Mogán City Council is the first local administration in the Canary Islands to finance an action of this nature
The Council has re-equipped five ravines in the municipality with G2 titanium anchors and epoxy resin that have a useful life of between 50 and 100 years. The aim is to promote canyoning and the attractiveness of the municipality for people who love active tourism. This is the first phase of a project that aims to renew the equipment of another seven ravines. This action, carried out by the Mountain Technical School, has been allocated 15.000 euros financed by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan - Next Generation EU, for the execution of the Tourism Sustainability Plan in Destinations (PSTD).
Since 2015, Mogán Town Council has undertaken a series of actions and projects for the development of ecotourism and active tourism, being aware of the natural potential of the municipality and the increasing demand for services related to these by people who choose it as a destination. In this sense, it highlights the rehabilitation of more than 30 kilometres of trails in the midlands, the creation of a trail interpretation centre – which will open soon – as well as the creation of a bouldering area in the natural space known as Los Albarianes.
Now, following this path, the ravines of Fuente Canaria (Barranquillo Andrés and Soria), Chorro de la Burra (Los Albarianes), Durazno (Macizo de Tauro), Manta (Los Azulejos) and Mulato (surroundings of the dam of the same name) have been re-equipped. These are currently the most used by both athletes and active tourism companies for canyoning.
This, reports the Councillor for Youth, Emily Quintana, is the result of “cross-functional work between the Councillors for Youth and the Presidency”. However, she recalls that in May of this year two training courses on canyons, level 1 and 2, were made available to the public, with classes at the 'La Chirina' Arguineguín Youth Centre and with practice in canyon descents in the municipality.
"The aim is to bring canyoning to professionals and other interested people, who come to Mogán because it is a municipality that has the climatic conditions that allow it to be enjoyed all year round, and of course, the orographic conditions," he says.
From the Mountain Technical School, Jorge Ramírez, a mountain guide and one of those responsible for the renewal of the equipment in the ravines, explains that “the old and obsolete anchors have been removed” to replace “the best material that currently exists with a view to safety and longevity”. Specifically, 107 G2 titanium anchors have been installed and a type of resin has been used that, he points out, “the manufacturer assures has a useful life of between 50 and 100 years”.
“It is very important because nothing similar has been done at a national level and because the material we have used is the only one suitable for our islands due to the marine environment we have” he says, reporting that until now the existing equipment had been installed by sportsmen on a voluntary basis. In this sense, he assures that this commitment by the Mogán Town Council represents “a very big turning point because there has been nothing similar before”. “From the School of Technical Training we have undertaken the re-equipment, but we have done it with support and this gives rise to a real promotion of this sport”, he says.
Mogán is thus positioned as a leading municipality. In addition, it is planned to host a canyoning event in 2025.
