Canyoning in the Alps. Simon Flower

not approach the helicopter until the rotor has come to a standstill.

      EXPECTED COSTS WITH A EUROPEAN HEALTH INSURANCE CARD

Italy	Prescriptions – free or non-refundable fixed charge (depending on drug)Doctors – no chargeHospital – treatment free. Possible drug and ambulance fees (depending on area), which may or may not be refundable.
Switzerland	Prescriptions and doctors – fee charged but can be reclaimedHospital – refundable fees plus non-refundable fixed charge (the ‘excess’) and a non-refundable daily contribution towards bed and board. Also a charge for 50 per cent of the cost of ambulance transport, including air ambulance.
Austria	Prescriptions – non-refundable fixed feeDoctors – fee charged (may be entitled to a partial refund)Hospital – non-refundable fee for first 28 days. Refund may be possible in private hospitals.
Slovenia	Prescriptions – non-refundable fees. Charge depends on drug.Doctors – non-refundable feeHospital – free apart from a non-refundable fixed daily fee

Canyon etiquette

      Some of the most highly prized canyons in Europe are out of bounds to canyoners. Many more are at risk of going the same way. Canyons in national parks or other protected areas are particularly susceptible to legislation, but so too are those whose course or access routes pass through private property. The canyoning community lacks the political swing of its mountaineering or speleological counterparts, so once a canyon has been prohibited from use it generally remains so. It is important, therefore, to be responsible and avoid treading on any toes.

       Do not park on private land.

       Choose your changing areas well. Nobody wants a group of rowdy foreigners parading naked around their village.

       Be courteous to locals and other canyon users alike (see ‘A note on guided groups’, below).

       Restrict party size. While large groups are safer in the event of an accident, they are slower (risking hypothermia or benightment) and antisocial for others groups present in the canyon.

       Pay heed to local bye-laws and do not trespass. Information presented in this guide may change; seek local advice if there is any doubt.

       Respect the environment. With a climate that differs markedly from the world above, canyons are unique ecosystems, populated by plants and animals seldom found elsewhere. Follow the old adage ‘Leave nothing but footprints’, and go quietly so as not to disturb the wildlife. Birds, for instance, are easily disturbed by groups of canyoners whooping and hollering their way down waterfalls.

      Take care not to disturb the wildlife

A note on guided groups

      Canyoning in the more popular areas of southern Europe generally entails meeting long lines of identically clad adventure tourists, usually waiting around at pitch-heads as others in the group get ceremoniously lowered over on a rope. Thankfully, owing to the length and more technical nature of the canyoning in the Alps, this situation seldom arises here. Guided groups do exist, but are fewer in number and generally smaller in size. Outside the peak holiday season in August you may well meet none at all.

      If you do happen across a group, be courteous. Remember that the guides with them may have installed the nice shiny anchors that you’re using, and most will let you pass as soon as is safe. It is bad form to loiter behind in order to find out where all the good jumps and toboggans are!

      Finally, if a canyon seems too daunting consider hiring a guide. Local tourist information offices (see Appendix D) usually have details.

Using this guide

      Canyon nomenclature

      The naming of canyons is by no means consistent. One canyon may have several aliases, even within the canyoning community. Canyons may be named after the river itself or the valley the river runs in, which are not always the same. They may take the name of a nearby village or a nickname given by locals or canyoners. In this guidebook, the name given is that most commonly used by canyoners, but alternatives are supplied where necessary.

      Many canyons are divisible into two or three separate parts. Where each part is a distinct trip in its own right, with a well-defined access route of its own, it is named according to local convention, for example Superiore, Intermedio and Inferiore (upper, middle and lower) or 1, 2, 3.

      Divided up in this way, there are 101 canyoning trips described in this guidebook. Ninety of these are worthy of specific mention and are numbered 1 to 90 accordingly. Eleven of these routes have an additional canyon nearby described – one not worth visiting on its own, but worth doing if you’re in the area. These additional canyons have ‘a’ in the route number.

      Quality rating

      This book contains a select group of canyons, chosen from a multitude of others available in the area. While all are celebrated in one way or another, some are more memorable than others. The five-star quality-rating system used in the guide (shown in the box at the start of each route) takes account of both beauty of the canyon and level of sport it offers.

      Although the ratings reflect the opinions of many, they are still only a guide. They are subject to personal taste and depend to a great extent on water levels in the canyon at the time of descent. In general though, five-star canyons are unforgettable experiences, providing continual entertainment (particularly jumps, toboggans and atmospheric abseils) in a setting of immense geological grandeur and scenic beauty. They should not be missed. Those with fewer stars have similar appeal but may lack the edge of five-star canyons; the canyon may be less continuous, less aquatic, less scenic or have fewer pools for jumping.

      Difficulty and grading of canyons

      The canyons in this guide are graded by difficulty using the system employed by the Fédération Français de la Montagne et de l’Escalade (FFME), the Fédération Francais de Spéléologie (FFS) and the Associazione Italiana Canyoning (AIC), which has been adopted by guides and guidebook authors throughout Europe. See below for a full breakdown of the grading system.

      Although this grading system is useful in describing the most technically challenging aspect of the canyon, it does not give an idea of how physically demanding the route is or how sustained the difficulties are. The canyons in this guide are therefore also given a basic overall grade (shown in the box at the start of each route), based on the colours used to grade ski-runs. From easiest to hardest, these are green, blue, red and black.

      Grading of canyons is not an exact science and the difficulty of any canyon will change depending on the levels of water. Water levels can vary somewhat from year to year, and an ‘easy’ canyon may well become incredibly dangerous after a storm or prolonged rain. However, the grading gives an idea of what to expect in average conditions.

      The Route Planner at the back of the book shows the star rating and difficulty rating for each route to help you plan your trip.

      Canyon grading system

      The grading is calibrated for a party of five people who have no knowledge of the canyon but who have a level of experience and fitness appropriate for it. It is comprised of three parts – vertical character (v), aquatic character (a), and the level of engagement, indicated by a Roman numeral. The letters v and a are followed by a numerical value from 1 (easiest) to 7 (hardest), although the grading is open-ended. Both components may change over time as the quality of rigging (which safeguards climbs as well as aquatic abseils) improves or deteriorates. Engagement