Jared is the man you want to learn canyoneering from. Without a doubt, you will not find a better instructor than him. His guides are also incredible at what they do and extremely knowledgeable. The progression of the course is absolutely perfect, going from learning the basics, to practicing what you’ve learned, to real life scenarios in the canyon.
North Wash Canyoneering Experience
Expert Instructors
Small Group Environment
Learn the Basics in One of Our Best Canyoneering Courses in the North Wash
Our Basics North Wash Technical Canyoneering course is designed to teach students the fundamental skills needed for canyoneering. While it is suitable for beginners, it also caters to those with some canyoneering experience but no formal training. Safety is a top priority and students will learn how to assess risks and mitigate them for a safe outing.
The course covers anchor building and assessment, setting up rope rigging, rappelling, ascending, and different canyoneering movements outside of rappelling such as downclimbing and stemming. Students will also learn how to retreat back up the rope in emergency situations and use it to escape obstacles. The course includes several canyon descents where you will have the chance to put your skills to the test.
To ensure that students receive personalized attention, the course is kept small and manageable. Instructors are approachable and available to answer questions and engage with students. The course is conducted in the breathtaking canyon area of North Wash, and students will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with each other and instructors at the main basecamp where meals are served.
Why Choose This Course
Discover fundamental canyoneering principles such as approaching the sport from a safe position and mitigating risks in Canyoneering to ensure a safe outing (and more!)
Enjoy a welcoming and diverse course environment for everyone from complete beginners to students with some canyoneering experience under their belt - there’s a place for everyone!
Get the confidence needed to rappel with the best of them through learning the ins and outs of all aspects of rappelling - in all possible situations
Become more comfortable in emergencies (before they happen!) by learning how to think like a pro in those situations
Put your knowledge to the ultimate test in several canyon descents to truly learn how a safe canyon descent is made
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Course Details
Course Details
Price
$495 per person
Availability
April 4 – 6, 2024 **Registration Closed**
May 9 – 11, 2024 **Registration Closed**
Location
Course conducted at the Sandthrax Campsite in North Wash, Utah
Duration
3 days
Group size
Maximum 10
Included
- Professional guide and instructors, decades of knowledge and experience teaching and training canyoneering and search and rescue
- All necessary ropes and anchor rigging material
- All necessary rescue gear to be introduced during the course
Not included
- Food and lodging
- Transportation to and from the training location(s)
- Gratuity for Instructors
- Personal Canyoneering Gear (A basic gear setup for course completion may be borrowed)
What to bring
Appropriate layered clothing and footwear to be in the elements all three days.
Course staff
1 – 4 depending on class size
What You’ll Learn
Safety briefing and risk assessment for canyoneering hazards
Canyon rating systems
Meteorology and flash floods
Canyoneering ethics
Canyoneering gear available and needed anchors and anchor rigging for canyoneering
Rappelling
Rappel back ups and belay’s for safety in canyoneering
Friction setting and adjustment for various rappel devices
Ascending a rope
Ascending for self rescue and pothole escapes
Transitioning direction while on rope
Rope retrieval, care and packing
Group dynamics and gear collaboration for in canyon travel
Gear and preparedness inventory
In canyon practicals
FAQs
All courses are taught by our guiding staff. Some courses may require us to have an outside instructor come in such as Wilderness First Aid where we offer a certification in CPR by the American Heart Association.
Our scheduled courses are not appropriate for small children. We recommend a minimum age of 12. Students under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Sometimes the best thing to do with children is to schedule a private class where individual attention can be given to the particular age group.
Obviously weather prediction is a tricky thing to do, just watch your local weather report and see how often they get it right. Anything more than a week in advance is a guesstimate. We schedule courses based on historical averages of weather patterns.
Courses are scheduled March – June and September – October. We don’t schedule any courses in November – February due to colder temperatures, and July – August due to hotter temperatures. During the other months we hope that the weather is bearable. Starting about in the middle of June through the first part of October also brings our Monsoon season, although very rarely a problem where we teach the courses. During the warmer temperatures we try to spend more time in the canyons where we can get wet. During the cooler temperatures we try to get through the wet stuff as quickly as possible, but hope that you are also prepared for the temperatures. We have done courses in extreme heat, fairly cold weather, in rain and almost in snow. We hope that no matter what happens you will enjoy your time with us and learn from the material as we work with the weather mother nature gives us.
This being said, if you are willing to bear the weather you are welcome to book a private course any time we have available space.
