Canyoneering Colorado

Just wanted to let you know about a few canyoneering items. An upcoming canyoneering presentation, a final reminder on courses, and the results from the Ouray Canyon Festival. IMPORTANT: This is a cross post, so you will need to use the links below to sign up for the presentation (free) or courses (paid.)
PRESENTATION:
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In case you or someone you know is interested, I'll be giving another Canyoneering 101 presentation at Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, CO on Tuesday 9/23 starting at 7pm. We'll have a gear raffle with all proceeds benefitting the National Park Conservation Association. More details and RSVP for free here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/canyoneering-101-tickets-1637089571979
COURSES:
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My training courses are winding down for the season. I only have two upcoming courses left. I still have a couple spots open in my L2 course starting this Saturday 9/13 at 7am in Boulder, CO. Feel free to get more info and sign up at:
https://uberadventures.net/event/advanced-canyoneering-course-ace-l2-boulder-co-11/
I also have one final L1 this season starting Oct 17th in Grand Junction, CO:
https://uberadventures.net/event/technical-canyoneering-course-ace-l1-grand-junction-co-4/
There is also an opportunity for some private and/or in-canyon training in Grand Junction or Moab from Tue 10/21 thru Thu 10/23. Reach out if you want to discuss options.
Note: I'm the Colorado instructor for Uber Adventures, and primarily teach out of Boulder and Grand Junction. There are other courses taught by other instructors in many other locations (Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Moab, Prescott, and Tuscon): https://uberadventures.net/events/
OURAY:
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The Ouray Canyon Festival was another great success with around 100 canyoneers attending, good swag, gear raffle, and lots of positive feedback. Many canyons were descended, thankfully without incident. Thanks to our generous sponsors and attendees, we were able to raise over $3,000 from our gear raffle which will be split, with over $1500 each going to the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team and the Ouray Trail Crew. All proceeds from our raffle are donated to local causes. Photo from the festival included for eye candy, and we hope to see you there next year in August!
Hope it helps, and feel free to reach out with any questions.
Take care,
A.J.

IMPORTANT: You need to sign up at:
http://uberadventures.net/product/technical-canyoneering-course/
(Meetup started charging extra fees, so book directly on UberAdventures.)

What is Canyoneering?

Canyoneering is an emerging adventure sport that has grown significantly in popularity over the past decade. It combines hiking, wading, swimming, jumping, sliding, boulder-hopping, scrambling, down-climbing, sometimes packrafting and always rappelling — sometimes over waterfalls! Physically, it takes less upper body strength than rock climbing, and is therefore a sport that can be enjoyed by a much larger spectrum of the population .. young or mature .. tall or short .. large or small. If you can hike, you can canyoneer! This sport has unique risks and requires a very specific set of technical skills to enjoy it safely ... and that's where we come in! This basic course gets you from "That looks cool!" ... to "Woohoo!" in 3 days! Check out these Vimeos and see why we are hooked on the sport!

https://vimeo.com/148696696

https://vimeo.com/104538804

INSTRUCTION: UBER Adventures is America’s premier Canyoneering Instruction, Events and Community! We offer a variety of Canyoneering Courses to get the beginner/intermediate Canyoneer up-to-speed in his/her Canyoneering-specific skills; to provide intermediate Canyoneers with the skill set to tackle Advanced canyons; to train Leaders/Organizers the techniques and strategies for technical and group-management challenges; to teach individuals and groups the skills necessary to perform immediate in-canyon self-rescues, partner rescues and to assist with group emergencies; and ultimately to provide the comprehensive training for anyone interested in seeking certification as a Professional Canyon Guide.

PREREQUISITE: None. This is a beginner to intermediate course which teaches the skills necessary to safely descend canyons as part of a group (being a competent participant and the knowledge to recognize and implement safe canyon practices.) This course is designed to quickly get the beginner up-to-speed on basics, to give both the rookie and intermediate canyoneer new tools for his/her toolbox, and will help intermediate canyoneers refine their current skill set!

The TOPICS and SKILLS covered will include:
• Knots, Bends and Hitches
• Canyon Rating System
• Rules, Ethics, Style, Communication and Courtesy
• Specific Gear Choices, Requirements, Use and Care
• Belays, Lowering and Handlines
• Natural, Artificial, & Human Anchors
• Static and Contingency Riggings
• Rope Deployment, Coiling, Bagging and Etiquette
• Rappelling Techniques & On-Rope Skills
(Adding Friction Pre-rappel, Mid-rappel, Locking Off, etc.)
• Specialized Rappelling Techniques
(Hard Starts, Soft Starts, Free-Hanging, Over-Hanging, etc.)
• Basic Climbing & Down Climbing Skills
(Bridging, Stemming, Partner Assists, Partner Captures, etc.)
• Safety Checking and Basic Self-Rescue
And, within each of these broad subjects are a myriad of skills and tools.

INSTRUCTORS: A.J. Pastula
ACE L1-L4 Instructor, L5 Certified Guide
http://uberadventures.net/team/ (2nd row, left)

POLICIES: https://uberadventures.net/policies/

PAYMENT: The total cost of this course is $495. Sign up at:
https://uberadventures.net/product/technical-canyoneering-course/ The fee is non-refundable, but may be put toward a future class during the same calendar year if 30 days notice are given, cancelling your participation in this course. Feel free to post your questions as a comment or contact me directly through DM. (You can also check out our website at https://uberadventures.net/ )

SCHEDULE: This class will begin on Friday evening (meeting at 5:00pm until around 8pm.) An e-mail with specific directions, and a link, will be sent about a week or two prior to the class. Friday will be an orientation and introduction with an emphasis on the canyon rating system, gear, weather, canyon topography ... and getting to know each other. The course will reconvene on Saturday and Sunday at the same location and will run from 7am to 5 or 6pm both days with hands on learning. There will be an optional Monday descent where you can apply the skills you learned over the weekend - we will discuss details during the course.

