Tom Jones

August 21, 2011

I am a frequent visitor to Zion National Park and I have always rented my gear and sought advice at ZAC. I recently took the three day basic canyoneering course and it far exceeded my expectations. I learned much more than I anticipated and all six members of our group went from knowing little-to-nothing with respect to technical canyoneering to being able to handle canyons on our own with complete confidence and proficiency (Mystery and Pine Creek). I can't say enough about the level and breadth of instruction in this course (raps, anchor building, problem solving, sequencing, gear set up, etc.)

Our guides, Tom Jones and Bill Westerhoff, were incredible. They were both amazingly proficient with respect to the technical aspect of canyoneering as well as great to be around for the entire three days. Multiple members of our group of six commented that Tom and Bill were the best guides of any trip of any guide company they had commissioned (folks in our group have done many guided trips). What made Tom and Bill so great (aside from the fact that Tom is a canyoneering celebrity) is that they maintained the delicate balance of maintaining the proper guide/student relationship to ensure we were learning as much as possible while maintaining a fun atmosphere where everyone gave everyone else a hard time (a hallmark of our group trips). 

I would, without reservation, recommend the three day basic course to anyone serious about building a strong foundation in canyoneering. Every member of our group left feeling that the value we received over the three days far exceeded the price tag.

Jonathan Nielsen
Park City, UT 

July 30, 2011

We recently did a 1/2 day family canyoneering trip through Zion Adventure Company. We had heard through friends that this was a 'must do' with our preteen/teenage kids. It was definitely a fantastic experience. Our guide, Tom, was very patient and encouraging with some of us who were a bit terrified when we saw the edge of the first canyon we were going down. It was an amazing sense of accomplishment to rappel down! We also enjoyed learning to navigate the steep and narrow areas that we needed to hike to get to the rappelling spots. This is definitely an experience that we will talk about for years to come. I would highly recommend the Zion Adventure Company.

Cathy Burrell and Family
Olympia, Washington 

October 12, 2011

Dear Tom,

We had a very challenging yet wonderful time during the 3 day Neon Canyon trip. Our co-workers and friends are jealous about us when they saw the pictures! Alas, only we know it was a hard work, but it's really worth it. It's a lifetime expeirence and we are so glad and proud that we did it. Your professional guidence made it possible for us! Not only we learned basic canyoneering skills for the first time, but also we learned a lot other things from you. You showed us by your example how one should be respectful to nature, enjoy beauties in all things big and small, leave no trace behind, cleanup litters along the way, It's easy to feel scared and feel dumb for someone had never done any kind of climbing before, but your coaching style was easy to follow and by the time we were descending the Golden Cathedral, we felt like a pro!

We received your book and the CD yesterday, thank you for that! Aren't we looked stronger, younger and in formidable shape in these photos! Looks like there are lots of hikes and canyons yet to be explored in Zion, surely we will be back again!

If you come to Bay Area, please give us a call and we might be able to do a hike together here, we be the local guides :)

Take care,
Susan & Xu
Stanford, CA