This guidebook is intended for a mixed audience: we propose, in fact, several descents of extremely varied difficulty, starting from the amateurish river to the most technical ones.

The playground is a large chunk of the Western Alps, starting from Aosta Valley, to Piedmont and Liguria. More than 16.000 square kms, dozens of valleys and hundreds of smaller ones. A countless number of waterways, from the tiny stream to the howling glacial torrents, which have carved the rock during ages and ages. Water, rock, wind, climate changes and time have left their signature in a history that has started more than 75 millions of years ago.

The guidebook has been carefully reviewed: the authors have selected, tested, checked and re-tested the descents in several different conditions, aiming at providing an impeccable reference for whoever wants to engage in this wonderful and exciting activity.

Let’s also keep in mind that any descent it’s an adventure in its own. Year after year the conditions change. The belay, the riverbeds, the course… everything keeps transforming, evolving, and sometimes weather predicaments, floods and land or rockslides alter dramatically the routes – a descent must be planned carefully, any river deserves respect.

About the Authors

Daniele Geuna, born in 1969. He practices speleology and canyoning for a very, very long time. He descended countless waterways, exploring and setting up several dozens of them, especially in Italy and Canada. He explored first the ravines of Orco Valley, and founded the Speleological Group of Pinerolo, the Piedmont Canyoning Group and the Canyoning Cai Section of Pinerolo. He’s a member of the National Central Committee of Canyoning and he’s the editor of its news outlet, Canyoning.it.
He’s an unrelenting reader, plays flaute and for a living he’s an orthodontist.

Dino Ruotolo, born in Turin in 1960, practiced kayak for several years, descending all the most important rivers of Alpine range. Recently he started canyoning, exploring and setting up several gorges near Turin. He’s also fond of rock and ice climbing, and he’s a national kayak and canyoning instructor.