis creek nouvelle zélande canyoning — "Bush bash down" as the kiwis say

Rappel cascade canyoning nouvelle zélande curtis creek — The first waterfalls of Curtis Creek, in a plant-filled atmosphere at the end of the world

The beginning of the canyon consisted of some pretty wet waterfalls, George went ahead with Pitt like rockets, equipping the obstacles. I took pictures. We went down quite a few rappels, before finding ourselves facing the big sixty.

rappel canyoning nouvelle zélande cascade — Camille in the Curtis Creek rappels

Mike barnett canyoning nouvelle zélande cascade — Mike Barnett in a waterfall

adri Paris canyoning nouvelle zelande rappel — Adri Paris

In front of us the landscape opened up onto the large viaduct that crosses Arthur's Pass. The bottom of the river was sixty meters lower. The descent facing the majestic scenery is indescribable, we pass under a powerful waterfall, and we abseil down the large wall, telling ourselves that few people come this far. For a moment, nothing matters but this moment. The rest of the world has disappeared and we can be fully present in every gesture and every second. Everyone enjoyed this beautiful passage.

Cascade canyoneer nouvelle zélande canyoning — Pitt is first to set off down the sixty

george yates cascade soixante canyoning curtis creek nouvelle zélande — George Yates in the sixty meter with the viaduct in the background.

Soixante metre curtis creek canyoning nouvelle zélande — The sixty meter seen from below

We followed the river across to the viaduct. We walked along the road to the second car. The rain started again as we were changing. We headed towards Oxford, Gus was showing a film of an expedition he had been on, the screening was that evening. We shared a beer and laughed about our adventure in the rain in our swimsuits.

equipe canyoning festival new zealand — The team at the exit

It was a great adventure to find ourselves together on the other side of the world for this canyon. Between former SCA trainees, we were able to take full advantage of our skills acquired in France and discover some of the most beautiful canyons in the world! We were able to discuss the different projects that are being set up and we were able to meet around a common passion, for a moment of joy and sporting laughter. So if like us, you dream of getting off the beaten track, I invite you to contact Rodolphe and train with him.

For more New Zealand adventures, check out my personal blog!

An Indian expedition to Slovenia

Slovenia before the expedition to India

We left with Rod from Tarascon-sur-Ariège early in the morning for Slovenia. That was where the preparatory meeting for the 2020 expedition to India was taking place. We were going to meet canyoners from all over the world. Adrien Paris is a renowned French videographer, who you may know, since he learned his trade at Spéléo Canyon Ariège. He was coming from Montenegro with Julien Fichot, a French canyon photographer, and Louis Rogissart, a Belgian instructor. All three had spent the summer season at Adriatrek Canyon and were driving back from the Balkans. Olda Stos, a leading canyoneer in Eastern Europe, originally from the Czech Republic, was joining us for the weekend from Brno. His partner Katka Hebka was supposed to be there but due to a medical problem she was unable to join us. One of Olda's teammates in the 2018 expedition to Chamjé Khola, the Italian Jari Triboldi, would also be there with his girlfriend Lia. They were coming from the Aosta Valley. A Slovenian canyon photographer would also come from the capital Ljubljana, it was Ziga Humar.

Yann Ouzoux, who participated in the Chamjé Khola 2011 expedition alongside Lionel and Rod, who worked in Ariège for a long time and is now president of the association Himalayan Canyon Team, will be live from Reunion, the island this time, to participate. But I admit that the one who interested us the most in the truck while crossing France in its length before attacking Italy, was Lionel Rias. Lionel, besides being an excellent caver, had worked for years with Rod in the Chassezac canyon and both had participated in the 2011 Chamjé Khola expedition, but above all, above all, Lionel had an apartment for the night in Kobarid, Slovenia, and that was worth all the gold in the world.

