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What is
canyoneering? What experience is required to go on a trip? What level of physical conditioning is required? Is there an age limit to participate in a trip? How experienced are your guides? How do I choose / reserve a canyoneering adventure and what is the cost? What is your cancellation & refund policy? What equipment does TPC Sports provide? What equipment, personal items and clothing do I provide? How does transportation work to and from the meeting location and base camp site? |
| What is canyoneering? |
| Canyoneering is best
described as a hybrid between technical climbing, hiking, rappelling,
backpacking, swimming, mountaineering and technical rope work. It is the
art of exploring and conquering deep slot canyons. Most canyoneering
canyons are remote in nature and require traveling on dirt roads for
access. They also require significant hiking into and out of to accomplish
the trip. Canyoneers typically hike up to the insert location of the
canyon and slog their way down. All-the-while working their magic in overcoming the technical challenges presented by the unrelenting canyon
through critical thinking and experienced problem solving. Once all the
hard work and fun are completed, its time to exit the canyon and trudge
back to the base camp while sharing war stories of the day with your
teammates. The real attractiveness of
canyoneering comes from accessing a part of nature that is rarely
witnessed by man in general. Few people ever get to experience the serene
tranquility and awesome beauty of the slot canyons. They are truly
spectacular. There isn't anywhere on earth like a canyoneering adventure
in Utah. |
| What experience is required to go on a trip? |
| No experience is
necessary for many of the canyons we guide to. However, for the more
adventurous, experienced and physically fit thrill seeker, we offer more
advanced and difficult adventures. We have many patrons who have never
been on a rappel before to those who have advanced climbing experience.
Regardless of your level of experience, we have a canyoneering adventure
just for you. Bear in mind we are not going to train you in the art of canyoneering. However, you are welcome to ask questions and work along side us during the trip. We involve our guests (team) in as much of the problem solving, rigging, anchoring, belaying and rappelling as possible. If you have a desire to learn, get involved and be pro active as a member of the team. If you want training in canyoneering, we can
accommodate that also. Please contact us
about a training trip and we will organize one to teach you the tricks of
the trade. |
| How safe is canyoneering? |
| We are serious about
safety! Make no mistake about that! Many people have lost their lives in
the deep slot canyons of Utah. Primarily because they were
inexperienced, unprepared, or made a critical mistake in judgment and safety.
That will not happen with TPC Sports. We are professional, we know and
understand the risks and hazards. We take every precaution to ensure the
safety of our teams at all times. Like any outdoor adventure activity, there is a certain amount of risk involved. Lack of knowledge, inexperience and poor judgment are usually the culprit. Our professional and experienced guides will do everything necessary to ensure your trip is safe and enjoyable without incident. Safety is paramount and is always first above everything else. No task is so insignificant that it isn't scrutinized for safety. We want you to have the best experience possible so you will return again and again. Therefore, you will have to understand and be patient with our methodical, sometimes slow, methods of doing things. Many guests don't mind us checking, double checking and triple checking anchors, knots, rigging and equipment to ensure it is safe and accurate. So, be patient, relax and rest assured we will be safe in everything we and you do before, during and after your trip. For your convenience and understanding we have
provided a
Route Ratings guide for each canyoneering adventure. This will
help you know what the risk factors are before choosing which trip you
want to take. Please be honest with yourself, and us, in assessing your
experience and skills. Choosing the proper trip for your level is
important for the safety of your guide(s), you and the rest of the team.
