Canyoning and canyoneering

Canyoneering or canyoning

Canyoning or canyoneering is an outdoor sporting activity. It consists of descending a section of river, which is more or less narrow. These canyons are also made up of obstacles, such as waterfalls, which can be negotiated either playfully or technically, using mountain equipment. This is why there are no boats involved in this activity.

Today, there are many places in Europe and around the world where you can enjoy this outdoor activity. This sporting activity was originally known as “canyoning”. But it is also known by other names, depending on the language, such as “canyonisme” or “Torrentismo” or “Barranquismo”. It can also be called “canyoneering”, particularly in the United States, to describe the work of certain archaeologists in search of traces of past life in the canyons of the UTAH. This activity appeared gradually in the 1980s. Initiated by the UCPA and French speleologists, mountain leaders and guides, it took shape in Spain, in the Sierra de Guara, in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees.

Diploma for canyoning guide

Canyoning certificate

UCPA is the first training institute to have set up a course giving access to group supervision in canyoning with the “Animateur sportif de collectivité option canyoning”. Before the canyoning certificate, this activity was mainly supervised by professional mountain, caving and white water guides.

Faced with the growth of this activity, the French government decided to introduce specific training for canyoning instructors, creating a “qualification” called the AQA (Accompagnateurs Qualification Aquatique). This qualification was intended for French state-certified potholers, high-mountain guides and rock-climbers. It was also used to give equivalence to “AMM” and “Eau vive” professionals who could prove their experience in canyoning and canyoning supervision. As time went on, canyoning became a fully-fledged activity in its own right, and so the government decided to create the “Diplôme d’Etat perfectionnement sportif canyonisme” (DE).