Plan a family adventure or vacation and get all the appropriate books, magazines, brochures, video’s etc..  For an immediate hands on gift, give each family member a climbing harness or carabineer or some other peace of equipment. You could purchase some passes to an indoor climbing gym or schedule some pre trip lessons and practice sessions. All this can build up to the adventure it self. You know that if its done properly the anticipation can equal or exceed the trip its self. This is guaranteed to add significantly to that family memory file. This will give each family member something to work towards and look forward too.

Happy shopping, these are a few of the Companies I can recomend to you, just click on their adds.        BLB

• Petzl Climbing
• Black Diamond
• Blue Water Ropes
• Omega Pacific
• Five-Ten
• Arc’teryx
• Patagonia Clothes
• prAna Clothing
• Camp USA
• Metolius
• Red Chili
• Zion Adventure Company

No mater what the age, from toddlers to retirees you can enjoy climbing. Husbands, Wives, Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, Brothers, Sisters, Grand parents can all share memorable experiences in the great out doors. If you’re looking for a family activity which will build unity, while fostering trust, responsibility and determination, climbing is for you.

Most of our State and National Parks have established climbing routs of all levels, and can provide you with natural beauty from the red sandstone canyons of Zion National Park in Utah, to the giant granite domes of Yosemite in California.

Imagine the bonding influence of a grandfather belaying his grand daughter on one of her first climbs or as a father securely holds his son as he unexpectedly slips off a wall while attempting a difficult route. Consider the camaraderie that comes from setting a family goal to climb a certain route and then working together to accomplish it?

When done in accordance with an established top rope route and proper training there is little or no risk, the worst you could expect might be a skinned knee or elbow. I like to tell people that when I go climbing the most dangerous part of the climb is driving to and from its location.

 I’ve paid the price to gain some expertise, which I do recommend to you, but if you just want to try it out and see if its an activity your family might be interested in, hire a professional outfitter and guide service, like the one listed below and let them worry about the details.

What ever you do don’t forget to bring your camera equipment, because a photo album of your families climbing experiences combined with the back drop of our national parks will be a favorite for many years to come.

Have some HIGH ADVENTURE and be careful out there.   BLB

<zionadventures.com>

Zion’s Employee Canyon (also known as Lodge Canyon), your first impression might be that the name implies that its use is restricted to the employees of Zion National Park, not so. This lush green grotto, with its hanging gardens is tucked into a thousand foot red sandstone cliff behind the Zion’s lodge.

 Let me suggest that you put this spectacular slot on your “to do list”. Behind the Lodge and slightly to the South East is the campground where Zion’s full time employees live. Standing there and looking up at the cliff to the East, you will notice a deep cleft gouged in to the cliff face, this is Employee Canyon. In early spring or after a heavy rain you will be drawn to the motion of vertically falling water as it is pulverized into mist and disappears into the grotto created by eons of flash floods. As flash floods go, this is one of the safer technical slots and can be accessed from early spring to late fall. The earliest I’ve been there is March 5 and I’m planning a late trip for October or November this year.

 The major attractions are the huge rappels of 100-200 feet, this canyon should not be taken lightly, canyoneers have died here from falling rocks, and it also has a reputation for getting ropes stuck.

There are many off angle take offs, with crevices and obstacles for knots to get stuck in and you must use knots as the rappel requires connecting two ropes together to reach the bottom. I use a technique I call slipping the knot, the last person rappels down to the edge of the vertical drop and stops, he then slides the knot away from the anchor by pulling on one of the double rope rappel system ropes, and allowing the other rope to slid through the rappel device until the knot reaches him, which advances the knot past most of the snags where the rope could get stuck. If you have never done this before, practice it before you are balancing in a precarious situation, it does take some finesse. 

 Once you reach the bottom you must pull on the correct rope or you will drag the knot back towards the obstacles you just avoided. 

Do you find it intimidating to know you will be standing where another climber was killed?  I had a near miss in the same place. When someone yells “ROCK” do you look up or duck?   BLB 2009 

Check out any of the Zion’s technical canyoneering books listed below for rout and risk details, and above all, be safe.

