Save the date

 
 

SAVE THE DATE 👉🏼7th - 10th September 2023👈🏼
The UK Canyoning Association will be running a canyoning symposium next September around Ingleton, Yorkshire.

This is a great opportunity to meet up with lots of canyoneers from all over the UK and abroad, go canyoning, share skills and experiences and enjoy a beer or two 🍺

What you can expect….

✔️ Technical workshops
✔️ Stalls from equipment providers
✔️ Talks from industry leaders
✔️ UKCA AGM
✔️ Raffle
✔️ Food & Beer
✔️ Entertainment
✔️ Canyoning 💦

The symposium is in the initial stages of planning. So more details will follow including price, accommodation options and event schedule.

We are looking for supporters and volunteers for the symposium so if you or your business would like to get involved or even sponsor the event send us an email to admin@ukcanyoning.org

 
 
 

Meet the Trustees

Driven by passion!

Our team of Trustees has 60+ years combined canyoning experience, we have a well seasoned team at the helm.  

Trustees are responsible for determining the future direction of our organization, controlling finances, making rules, and determining policy for standards and training programs.

Ben Case

Founder/Chairman

Ben is an instructor in a range of outdoor activities, he has worked in the outdoor industry for 10 years. His background is mainly mountain activities, but he can’t stay out of the water, the ideal combination for canyoning. Ben has been canyoning for 12 years. He is co-owner/founder of The Canyoning Company, V7 Academy and one of the UKCA founders.Read More

Ben Starkie

Founder/Vice Chairman

Ben has been professionally canyoning for 24 years. He has a full range of industrial and professional outdoor qualifications, and he has worked/travelled around the world. Ben is the owner of Vertical Descents and Outdoor Safety Training, and one of the UKCA founders. Read More

Olly Baylis 

Founder/Secretary

Olly has been involved in canyoning for the past 22 years. Over the years he has gained a vast amount of skills and experience as a canyon guide and trainer here in the UK and abroad. He now works with leading canyoning providers in Scotland and is one of the UKCA founders.Read More

George Yates 

Founder/Treasurer

George has been involved in canyoning in the UK and internationally for the past 13 years. He is an accomplished canyon guide and trainer, with vast experience teaching and guiding around the world. George co-owns The Canyoning Company and V7 Academy. He is the training advisor and one of the UKCA founders.Read More

UKCA TRUSTEES

Canyoning Grading

Canyoning Grading System(s) for the UK

As canyoning arrived and developed in the UK so has the gradinging systems we use. When the UKCG (UK Canyon Guides) was initially set up there was a lot of influence from the USA canyoning scene the ACA (American Canyoneering Association) and Richard Carlson as a technical consultant for developing the association. Along with that influence came the ACA grading system which was created around the dry desert canyons in Utah. 

Over the years more influence has come from the Alpine or European canyoning scene, our UK canyons are far more similar to the aquatic alpine canyons of Europe, subsequently we have started to adopt the international grading system or the FFME grading system. This system is more specific than the ACA grading system specifically grading Verticality and Aquatic characteristics of our canyons more in depth.   

Canyons appear in a variety of different forms, and hazards, like slippery surfaces or dangerous water movements, change depending on the environment. How hazards are managed is a matter of personal preference, which creates some subjectivity in grading.

Find out more about rating in the resources section. 

Welcome to the UKCA

Welcome to the UKCA

For the past year we have been working hard behind the scenes to revamp the UK Canyon Guides Association. The association has now formally changed its name to the UK Canyoning Association (UKCA) to be inclusive of everyone who practices canyoning here in the UK and overseas, not just professional guides.
Our goal is to update and standardise training for the canyoning community along with providing structured support through resources and information. Our training courses are designed to follow international standards to provide both recreational and professional canyoneers with updated, internationally recognised training and certification.
We are in the final stages of finishing the website, training syllabuses, resources, qualification transfer/crossover, and much more which will be made available to our members very soon.
We know there will be lots of questions you may have, we aim to answer them over the next few weeks as the website goes live. Over that time we will post more updates.
The UKCA is now a registered non for profit organisation with small committee working hard to finalise this new association. Once we are in a position to bring in more members and committee members we will.
Thanks for your support we will keep you updated.
Safe Descents,
UKCA Committee