Sept 16th

It looks like the rivers around Calgary are up. The sheep is at 21cms - a good medium, and the Cataract is at 6, a decent low-medium flow. The elbow is also at around 20cms.

This means good kayaking this weekend. I will be on the Kan this Sat at 12 for the course. Anyone else should consider hitting things before they freeze up for the year.

Oldman Race Course

Since high water washed out many of the features below the Oldman Dam, Chuck Lee has been working on getting things back in order. Recently he applied for some funding to get it back up to speed. With the forms and work that need to go into the course, he was wondering if local clubs would be willing to help out in creating some play features. He metnioned moving the top rocks downstream to make things a bit more constricted. Stew had some more comments.

Here is Chuck's email.

The following is a list of work that the Disaster Services will cover:
- replace 30 posts
- replace 12 wires
- replace 16 gates and pullropes
- includes contractors time for doing this

I have also requested work on the river to:
- clean out eddies,
- remove gravel
- reposition some of the rocks in the river
- open a channel between lower lagoon to the river

We will need DFO permission to do all this work and I am working on
making that application with them as part of the flood relief. They were
quickly approved at the Kan for their work. Of course the window for
construction in the river would be after April 15th of 2006. But we
could get the slalom system back up this fall or early next spring.

One of the things that we should look at is spending a little extra of
our own money to create a playwave feature on the river. What I would
like to propose is that we move the start of the whitewater features
downstream by 50 meters and take the rock in that top section where the
outlet turns and heads east and move it to the middle of the run. By
moving the start downstream we will gain a more concentrated drop
without a slower midstream section.

To build a playwave if we take several flat slabs of sandstone and place
them on a sloping angle it will create an accleration of water that will
form a wave and hole feature at the base, similar to what you find in
Alberta's foothill rivers such as the Brierlies or the St Mary's where
our sandstone ledge create great surfing waves.

To fund this I would ask the the POCC, ORCKA and the AWA each pitch in
$1-2,000 to pay for the extra work while we are getting the repair work
completed.

Stew's comments

I'd recommend we go even further.

1. Build 2 or 3 focused wave/hole features, not just 1.
2. For each, include a mid-channel boulder island to split the river and
thus create a more suitably sized feature on each size.
3. Sure, pull the top feature downstream to gather more drop.
4. Gather material in the middle part of the steep zone to create the
middle feature. Don't hesitate to stack big boulders. We were very
reluctant to do this with the initial project but we were over-cautious.
I wouldn't encoure the multiple-stacks like the boulder fences on the Kan
that form Santa Claus but careful stacking of BIG boulders should be
effective.
5. For the lowest feature, there's lots of massive boulders that were used
to build the numerous groynes below the steep section. These do almost
nothing useful. It will take a bit of machine time to walk these up but
it'd be worth it. There are also some monster boulders that we dropped
into the lower zone and they're largely submerged and with the wide, flat
surface they don't do much - they'd be great feature-building slabs.
6. For DFO permits, the drop features will largely function like the major
V-weirs on the Castle. They'll produce self-scouring deep pools and thus
improve over-wintering habitat. This should provide a considerable
benefit and was the basis for much of the fisheries mitigation structures
on the Crowsnest and Castle.

I continue to believe that Boulder Run could be a great paddling park.

I'd be glad to head out to view the site and plan the rebuild. Weekend
weather looks lousy but as soon as warm weather returns I'll be glad to
head out.

River Course

I will be leading an intermediate kayak course on Sat. Sept 17th. This is open to everyone, but there is a 4 person cap. Paddlers must have been on the Upper St. Mary's or an equivalent river. This course is free to people who have been members for at least 2 months. For other people the cost will be $20. The course will be held at the Kananaskis River. We will be meeting at the Canoe Meadows campground at 12:00. This is located on Highway 40, just north of the Barrier Dam.

We will be working on basic navigation, eddy turns, ferries, basic surf techniques, how to side surf a hole. The water is chilly, so come prepared with good clothes. I expect we will be on the river for approximately 3 hours. If water levels change, we may run the Swiftcurrent river in Many Glacier instead. Please sign up here if you would like to go. Nathan Smith has already talked to me about a few people.

September

The Upper St. Mary's river has actually been at a runnable level the last few days. The flow isn't high, but I think a run could still be fun. The water will be warm for sure!

New Kayak & Canoe Store

I just got some information back about the paddling store that was rumored to be opening in Lethbridge this fall. It is coming to town, and it is a specialty boating store. The information I got is from Melanie Isaac. High Level Canoes and Kayaks will be at
1805 - 2 ave South
Lethbridge Alberta
Phone 403 327 4506
They will be carrying Necky, Oldtown, Madriver, Wilderness, Perception Dagger,and Wave Sport. There should be discounts for club members, so if you like the possibility of having gear available without a 3 hour drive to Calgary, it might not be a bad idea to swing some business their way. It sounds like they are keen on finding ways to integrate the club into their activities / promotion. Sounds great!

They are aiming to be open by mid to late September.