Technical Slot Canyon Guide to the Colorado Plateau, Michael R. Kelsey

Canyoneering 2 and 3 : Technical Loop hikes in southern Utah, Steve Allen

Canyoneering: A Guide to Techniques for Wet and Dry canyons, David Black

Located up Mill Creek Canyon adjacent to Salt Lake City there is a hiking trail that I’ve frequented for many years, it leads to a popular peak with a grand view of the Salt Lake valley. Just a half mile from the trail head there is a jagged pinnacle which jets out of the canyon floor and which the hiking trail passes along side of.For many years my friend Jim and I passed by that crag on our Saturday morning hikes, we commented that it would be a good place to rig a rappel; this was cheap talk seeing that neither of us had ever set up a rappel before and had no expertise or training to do so.

On one of our many trips I happened to notice a pair of bolted chains at the top lip of the cliff. Someone had installed bolts and chains on that cliff for climbing.  As the trail ascended past the cliff it reviled that one side of the cliff could be accessed by foot with out any climbing, a “walk off”, or a “walk on” how ever you want to look at it, it was accessible to us so we hiked to the top of it to check out the placement of the bolts and chains. They were in a somewhat precarious location, they were set up for a bolted climb rout rather than the safe take off for a rappel, and we commented that some day we should get some gear and try to rappel from them.

 I eventually picked up a climbing harness and a static rope at the local REI, assuming that if I ever wanted to try them out I would know what to do with them, which proved to be a naive assumption on my behalf.

After questioning my two sons, who are avid climbers about the best way to attach a rope to those existing chains, I determined that it was time for Jim and me to take up rappelling. I must admit that I was too proud to ask my sons to come and teach us how to do everything.

The following Saturday found us atop the cliff, which rounded off steeply to the existing hangers, it was a precarious position to be in while threading the rope through the chains, we determined it might be safer to climb down onto a narrow sloped ledge to rig the rope. This thin ledge was perched about 80 above a rocky landing; we became acutely aware that a fall would mean sure death. As I held a chain in one hand and struggled to lean into the cliff while I one handed the rope through the other chain, the thought occurred to me that I was in over my head. Once again my male pride kicked in and I completed rigging the rope. I then had to climb back up on top of the cliff in order to attach the ropes to my rappel device. Finally I was ready and as I leaned back and lowered my self over the edge my heart was still racing from my rigging experience, moments later my feet touched the ground. It felt really good to be completely safe again and I took a moment to revel in my accomplishment, which was interrupted by Jim touching down beside me, we had done it!

Back home the light came on that I had done something dangerous with out really knowing what I was doing, we were very lucky that day. In the weeks following our rappel I talked to one my friends Bart, who has been climbing all of his life, Bart refer me to a book that is like the climbers bible, entitled “Mountaineering  The Freedom of the Hills” seventh edition. Had I read this book first I would have known about safety lines, tethers and the fireman’s belay’s all of which would have made my first experience a safe one. I suggest you obtain a copy and study all of the chapters that apply to rappelling before you try it for your self and that you get some hands on training from an expert; your life depends on it!

In hindsight it’s obvious that I should have read the book and gotten expert training and help, but it had been that male pride thing again. I’m happy to report that I have subdued that pride thing some what and I realize after 5 years of serious climbing and rappelling that I only know a small part of all there is to learn.

My all of your climbs and rappels be safe well thought out ones.   BLB

Zipping the gym

There is something enticing, something totaly magnetic about screaming down a rope at blurring speed, its like being in a seen from a Holly Wood action movie. Part of it is the thrill of going fast and part of it is the “I did it” factor, never the less it is doing something out of the ordinary, something very exciting, something to tell others about.

While I will discribe in some detail how I set up and operated my version of a Zip Line, the details I provide are only a discription of what I did in relation to my background in technical rock climbing techniques and equipment, as well as a sound understanding of building construction. If you lack in any of these aria’s of expertise seek the advice and assistance from someone who is a certified expert.

How to cover the length of a basket ball court and make a slam dunk in 2.5 seconds.

Entertaining 40 young adults ages 18-30 for an evening.

The take off platform.

1. 7 - 2″ x 4″ x 4′ fir, 16 inches on center.
2. 1 - 4′ x 4′ x 3/4″ plywood
3. I assembled the platform by screwing it together with 3-1/2″ grabber screws, using six inch spacing, 16 inches on center, except on corners where I place two in each end of each 2″x4″.
4. I glued the 2 x 4 ends and sheeting with construction adhesive.
5. I attach platform to masonry wall with 4 - 1/2″ x 10″ steel bolts washers and nuts.
6. I attach the front of the platform to the cealing using 1/2″ x 6″ eye bolts, nuts and washers and two lengths of 500 pound strength chain.
7. Every application and installation is different and will require changes in mounting procedure. I built my platform to safely support the weight of the platform and two large adults (600-700 pounds).