We realized that when we are camping out in North Wash we are in a remote location and not near any stores or restaurants. We camp nowadays with our camp trailers out there and have all the necessary space and equipment to store and keep food cold. We thought it might be nice to offer to those coming out a meal option so they didn’t have to plan as much food to bring and a way to store it. We aren’t looking to make a profit off charging for the meal plan, just hope it adds a bit of convenience for the students coming out to North Wash. Because this was the focus, we don’t’ offer the meal plan when the course is held in Blanding, Utah (ie. Rescue Course) or in Moab, Utah (ie. Technical Course being held there).
The Meal Plan is covering breakfast and dinner on the first two days of the class and breakfast on the third day. Lunches are still on your own as we find not everyone likes to eat a lot during the middle of the day out there. Some things we have done in the past: enchiladas, tacos, steak, philly cheese steak sandwiches, linguine w/ sausage and shrimp (no official name, but it’s amazing), pulled pork sandwiches, pastrami burgers, chicken fajitas, dutch oven lasagna – to name a few things.
Breakfasts are the usual: bacon and eggs, pancakes, french toast, omelets, scrambled eggs, egg and sausage/bacon sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, hen house soufflé and instant coffee.
Have more questions? Check out our FAQ page!
See What Our Customers Say About Us
The course was very practical and aimed at folks with solid outdoor experience but limited canyoneering experience. Safety was emphasized, but it was physically and mentally challenging. The teachers/leaders were very experienced and mature, not the typical inexperienced youths you might expect leading an outdoor programs. Well worth the time and effort IF you are serious about canyoneering.
I just took the beginner technical canyoneering course in April 2023. Before the course I had done a lot of canyons but because I was self taught I knew that there was so much more to learn! I signed up for this course so I could gain skills that would make canyoneering safer and start getting tips/tricks for unexpected situations that could arise while in a canyon. Jared, Tammy and Lisa blew my expectations out of the water, they are super passionate and knowledgeable and made this course so much fun! The things they taught us will most definitely be invaluable for all of our canyoneering adventures to come. On top of that, I met a bunch of new friends who share similar interests and will hopefully be joining them in some canyons in the future. I do want to mention one other thing, if you sign up for the course in North Wash, definitely sign up for the meal plan, the food was fabulous and spending that time with the instructors was so much fun!
Just wrapped up a beginner technical canyoneering course last week, and I couldn’t recommend them highly enough for both beginner and experienced folks wanting to hone their skills in the canyons. The whole instructor team was VERY experienced and truly top-north, seamlessly catering to the needs of both the absolute beginners and intermediate folks. I have been through other similar courses (WFR, Swift water Rescue) and the quality of instruction and attention to detail is exactly what I was looking for. The group size, student/instructor ratio, and team dynamics were phenomenal for quality instruction. I must mention too, at the end of the day we walked away with solid networking amongst our peers, which in itself is extremely valuable in this team-oriented sport. A+ This company also offers other classes aimed towards more advanced techniques and rescue rigging for canyons, and best believe I will be attending them too! Can’t wait!
I enjoyed a fantastic course in the spectacular canyonlands of SE Utah with North Wash Outfitters. The instructors had decades of experience between them, and were knowledgeable, patient as well as just being nice people to spend time learning from for a few days. I can’t wait to take the advanced course next spring! I highly recommend North Wash Outfitters!
Jared and the North Wash Outfitters crew provided a great canyoneering course and experience. Instructors are knowledgeable and experienced. I learned a lot and had a great time. The trip down a slot canyon on the final day was a great culmination of the training and opportunity to practice what you learned earlier in the course. Jared and the instructors were friendly and fun to interact with. Definitely worth doing a course with North Wash Outfitters if you want to become more competent doing technical slots! We did the beginner course in North Wash, which is an awesome area away from hoards of people. Our class was the only group in the slot canyon during the final day. Thanks North Wash Outfitters!
Jared and his team were exceptional in explaining techniques and methods in ways that were both memorable and understandable. I was super impressed by how patient, positive, and watchful the instructors were — always finding my slip-ups and correcting them in a positive way. I progressed so far in three days — from the uninitiated to an experienced (albeit still “green”) canyoneer. And I had a great time!
This course exceeded my expectations in that I learned more than I had imagined I would. The structure was perfect and the instructors were knowledgeable and eager to help. We also had the added benefit of having a good group of students so it was fun as well as educational. I definitely recommend North Wash Outfitters if you’re looking to learn canyoneering skills.
I think this is an excellent course for those, like myself, who are interested in learning about canyoneering and how to do it safely. The three day format (one day classroom, one day skills building and one day exploring canyons) provides a solid foundation for students to venture be able to out on their own with confidence. Jared and his team excel at sharing their passion for the sport, attention to safety, and creating a fun learning experience. Can’t recommend highly enough.