After 14 hours on the motorway, we met up with Lionel to spend the night. The next day, the three of us went for a tour of the Slovenian Alps around Bovec before meeting up with Adrien, Julien and Louis in Ljubljana. It was on Friday that we met the entire team, in a lodge near Bovec, for the first meeting concerning the 2020 expedition. The idea was to open the Khoksar canyon in India, in Himachal Pradesh, at the start of the Himalayas, after the famous Rohtang Pass, in the Spiti Valley. Opening a canyon is no small feat. You need information about the canyon itself, of course, its height difference, its configuration, but also about the surroundings, the weather conditions, everything. The meetings were a way to take stock of the information already collected, and about the team. Because going down a canyon where no one has been before is also a team effort. Everyone in the team has specific tasks, everyone has their role, and everyone is linked. Behind these names that have already done great things in the world of canyoning is a human being. Everyone is alone facing themselves in these extreme conditions and well, it's good when you face your fears to be well surrounded.

Various meetings took place during the stay. The team was formed; Rod, Olda, Jari, Lionel and Yann will ensure the technical aspect in the canyon, Adrien will be with them to film the adventure. On site, an external team will be present in case of need for intervention, with Julien and Katka. Locals like Monish Dave and Titli will help with the preparations. A helicopter was made available to the team. The roles of each person were distributed to prepare the expedition, the technical aspects were discussed, the planning and the organization on site, the logistics and the communication. Adrien and Julien presented their film project for the expedition. Adrien will be at the heart of the action to cover the event but his project is larger and more human than making a simple action film. A crowd founding will soon be opened by the way if you want to participate in the adventure!

To bond the team and to get to know each other in canyoning, it was a question of going to practice all together. The second day, we went to the Kozjak canyon. You should know that the Julian Alps, in Slovenia, are a magnificent place. The setting is superb, beautiful massifs stand imposingly around the Soca river, it is a superb playground for canyoning. Kozjak, not far from Kobarid, is a fairly short canyon, very steep, cut into the rock, rated V4A5II. The team met at the entrance to the canyon and everyone launched into this large fault. We only put a rope at the end, facing a waterfall about twenty meters high. Faced with each obstacle in the canyon, everyone jumped hop hop hop, it was not easy to follow! A waterfall? We jump. Another one? Same. As we left the canyon, we were asked to practice rope cutting near the river with its turquoise blue waters.

The next day, we went for a walk in the Predelica canyon, a little longer and more technical. It was a good opportunity to put into practice the techniques developed by Himalayan Canyon Team in their previous expeditions. The beginning of the canyon is superb, open to the peaks opposite, very mineral. We alternate between slides and abseils, then a long horizontal progression, and the last part ends with a beautiful 45m waterfall. It was interesting to see the techniques put in place by the team, to test the theory on the ground, to see what worked and what didn't.

After these few days spent in good company, we parted ways. Everyone went back to their own business, while waiting for the next meeting to finalize the preparations for this promising expedition! To be continued...

A sporty discovery day at the Artigue canyon

L’Artigue, an ideal canyon for sporting discovery

The Artigue canyon is the big brother of the canyons in the Vicdessos valley. It is the most fun and the richest in obstacles.

We start the day with a coffee, because without coffee it's not the same. The reception takes place at the Niaux canyon center. Around the table in the garden, the participants meet. Rod details the day's program. We start with individual equipment, everyone receives their equipment; socks, shoes, wetsuit, harness, helmet. We make a backpack with everything that we call a "turtle". We pack everyone's picnic, we check that we haven't forgotten anything. We put everything in the truck. We're off for a short drive to the Artigue car park.

From the car park, the approach walk is superb. It starts off a bit steep and then opens up onto the Montcalm massif. In front of us stands the Pic d'Estat and the canyon of the same name. In the middle of the mountains, we frolic with our turtles on our backs. This is the beginning of the adventure. We are in the heart of the Ariège Pyrenees, in the middle of nowhere. Civilisation gradually fades away, giving way to the wild nature of the peaks. We arrive behind the Bassiès cirque and its red peak. This is "the restaurant room", the picnic area, facing the mountains. Already there, we have worked up a good sweat and are happy to eat a bite.

After a complete briefing on communication, canyoning and abseiling and jumping techniques, knowing that jumps are never mandatory, we begin the descent. The Artigue is a progressive canyon. The first part, open to the peaks, allows you to admire the surroundings while getting into the swing of the activity. A first small jump, short slides, we dip ourselves in the water, we're there. The obstacles follow one after the other, it's sporty, we jump five meters, we do dry abseiling, abseiling in the waterfall, we pass the big slide.

