Canyoning in the Oetz Valley
Canyoning literally means actually gorge walking. You walk into to gorge and thereby follow the river its natural way from the top of mountain down to the valley. There are different difficulty levels when it comes to canyoning. You can choose between a relaxed hike through the riverbed or a 10 metres jump from the waterfall. We decided to do a tour ´with a level that was somewhere in the middle.
We started in a group of 30 people. I was initially planned that we will begin with no more than 15 persons but due to the high water level, 2 groups had to be merged together for safety reasons. After we reached the starting point with the bus, we had a short briefing with further information regarding the safety system and the equipment we were provided with.
Right after that we took off and faced the first challenge: abseiling from a 15-metres high bridge.
The overcoming to jump over the railings was not that easy for all participants. We had 5 guides that joined our tour and that supervised “critical” spots for our safety and that helped us with abseiling at specific points of our tour. As we arrived at the bottom we followed the riverbed and what I can advise anyone who wants to do this kind of adventure: “watch your step”!
On our tour we faced some white water slides and smaller jumps, that were so much fun. At any time you had the option to skip a slide or jump. I fully recommend to try this adventure: the connection of sports, fun, and nature guarantees a unique experience. The weather doesn’t play a big role, you are going to get wet anyway.
YOUR EXPERT
STATEMENT
I recommend to do this in midsummer, the water in the beginning of May was ice-cold. Inform yourself in advance about the different canyoning providers. Canyoning agencies are ten of a penny, but not all are similar professiona
JOURNEY
The Oetz Valley is easy to reach, from Germany as well as from Austria or Switzerland. Tip: Make sure to stick to the speed limits in Austria as there are quite a lot of hided speed cameras. Public transport in that area is quite good as well.
ACCOMMODATION
We only made a day trip to the Oetz Valley. However there are many great accomodations nearby. The webpage www.oetztal.com offers a great overview of the different possibilities to enjoy a great holiday in teh Oetz Valley. Besides, you can also find great deals on AirBnB.com.
ALTERNATIVES
If the water level shall be too high and the canyoning trip is cancelled, the Oetz Valley offers numerous alternatives. Personally, I highly recommend the Area47. Besides Canyoning, they offer an offroad area for motocrossing or a wakeboard installation.
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