Eight Hong Kong canyoning adrenaline junkies pushing themselves to the edge
For some it’s about reaching places others cannot, for others it’s balancing the busyness of Hong Kong life – but all canyoneers love the combination of seeing nature from a new perspective while testing their physical and mental limits
When standing at the edge of a towering waterfall, the idea of abseiling down it – or even jumping right off – might strike fear into the hearts of many. But for one group of Hongkongers, this is their idea of a fun day out.
Canyoning is an extreme sport that combines stream trekking, abseiling, jumping, swimming and sliding. It sees people making their way down otherwise inaccessible streams and canyons not by walking around obstacles, but by going straight through them.
Originating in Europe and the US, the activity not only provides an adrenaline rush, but enables participants to explore nature in a completely new (and immersive) way. Here we meet some of Hong Kong’s courageous canyoneers who are pushing their bodies and minds to the limit:
Gordon Hon Wing-chau
Everyone in Hong Kong’s canyoning world has heard of Hon. He is one of the pioneers of the sport in the city, having run canyoning classes with his Hong Kong Rock Climbing Adventure group since 2012.
An avid rock climber and stream trekker, he got into canyoning after experimenting with different ways of travelling downstream. “For 15 years I did rock climbing before moving into stream trekking,” he says. “We would see these waterfalls so we tried to go down them using abseiling skills.”
