Canyoning in the Alps. Simon Flower

From here it is possible to descend to the dam on metal steps. A gauge at the base of the steps can be used to determine water levels in the reservoir.

      On foot

      A reasonably well-marked path climbs from the car park at the end of the road. Follow signs to Geimen (reached after 40mins), then Blatten (40mins) and finally Riederalp (20mins to Parking B).

      Public transport and hitch-hiking

      There is a bus stop at the turning to Hegdorn. Buses (service 12.624) go all the way to Parking B. They start at 7am and run every hour until 11pm. See the Postbus website (www.postbus.ch) for more details. With so many cars plying up and down the road, hitch-hiking is unlikely to be too difficult.

      APPROACH FROM PARKING B

      Follow the road that descends to the base of the dam. Cross the river (parking possible) and go right to where a flood-warning sign marks a faint path to the river bed.

      DESCENT

      The descent begins with 30–45mins of boulder hopping in open streamway. The canyon narrows for a few short pitches with deep pools before the boulders begin again. Look out for the tunnel on the left (intermediate access point). There is more nondescript streamway, then things get more interesting again, with a string of three enclosed pitches. The third is awkward to rig, requiring acrobatic manoeuvres over the pitch-head to reach the main anchors. A more open section then follows, where the striped gneiss gives way to white granite. The canyon then closes down for the most spectacular section, the ‘Cathedral’, where all the water is funnelled through a 1m-wide gap before plunging into an airy 25m-deep abyss. An enormous boulder field is the final obstacle, where route-finding can be difficult. The canyon ends at an old water conduit on the right.

      RETURN

      Follow the conduit around. Pass through a tunnel (head-torch useful but not essential). For those who have accessed the canyon at the intermediate point, take a left and follow the ridge down to where it is possible to cross the river, then make your way back to the Ried-Mörel road. Otherwise contour along the line of the conduit to a track. This joins the Hegdorn road – turn left for Parking A.

      A serene moment mid-descent

      The ‘Cathedral’ (photo: Simon Flower)

      INTERMEDIATE ACCESS

      This access shaves a third off the descent time. On the main road to the Furka pass, cross over the Massa stream and take a left turn for Ried-Mörel and Ebnet. Continue up the hill, following signs for Ried-Mörel at all junctions. Park 1.6km past the Wasen junction, in an exposed lay-by on the right. From here take the path marked Oberried. Just around the corner the path splits – go right. A brief climb leads to another split. Take a left, along the line of a water conduit. Follow the water conduit all the way to its end, skirting one small area of private property. A head-torch is needed to negotiate a string of lengthy tunnels.

ROUTE 2: GONDO

      GONDO v4.a4.II

Rock	Gneiss
Dimensions	Depth 140m (1020m–880m); length 500m
Ideal season	Summer
Location	Switzerland
Time	Approach 0mins (Parking B); descent 1hr 30mins–2hrs; return 3mins (Parking A)
Shuttle	(Parking A to Parking B) 1.75km (20mins road-walk)
Gear	2x30m ropes (2x35m ropes if doing the slabs at the end)
Technical notes	Rigging sufficient; usually double anchors +/– chains (2011). Second pitch must be jumped or tobogganed (intimidating from above). In summer the current causes problems only on the final encased section, where the river is faced head on.
Escapes	After nearly every obstacle

      The lower reaches of the Grosswasser stream offer a short sequence of well-sculpted waterfalls and plunge-pools, perfect for jumps and atmospheric abseiling. The main problem at present is the dam upstream. Since being modified in 2010, it is unclear how much danger it presents. Seek advice locally or through internet forums before making the trip. The canyon is north facing and the water cold, so it’s better to arrive after midday.

       Dam upstream (no information currently available)

      A little reminder of how much water should be running through this canyon

      PARKING A

      Head up the SS33 into Switzerland. Once in Gondo, take the first left after the bell tower. Descend the hill and park in the large parking area. Don’t forget passports if coming from Italy!

      GETTING TO PARKING A FROM PARKING B

      By car

      Climb the hill on hairpins. Where the road levels out and flanks the river, a track heads off left. Park here.

      On foot

      Follow the road up, cutting the corners where possible on a well-defined path.

      APPROACH FROM PARKING B

      Just after the track leaves the road, follow a path down to the river. If feeling inclined, you could wander a bit further up the road to a path signposted to Bällega (alternative start). This path leads to the river in a couple of minutes. Aside from the first pool (possible jump), there is nothing else of interest.

      Certain pools lend themselves well to big jumps

      DESCENT

      The canyon is a sequence of waterfalls and beautiful plunge-pools, quite open in nature. The exception is the final pitch, two pitches after the rock arch. This is an aquatic, twisting tube, whose base cannot be seen from above. It can be rigged dry around to the left (or even avoided altogether), but it is much more fun to rig in the water. This is done in two stages – a 10m pitch to a set of P-hangars around to the right (not visible from above), followed by a 27m pitch to a spray-lashed shelf. From here a slippery and awkward 6m down-climb gains safe ground. The remainder of the canyon is walking and scrambling alongside the river. On reaching the slabs above the last waterfall, a path around left heads back to the main road. The slabs can be abseiled (two 35m pitches), but the single anchor was damaged at the time of descent.

ROUTE 3: RASIGA SUPERIORE

      RASIGA SUPERIORE