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Difficulty and grading of canyons

The canyons in this guide are graded by difficulty using the system employed by the Fédération Français de la Montagne et de l’Escalade (FFME), the Fédération Francais de Spéléologie (FFS) and the Associazione Italiana Canyoning (AIC), which has been adopted by guides and guidebook authors throughout Europe. See below for a full breakdown of the grading system.

Although this grading system is useful in describing the most technically challenging aspect of the canyon, it does not give an idea of how physically demanding the route is or how sustained the difficulties are. The canyons in this guide are therefore also given a basic overall grade (shown in the box at the start of each route), based on the colours used to grade ski-runs. From easiest to hardest, these are green, blue, red and black.

Grading of canyons is not an exact science and the difficulty of any canyon will change depending on the levels of water. Water levels can vary somewhat from year to year, and an ‘easy’ canyon may well become incredibly dangerous after a storm or prolonged rain. However, the grading gives an idea of what to expect in average conditions.