GEAR: Gear for this course consists of a harness, helmet, carabiners, descenders (fig 8 and ATS), tethers, foot loops, and prusik. We can loan any gear you don't own. Feel free to borrow our gear for this course, until you determine what your needs will be.

TESTIMONIALS: https://uberadventures.net/testimonials/

IMPORTANT: You need to sign up at:
https://uberadventures.net/product/in-canyon-training/
(Meetup started charging extra fees, so book directly on UberAdventures.)

One-Day Custom In-Canyon Training – Moab, UT

Are you interested in descending a canyon and getting some additional and focused training? Maybe you recently took the Technical Canyoneering Course (ACE L1) but had no prior rope experience, so you want to make sure you have a good handle on the skills and techniques during a canyon descent? Or maybe you took courses a few years ago, and want a refresher on some of the topics? In either case, this one-day training session can help you gain confidence in taking the lead, refresh and/or improve your skills, keep the team safe, and potentially offer suggestions on improvements during the descent.

We could also work on specific skillsets such as pothole escapes, transient anchors (potshots, sandtraps, water anchors), releasable/retrievable anchors, or others. Or maybe you want to work on your rescue skills? We could set up a rescue scenario and practice the needed skills and techniques.

Prerequisites: This course can NOT be your first foray into the sport of canyoneering. The training in this course is a supplement to previous training and is NOT meant to take the place of the standard Uber Adventures ACE L1-L4 curriculum. While we recommend that you have taken an Uber Adventures Course, exceptions can be made by request if 1) you have taken another APPROVED course or 2) you have SIGNIFICANT canyoneering experience. Exceptions must be approved by Uber Adventures … please contact us!

This training is designed to give a more tailored, but focused, learning experience. While we will likely descend a canyon, this is also NOT a guiding service. It is for people who want to learn, and who want to practice specific skills and techniques, or someone that wants to gain confidence while descending a canyon safely and picking up tips and tricks to be more safe and efficient.

These Custom In-Canyon Training sessions are currently only reservable online in Moab and could include the following canyons/areas: Cable Arch, Cameltoe, Entrajo, Granary, Looking Glass, Mary Jane, Mystery Towers, Rock of Ages / Pritchett, Wintercamp / Repeat Jr.

Reach out to us if you are looking for different areas and/or dates, and we'll do our best to accommodate you.

INSTRUCTION: UBER Adventures is America’s premier Canyoneering Instruction, Events and Community! We offer a variety of Canyoneering Courses to get the beginner/intermediate Canyoneer up-to-speed in his/her Canyoneering-specific skills; to provide intermediate Canyoneers with the skill set to tackle Advanced canyons; to train Leaders/Organizers the techniques and strategies for technical and group-management challenges; to teach individuals and groups the skills necessary to perform immediate in-canyon self-rescues, partner rescues and to assist with group emergencies; and ultimately to provide the comprehensive training for anyone interested in seeking certification as a Professional Canyon Guide.

INSTRUCTORS: A.J. Pastula
ACE L1-L4 Instructor, L5 Certified Guide
http://uberadventures.net/team/ (2nd row, left)

PAYMENT: The total cost of this course depends on the number of people attending. Sign up at:
https://uberadventures.net/product/in-canyon-training/
The fee is non-refundable, but may be put toward a future class during the same calendar year if 30 days notice are given, cancelling your participation in this course. Feel free to post your questions as a comment or contact me directly through DM. (You can also check out our website at https://uberadventures.net/ )

SCHEDULE: This is a one day course, and we will likely descend a canyon. (The timeframe, location and skills will depend on the requests and/or needs of the participants.)

GEAR: You should own all your own gear for the canyon descent, including webbing, rapides, and ropes. This is not a guiding service, it is designed to help you gain confidence and take the lead on the canyon descent.

Gear needed for this course consists of a Harness, Helmet, Descender, Figure 8 for Rigging, Safety Tether, 5-6 Locking HMS Carabiners, 48" Sling/Runner/Footloop, Prusik Loop, VT Prusik, Mechanical Ascenders, 25' of webbing, 2 rapides, appropriate length rope, 20' Cordelette or Canyon Cordelette, Gloves, Pack, and appropriate Shoes.

POLICIES: https://uberadventures.net/policies/

TESTIMONIALS: https://uberadventures.net/testimonials/

Pre-registration for this event is now open! Head to our website to review all the details before signing up.
UBERFest: Death Valley 2025 – Uber Adventures

Since canyoneering is inherently risky, this event is only open to those with professional training or significant experience in canyoneering. As a social event, experienced participants are encouraged to help guide rookies through some amazing canyons. If you want to join, get trained and become a skilled, valuable team member! Uber Adventures offers several Technical Canyoneering Courses (ACE-L1) before this event.

THE CANYONS: Death Valley boasts multiple mountain ranges with a variety of canyons for all skill levels. No permits are needed here. Bolting is prohibited, making this a great place to master natural anchor building. Bring your best skills!

WEATHER: With average highs/lows of 65°/38° during this time, it’s the ideal season to explore these canyons.

THE GROUP CAMPSITE: Group site #2 at Furnace Creek Campground is reserved for up to 40 people. It’s tent camping only with limited parking (10 vehicles max). Amenities include water, flush toilets, picnic tables, and fire pits/grills. RV spaces and individual campsites are also available nearby.

The group campsite will host all activities like ridesharing, meals, a potluck, games, and bonding time! Since early starts are crucial for canyons and shuttles, evenings at the campsite will end early for plenty of rest.