Canyoneering Three Day School Course Overview

The comprehensive ATS Three Day Canyoneering School is based on the WCCM curriculum.

In this course, designed for the total beginner, you will attend the equivalent of our Canyoneering School Levels I-III, completing a technical canyon descent each day.

We offer complimentary course shadowing for students who complete any of the ATS Canyoneering Courses. Course shadowing may be completed in a different region from where you took your original class.

Schedule and Bookings

Day 1:
You'll meet your instructor at a group meeting spot where final paperwork is signed and gear is checked out. We'll carpool from here to our canyon choice of the day. A moderate hike (1-3 miles) will take us to the drop in point for the canyon.A talk on personal protective equipment, the basic technical gear, the West Coast Layering Method, the TERM's of a canyon, and rope will prepare us for our first rappel. The rest of the day will blur by as you learn to set your own ropes, put yourself on rappel, set your friction, and make your way safely down the waterfall. We'll finish the canyon at around sundown.

Day 2:
We start our day with a ground school at our canyon location discussing all the various forms of anchors in the sport. These include natural anchors such as webbing around trees & rocks, knot chocks, deadman, and pickets. We'll also look at fixed anchors and how to safely inspect a bolt in the rock. Considerable time will be spent discussing and building anchors safe enough to leave for others to use. We will discuss the local anchor ethics and how it differs from canyon to canyon. After completing the ground school, we'll venture into the canyon and spend the rest of the day building innovative, safe anchors at each drop before finishing again at sundown.

Day 3 :
A morning vertical ground school introduces us to the concept of self-rescue. We teach you what to do if your rope is stuck, or if your rope is too short, or if your rope has been damaged. Learning self-rescue is an integral part to becoming a competent canyoneer. After lunch, we'll head into a canyon where under the direction of our instructors, elements of your descent will begin to go wrong. You'll have to work together as a team of students to find solutions and safely find your way through the canyon. As night begins to fall, we slow everything down to ensure each participant is staying strong and personal needs are being met. We emerge hours later as a team.

Note on Itinerary:
Although we do our very best to adhere to the schedule listed above, this itinerary is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control, including weather and trail conditions.

Important Information about Air Travel:
Contact ATS prior to purchasing your airline tickets to confirm the trip has the minimum number of participants required to operate.

Price Includes:
Professional instruction; campsites in Zion, Washington, the Sierra, Mexico, and Arizona, technical canyoneering equipment, ATS Canyoneering Textbook, DVD, Leave No Trace ethics card, and sample rope/webbing (see gear list below for details).

Not Included:
Transportation from your hometown to the group meeting point; lodging or campsites in the Los Angeles course, insurance of any kind; all meals, gratuities and items of a personal nature. Note: alcoholic beverages are not allowed at the course.

Closest Airport(s):
Burbank Airport (BUR) - Los Angeles, California
Phoenix Airport (PHX) - Phoenix, Arizona
Sea-Tac Airport (SEA) - Seattle, Washington
St. George Airport (SGU) - St. George, Utah (Zion School)
Tampico Airport (TAM) - Tampico, Mexico
Fresno Airport (FAT) - Fresno, California (Sierra School)

Transfers:
If you require a transfer from the closest airport, just let us know and we'll arrange transportation for a small surcharge (typically $50-$100).

Qualifications:
Participants must be prepared to hike several miles each day with elevation gain/loss of several thousand feet while wearing a backpack over uneven terrain. Students must complete pre-course homework by learning a list of required knots and hitches. It is recommended that students do not have work the day after the course ends.

Weather:
Temperatures can range from 50 - 80° F during the day to 40 - 60° F at night depending on course location and time of year. Upon registration, a seasonal and location specific gear recommendation list will be sent electronically.

To-Bring List:
Note: Items marked with an * are provided by ATS upon request

Shoes that can get wet (5.10 savant, insight, runamuck recommended)
Paddle Top (NRS brand recommended) *
Paddle Pants (NRS brand recommended) *
Fleece Top (mid-to-heavy weight) *
Fleece Pants (mid-to-heavy weight)
Insulating sock (wool, neoprene, seal skinz recommended)
Beanie *
Backpack with waist strap (2500 cubic inches recommended) *
High caloric lunch and energy drink
2 liters of drinking water per day
Drybag *
Headlamp
Prescriptions glasses, medications, etc...
After canyon clothes (will stay behind at the car/camp)
Optional: Personal harness and helmet *
Optional: Waterproof and shockproof camera (ATS will often take photos)
Optional: Gaiters (Black Diamond GTX recommended)

Schedule and Bookings