Officially launched in early 2024, Canyon Crack is the brainchild of Tom Richman, an adventurer and chocolate enthusiast who was looking for better ways to nourish himself while exploring and guiding in the fractured landscapes of Northern Arizona and Southern Utah’s arid deserts.
Fed up with noshing on low-calorie packets of tuna and super sugary energy bars during his trips, Tom began crafting a unique energy snack fit for his demanding desert adventures and came up with a delicious, high-calorie-to-weight trail butter that ticked all his boxes.
“I’m a big chocoholic and wanted an adult (dark) chocolate that could withstand the big temperature ranges in the desert,” says Tom. “Something less sugary and with more fat than Nutella, and while we’re mixing it up, let’s throw in some crunchy bits and a little spice.”
And with that, Canyon Crack’s super fuel trail butters came to be.
Tom generously shared his tasty, calorie-rich concoction with friends and family and a few clients that he guided on backpacking trips through his company Backcountry Found. Positive feedback from the taste testers gave Tom the nudge he needed to make Canyon Crack available to the masses.
“It’s a unique energy option for people who like to do hard things,” says Tom, who started playing around with the recipe over fifteen years ago. He’s been refining it ever since. “It’s delicious and designed to pack as many calories per gram as possible.”
“You can spread it on apples, tortillas, and crackers. Or just slurp it right back.”
Made in Page, Arizona, Tom currently offers up two flavors: Dark Chocolate Oreo or Original Biscoff— both of which are built with a base of coconut butter, peanut butter, and cookie butter, making it a high-fat fuel source to sustain your endurance adventures, with a good dose of proteins and carbs to round it off.
Whether you’re thru-hiking, climbing, or biking, Canyon Crack delivers dependable energy in a delicious, desert-tested package. Their 480g plastic jars are ideal for longer journeys or sharing with friends, while their single sachets are lightweight, easy to use, and convenient to carry.
“No one wants to carry glass jars in their backpack,” explains Tom, who admits that finding sustainable packaging that balances weight and functionality has been one of the biggest challenges of Canyon Crack.
“A resealable, foil squeeze pouch is on the horizon to make snacking even more convenient along with a couple of additional flavors to fill out the lineup." says Tom. "A hot chocolate mix is also in the future, using a recipe that I’ve been making for myself for years to bring into the canyon.”
Tom (right) with his brother on their thru-hike of the Grand Canyon.
What’s in a Name?
Canyon Crack— which was originally called “manna,” a nod to the biblical gift— was rebranded after one of Tom’s thru-hiker friends tried it and described the taste in a bit more cerebral response. It’s now an ode to the place he loves spending time and indulging his senses.
“Northern Arizona and southern Utah are home to thousands of both intricate and massive cracks in the earth, with Page being at the center of this fractured landscape,” explains Tom. “Our guiding company has really enjoyed showing off these canyons for the last 18 years, and Canyon Crack has naturally evolved from our time spent playing and exploring in them.”
Beyond having Canyon Crack to rely on during his own expeditions, Tom has enjoyed sharing this great fuel source with the outdoor community, helping other thru-hikers diversify their pantry, and reveling in the unpredictability of who has really enjoyed it.
Looking ahead, the aim is to get Canyon Crack onto the shelves of small gear shops, hoping it can replace calorie sparse foods in the packs of thru-hikers worldwide and become a staple for those looking for better, sustained nourishment for their hard efforts.
Because, as Tom puts it: No. More. Tuna.
Ali Becker is a freelance writer and adventure storyteller who spends half the year backpacking and bikepacking and the other half sleeping in strangers' beds as a professional house sitter. She and her partner, Mathieu, share their ups and downs on their IG channel at @trip.longer and hope to inspire others to get outside, adventure in nature and find their own freedom. You can learn more about them here: triplonger.ca.
1 comment
LeeAnn Heder
I’ve tried this delicious Canyon Crack, and it’s amazing! Why not get fuel from something that taste good?
Tom really knows what he’s talking about, and it’s been tried and tested on serious next level adventures.