Thirty years in the fire service and easily one of the best hands on training classes I have ever taken. If you are going into canyon, TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!
Experienced Expert Instructors
Hands-On Approach
Lifesaving Self-Rescue Skills
Learn the Ins and Outs of Self and Partner Rescue With One of The Best Canyon Rescue Courses Out There
Our Self and Partner Rescue Course is a 3-day hands-on experience that focuses on providing necessary canyoneering skills and tools to evaluate and perform a self or partner rescue in the field. The course covers different tools that can be utilized, discusses available options, and presents scenarios where tools may be scarce in the field.
We want you to walk away feeling confident in yourself and rescue skills and so our approach is to provide a 100% hands-on learning environment, which will enable you to practice and understand the rescue process.
This course is taught by experienced instructors with decades of experience, who have used these techniques in real-world Search and Rescue situations. The training is conducted in a controlled environment where scenarios can be practiced, techniques can be reviewed, and honed. Our Self & Partner Rescue course is physically demanding, so you can expect to spend the entire time hanging on a rope and practicing the techniques.
The course is not conducted in a classroom; instead, it is a practical course that offers a 1:1 attention approach. Over the years, students from various rope disciplines, including recreational canyoneers, Search and Rescue teams, and fire and rescue members, have participated in the course. We keep the class size small so you get the most personalized experience – giving you the opportunity to get all the answers to your questions, and 1:1 support to truly hone your skills!
** Please see our course prerequisite requirements for attending this class – you need to have a solid foundation of Canyoneering Techniques and rope rigging through the Advanced Canyoneering Course Level: https://www.northwashoutfitters.com/course-prerequisites/
Why Choose This Course
Be prepared for all self and partner rescue scenarios after this 3-day hands-on course
Learn the necessary tools and techniques to successfully carry out a self & or partner rescue in the field
Go through real-life examples where tools may be scarce in the field to know what different tools can be utilized in those challenging moments to achieve a successful rescue
Get trained by experts with decades of experience in the field so you are prepared for all possible scenarios - giving you the confidence to lead in all situations
Take advantage of the small class size so that you can get one on one attention to make sure you properly learn self & partner rescue techniques
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Course Details
Course Details
Price
$495 per person
Availability
Oct 23 – 25, 2025
Location
Course conducted out of our Blanding, Utah location
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 site
- Gratuity for Instructors
What to bring
This is a very gear intensive course. Students at a Rescue Course Level should at a minimum have their own appropriate canyoneering gear to include, but not limited to:
Harness, helmet, 10+ screwgate locking carabiners, An approved Canyoneering specific rappel device, Ascenders, foot loop system (aider/etrier) for ascending, safety tether/daisy chain/cow’s tail, 2 VT Prussiks, gloves, and 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
Canyon rescue hierarchy
Group dynamics considerations and the need of a rescue
Anchor pre-rigging to mitigate rescue necessities
Special rigging considerations for rescue
Anchor considerations in rescue scenarios
Passing a knot on a lower/raise system
Anchor conversions for rescue
Cut and lower
Resolving uneven rope ends
Combination rappel and passive lower systems
Tandem rappels and lowers
Partner pick-off and team based pick-off
Mechanical advantage systems
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.
Have more questions? Check out our FAQ page!
See What Our Customers Say About Us
I have taken both the beginner and advanced class from Jared and his crew. Their knowledge and teaching methods are superior. They not only teach the techniques in a way that anyone can learn, but they are also patient and make sure you understand. Going through the trainings and the canyons with them you can tell that safety is definitely a value.
The Self & Partner Rescue class with North Wash Outfitters was my third class. I was hesitant going into the class in that I may not have the skills or abilities to put the methods taught to practice. I was immediately surprised how much I was able to accomplish after the excellent training by the entire team! I am already considering retaking the course in the future to fine tune those skills even further. I highly recommend any of their courses, whether beginner or advanced canyoneer!
I recently took the advanced canyoneering course through North Wash Outfitters. I was a little hesitant as I have been canyoneering for 15 years. I thought that with my experience and rope rescue background, it might be a waste of my time. I was wrong. The class was awesome! I learned a lot. Plenty of hands on training, followed by real world, in canyon, applications. The instructors were knowledgeable and committed to safety and teaching best practices. The instruction was superb, the food was great, and the whole experience was top notch. I would highly recommend this course to anyone trying to step up their canyoneering game.
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 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!
