Читать книгу Canyoning in the Alps. Graded routes in Northern Italy and Ticino, Austria, Slovenia and the Valais Alps онлайн

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The appearance of relatively light and affordable masonry drills during the 1990s meant that more ambitious projects became possible in the harder rock types of the high Alps. A new breed of explorer came to the fore, many of them alpinists and mountain guides willing to push the boundaries. During this time the grand classics of Val d’Ossola, Ticino and Lake Como were opened up, although, as in previous decades, the exact details of exploration remain scanty. Lake Como’s history is perhaps the best documented, owing to Pascal van Duin’s seminal guidebook Canyoning in Lombardia. Van Duin himself has been one of the most prolific modern explorers, as a glance through the list of first descents in Appendix F will testify.

The rising popularity of the sport paved the way for professional canyoning outfits, which could cash in on the improved safety margins of sturdier rigging. Even so, a number of companies had questionable standards and poor safety records. In 1999 the sport gained notoriety following the tragic deaths of 18 paying tourists (mainly Australian) and three guides during a flood-pulse in Saxetenbach Gorge, near Interlaken.