The Beginning

Picture this; the early summer of 2023. A quaint little pizza bar in Catalunya-Pirineus serves as the backdrop for an evening filled with excitement and promises; the next big adventure is going to be shared over beers following a hard day’s canyoning. Amidst laughter and pizza, Andrew Humphreys takes centre stage as he passionately discusses the appeal of full-on canyon expeditions and the hardcore glamour of “geeking” out about gear, maps, plans and all things canyoning.

Little did I know that amidst the clinking of glasses and tales of past exploits; this exchange would lead to a WhatsApp group months later with an outstanding proposal “Remember you said you are eager to get out and do some big canyons? Are you still game?”. Thus, the stage was set for a daunting and exciting expedition into the heart of New Zealand’s wilderness, where we will be facing the challenge of descending one of the world’s most difficult canyons – Gloomy Gorge.

So here is the Team:

Andrew

Steve

Dale (Me)

Part 1: Planning

Embarking on such an endeavour requires meticulous planning and preparation. Andrew dedicated himself to sourcing data; diving deep into the history of the canyon’s previous descents meanwhile the rest of the team took on different roles. Dale reached out to outdoor brands, Petzl and Seland securing the necessary gear and support to make the expedition a reality. Steve and Charlotte ; long-term friends and canyon buddies from The Adventure Photographers – looked at how we can capture our adventure on camera and share it with the world.

With Andrew’s findings having guided our route and strategy; and with the support of our sponsors and the excitement of potential filming opportunities fuelling our drive; we forged ahead with planning. Late nights were spent poring over maps, discussing logistics, and fine-tuning our gear list. As anticipation grew among the team, so too did our confidence in our ability to bring this together as a team. Happy with our plans, our flights were booked, gear was supplied and training began.

Part 2: Training In Scotland

Our journey to prepare for the challenges of New Zealand’s canyons coincided with another exciting project unfolding in Scotland— Find Mor. Find Mor is a film documenting the hunt for first descents in some of the lesser-explored nooks and crannies found on Scottish maps. Was this just a stroke of luck? Not only do we get to train rigorously, but we also get to capture much-needed footage for the upcoming film. Much to the excitement of the untitled “producer” of the film Steve.

So what type of training were we doing?

First Descent Hunting. We have been on and still are on the hunt for first descents, this is an adventure in itself. With maps spread out before us and a sense of anticipation about the what-ifs and could-be, we set out to explore uncharted territory. The goal? well …. simply to find new canyoning routes while contributing to the epic footage for the film. In reality, these sometimes involve a lot of slogging and suffering for what can be a whole bunch of nothing. I recall Charlotte saying at the end of 2023 when coming across a “deep bumbler” (my name for these unsuccessful hunts for canyons and coming across a burn or stream with nothing more than a boulder or three) “Ach Well, it’s nothing….. BUT still NZ training! Whoop whoop”. Not sure I shared in Charlotte’s unwavering enthusiasm.

Playing on Ropes: Rigging ropes and perfecting our technique have become second nature to us. Whether we’re setting up anchors in the Nae Limits training area or swinging from old oak trees in Birnam each session on the ropes brings us closer to mastering the skills needed for the challenges ahead. Added to this, we all knew Andrew would be waiting with his detailed ropes course and stopwatch at the other end of our outbound flight.

Ice Canyoning: Yup that’s right! Winter has arrived, and with it comes the opportunity for ice canyoning. Abseiling down frozen waterfalls and navigating treacherous ice formations test our endurance and cold-weather grit. But with each challenge comes a sense of exhilaration and accomplishment. We have learnt to love the mantra of “Type 2 Fun” It’s always more fun afterwards! If you fancy checking out one of our ice canyon trips you can watch it HERE. But beware of the bad language. The cold water and my upbringing in rural Scotland have given me a bit of a bad habit.

Hiking: Between training sessions and filming expeditions, we have been hitting the local hills. Carrying heavy packs and navigating steep slopes, we’re building our physical endurance while ruining it all with a much “needed” chippy and beer at the end. We don’t claim to be the fittest people in the world, but we can put away a pint of beer quicker than most.

So that’s it really for training, after years of canyoning and plenty of “missions” out on the hill or sleeping in cold bothy. there is only so much you can do. I am sure I’ll regret this statement afterwards – but god will that beer be good !

Part 3: Gloomy Gorge - the heart of the adventure

Alright, folks if you have read this far, let’s get down to business. Gloomy Gorge awaits, and we’ve got a mission ahead of us. This canyon is no joke—it’s a rugged, untamed wilderness that demands our respect and careful planning. So if you’ve read my waffle thus far, you might be more into the actual plan not the planning for the plan.

First things first, let’s talk logistics. Gloomy Gorge is fed by the icy waters of the Maud Francis Glacier clinging to the side of Mount Avalanche. That’s right, folks, we’re talking about a peak called Mt Avalanche with a glacier on it! Wild. Ignoring that fun fact, it is remote and is going to take a bit of a suck fest to get there.

A half-day hike will get us to the bottom of the canyon, where we’ll set up base camp and take stock of our surroundings. From there, another best part of the day bushwhacking will see us to the entry. Then it’s all about strategy. We’ll need to pace ourselves, balancing speed with caution as we navigate the canyon.

We’re following in the footsteps of very few people who have braved this beast before us. We owe a great deal to those who have come before, providing us with the invaluable information we need to tackle this challenge with confidence.

Gloomy itself is a monster. Graded at V6 A6 VI (find out more about the grading system HERE), it’s a severely aquatic 1km crack that carves deep into the mountain to the valley floor. Moving through this place is going to be a technical challenge. Not only do we have to navigate technical rigging and huge white water, this multi-day descent will be inescapable and require us to bivvy on rock shelves over night at the base of roaring falls. You read correctly! were sleeping in there.

Of course, no adventure would be complete without a few snacks to keep us going. I’ve packed enough granola bars and energy gels to last us a lifetime, so rest assured we won’t be going hungry out there. But the weight in our packs will be heavy, clocking in at around 15kg per team member. Food, sleeping kit, bolts, drills, ropes, cameras, the list goes on. But needs must and I have to say it’s the part I am least excited about.

I could go on speculating how each part will go. But I feel it’s bad luck, to share the minute details. Just know that it will be documented and if you liked the sound of this adventure and want to follow along, you can. I’ll be posting on Social Media throughout my trip. And a post descent Blog will follow. Of course, there will be a movie and a film at some point. So stay tuned!

Alright, enough talk. Let’s lace up our boots, grab our gear, and show Gloomy Gorge what we’re made of. Too Much???

Thanks for reading.

Dale Strang