Brahamaputra river expedition 08

Louis and me are making plans for next winter, we have a work offer in India, working on big volume rivers as the Ganga and Brahamaputra. Eddy, one of the raftguides in Swissraft, runs kayak and raft trips there. And in the start of December 08 were assisting Eddy who's organising an 7 day expedition-style trip on the Brahmaputra river. One of the greatest big volume rivers in the world, also one of the most inaccesable. You will not be paddling with all gear in your kayak, there are gear rafts who will carry it for you. Transportation, meals, accomedation, gear rafts, permits...all is included.

If you're a solid class 3+ paddler you're more than welcome to join, Also non-kayakers are welcome on the raft trip.

Are you interested, we can send you more information, just let us know: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or have a look at www.kayakhimalaya.com/

At the mid of June we went to Austria to do paddling. All the rivers in this area are to high, so first we went to Scuoll (again), to paddle on of the stretches of the Inn gorges. The Inn in Switserland (Engadin) is so great, there're are several stretches, from class III until V, and all with great nature suroundings. Also here was a good sporty flow (above commercial cut off level for rafting).

From there we went over the Austrian border, to Imst in Tyrol, just a 90 minute drive. It seems fun to us to paddle the rivers we worked on last year: the Imster and Lower Oetz. We had a great day of fun, and that's what it's all about isn't it?

Blow um up
I have discovered that running trips with 'inflatable canadians' is great fun. We can take people with no experience at all, and let them experience the excitement of white water. And it's even more fun tomake private trips with friends and family.

Idiots going on the river

There is also less exciting news: a few soldiers of the Swiss army went rafting, the officers thought it would be good teambuilding. They tried to run a few small wiers (in a row) but in the first wier it was already 'carnage time'.The soldiers didn't wear any river equipment and went in to a raft that wasn't suitable for wildwater at all. This idiot plan resulted in 5 deaths and there are still people missing. her eis a picture from the swiss medis of the incident;

Although every guide book describes this are unrunnable and very dangerous wiers, this idiot accident already resulted in 80 cancellations and 25% less bookings for our company Swiss raft. The media keeps on mentioning the raft accident so at the moment Swiss people just don't even think about going rafting. We have great waterlevels but very little work.

On the other hand, more time for paddling!!!
Steve Ed and Charlotte (from Kendall) are coming to visit us, and I'm sure this will result in lots of kayak missions and good stories andpictures for the next blog!!!

Next time more about the plan to spend the winter in India and organise a 5 day trip on the Bramaputra...

Slowly the season is beginning, untill now we only have been working 'weekend worriors style' and during the weeks were enjoying our free days. Last couple of days there was 220 cubics meter water per second, sqeezed into the Vorderrhein, and rafting it is great fun, big holes and waves. And the `good old` flip is always waiting to occur.

 Safety kayaking on a rafting trip, its great to get paid doing stuff you like.

For kayaking, a lot of creeks were to high the last couple of days, also our home run The Glenner, is to high for me at the moment. Unless I take the risk of losing my kayak equipment……nope…… At the moment I am trying a fluid kayak (picture) and quite like that.

Louis

Also I did an SRT rescue 3 course,the course was quite exciting: swimming, making pully systems, setting up rescues and unwrap kayaks and rafts. I already knew quite a lot about rescue and safety stuff, but learned a lot in them 3 days. I would recommend it to everyone whos frequently paddling white water.

Louis rafting the first weir, were are the people????

Louis went to Engadin, a few hour drive towards Austria, were he should do a rafting trip on the Giarsunschlucht (Inn) also for Swiss raft. Unfortunately the waterlevels were to high and the trip was beeing cancelled, so Louis ended up kayaking the more easy stretches of the Inn, but with BIG water. Great!!!!

Maud with sunblock factor 50

The company we are working for is owned by a guy from New Zealand (as I wrote in an blog earlyer) and the Raft and Canjoning guids are from all over the place; India, Costa Rica, England, New Zealand, Holland and a few Swissies. So the main spoken language is English. But with the guests who come rafting guides can practise there German sprache. And Louis his German is progressing (but mainly when he is in the pub).

This week theres no work, mainly becouse of the football, so probably this night we will set off to go kayaking a few days in Austria (Tirol) and come back before the weekend.

Next time more kayaking.

Cheers,

maud & Louis

Rafting the Vorderrhein

photos by Carla

The weather is settled and levels are looking good in Tessin. With our 'Swiss Paddling Team' we drive the 2 hour drive over the San Bernardino pass to the Versasca; a run that I have wanted to do for years. we arrive and see good levels armed with enthusiasm, we 'hop on' and run the upper and lower whilst on the river we catch up with a large group or Czechs who were running all the action with very little skill or style. Whilst in tessin we headed up the next valley for a park and huck off the Rebbu Fall this is a very straight forward 14m slide, all went well.

After a full weekend of working as raftguiding we treat ourselves on a little trip. Let's go to Italy, Valsesia. When we arrive in Valsesia it's getting clear that here is less snow on the mountaintops and the Sesia is low, bummer! After arriving we first went for a coffee on the Campertogno campsite were we find 'loads' of Brittish paddlers, all here because of the Teva Extreme Race. First we did a few drops on the Egua, one of the tributaries of the Sesia and in the evening we paddled the Sorba. But unfortunately not me, because with the landing on the first drop on the Egua, l took it 'on the chin', the paddle smashed in my face and ended up with a wobbely painfull tooth.

Because of the lack of water in Sesia, we drove back towards Switserland, just before the border there is a gorge called 'the Canabino'. It's impossible to get a 'glimp' of this gorge, so the guys descite to 'man up' and 'get on'. The scenery in the gorge is beautifull, steep walls, drops, exciting paddling. By taking an onlogical eddy Jarrod found a.......dog on a rock. After inspecting, the dog seems still semi-alive....how does dis dog come? Were did it fall in? Did it swam all the class 5 drops? It took the guys one and a half hour to 'dragg' the uber skinny dog out of the canjon. Becouse of the name tag the owner was called when they walked the dog in town (in kayak gear). The owner, a Italian Lady, was happy to see her dog back againg, she was been missing for 5 days. After recieving a reward ($35,-) it was getting time and get back in that gorge, find the kayaks and paddle the rest of the section.

After a good night sleep on the river banks of the Canabino we all go back home home, rafting work is calling...........

photos by Louis Henderson, Jarrod Brown, Maud Verboven,