Understanding Canyoneering Ethics

in The American Southwest

Originally published in Instructional Canyoneering Resource on 6/13/2024

During canyoneering classes, the line item of "ethics" or "low impact practices" comes into a lesson, or conversation. Canyoneers should be aware of the impact that our sport has on canyons. Canyon closures are becoming more common to avoid impact on the life cycle of some species, like birds nesting. "Wilderness Character Preservation" is an evolving concept and a social value that the sport needs to contend with.

But canyoneering ethics in the American SW seem to be a potpourri of slogans and notions like Leave No Trace (LNT), rock climbing ethics (?) and gatekeeping closeted impulses. All sprinkled with a good dose of cultish following towards individuals who are vocal about values they hold dear. So, this becomes a perplexing subject for students and newcomers to the spot, that see contradictory statements, notions and attitudes:

• Bolted anchors are not LNT....

• But improvised marginal anchors that result in rope grooves, or piles of rocks and webbing that become permanent fixtures are LNT (?)

• These improvised anchors are OK because they are valued as "problem solving skills". So, if you do not have these "skills" stay out of canyons until you learn these skills.

• But nobody wants to learn how to rig traverse lines to access exposed stations that prevent rock scarring/grooves…

• So...do not learn safe traverse rigging, but learn to rappel out of marginal anchors and marginal rigging (ghosting) ?

Two statements that bring clarity to this list of contradictions by taking a peak behind the "cultural curtain":

• "People like to hide their ego behind LNT notions"- CF

• "People like to hide their gatekeeping impulses behind problem-solving notions" - AI

So this is better understood as Ego & Gatekeeping. These 2 are part of many outdoor endeavors.

Ego, as... "this is my canyon", "do it the way I did it", " I will police and enforce my way of doing it", "I will admonish and ridicule whoever does it differently".
In the end, the problem is not the individual’s Ego of a particular person, but the people in the community celebrating and forming a tribe around these beliefs.

So to students and newcomers to the sport:

• Take some training to understand natural, artificial and transient anchors, if you want to jump across canyoneering areas of the USA and the world.

• Understand and practice low impact canyoneering practices

• Take with a grain of salt attitudes and statements that exalt "problem solving" over wilderness character alteration, or practices that result in canyon damage.

• And if you do not know how to rig for rescue, or how to place anchors to minimize impact, or do not know the regulations of the land in question, do not place bolts until you do.

Photos: Comparison of visual impact of clean-rigging bolts, vs cairn anchor. Impact wise, one does not produces rope grooves, and the other one does.

Minimal visual impact, minimal rock scarring around points, and no rope grooves.

Maximum visual impact. This type of anchor produces rope grooves.
Advocates of this approach argue that this can be dismantled and natural setting restored. While this is true, then this means closing the canyon, or closing it for the visitors that rely on these man-made installations. So...what does it matter then? As long as the cairn is around...it is a higher impact on 'wilderness character'.