Already the configuration of the canyon has changed, it becomes more steep, the vegetation is rarer, we feel that we are touching the heart of the canyoning activity. In a bend, the landscape appears, dazzling. We quickly understand that there is only one way to access this very special place; by practicing canyoning. While we have already taken in the view, comes the big jump, possible up to ten meters. Adrenaline rush obliges, we do not jump ten meters every day. This is where the canyoner learns that sometimes you have to know how to give up jumping the obstacle.

We arrive at the large twenty-meter waterfall! Several options open up, depending on the flow of the water; either we pass a large dry rappel with as a backdrop this enormous turquoise water pot embedded between walls of a breathtaking ochre-reddish color, or we go on the large zip line to arrive directly in the middle of this same pot. It continues with an eight-meter jump, a last slide and we arrive at the foot of the Artigue waterfalls, a little cherry on the cake. The tributary that comes from the Estat canyon pours from the top of beautiful waterfalls where we feel small in the face of the power of the water. After a last little jump to make sure we don't regret anything, we walk to the parking lot to change.

After a day like that, nothing beats a nice cold beer! We take the opportunity to meet up around the garden table in the center of Niaux and talk about this beautiful day we just spent. Everyone has their own little story, about this moment they really loved, about this place where it was so beautiful. The Artigue canyon is a great discovery of canyoning and a superb change of scenery in the heart of Ariège. Rod is happy to be able to share with you, for a day, his lifelong passion; canyoning!

See you this summer at the Artigue canyon!

Des écossais dans le canyon d'Estat

Des écossais à la conquête du canyon d'Estat.

Petit retour en arrière. Vous vous souvenez de l'écossais qui participait à ma première journée de canyoning dans le canyon de l'Artigue ? Et bien il se trouve qu'il a fortement apprécié l'Ariège et, lorsqu'il a monté sa propre entreprise de canyon The Canyoning Company, il a mis en place une formule de voyage. Voilà que des écossais débarquent en Ariège ! C'était en 2017. Pour les aider dans leur première expédition avec leurs clients, Rod leur met à disposition le centre et je leur propose de les aider. Ils sont restés une semaine, avec chaque jour un canyon différent. Pour finir en beauté, ils partent avec Rod à l'assaut du canyon d'Estat.

canyon estat corridor speleo canyon ariege — Photo by Gus Schiavon

Ce fut une superbe journée. Il faisait grand beau et on rigolait dans la marche d'approche. On avait un peu de mal à se comprendre parfois, les accents hein... On a débouché hors de la forêt, au milieu des gispettes. La vue était imprenable sur le pic rouge de Bassiès et le canyon de l'Artigue. En dessous de la bergerie, on a pris notre déjeuner à l'entrée de la partie inférieure du canyon d'Estat.

Et nous voilà partis ! Les deux écossais étaient montés sur ressorts, l'équipe était maintenant au point, chacun était actif. Ceux qui n'équipaient pas les relais aidaient à remettre les cordes dans les sacs, transportaient les cordes en avant, on s'entraidait, on se marrait. Le canyon d'Estat est un bon challenge, même pour une équipe en place et motivée par une semaine de canyon. C'est le plus grand, le plus beau et le plus engagé de la vallée de Vicdessos.

canyon estat rappel speleo canyon ariege — Photo by Gus Schiavon

De rappel en rappel, on progressait à travers le canyon. La concentration était de mise, la journée était technique. On a finit sous le soleil, après le corridor vient la grande cascade de quarante cinq mètres. Les écossais auront apprécié le challenge. Il est vrai qu'il est difficile de ne pas apprécier la douceur de vivre, la beauté des paysages et les canyons de l'Ariège. En partant, ils ont insisté pour que je vienne leur rendre visite en Écosse, ce qui sera fait quelques temps plus tard.

Alors les écossais ne sont pas là, mais on prévoit quand même une sortie au canyon d'Estat jeudi 08 août. Est-ce que vous voulez relever le challenge ? Il reste peut être une place...

The Escales canyon, fun and wild

Ça glisse dans le canyon d'Escales

Le canyon d'Escales est reculé dans la vallée de Siguer. Loin de tout, on est au cœur de la forêt ariégeoise. C'est peut être le plus sauvage du coin. Une courte marche d'approche d'une vingtaine de minutes nous plonge dans l'ambiance de ce canyon peu ordinaire. Sous les grands arbres, la troupe avance jusqu'au départ.

