I stumbled across this video. I’m a fairly experienced Canyoneer, I’ve done heaps. I’m appalled by the reckless (borderline foolish) behavior exhibited in this video.
Ok, that is a funny comment - and an admirably sideways insult. Well played. People can get righteous and aggravated. (I'd call many hypocrites unless they wear headgear while walking outside anywhere in nature.)
Some girls I knew got killed by a falling tree in a town. Once you have seen a few accidents by rock fall/ branches on the head etc, helmets are a really good option.
@@FullTiltWard I'm glad that you had a lot of fun canyoning! That looked like an amazing trip, but you know it's not apples to apples comparing hiking to canyoning. A perfect example is when Kerry Ward slipped when jumping into the pool. If he had much more backward rotation and clipped his head without a helmet you guys could have been screwed. Mostly because of being in a canyon would compound the time it would take to get to help. As a nurse on a Ortho / Neuro floor I can tell you how bad these things can get. There was a canyoneer in WA who got a concussion and had to push through to get out of the canyon and she has a severe life altering TBI. I think people are most aggravated by the fact that a child was put at risk here as well as the fact that you're putting content out that could influence others into making poor decisions because they didn't know otherwise. I'm not saying that you shouldn't enjoy a risky adventure sport, I'm saying that there are easy steps to mitigate risk. It's like choosing a locking carabiner when building an anchor. I've destroyed two helmets mountain biking, broken several bones. If I'm at a big bike park with higher risk I wear a full face helmet and chest / back protector. I've been below rock fall while rock climbing and I had a helmet on not because I was lucky but because I was prepared. I'm okay with risks but I mitigate then where I can so that I can take larger risks and enjoy life more. I think the wildest part of this is that you guys were playing fast and loose with possible rain in a slot canyon and took risks that could have seriously delayed your party if they didn't pan out well. I'm glad everything worked out well. I understand the urge to be defensive when someone is calling you out for a choice you made. I think the big takeaway here shouldn't be to make you feel bad, but to expose the risks for what they are so hopefully other people (or you) could make an informed decision.
In case anyone watches this that doesn’t canyoneer: there is a lot of ridiculously unsafe and reckless behavior in this video. Please don’t do any of it.
Heaps was your very first canyon? Dang! I live in Utah and do a lot of canyoneering (including Zion) and still have not done Heaps. I've done 300' rappels and 20' deep potholes, but this rappel is just intimidating. I've heard that bird perch is barely big enough to hold 2, maybe 3 people, and is pretty sketchy. I'll be down doing the Ragnar Zion trail race in May. I am a little disappointed that nobody is wearing a helmet cause if someone yells "ROCK", the person on the rope and the person belaying can get seriously hurt. Or if someone loses footing on rappel and slams into the rock and hits their head and nobody is on belay, you're screwed. Or if someone is jumping into a pool of water and they slip and hit their head on the rock and land in the water... Jumping into a pool of water is actually not recommended as well if you don't know the depth. Nobody wants to pack out partner with anything broken, especially through a canyon like Heaps. Shame on the leaders for not making that a priority! Great video and narration anyhow.
It is true the little perch part way down the last rap is TINY. But held several of us for a little bit as we got the final rope rigged. Enjoy the Ragnar! And yes, helmets would have been a nice addition. Sam has done the canyon on multiple occasions, so knows with some degree of confidence which drops can be jumped - plus he was willing to leap first. Making the jumps saved enough time that this was doable in a single day.
Jumping like that is really fucking stupid and letting your child do it is even worse. Jumping is the most common way people get injured canyoneering in Zion. This is bad practice and extraordinarily unsafe.
Sam looks like an awesome person to do this canyon with. With his adventurous spirit and the fact that he's been through it many times, he's already figured out exactly what can be jumped. That's something someone going through it for the first time won't ever get to experience.
