New Club Purchases

The club used some of it's rental money from the summer to purchase a riot sniper, a riot turbo and 4 new paddles. This should complement our exisiting boats by adding both a larger and a smaller boat. As well we needed the new paddles.

We are also hoping to purchase a new canoe and some more PFD's for spring.

Finally, some maintenance work was done on the trailer. Some new paint and electrical work was done to keep it in a functional state.

See you on the River!

Kicking Horse River

Well Clay and I made it up to the Kicking Horse, as well as Chris and Nathan. Although I can't comment on how Chris and Nathan's run went, I can mention a few things about our trip.

WOW!! WHAT A RIVER!!(Find Clay and his boat in this picture!)

This river is really the perfect river. Hard, continuous, easy access, somewhat easy portaging with beer at the end. I can't wait to paddle it again.

We first ran Hunter Creek to Glenogle. At low flows, this was a technical run that was very interesting, but the easier section that we ran. Not that it was easy! I haven't been this freaked out since I found out my wife was pregnant! (kidding) The big rapids, Portage and Shotgun come up quick and they are still pretty big at low flows.

Next we ran Glenogle to Golden which was a more technical section. The rapids get harder and harder until you reach the bridge where they reach the pinnacle with a rather nasty rapid. As you can see from the pictures below, maybe a bit too technical under the bridge!

*As mentioned in the comments, this is a dangerous class 5 rapid with a high risk factor. If you miss the portage point, it becomes quite difficult to get off the river, as we found out. I decided to walk this rapid and spotted Clay from above the rapid with a throw bag. Although this provides added safety, it does not eliminate the risks. Paddle within your ability!

(good start)

(where did he go?)


(not good)

(still not good)

Well after watching a 47L kayak get sucked underwater after it begins to resurface and a bit of an epic we were back on the river. After the bridge it's a pretty action packed section with technical moves to position yourself with good lines. If you could sweat while kayaking, I was sweating. It then finishes with some nice calm water and tourists who love it when you do a roll.



All and all, it was a great river, but I'd hate to be on it and be over my head (there were a couple of minutes where I felt like I was) as it's not a great place for a swim. Well I hope you enjoyed my trip report and we'll see you in the pool this winter! I'll post pool times when I get them.

Trips August 15th to August 31st

Some possible trips North including Kicking Horse or South into Montana might be coming up... hoping for Kicking Horse this Saturday. It's consistant class III and IV, so a confident roll is prerequisite.

If anyone else doesn't mind others joing a trip with them, please leave a comment of your paddling plans for the next two weeks under this post.

Trips August 4th to August 10th

I know there are some paddlers still getting out. Don't be shy. Let us know about your adventures.

Kayak Demo

High Level Canoe and Kayaks is having a Demo Day in Waterton.

This Saturday, they will have some sea kayaks for demo in Emerald Bay. I believe that the demo time is from 10AM to 3PM. For those interested in the bigger boats for lakes or ocean, this might be a great chance to see what's available!

See you on the river!

Photo Contest

As users of the Oldman Watershed, I wanted to encourage the paddling community to send entries in for the Oldman Watershed Council photo contest.

http://www.oldmanbasin.org/photo_contest.html

The prizes are not that great, but perhaps we can increase awareness regarding recreational and paddling use of the watershed. As Stew said earlier this year, expansion of irrigation infrastructure does indeed threaten some of the best paddling spots in Southern Alberta.

Good luck and happy paddling.
Mark Kadijk

Trips July 28th to August 3rd

The summer is flying by, so take advantage of some of the paddling trips.

Upper St Marys has provided some fun trips over the past two weeks. Flows (17 cms) are great for begginers, and a couple of play spots provide a place for more advanced paddlers to practice skills as well. Just yesterday, a group of 10 paddlers enjoyed the Upper, some of whom had never paddled on a river before. Both they and more seasoned paddlers enjoyed some hole and wave surfing as well as a great sunset. All of the reports that I heard were positive. If those paddlers or any other ORCKA members are interested in this trip or any other trip, here is the place to leave your comments.

Trips July 21th to 27th

There is still plenty of water flowing in BC. If you have any exciting paddling adventures planned, comment on them here.

There are a couple of runs around the Elk that could make a solid day of paddling if linked together (Lodgepole to Wigwam to Elk... class III-IV/V). If anyone else has paddled any of those sections, I'd love to know what they are like. Also, if anyone is interested in planning a trip out there leave your comments.

Happy paddling!

Magrath Triathalon Needs Kayakers (friendly reminder)

Magrath is having their annual triathalon July 29 and are asking for our help. They have done some research and have found that kayakers make for the best rescue craft for triathalon swimmers. They are hoping for as many able-bodied kayakers (meaning kayakers that would most likely not create a need for rescue themselves... you should have a roll) as are willing to volunteer. This years Magrath Triathalon has a cap of 200 participants, so there will definately be a need for more than a couple of boats. We have commitment from three boaters to this point but could use a couple more. Your time would be greatly appreciated.

The commitment would be from 8 am to about 10 am at St Marys Reservoir, and I was told that we would get t-shirts and possibly food out of the deal. If you are interested in helping out, please let me know, so I can get back to Magrath with approximate numbers. Thanks.

Trips July 14th to 20th

Share your trip plans here.

Trips July 6th to July 13th

Oops... We missed a "trips" post last week.

This weekend might be a Crowsnest and Castle weekend for the Smith Brothers. If there is anyone interested in a full day of paddling or even catching portions of the adventure, let us know by commenting. Don't hesitate to comment on other trips that you wouldn't mind others jumping in on either.

Happy Paddling!

Bummer

Well after getting hammered on the lower Cameron (I got trashed in the big falls in the lower canyon and swam out into the undercut) I decided to go explore Alderson creek on foot instead of in a boat. This was probably a good idea since flows were low. Instead I figured, if lucky, it would turn into a bit of a canyoneering adventure. It certainly did. Large waterfalls with mandatory rappels. Several cliff jumps and some nice slot canyons. I will post more in a few days. Unfortunately in one of my pool jumps I made it a bit to far and my shallow landing meant I smacked my bottom good and hard on a rock. A broken tailbone is the result. I took it a bit easy on the rest of the hike out.

On the brigt side, I think a portage on river left of the must port falls on lower cameron may be a good option instead of the long hike out. It gives you a bouncy 20-30 footer at the Alderson junction. However no mor boating for me this season. Just more drywall dust from renovations.