Descending from thin air

Many people in Boulder and Broomfield counties enjoy hiking, rock climbing or swimming, but few have combined these activities into the experience of canyoneering.

The sport requires people to descend into canyons while using a variety of techniques including walking, scrambling, climbing and rappelling.

Charly Oliver, a certified American Canyoneering Association guide and instructor based in Boulder, said many people first get into canyoneering from rock climbing. He said if people in Colorado want to try canyoneering they will need to learn how to rappel in moving water. This can include waterfalls as well as areas of water that are too…