Ladders

1. I used one thirty and one forty foot heavy duty extension ladder to rig my platform, and for my participants to climb up to the platform.
2. You will need at least one eight foot step ladder for rigging and at the finish end of the zip line to unload participants.

Ropes

1. I used two ropes long enough to span the gym, with plenty of excess left over to rig the cinch system I used to create the proper tension on the rope, this also controls speed and where you stop. (I used two 200 foot, 11 millimeter static ropes, 6000 pound break strength each, there was plenty of excess rope left over)
2. One rope was my primary rope on which my main pulley system traveled.
3. The other rope was my redundant safety system, in case my primary rope failed, it was rigged independently of the primary rope system.
4. I did not skimp on my ropes, I used top quality 11 millimeter certified mountaineering static ropes. ( Manufactured by the Blue Water Ropes Co.)

Pulleys

1. Pulleys must be strong and dependable they must be designed for the kind of weight and dynamic stresses that will be placed on them in a zip line assembly. (I used a Petzl Tandem Speed P21 for the primary pulley and a Petzl Fixe P05 for the tension system.)

Webbing

1. I used one inch climb spec webbing, doubled or tripled to rig to fixed objects, carabiners and pulleys. I used approximately 60 feet in my rigging situation.

Carabiners and Quick Links .

1. I used a variety of these items to complete my connections. I recommend screw lock, twist lock or try lock carabiners, real certified and rated quick links. The steel carabiners I used are much stronger than than aluminum, I checked the break strength rating on each peace of equipment I used to insure that there were no weak links in my system. (Omega Pacific Steel Mod D SG, Omega Pacific Tactical D SG, Omega Pacific Jake HMS TL, Fixe Maillon Screw Links 10 mm )

Each installation is different

1. Each time I’ve constructed a Zip line the set up and installation have been different, I have to be flexible as to how I will set up each Zip Line, while still maintaining the highest degree of safety. I have encountered differences in existing walls, ceilings, rafters and connection points, as well as the necesity of working around existing back boards and other obstacles. Therefor you and only you can determine the realistic feasibility of constructing such an apparatus, and therefor you must assume sole liability for such.

Commercial Zip Lines

1. There are a number of commercially manufactured Zip Lines that you can find by googling “zip line”, most of them run on steel cables. However you are still responsible for proper installation and operation of them and you should get professional assistance for that.

ELEMENTS OF A SAFE ZIP LINE

Redundancy - You are solely responsible it insure that at least two independent systems, the primary system and the back up safety system are used.

Tested and certified equipment and materials - You are solely responsible for the acquisition of safety inspected, tested and certified equipment, bearing the certification stamps and strength ratings, on all ropes, rigging and connections,carabiners, helmets and harnesses.

Materials - You are solely responsible for the acquisition, use and maintenance of all materials. These including ladders, ropes, pulleys, carabiners, webbing, harnesses, gloves, helmets, lumber, bolts, etc.

Participant instruction and supervision - you are solely responsible to instruct all participants in the safe use of the equipment and to personally supervise their use.

Proper fitting - You are solely responsible for the fitting and adjustment of harnesses, helmets and gloves for all participants.

System Testing - You are solely responsible for testing and adjustment of your equipment before and during use.

Disclaimer - You understand that there are inherent risks in this activity and that possible permanent injury or death could result to those who participate.

Qualified instructors - You must provide qualified instructors to instruct and assist participants; and to opperate and maintain equipment.

Bomb proof - A term used to signify that you have reviewed all elements of your equipment, rigging and construction, and that partisipant are properly instructed and supervised; and that you are completely satisfied that there is no possibility for failure.

Doubt - If any doubt should arise over any aspect of your equipment or its safe use, operations should immediately be suspended until proper correction and repairs have been made.

Padding - all immovable objects such as the bottom of backboards etc. that may be impacted at high speed, are protected with a sufficient amount of padding to ensure the participants safety.

Loose clothing and long hair - Secure all loose clothing, long hair and anything else that might get caught in the pulley system while traveling at high speed.

