canyons of spain
August-September 2021
Spain is one of the planet's canyoneering meccas. The canyons here are unrivaled, and the culture here is arguably the most open, active and accessible of anywhere. Coming in as an independent foreign canyoneer is actually very easy, although in reality very few foreigners, besides French, come here to canyoneer. We spent several weeks traveling Spain, several weeks caving, and several weeks canyoneering.
We ran plenty of canyons. In general, most canyons have an oasis feel surrounded by a desert or arid environment. Spanish don't consider it worthwhile unless there's flowing water (which is possibly the reason so few European canyoneers come to Utah).
It was difficult to decide what months to do our trip, due to conditions. Most canyons flow very strong and dangerous until mid-July. Consequently, all the crazy Spanish canyoneers run canyons until mid-July, saying the low flows of late summer are 'boring'. Well, we had a blast, with plenty of flow on each canyon. Some of the canyons we did I published on Ropewiki.com, marking the first time many of these have been written up in English:
There's probably no better place to go abroad for the first time as a canyoneer. Crystal clear water, bolted routes, excellent beta, stable weather, and a beautiful country make Spain top-notch. We rented cars and camped most nights, which is the only way I'd recommend doing it.