Le canyon d'Escales n'est pas difficile mais il demande à ce qu'on soit bien accroché. Il y a très peu de rappel, un ou deux maximum. On descend cette gorge taillée en pleine forêt la plupart du temps dans l'eau. Ce qui fait l'originalité de ce canyon, ce sont les toboggans. Obstacles très marrants, il y en a un paquet ! Le plus grand fait vingt-deux mètres. Pour les amateurs de glisse, c'est parfait. Mieux qu'un parc aquatique, on découvre avec plaisir ce parcours où l'on passe les obstacles allongés sur le dos.

Il faut pas croire, c'est physique. On passe son temps dans l'eau et les bulles. En équipe c'est très sympa, on se retrouve vite en enfance. Le cadre est magique et les sensations ne manquent pas. C'est original pour un canyon car le fait de parcourir tout un canyon en toboggan est assez rare. On préfère souvent faire du rappel ou des sauts. Ici, on joue sur un autre terrain, ludique et fun. Les canyoneurs initiés peuvent y découvrir une variante de l'activité. Pour faire du canyoning loin de la foule y a pas mieux. La marche de retour, qui dure environ dix minutes, justifie à elle seule la sortie. On se croirait au Laos, la mousse s'accroche aux arbres et si on a de la chance on peut trouver des cèpes !

canyon escales foret retour speleo canyon ariege — Crédit photo, vidéo et texte : Arthur Serres

Le canyon d'Escales vous tente ? N'hésitez pas, ce sera une belle découverte :

Une journée canyoning à l'Artigue chez Spéléo Canyon Ariège

Made in Spéléo Canyon Ariège ; un jour au canyon de l'Artigue

On s'est retrouvés avec Thomas et ses enfants au centre de Spéléo Canyon Ariège. On buvait un café en discutant, John et Clyde étaient en retard. Thomas venait d'Allemagne, il était en vacances. John et Clyde sont arrivés, on s'est tous salués, John était d'origine anglaise et son fils Clyde l'accompagnait pour cette sortie. C'était sa première expérience en canyon. John était assez charpenté, avec une bonne cage thoracique, son fils était plutôt baraque lui aussi, Thomas était un peu plus petit mais bien costaud, ses enfants étaient ados, ils avaient l'air en forme. On avait une bonne équipe pour cette journée !

Rod expliquait le déroulement de la journée, un café à la main. On est allé s'équiper dans le centre, on a tout mit dans le camion et on s'est dirigés vers l'Artigue. On était un peu dans l'expectative, on ne savait pas comment allait être le niveau d'eau. On avait pris la météo, tout était bon, ça devrait le faire ! Après la bonne marche d'approche, on s'est installés face aux montagnes pour manger nos pique-nique. Le niveau de l'eau était parfait, des conditions idéales, on pouvait se détendre. John donnait à qui en voulait des morceaux de truite fumée, on regardait l'eau couler et les sommets au loin en mâchant nos sandwichs. On a quand même enfilé les combis et on est partis vers l'aventure.

Thomas et ses enfants étaient bien à l'aise dans le canyon. Un petit briefing sur la descente en rappel les a mis dans l'ambiance. John et Clyde s'amusent comme des petits fous dans les vasques d'eau, on avance. Le premier saut assez imposant passe tout seul, on se déplace comme des flèches, de cailloux en cailloux, de cascades en cascades. On attaque le grand toboggan, le saut, tout le monde a le sourire, les ados se régalent et les grands aussi. On est tous de grands enfants à jouer dans des marmites. La grande cascade de vingt mètre, on reprend un peu de sérieux. L’obstacle est d'envergure. L'eau fonce dans la marmite avec un bruit assourdissant, on passe à côté grâce à un grand rappel sec. Le canyon se finit, on reprend un petit sentier pour revenir à la voiture.

En remettant des vêtements secs, tout le monde rigolait. Quelle journée, on en prend plein les yeux ! De retour au centre, on a pris un verre en regardant les photos de cette belle sortie canyon. Tout le monde était heureux d'avoir pu participer à cette aventure. Pourquoi pas vous ?

Happy Holidays from the Spéléo Canyon Ariège team

The entire Spéléo Canyon Ariège team wishes you a happy holiday season!

