Blog

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

Brought up in the Lake District, Ben spent most of his childhood climbing, scrambling and kayaking. Following his passion for kayaking he paddled slalom for his club and got to the premiere division. This was the catalyst for him to pursue his career in the outdoors. Ben attended college in St Davids, Wales, where he completed a 2 year course in Sports Science and Outdoor Activities, this provided him with a solid foundation and qualifications across multiple disciplines.

During the summers he started working at Outward Bound instructing on multi activity residential and expedition based courses around the UK. This lead to a full time senior position, course directing and teaching new staff.

In 1998 Ben got a job in the Austrian Alps as a raft and canyon guide. Working out there for a few seasons as a professional river guide, he used the winters to explore other countries such as Nepal, Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, Canada and Europe where I spent my time volunteering for rafting and canyoning companies and working with Ski Patrol Teams.

Following this he found the opportunity to set up a canyoning company in Scotland. Using a Prince's Trust Young Persons Grant he set up Vertical Descents in 2000. A small seasonal company canyoning and river running, it soon grew legs and became the main provider of thrill seeking adventure sports on the west coast of Scotland.

The development of Vertical Descents client group allowed him to open up new canyons around Scotland for commercial use and Ben soon became the go to person in the UK for Canyoning and technical advice. In 2007 he set up UK Canyon Guides (UKCG) with the help of Rich Carlson from the American Canyoning Association. Ben developed 1 modular personal skills course and levelled guide training and assessments. He was also awarded with teaching accreditation: Pro Guide Trainer and Canyon Rescue Instructor. Since then the UKCG flourished, training over 600 UK Canyoneers and guide. UKCG has also taught courses abroad in Nepal, Africa, USA, Iran and Germany and has good relationships with other Canyoning associations in order to maintain best practice.

The UKCG became a formalised UK Association with a dedicated voluntary committee. Whilst developing Vertical Descents and UKCG he also trained as a Rescue 3 Swift Water and Rope Rescue Instructor and established a well accredited training arm of his business called Outdoor Safety Training and Consultancy (OST).

This company provides technical advice, expert witness reviews, Working at Height safety, and a full range of industrial and professional outdoor qualifications. It is through OST that he now provides the new UKCA qualification and training scheme.

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

Grown up in the south west of England, Olly surfed from an early age with a love for the outdoors this led him to explore mountain walking and caving, after leaving 6th form he applied to assist on a scientific research expedition to Chile Patagonia after passing the selection process he spent 4 months on the edge of the Patagonian ice cap, inspired by the mountain guides on that expedition he returned to the UK and attended an outdoor college in Devon, gaining base level qualifications in kayaking, climbing and mountain.

He applied for his first outdoor job in Scotland in 1999, moving to Scotland he focused on White water skills and attained more qualifications in this field, during this time he undertook his first canyon trip and first canyon descent in one of Scotland's finest canyons.

After a year he left for Colorado to be a safety kayaker and rafting guide returning to Scotland he attained a job at Outward Bound Loch Eil over his 3 and half years there he gained more experience and higher level qualifications with a few trips to the Alps to explore bigger rivers and mountains.

Travelling to New Zealand Olly went through various qualifications in white water under the New Zealand guide system. Returning to the UK he developed and managed canyoning for one of Scotland's leading outdoor providers.

After more trips and adventures in New Zealand Olly returned and partnered up with Ben Starkie back in Scotland and set about opening up more Canyons for recreational and commercial operations. During this time Olly worked with Ben on various courses under the UKCG system here in the UK and Europe for Canyoning. Olly got the opportunity to work with european canyon guides in Germany/France/Austria and Switzerland he developed his skills even further. He has now taught and led Canyoning trips all over Europe and introduced many clients to the thrill of canyoning

Olly now freelances for various leading canyon providers in Scotland and is passionate to pass on his skills, knowledge and experience to people that wish to learn and gain qualifications with the UKCA.

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

From a young age George was always involved in outdoor adventure sports and activities, spending most of his teenage years Kayaking and hill walking. George took a 3 year degree in Outdoor Leadership in Penrith, Cumbria. Here he spent 3 years developing his skills as an outdoor instructor and coach. George really fell in love with white water kayaking and anything involving challenging water and rivers.

When he finished University he took a job at Vertical Descents in Scotland in 2009. He was very quickly guiding in the West Coast canyons along with white water rafting and running kayaking programmes. George was a participant in the first UKCG courses delivered by Rich Carlson and Ben Starkie. After leaving Vertical Descents he spent time working and travelling around the world as an expedition, canyoning and rafting guide.

In 2010 George co-managed an adventure centre in Italy where he was involved in setting up the new canyoning activities for the centre. From here he knew he had a passion for canyoning and it was something he was very passionate about pursuing. After spending time guiding in Australia, New Zealand and Italy he went back to Scotland to manage Nae Limits Adventure, based in central Scotland. He spent 5 years here developing canyoning in the area and was actively involved in the UKCG where he became a trainer and began delivering courses and workshops.

In 2014 George enrolled in a ICOpro (International Canyoning Organisation for Professionals) course in Bali, Indonesia. George then pursued the ICOpro training programme over many years and became one of 5 ICOpro Senior Trainers worldwide. He gained valuable experience canyoning and teaching in many countries such as New Zealand, Switzerland, France, Australia, Portugal, Montenegro, Africa, USA and Indonesia.

During his time following the ICOpro pathway George opened a canyoning-specific company called The Canyoning Company with his friend and accomplished canyon guide Ben Case. Over the past 7 years The Canyoning Company has run many international trips, offered technical advice, opened canyons, developed canyoning around Scotland and delivered many recreational and professional training courses.

Recently George and 4 other experienced trainers and guides from all over the world created V7 Academy, an online canyoning learning resource with over 160 instructional videos and E-books filmed in the canyon environment. With his passion and experience for canyoning he is driven to continue the development of the canyoning community and industry in the UK.

UKCA TRUSTEES

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.