Canyoning in Tyrol, Austria

“Hey, wanna go play in a freezing river and repel down some waterfalls, and in the process risk certain injury or death?”

“Sure, you had me at ‘freezing river’!!”

So with that little exchange the Jessetters set the wheels in motion for our next Austrian adventure – Canyoning (or Canyoneering) in the Tyrol region of Austria.

The start of the canyon

Canyoning is an activity in which a person traverses a canyon gorge pretty much any way they can. This includes hiking, swimming, repelling, rock climbing, etc. This type of activity can be pretty dangerous. In fact, Mrs. Jessetter often says this was more scary than jumping out of a helicopter (and she would know, check out our Switzerland posts)! Luckily, the company and guides we went with were top notch and provided adequate equipment such as padded wetsuits and good helmets to keep our noggins from cracking against the rocks.

The company we went with

All suited up and ready to rock!

A little bit of a hike to get to the river.

Our guides were fairly gentle with us beginners, and they started us out on a baby waterfall that was probably about 15 feet tall. It was a good starting point for those of us that have a natural aversion to heights and aren’t the greatest swimmers (me and me).

The beginners waterfall

Pretty damn proud of myself for making it down the training waterfall!

We eventually moved on through the canyon and experienced faster water, slipperier rocks, and higher waterfalls.

Edge of a waterfall

Waiting for my turn to abseil

There I go!

Action shot!

The journey through the canyon took a couple hours and we repelled down a number of waterfalls – some that were maybe 15 meters or taller. It got a little nerve-wracking at times as we squeezed through smaller areas or forcefully got knocked into the rocks. It was a good team-building activity though as the entire group was helping each other through the difficult areas.

Teamwork!

View from inside the canyon

Sometimes you just have to let the water take you

Just hanging out in a cave

Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith!

View of above

Mrs. Jessetter jumping into the final pool near the end of the canyon

All in all, it was a fun adventure. We got to play in some water and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Austria. Luckily, nobody got hurt, but I don’t think Mrs. Jessetter would do it again. I thoroughly enjoyed this activity though, and I recommend it to anyone in search of a different kind of adventure….and a couple bruises.