Morzine Canyoning Review

We showed up at the Nyon lift car park at nine am on a thundery morning in Morzine, not really sure what to expect. Our jovial guide, Jean-Luc, had us suited and booted in wetsuits, harnesses and helmets, and drove us the five minutes to the Nyon bridge. We stopped half way, and I was suddenly aware that the bridge seemed much higher than it had done in winter with a blanket of snow covering the bubbling river below. “Ok, the first rappel is just for fun. A bit stupid!” Jean-Luc chuckled, before he swung open a gate, climbed swiftly onto the railings of the bridge, clipped himself securely onto the frame and dangled calmly, 40 feet above the ground. “Who wants to go first?”

Jean-Luc, who guides several activities for Evolution 2 in summer and winter, then scuttled round from the bridge and down to the riverside to join our group - each of us a little braver for launching ourselves into mid air and descending to the depths of the ravine. Today there was just four of us in the group, but Jean-Luc says he can take up to ten people. We began to walk down the river, and I was thankful for my wetsuit as the cold water rushed around our knees.

Scrambling over rocks and sliding down little chutes, I was having a lot of fun, until we came to a particularly tall drop off point that started with a smooth channel, carved out by the rushing water, that was conveniently human sized… Jean-Luc casually hoisted a long rope down through the chute and proceeded to tie me into it. “So, you rappel down and when you get to the end of the rope, you let go.” He winked, and then saw the horror in my face, “Okay, so you get to the end of the rope and you say, ugh stupid man, and then you go!” he smiled and ushered me to sit down in the flow of water. I swallowed my fear and began to rappel down, the water gushed about my shoulders. As I reached the end of the rope, I was suddenly faced with a larger drop than I had expected, but then the rope was gone and I plunged deep into the water below. Landing “frog-like” as Jean-Luc had explained I pushed up off the bottom and up to the surface, the waterfall crashing behind me. It was brilliant!

We continued down the river, each of us gaining confidence at every hurdle we reached. Jean-Luc explained that Nyon was a great spot for canyoning because every drop and slide was in succession, you don’t have to leave the river and walk to the next feature. We shuffled across high cables, clambered over slippery rocks and jumped into deep, narrow pools before we reached the final feature; a long rappel down a 20 foot waterfall into a sparkly green pool of water.

By the end of an action filled two hours I was exhausted and hadn’t even noticed that the sun had come out. We had covered a lot of ground in that time and had arrived back at the car park, we had moved quickly down the river so that we did not have time to stand around and get cold.

Evolution 2 takes canyoning trips to Chamonix, Annecy and Balme, for all levels for anyone from age 12, there is even a trip that takes you to canyoning inside a cave. If you’re up for a wild ride down the river one day then definitely look these guys up: You can find Evo 2 in Caribou Sport Skiset on Route de la Combe a Zore, just 200 metres from the tourist office in Morzine. Or check out their website to book or to find out which other adventures they have got on offer across the Alps, France and the rest of the world.