Photo credit: Adrien Paris

At the end of this year 2018, we would like to share with you a nice family moment, as we like to do. A big thank you to all those who made the 2018 season a great moment and a big thank you to all those who will make 2019 a superb year. We are proud and happy to be able to do what we enjoy the most with you; canyon!

We can never tell you enough but without you, nothing happens and we can only practice our art if people are ready to receive it.
Don't wait until the end of winter to join our training program or book your canyoning trip. It's all here!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners; Oxygen Aventure, Kimaya Parapente, Trott'e Occitanie and send them all our best wishes for the coming year.

Have a great holiday, eat plenty to get through the winter and see spring coming, we'll be here in the good weather.

Ha, and if you're still looking for a good Christmas gift, we have a little idea:

Becoming independent in the Argensou canyon

The Argensou canyon and the journey towards autonomy

After a few outings in canyon, the idea came to follow a path in this field. To be able to progress, it was necessary to become autonomous. For this, Rodolphe offered training as an autonomous canyoner in June. Here I am embarking on the autonomous adventure.

I met my training colleagues, French. Together we followed the training course, between theory and technique and we had a good laugh, I must say. One fine day, we left with the equipment towards the Argensou canyon to put into practice what we had learned.

The weather wasn’t really with us, a little fine rain settled on our suits and it wasn’t that warm for a month of June. But we weren’t there to sunbathe, we wanted to become independent in canyoning. The Argensou canyon is a very easy canyon to begin canyoning when you are supervised, for us it was a challenge.

Everyone had a workshop to equip, we concentrated on knowing how to do it. The first time I found myself alone in front of the rope, it was something. What should I do again? And if I'm wrong... Concentrate, breathe, find the right solution.

Finally it worked, I set up a rope for the first time in rappel and I went down on it. I still had some doubts about the equipment. How could all this hold up? I was treated during a rope cutting exercise. I stayed a good twenty minutes above the void, a teammate had cut the rope following the procedure but something was wrong without putting me in danger. After that, I no longer doubted the equipment and for twenty minutes at the edge of the waterfall I had time to understand the fear of heights.

The training was very interesting, both in terms of canyoning and on a personal level, without forgetting the human side. We had spent a week together with colleagues, it was a good time for exchange and sharing. After this week we were autonomous in canyoning, we were certified by Universal Canyoning Academy and Rodolphe Sturm. It was the opportunity to move on to the next step.

If you are also tempted by the autonomous adventure, take a look at the training here: autonomous canyoner training

Getting started in the Artigue Canyon

How to start canyoning?

I started canyoning by chance, if chance exists. I met Rod in Ariège during a barbecue with friends. He was looking for people who spoke English to go on an outing to the Canyon de l’Artigue. He was giving a Assistant Instructor training course within the ICOpro structure. I was with two friends, we knew how to speak English but we knew nothing about canyoning and we had never heard of ICOpro. We said yes, and off we went.

The future Assistant Instructors welcomed us enthusiastically. They came from all over the world; a Scot, a Brazilian, a Frenchman, an American… They showed us the canyoner’s equipment and the activity. It was about going down a canyon using various techniques; we were going to go tobogganing, abseiling, jumping and walking. During the approach walk I remember feeling a mixture of curiosity, apprehension and well-being. We were moving around the mountain and that was already great. Rod showed us how to use the pirana to abseil down a rope. Well, we knew that, it was not bad. All that remained was to do it.

The international Assistant Instructors reassured us, we weren't too smart in this river nestled between the rocks. I was afraid of heights, or at least I thought I was, I didn't like the heights and the first jump was difficult, after that it was as funny as a kid jumping into the water. And then the rappel... The first rappel I didn't act proud, I wondered if the rope would hold, I didn't know what to do with my feet, a little drop of sweat ran down my forehead and it went very well.

So we spent a good part of the day, going down the Artigue canyon in joy and good humor speaking English. It was a treat to share this moment with my friends but also with these people who came from faraway lands. At the end of the canyon we turned around with our friends to say that we had gone down our first canyon. We all met at the Spéléo Canyon Ariège center to debrief the day. We received our ICOpro cards, we were family, we were initiated. And for me it was the beginning of the canyoning adventure.