Maintain a safe clear path of travel, to avoid high speed collisions with other persons or equipment.

You must be vigilant - You must double check and recheck all aspects of your design, installation, and operation of your Zip line.

Brakes - everyone who participates must were gloves and be instructed in how to use them to slow down and brake at the end.

Testing - you and only you must test out the Zip Line and be sure it functions properly.

Responsibility - You are solely responsible for the following,

1. to administer this activity in a safe manner.
2. to understand that the information provided in this article is not to be construed to be complete and total as to your specific circumstances and is only a representation of what the author did in his specific circumstances.
3. for your personal training by qualified, certified instructors and the use of quality tested and certified materials and there proper maintenance.
4. to obtain liability wavers from all participants. BLB 2009

I can’t mention the name of this canyon with out immediately thinking about Aron Ralston. If you remember, Ralston is the young man who in the year 2003 amputated his own arm with a dull knife after being pined between the canyon wall and a 900 pound bolder for almost six days. I don’t want to tell you the whole story, instead I would suggest that you read the book, it is fascinating. As well as being a good read, there are several important lessons you will learn and hopefully incorporate into your back country adventures.

 The book “Between A Rock And A Hard Place” was the catalyst which drew my family, friends and I into canyoneering. One of my sons received the book for a Christmas present in 2003 he read it and told us about it, so we all bought a copy and read it. We determined that we wanted to go there and retrace his footsteps. It has become an annual event for us  and we are preparing for our fourth consecutive trip. In many ways Ralston has become some what of a  folk hero and his legend lives on. We had so much fun doing Blue John Canyon that it was just natural for us to continue on with more technical slots canyons. So now we find our selves die hard canyoneers, all because of Aron’s book. You really owe it to your self to read it.

By the way Ralston makes it sound like it should have been an easy trip in his book, but if you decide to go keep in mind that Ralston is a would class athlete and he has accomplished mountaineering feats which no other man has. That’s one of the reasons he was able to survive his entrapment. If you go, give this trip plenty of respect, plan and prepare, after all it is 15 miles in the desert with no dependable water sources other than what you bring, and there is a 100 foot free rappel from a some what sketchy over hanging start. Be sure and study a technical trail guide like the one listed below so you will know what you are getting your self in for, before you start.   BLB

Technical Slot Canyon Guide to the Colorado Plateau                                                                                   Michael R. Kelsey

There is a serious learning curve associated with photographing technical slot canyons, you must balance your need to be compact and light weight while still having the ability to produce high quality immages and video that could be commercially viable.

No brag  just fact, I have damaged some photo equipment along the way. Technical slot canyoneering has got to be one of the harshest environments to take photo equipment into that I know of. Its a combination of sandy, wet, hot, dusty, damp and windy with lots of hard landings, bumps, bruises and occasional long swims and it’s continually changing. It places the photographer as well as the equipment into some very precarious situations,  and sometimes you have to think more about your safety than your equipment.

I have learned along the way that a camera carefully packed and padded in a dry bag, on one hand will be safe, but on the other hand will not get taken out often enough to capture the true essence of the trip. Its taken me many trips to figure out when to have it clipped across my chest on two quick release carabiners for fast action and when to have it safely protected. You are constantly assessing not only the seenery and action but also the safety of your equipment. It all comes down to risk management for your equipment, your self, and your companions. What risks are reasonable to you ?

I personally prefer what I refer to as high end digital point and shoots  because they are small, versatile, light weight and you don’t need to carry any extra lenses. Ya sure I can hear all the serious photogs out there down talking me at this moment, but unless you have more money and physical strength than good sense please give serious consideration to what I’m saying. At the present time I’m using the Nikon Coolpix P80 with good success, in the past I Used the Nikon Coolpix 800 with good success as well. While I’ve racked up some damages along the way, I have also gained some wisdom about when and where are reasonable situations to take photos. One of these days I would like to demo some of the high end digitalis, especially the ones that shoot both stills and high quality motion pictures like Red’s Scarlet.

Canyoneering has convinced me all the more that a photographic image is only a minute glimpse, an eight by ten glossy taste of something much grander, which neither words nor images can satisfactorily express. My canyoneering companions and I continually comment on the fact no one will understand what we are experiencing, there is just no way to properly communicate it, but still I must try.   BLB

www.nikonusa.com

www.red.com

www.usa.canon.com

Over Equipped

Last March we made our first canyoneering trip of the 2008 season with a trip to Lodge Canyon in Zion National Park. My son Casey was excited to go so he could try out some new Canon photo equipment he had recently purchased, along with very nice Lowe Pro back pack.

