Style points

From CanyonWiki

tabasdronva If you watched some groups of canyoneers move through canyons, you would think that there were olympic judges that were going to score them on "style points" after their exit. If you are aware that there is no judging system - please do not inform anyone else in your party of this fact, it might ruin the fun.

[edit] Ways to score "Style Points"

Steve picking up double points by keeping his shoes dry and using a keen technique to maintain a dry shirt should he fall in that nasty pothole. Middle Echo Canyon, Zion.

Avoiding water at all costs. If you take every non errosion-causing means possible to avoid water, you can gain some "style points." In a canyon such as Behunin Canyon, which is normally dry but has some narrow passages that usually have ankle-deep water in them, this might involve stemming the canyon almost horizontally with your hands on one side and feet on the other.
Tricky rappelling to avoid water. In some canyons the rappel will drop you straight into water. If there is a way to rappel and land on dry ground, taking it will get you style points. The most style points come if the route you take traverses horizontally for a long distance, and then you have to lower yourself down while being pulled at an angle towards the anchors. Or you may have to push yourself out from the wall and lower yourself down very rappidly at the end of the rappel to avoid the water.
Rigging elaborate anchor systems in situations when it is safe to do so, can gain you style points. Double points for any method that uses ghosting.
Catching the end of the rope. As the rope is dropping, you must yell ROPE so that everyone in your party knows to look at you. As it comes wooshing down, you grab the side that is falling as close to the end as possible. (If you miss, you must talk about how close you were to grabbing it.)
Rigging elaborate devices to catch seep water. Spending hours to catch seep water drop by drop to avoid ten minutes of pumping your filter is a good source of style points.

[edit] Ways to lose "Style Points"

Just "walking through" a section of water. If you do not take time to devise an elaborate way through a section of water, you lose style points.
Injuring yourself by doing something stupid loses you almost all your style points
Damaging the canyon by doing something stupid loses you almost all your style points
Walking far ahead of the team loses style points. Besides - if you do something cool and nobody sees you - you can't get any points for it!
Stepping on the rope loses points for disrespect of your most important tool and can injure the rope by grinding sand into the core.

[edit] Disclaimer

Style points are not real. Do not get yourself killed trying to get them. On the other hand, do not get yourself killed explaining to an experienced canyoneer who is busy stemming over two-inch deep water that they are not real either. They exist to make the canyon, that may be "easy" for the group going through, more fun.