2024 Canadian Rockies
Canyon Festival
Dates:
12th-14th July 2024
Location
Abraham Lake, AB
Organized by
ATTENDEE PREREQUISITES
Each guest must be a self-reliant canyoner. You must possess STRONG personal technical skills and be able to contribute to solving problems as a team member.
Registration
Please submit your application by filling this form.
We will open the event to 30 experienced recreational Canyoners only. First come first serve!
Upon submission, please allow 48 hours for us to review your application and send you a confirmation email.
More spots may be opened depending on the number of leaders available.
Price
Early registration: $CAD 95 / person + tax
After May 1st: $CAD 120 / person + tax
Your skills and expectations
- Experienced Canyoners
- Class C canyons
- Single pitch rappel up to 60 meters
- 3 days
- Min age: 18
What do you need to bring?
- Helmet
- Harness
- Rappelling device
- Ascending device
- 3 locking carabiners
- 1 non locking carabiner
- Static rope (60 meter)
- Rope bag
- Dry Bag
- First aid
- Backpack
- Water Bottles or Bladder (1-2 liters per person per day)
- Canyon or approach or Hiking shoes for water environment
- 5mm Wetsuit or Drysuit
Meeting point
Able to help out?
Please don’t hesitate to offer your help. These Fests’ are fun but a bit of work to host, so your help is definitely needed and will be greatly appreciated. Please send us an email at info@westcanyon.ca
Cancellation Policy
Your payment is non-refundable, non-transferable & may not be
re-sold. No exceptions.
What is included
General Organisation
& Canyon Beta
We ensure that this event runs smoothly by providing some additional transportation and infrastructures.
Campground
Calvacade Campground will serve as the staging area and you can also pitch your tent and stay there from the evening of July 11th to the morning of the 15th. Minimal infrastructure!
Workshops & Presentations
We will host technical workshops and discussions. Please reach out if you would like to suggest ideas or collaborate.
What are you signing up for !?
The primary goal is to provide recreational canyoneers an opportunity to experience some of the most beautiful canyons in the Canadian Rockies, while strengthening the bonds between canyoners from all communities.
We will practice skills, share techniques, and continue to learn safer and smoother ways to navigate these incredible environments.
We will be holding this event on the 12th-14th of July to take advantage of the long days of Summer. This is also when the best non-glacier-fed canyons are typically at the most fun levels! The extra daylight will also give us plenty of time to organize workshops, discussions, and other fun stuff.
Location
The Abraham Lake area is one of the more recent areas developed for canyoning/canyoneering in the Canadian Rockies, but definitely one of the most spectacular!
Abraham Lake likely embodies your image of the wild Canadian Rockies – glacier blue lakes surrounded by rugged limestone peaks and wildlife galore; a magical playground for outdoor enthusiasts and situated between Banff and Jasper National parks, which are UNESCO world heritage sites.
Additionally it is only a 20 minute drive East of the Icefield Parkway, renowned as one of the most scenic drives worldwide. It is an area full of canyons that have been explored and opened by local pioneers of the sport over the past 30 years.
Festival Progress
A bit of background
Joe Storm was the first to introduce the Canyon rendez-vous tradition in Canada, hosting two of them in Jasper National Park in 2017 and 2018 helped by some of local pioneers of this sport: Greg Horn, John Paul Kors, Dave Kreizenbeck, Kathleen Graham and a few others.
In 2019, Joe partnered up with Guillaume Coupier to host the third edition in the Abraham Lake area with the same crew.
In 2024, after a long pause due to Covid and other circumstances, Rick Green, president of the American Canyoneering Association has joined us in inviting you to three days of canyon fun back to where it all began!
General important information
- The closest international airport is YYC Calgary. Car rentals are fully booked early summer and buses are not coming up to Abraham Lake. read more in transportation section.
- There are no grocery store in the area. Depending on where you are driving from, we strongly recommend stopping in Calgary, Canmore, Golden, Rocky mountain House or Hinton before driving to the Festival.
- There are no gas stations on the icefield parkway beside the Saskatchewan crossing. David Thompson resort is the closest gas station/restaurant/Hotel/convenient store.
- Cell Coverage is limited or inexistant in the area, plan to enter GPS information living Lake Louise, Jasper, or Nordegg depending on where you will be driving from. Here is a map with Cell coverage zones: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1L1Bn63Kgg_w9-GtnVPrJ3GqVsjmkR-Y&usp=sharing
Transportation
Most attendees are expected to drive their vehicles to canyon trailheads.
Use our contact form if you want to carpool.
Public transportation is very limited here and can quickly become very expensive.
Accommodation options
You can camp with us at the Calvacade Group Campground which will also be our staging area. It has very minimal infrastructure and we understand that you may want a bit more comfort in the evening – perhaps a shower at some point?! Here is a great webpage with some of the accommodation options in the area. David Thompson resort is the closest and the most convenient.
https://explorenordegg.ca/guide/cabins-cottages-hostels-and-motels/
Our campsite only have outhouse and water station. We will be setting up tarps, a wall tent, tables, propane fire pit, etc. but comfort is minimal.
Heli Canyon trip sign-up form
We are organizing a helicopter drop off at one of the best canyons in the area.
You can choose to hike up to this canyon but expect a 2 to 3 hour steep and exposed scramble followed by some bushwhacking.
The helicopter drop off is only a 5 minute flight and will get your adrenaline levels pumping for an epic day!
We ask you to sign up on this form (in addition to the event sign up form) and be prepared to pay $175+tax to join this non-guided trip. Dates and time of departure to be determined depending on the number of participants.
Check our videos to check out the canyon!
Talks, workshop & other activities
If you would like to collaborate or have suggestion please reach out as early as possible. We are happy to reserve time slots for related subjects / disciplines and help out the best we can to facilitate any discussions, workshops or other activities.
Meeting point
What do you need to bring?
- Helmet
- Harness
- Rappelling device
- Ascending device
- 3 locking carabiners
- 1 non locking carabiner
- Static rope (60 meter)
- Rope bag
- Dry Bag
- First aid
- Backpack
- Water Bottles or Bladder (1-2 liters per person per day)
- Canyon or approach or Hiking shoes for water environment
- 5mm Wetsuit or Drysuit
Able to help out?
Please don’t hesitate to offer your help. These Fests’ are fun but a bit of work to host, so your help is definitely needed and will be greatly appreciated. Please send us an email at info@westcanyon.ca
Cancellation Policy
Your payment is non-refundable, non-transferable & may not be re-sold. No exceptions.
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