Aire Waves: August 2007

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Aire Waves

Leeds Canoe Club Blog. We paddle... lots!
Airewaves used to be Leeds Canoe Club's magazine letting people know what the club was upto. Its quite hard work pulling together a publication letting people know what the club is doing and publishing dates in advance is always hard as things tend to change. Step forth the blog.. Push button publishing for the masses. So here is the idea a few people in the club take it in turns to write up trips and talk about things in the club.

Monday, August 06, 2007
The Doon (Glan Ness section) 05-08-07 another club first

"We're all Dooned"

Where did you say??

After what I believe to be a new world faf record (see note about first rapid) we finally arrived at the Doon. A long way past Carlisle and a lot further than I expected.
This river feeds off the Loch Doon which means that it can be run almost all year round, and there is a path that runs along side, which enabled us to walk the full length of the gorge and see just how severe the rapids were.
This section of the river was around 1.5Km long, with the exception of 25 yards of flattish water which fed into the first rapid, there isn't a break until the get out. Each drop, feature and fall has just enough flat to regroup in.
We assessed the river, perhaps worrying our selves a little more than we should, but rather safe than sorry. After we had walked the whole length, we thought that we should do it again, this time without the 1.5Km portage. (only joking).
At 1pm we neared the first rapid had a tricky entrance to a twisting and GNARLY water course, with the possibility of a pin and a face height rock that would disfigure the prettier paddlers (enhance some of you others) and a low bridge to duck under which was only half a stroke above the committed point. Portage time already, we got back on just after this rock, (no more than 10 feet of river were wasted).
This was followed by more continuous rapid-y-ness until a second suggested portage point was reached. Three off the four got out, the fourth and perhaps most foolish, me, ran this. I had made the portage part of drop look easy, but the lesser rapid below it was another matter, only finding a stopping point about 75 meters further down stream, I can't really call lodged on a rock eddying out. I was still not at the bottom of this rapid. A complicated series of hand signals with the banked safety crew, were used to determine whether the rapid I was blindly lodged above could be ran safely, not much the wiser (but trusting my earlier memory of the walk) I ran what turned out to be the easiest stretch of this long rapid. My turn to provide safety, whilst the others ran the shortened route. One swimmer (self rescued) following a non-threatening rock pin.
Not much to play on, but a great river to test your metal. At the get out we debated another river, then finished the day off by running the next much flatter section of the Doon (possibly a future Flatliners trip).
A great trip, a little far away for a day run, but still worth the effort. Next time I might camp with the others.

We ate Pizza from a Scottish Indian Take away, with a fridge full of Iron Brew.

# posted by Martin @ Monday, August 06, 2007 0 comments

Thursday, August 02, 2007
French alps July 2007

2 weeks in the sunny french alps (actually the cold and sometimes very wet french alps!). We did paddle lots, and for some swim lots.
Here's a quick summary of the rivers we paddled/swam during the trip
Argentiere slalom site
Sunshine run (Lower durance)
Lower guil
Upper guil
Middle guil
Guil chateau queyras gorge
Upper ubaye
Ubaye racecourse
Onde
Gyronde
Gyronde (above the gradeVI)
Upper guisane
Lower guisane
Severaise

And there was also the durance gorge via ferata...

# posted by andy @ Thursday, August 02, 2007 0 comments

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