It only takes one person who is over his / or her head to place the entire
team in jeopardy and compromise safety. |
| What level of physical conditioning is required? |
| If you are a fairly
active individual who engages in physical activity at least one or two
times per week, you should be able to finish many of our canyoneering
adventures. If you can hike a moderately steep mountain trail, you should
be able to complete a trip. Be sure to accurately assess your physical ability and match it appropriately to one of our canyoneering adventures. Additionally, we suggest you get a complete physical from your family physician if you have any doubts about your fitness level and ability to accomplish a route. We work as a team during the trip. Each member helps the other. Many times it's a boost from below or a pull from above to help the other out. This is all about team work and what you may lack individually, the rest of the team will more than make up for. For your convenience and understanding we have provided a Route Ratings guide for each canyoneering adventure. This will assist you in knowing what is physically required for you to complete your trip with as little physical difficulty as possible. Please be honest with yourself, and us, in assessing your physical skills. Choosing the proper trip for your fitness level is important for the safety of your guide(s), you and the rest of the team. It only takes one person who is over his / or her head to place the entire team in jeopardy and compromise safety. If you have a health or physical fitness related
disorder, please contact us and we can
discuss this with you to determine whether you will be able to accomplish
a trip. We want your patronage, but your safety is more important. |
| Is there an age limit to participate in a trip? |
| Age limit is not a
factor per say. What is a factor is being able to physically accomplish
the trip. We love taking young children on some of the easier adventures
and exposing them to the new world and excitement of technical climbing,
boulder scrambling, rappelling, rigging, knot tying, problem solving and
exploring. Age is only a state of mind. Let
your mind and heart decide your age. It is your attitude that will
determine your age and what you can and cannot do, within reason. |
| How experienced are your guides? |
| Our guides are the
best in the business. Our head team leader has over 30 years of technical
climbing, mountaineering, desert survival and search and rescue
experience. Each of our guides has received intensive and professional training in rappelling, belaying, anchor building, equipment safety and inspection, technical rope work, desert survival skills, swim rescue, technical pothole escape, canyon rescue, first aid and public relations. For more information on our guides, please visit our
Guides page. |
| How do I choose / reserve a canyoneering adventure and what is the cost? |
| Choosing a
canyoneering adventure can be as fun as the adventure itself. Researching
and learning about the many trips we offer will be the first step. You can
easily do this by accessing our
Route
Information page. Enjoy the information on each adventure and
choose wisely. Each adventure has its own personality. You will easily
find one to fit yours and your thirst for excitement.
Next you will want to go to our Guided Tours page. Here you will see the trips already planned along with open dates you may choose from. If you don't see a date or trip that works for you, please contact us and we will work with you to plan a specialized trip at no extra cost. Once you have the trip and date established, all you need do is contact us to reserve your trip. However, before you do that, you may want to find out what this adventure is going to set you back. You will find our fees at the bottom of our Guided Tours page. Keep in mind that some out-of-the-ordinary trips, such as those to Zion, will have additional costs. We will work with you in making all of the arrangements and determining what the final costs will be as quickly as possible. A deposit of $25 per person is required to reserve a position on a 1-day adventure and $50 for a multi-day. If the trip requires commercial lodging, you will be required an additional lodging reservation fee. We will email you a confirmation and invoice to finalize your reservation. Balance is due the day of the trip. When three or more people participate on the same trip, everyone on the trip receives a 10% group discount rate. Yes, everyone. Returning guests are rewarded with a 15% discount on trips with three or more people. Trips are limited to 7 participants, including guide(s). This is for safety and environmental impact reasons. Exceptions to this may be made. But, they are exceptions and must have a valid reason for extending beyond 7. Additionally, there may be an additional fee involved. We currently accept PayPal, personal checks, bank
transfers, money orders and of course, cash. |
| What is your cancellation & refund policy? |
| All prepaid fees
will be cheerfully refunded if you cancel at lease 10 days prior to the
day of your trip. Cancellation inside of 10 days will cost you your
reservation fee. If you paid in full, the balance will be refunded within
10 working days of cancellation. A full refund of all prepaid fees will be given if we cancel the trip due to problems on our end or adverse / severe weather conditions. Weather condition cancellations will be the responsibility of the guide team leader. If you cancel due to the weather no refund will be given. Many times the weather is down right nasty the day before and/or poor the morning of the trip, but fine throughout the rest of the day. Rest assured we will make every effort to complete the trip or cancel if safety is a factor. If something happens midway through the trip and we are forced to cancel due to circumstances outside our control, we will parley a fair refund with you. If you decide not to participate in a trip because you are unprepared for rain or cold weather, or our team leader decides you are unprepared, you will not receive a refund. Remember, safety is paramount. We will not put the
team in a compromising position due to adverse / severe weather. We know
this region, we live here, we have experience and weather reports which
will be taken into consideration whether the trip goes or not. |
| What equipment does TPC Sports provide? |
TPC Sports provides:
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| What equipment, personal items and clothing do I provide? |
Required personal
equipment items you need to bring:
Optional personal equipment items you may want to bring:
NOTE: We will send you a detailed checklist to use before your departure date. We don't want you to forget anything! NOTE: You may reduce the cost of your adventure by
10% if you bring all of the necessary items marked *. |
| How does transportation work to and from the meeting location and base camp site? |
| You are required to
drive yourself and your own group (not the team) to the meeting location.
We do not provide transportation.
Our guides will meet you at Green River, UT where we will convoy / car pool to the the base camp site. Of course, if you car pool with someone, you will be expected to share in the cost of gas. Don't worry about your car. All base camp sites are accessible by normal 2-wheel drive vehicles. We have found car pooling to be the best way to get
to and from the base camp sites. This keeps the cost down and is much more
comfortable / convenient / cost effective for all concerned. |
TPC Sports / Canyoneering Utah Spanish Fork, UT 801-798-2594 or 801-635-6814 email us
