Welcome to BluuGnome
The main focus of BluuGnome is sharing canyoneering beta, but you might
find a little something different that interests you. This is not a
collection of routes and information from various people. The beta
presented here is for canyons I have personally been through. Of
course I don't have everything I have ever done on the website, but
there is enough offered to keep most canyoneers busy for a very long
time. Most of my routes are in Utah since I really love the style
and feel of Utah canyons more than anywhere else.
Each route description includes GPS coordinates,
maps, written descriptions, suggested gear and other bits of information. It is my intent to make
the information as accurate as possible but errors can be made. Keep in
mind canyons change due to natural causes and or man made modifications.
Always think for yourself, do not blindly trust beta (mine or anyone
else's). Canyoneering can be dangerous and you are responsible for your
own safety and decisions.
Route information on Bluugnome is free and you are free to manually
enter the information into your GPS or mapping software. Or, if you want
to press the easy button and obtain a GPX file for your chosen route,
you can visit the
BG Gear Store to
purchase the file. Purchasing GPX files makes it easy to load the
route into your GPS unit or mapping software and help support the
literally thousands of hours that have went into curating this
information for you. The BG Gear store also offers various
canyoneering gear, like the Sqwurel rappel device or the Smooth Operator
anchoring device and more.
Links to picture albums on the beta pages
are not meant for showing off just the pretty or intriguing parts. Instead, the
albums show as much of the route as possible so anyone can rapidly click
through the images to get an overall feel for the place. The large volume
of images can be a bit much if all you want is pretty. I will leave the
pretty pictures between you and your Google-Fu since there are tons of
canyoneering photos all over the inter-webs.
It
can be useful to know the current conditions of a canyon before you go.
Checking various canyoneering related forums, Facebook groups or canyon
condition websites is a good start. If you want to give back to the community, take
the time to post a canyon condition after your trip.
There is so much more to a canyon than a few categorized attributes
on the canyon rating system. This is why the rating system
fails at conveying if a canyon is difficult or easy, pretty or
mundane, fun or a slog and so on. One example would be
to compare two canyons, like Hard Day
Harvey versus West Blarney. Due to the combination of route length
and skills required, a beginner will see HUGE differences in
difficulty, while both canyons are rated a 3. With that said, the rating system is divided into 4 sections. Technical -
assigned a number 1, 2, 3 or 4. Water - assigned a letter A, B
or C. Time - assigned a roman numeral I, II, III, IV. V or VI.
Risk - assigned a letter R or X. This
canyoneering
rating chart illustrates
each section and explains a bit about each. If you are new,
plug into the community and ask what canyons may be appropriate for
a beginner in what ever area you are interested in. A
few rating examples: 4 B III X, 3 A IV or 4 C II.
I highly recommend going with an experienced group where you can get a feel for
the sport
and have opportunities to ask, learn and practice. Getting invited
to join on future outings is a great way to
expand your adventure buddy network and will continue to introduce
you to a varied set of people with a wide range of views, techniques and ethics (spoken and unspoken).
If you do not already know experienced canyoneers, you can try getting involved with the many online communities
(Facebook, Meetup, etc.) where you can
learn a ton by reading and interacting as well as look for public invitations to join on adventures.
If you want to be invited back, show you can add value by pitching
in where you can. Simply stuffing a rope in a bag, offering to carry
a piece of gear or many other simple gestures can go a long way on
getting invited back!
Some find courses a valuable way into the sport. While courses will teach you some skills, they
are not a replacement for in canyon experience, connecting with the
community is still recommended. Few people remember all the finer points from a course.
Try to remember you were shown one possible way, not THE way to do things. Keeping this in mind will
help maintain an open mind and create opportunity to learn from the
many people you will connect with in the future.
Books, web sites and other sources offer some insights, but should not be relied on as the sum
total of your knowledge. As informative as
these sources can be, they will likely fall short of fully preparing you for your journey. Nothing compares person to
person learning. Are you catching the theme here?
Connecting with others will likely provide the greatest value.
Note, every area has it's own flavor and the flavors vary a
LOT. If enjoy a few adventures in one
area, it is easy to think you now have a full understanding of the
sport.
It can not be understated that this is NOT the case. Every
area has its own ethics, style of terrain, styles of movement, and so much more. Bolted anchors, natural anchors, wet suits
required, potholes to escape, sections of stemming, long and
difficult routes, difficult route finding, area specific land
management and other aspects will provide VASTLY different
experiences. As you grow, try not to take on the mindset that
what you know and have experienced should be applied everywhere. Take the time to
learn why each of the areas is treated the way it is. Plugging into
various communities, not just one segment, is your ticket to
understanding.
A great online resource for basic knowledge is the Dye Clan's
Canyoneering 101 page.
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