Before we left home I reminded him of why I don’t usually take SLR’s into slot canyons but like most 25 year olds he ignored the old man. Casey stands about six foot two inches and weighs about 185, he is solid mussle as well as a talented athlete and climber. I only mention his physical condition to make a point about the size and weight of the back packs you carry into slot canyons.

Many slot canyons are accessed by hiking to the top of the mountain or plateau adjacent to the  head of the slot canyon, and the point I’m trying to make is that  you must hike several thousand vertical feet within three to five miles. I mean its very steep and every ounce on your back takes a tole. In Casey’s case he had a 50 - 60 pound camera pack filled with a camera, lenses as well as tripod and all of his canyoneering gear. He is usually one of the first ones up the mountain and I usually see to it that he carries one of the longest ropes in an effort to weight him down a little. On this trip he carried no rope and he was last one up the trail in fact on several occasions we stopped to weight for him.This was tough on his ego but the fact of the mater was that he was way over loaded.

By the time we got to the top of the hike he was spent, while he proved he was a stud for carring that load, we still had three hours of descending ahead of us. In addition when we got into the slot he tore some nasty holes into his new camera pack.

Finally he became so frustrated with the trip and all the problems he was having he ended up not taking any photos. This goes to prove all the equiptment in the world will do you no good if your to tired or unhappy to use it.

Believe me, I never would have even thought to say I told you so, it was so evident that he understood, having experienced it for him self.   BLB

The term “Bomb proof”, refers to an anchor or arrangement of equipment that you feel under no circumstances will fail, you could drop a bomb on it so to speak, and it would still hold. If I don’t get that warm and fuzzy feeling I don’t want to put my family, friends or my self on it, its just that simple.

Canyoneering is not a crap shoot there does not have to be some kind of gamble or risk associated with it. We have the technology and understanding to make it safe, so lets take the time to do it right.

Canyoneering as a sport and out door activity is growing in popularity by leaps and bounds and so are the technical aspects of the equipment and rigging associated with it.

In our pursuit of the exhilarating experiences provided by canyoneering let us always take the time to construct “bomb proof ” rigging’s for our selves and those who follow.   BLB

When people ask me why I go canyoneering I love to tell them that its like going to Mars, there is  nothing in our world to compare to it, there is the singular beauty of the grotesque shapes gouged out by thousands of years of cataclysmic flash floods. The thrill of freely sliding down a 200 foot thread lost in the shear scale of Zion National Park, or taking a hundred yard swim down a slot so narrow  that  your fingertips can touch the walls on either side. Then there are the unexpected things that apear around each bend or over the next drop off, like deep vertical flutes carved into the walls as testament to water in motion, and the house size chock stones which have fallen into the slot from far above which sit precariously wedged above you, or those times when the slots are so deep and dark that you must put on your head light to find your way, and you would swear that your in a cave rather than in canyon. At best this is a very inadequate list of reasons to be come a canyoneer.

Many of us have seen Zion National Park from the bottom up, the tourist traps, but few have seen the pristine splendor of Zion from the top down as seen from a rope in the subdued twilight of its deep slot canyons.

If my comments are conjuring up your interest, then you may be the next one to join the ranks of the canyoneers. There is no one there to take your ticket or punch your pass, you will find your self alone with nature expressed in its simplest form.   BLB

I have noticed over the years that there are some people who want the excitement and recognition for doing something like canyoneering, rock climbing or rapelling, yet they aren’t realy willing to put in the time and effort to learn and understand what they are doing. They aren’t willing to “Pay the Dues” so to speak, they just want attention for doing something that appears dangerous, risky or exciting.

While this attitude may work for things like jumping off a cliff into a lake it does not work for sports where the landing is solid rock, where you bear the responsibility for the lives of others as well as your self.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t be satisfied to live off of someone else’s expertise, get some of your own, put in the time it takes to be proficient on the rock. I’m not just talking about climbing, I’m talking about being proficient with different types of equipment and different applications. If we really want to be safe then each of us need to assume the responsibility to make the trip safe for each other.It needs to be a team effort.   BLB