Ok, let’s begin with the premise that you’d like to try canyoning for the first time or that you wish to read something about canyoning that could be useful. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the right place and we can assume that we’re on the right track to start off.

As much as canyoning is fun it is also demanding, if not even more. Canyoning combines different physical activities and techniques which can be more or less demanding, but they’re all essential for successful canyon exploring and finishing routes through the Earth’s depths. Some of those techniques include swimming, some of them are mixed versions of swimming and cliff jumping and most of them include abseiling and hanging on the steep rocks, bridging the narrow walls and simply staying above the ground or water.

In this blog we’ll mention some of the most important canyoning techniques that we feel are important to mention in the beginning, so that we could move on the tougher things in the blogs yet to come. These are the basic canyoning techniques you’ll be using too conquer almost any canyon including the canyons available for canyoning in Montenegro with Tarasport.

#1 Abseiling and rope rigging

Even though abseiling isn’t necessary important for every canyoning adventure, meaning that there are different types of canyons with different levels of difficulty, it is important for you to know what it is. It is a type of descent with rope and descender (belay device) during canyoning, where drops and cracks are too big or dangerous to be jumped in or simply walked over.

Therefore it can be very useful to know how to abseil, and you can learn that with canyoning professional like Tarasport offers. Simple techniques of abseiling are very easy to catch on, and it manily means to know how to belay a rope around steady object so it can hold your weight and allow you to descent down the gorge with proper equipment.

When it comes to rope rigging it is important but not for every part of your canyoning group. It is enough for one fellow adventurer to know how to use rope rigging technique so that whole team can be transferred where it’s headed. In amateur and adventure canyoning tours it’s usually your canyoning guide. Anchoring the rope is literary the most important part of rope abseiling one needs to know.

If there are usual canyoning routes where many nature lovers and extreme adventurers already went few times before, you’ll probably find pre-drilled rope anchors so that you won’t need to do it every time you go on canyoning adventure. For example that’s the situation with Canyon Nevidio or Hrčavka Canyon where Tarasport takes you canyoning. Sometimes it is important to have at least one part of your canyoning team who’d know how to do it.

Let’s go further on.

#2 Climbing

It doesn’t need lots of explaining to understand that climbing can be important part of canyoning adventure. Ok, that doesn’t mean climbing in its root meaning where you’ll climb high walls and completely unapproachable terrains, but sometimes you’ll need to catch that wall crack and climb yourself above some obstacle so that you could go deeper in the canyon or to jump into the river running through it.

#3 Chimneying, Bridging and Stemming

These three climbing and canyoning techniques are very similar but still different. They come natural for everybody, even you didn’t have the chance to experience canyoning.

When it comes to chimneying, that’s the thing many of us already experienced at least as kids. You know that pose when you put your back along the wall and your legs on the other wall in small narrow places, like between buildings and other similar objects. That exact pose is sometimes necessary for canyoning. It has few different uses. Sometimes you’ll use this technique to rest a little bit since it’s not a difficult pose, and sometimes you’ll use it to transfer yourself further, and to climb a little.

Bridging is also technique you use to do exactly what its name says. You bridge gaps and gorges by your body, using your legs and arms. This technique can be very demanding since you essentially clog the gap with your body, using body strength and stomach muscles. You’ll sometimes need it to climb or to move in side.

Stemming is another technique you probably tried out as a little kid. Do you remember your wish to climb the door frame with your legs and arms spread on each side of that door frame? That’s the exact thing when it comes to gorges, wall gaps and high rocks you need to climb or slide down.

#4 Cliff Jumping

Cliff jumping says it all. Most of the canyons have live and beautiful rivers running through it, which can be more or less deep, but still beautiful and refreshing. River is essential to canyoning adventure, and when you finally come down to the canyons bottom, that’s where whole another fun experience starts.

You’d like to get into that refreshing water, which can be very chilly so keep that in mind, and one way of doing it is cliff jumping! Of course your guide will let you know where is safe to jump and where it’s not. This is common for well known canyoning expeditions, but when it comes to first expeditions, which are very rare nowadays and are not open for beginners, experts will need to slowly explore what is going on with that exact river, it’s depth, rockiness and other river characteristics.

#5 Careful swimming and natural water slides

When it comes to swimming inside the canyon, it’s important to keep in mind that it is not a regular river. It has its own looks and unexpected curves deeper or closer to the river surface. Sometimes you’ll need to float on the water surface to avoid hidden rocks and sometimes you’ll be able to dive in with no problem.

It’s exactly what it sounds like. Amazing nature made sure that many canyons have some natural water slides you can use to slide in the river or overrun some obstacles which would be even dangerous to exceed the other way. Not just that this technique is useful, it is extremely fun! Just imagine entertaining aqua park. Well natural water slides like those in canyons are many times better! At least they are if you truly love nature and its beautiful creations.

This would be the most important techniques you’ll probably use during your canyoning adventure, and facts you need to know about canyoning. With Tarasport you’ll be using the most entertaining ones mentioned above. Canyons of beautiful Montenegro and Bosnia are waiting for you. Come and explore them and experience all of these techniques in person!