Nude canyoning

[FatCanyoner]

I'm not sure if there are any fellow canyoners on here, but if not, canyoning basically involves walking, scrambling, abseiling and swimming through deep gorges sliced through rock over thousands of years. It is great fun. I've been doing it for a long time but I recently completed my first nude canyon. You can read about it here: http://fatcanyoners.org/2011/12/18/nude-canyoning/
I also look for any excuse for a skinny dip or nude stroll when bushwalking, but after this trip I'm keen to plan some more nude outdoor activities. The only problem, for those who know the Aussie bush, is that you have to be pretty selective where you try this or you will get VERY scratched up!

[Ed]

That was an awesome read - looked brilliant! I'm no canyoneer myself, but it's almost enough to make me try it :P

[AElf]

Very cool , sounds great.  Three cheers  for you and your mates and for free range naturism -- I'd throw in a tiger too but I just don't have a tiger emoticon.

I saw only one mention of rope burns;  you guys must have been very careful indeed.  I always put an extra biner or two in my harness to take the ropes farther away from parts I'd like to remain undamaged.

[FatCanyoner]

ComfierNatural, you should definitely give it a go some time. I love doing things outdoors, but doing the same thing nude gives a totally new perspective to it. Plus what could be more fun than being pounded by a 90 foot waterfall while you hang on a rope!
AElf, you do need to change how you abseil don't you! When I teach people to abseil I always make them keep their main hand behind their back (the line is actually "keep your thumb up your bum") but when nude that doesn't work. I just kept the rope way out to my side. It takes some getting use to, but worth it for the experience.
By the way, are you a canyoner, rock climber or just an abseiler?

[Hamish]

Good job, thanks for sharing! I've done canyoning in New Zealand before and loved it. You've just proved that there is no reason why those with the right experience can't do this in the nude. Like you say "it gives a totaly new perspective to it".

[monthem]

I've been on a canyoning trip once and would definitely NOT do it nude!
It was a freezing mountain river in the austrian alps and without neoprene suite it would have been impossible to stay in the water for more than 30 seconds! Also my hands were sliced open by the stones!
It was fun. but nude? NEVER!!!

[Stuart]

I've scrambled nude over rocks in the Scottish mountains quite a few times, often while skinny dipping in rock pools. Its great fun, the rocks around streams are usually far kinder to bare feet than the sharp rocks you find away from running water.

[AElf]

AElf, you do need to change how you abseil don't you! When I teach people to abseil I always make them keep their main hand behind their back (the line is actually "keep your thumb up your bum") but when nude that doesn't work. I just kept the rope way out to my side. It takes some getting use to, but worth it for the experience.
By the way, are you a canyoner, rock climber or just an abseiler?

Just an abseiler -- although hereabouts we call it rappelling.  We don't have what I think of as "canyons" here.  For me, canyons involve a desertscape of some variety and makes me think of the US southwest.  We do have some decently deep stream gorges though.

The "thumb up the bum" method is a sure invitation to wicked rope burns when rappelling naked and even holding the ropes off to one side can result in mistakes sometimes. 

[Advent]

There are a few good techniques to keep from getting rope burn, so far I think double roping it seems to work best. It's not fast by any means but you don't even really need to use gloves if you're not too heavy. Heck, I have to feed the rope sometimes with 50 pounds on my back (usually only if the rope is dry, which is not normal around here).

I'd LOVE to climb nude. Clothes always either get ruined or in the way.

I've rappeled down a mine shaft and the rope started feeding water into my crotch. That was not a comfortable afternoon - but it would have been fine if I weren't wearing pants. On a side note, there was so much water feeding so much dirt that we had to throw away the rope after that one event.

Oh, yeah, if you flip upside down to rappel you end up holding the rope at arm's length below (above?) your head. It keeps it away from you and makes a great photo!

[Karla]

Before I met Stuart I went on an adventure holiday in Portugal with a company called Exodus. Each day had a different activity: Sea kayaking, paragliding (only a tandem flight, I taken the sport up myself), white water rafting, scuba diving, mountain biking and canyoning.  The best activity of all was Canyoning. I absolutely love scrambling and jumping through rocky terrain (although not jumping off high rocks into water). I was always the one at the front with the instructor waiting for everyone else to catch up. Doing it nude sounds amazing.

[FatCanyoner]

Monthem, canyoning in Australia is very different to in Europe. The water here is generally warmer, as is the air temperature, so it is safer. There are many canyons here that I still wouldn't attempt in the nude, because they are very long, very cold or require lots of abseils (the slower you move, the colder you get). I think if you pick the right ones, even in Europe, it could be fun.
Stuart, you are right about the rocks usually being smoother in the creeks. I actually kept my shoes on for this one (I included it in essential safety gear like the helmet and harness) but I think you could lose them without much trouble. You actually get more control with bare feet as you can feel the rock so intimately.
AElf, you should totally do a road trip to Utah some time for some proper canyons! Our canyons are similar, in that they are cut deep through a sandstone plateau, but are much moister. In fact, where US canyons are bare and rocky, ours are filled with moss and ferns, so are usually a sea of green.

Oh, yeah, if you flip upside down to rappel you end up holding the rope at arm's length below (above?) your head. It keeps it away from you and makes a great photo!

Advent, that sounds very cool. I'll have to give it a go. The photos would be crazy!
Karla, you and Stuart should definitely plan to do it again as a couple, but this time nude! I'd love to hear the stories if you do make it happen!!!

[AElf]

AElf, you should totally do a road trip to Utah some time for some proper canyons! Our canyons are similar, in that they are cut deep through a sandstone plateau, but are much moister. In fact, where US canyons are bare and rocky, ours are filled with moss and ferns, so are usually a sea of green.

That's a long road trip but it is fairly high on my list of things I want to do.  Top of the list, canyonwise at least, is the Agia Irini Gorge in Crete and then the interior of Gran Canaria because I've heard much about both from naturist friends of mine.

[FatCanyoner]

Hey guys,
I ended up doing another nude canyon with a few other friends. This time we did the entire trip from the car (despite parking in a fairly crowded spot!)
I had a great time. It was a longer, more impressive canyon. The weather was better. The trip went for longer, so more time to really enjoy being naked. And the friends this time were once again great fun. I also managed to take a heap more photos this time (my camera died on the last trip). I hope you guys enjoy.
http://fatcanyoners.org/2012/02/27/wdwdiitr-nude/

[hjmartin]

That looks like an absolute blast!