Any kayakers here?

[physichull]

Thank you for the detailed reply.

I think a wetsuit wold certainly be the best idea for starters, then maybe a cag just to keep the wind off.

I'm at work at the moment but will have a more detailed look at some local clubs (I live near Wigan nowadays so one round the north-west would be best suited to me now).

I'll report back later, but thanks for the advice.

 

[jsmoke]

Anyone been kayaking in Europe, any tips, went out at weekend, very small rapids but interested in some bigger stuff.

 

[Jono]

Went to the Alps in 2003, damn that's years ago. It was awesome. Went as a group of 4, met up with some guys from some other uni and stuck with them for the most part. Think that made 8 or 9 total.
Do your research. We went in the summer (after uni, so June/early July, I think) holidays. Learn which rivers are runnable and at what water levels. If you're doing the alps it's pretty much all coming from the glaciers, so the hotter it is, the more water there'll be, but it's about 2 degrees or thereabouts, and doesn't really warm up until it's further downstream. You don't really want to swim in it, as you're probably just wearing board shorts below. Dry cag on top, obviously, but the air temps are stupidly hot.

What kind of level / grade water are we talking about? There's 3-5/6+ in the Alps. You need to know where the hazards are, before you set off. Also you'll have to do a fair bit of hitch hiking if you only have one car between you (assuming you're going with others/a club) to get back to your car from wherever you get out. French people are/were nice and friendly, though they can't drive, so keep your helmet on, in case they decide to crash through a barrier into a gorge I didn't have to wait long to be offered a lift. REMEMBER where it is you want to go back to.

 

[Jono]

Basically - wherever you go, go with someone who's been before, if you can. Set up safety before you run technical sections. Have someone who's good at climbing/has climbing harness/ropes with them. We had to lift someone out of a gorge because he dislocated his shoulder. This was the other lot we met up who were also into climbing, so that was lucky.

We did a lot of this stuff, and it was really enjoyable. Think we had 2 swims from one guy in our party who was the weakest paddler, but he still enjoyed it.

Stay safe.

I'd definitely go back to the Alps if I could/still had a boat :/

 

[jsmoke]

Went to the Alps in 2003, damn that's years ago. It was awesome. Went as a group of 4, met up with some guys from some other uni and stuck with them for the most part. Think that made 8 or 9 total.
Do your research. We went in the summer (after uni, so June/early July, I think) holidays. Learn which rivers are runnable and at what water levels. If you're doing the alps it's pretty much all coming from the glaciers, so the hotter it is, the more water there'll be, but it's about 2 degrees or thereabouts, and doesn't really warm up until it's further downstream. You don't really want to swim in it, as you're probably just wearing board shorts below. Dry cag on top, obviously, but the air temps are stupidly hot.

What kind of level / grade water are we talking about? There's 3-5/6+ in the Alps. You need to know where the hazards are, before you set off. Also you'll have to do a fair bit of hitch hiking if you only have one car between you (assuming you're going with others/a club) to get back to your car from wherever you get out. French people are/were nice and friendly, though they can't drive, so keep your helmet on, in case they decide to crash through a barrier into a gorge I didn't have to wait long to be offered a lift. REMEMBER where it is you want to go back to.

3-4 max, seen too many people very close to death when younger so kind of put me off the whole thing for many years. Holes(pourovers) still scare me, weirs in particular, I want big water, big bouncy waves, decent weather and not too many traps such as undercuts, holes or rocky paths. Would love to paddle the Grand Canyon.

Just been watching this, some of the most extreme kayaking I've seen. Bit out of my league but thought I'd post.

Also this would be the ultimate, fast high flow water, big waves and not too many obstacles though may be a lot of under currents and whirpools.

Also watch this on the dangers of weirs, awful things.

And rip to Emma Kelty who was just murdered while kayaking the Amazon.

 

[Jono]

Weirs = Avoid.

Probably the best video on hydraulic jumps.
I witnessed the aftermath of a weir drowning and a near drowning when I was about 12 and we found a body in the river Ure, shortly followed by the guy's 13 year old daughter about half a mile downstream. They'd gone over a particularly dangerous weir in an inflatable dingy. She was wearing a buoyancy aid. He wasn't. He was wearing a black wetsuit and just looked like a tractor inner tube or something semi-floating in an eddy.

 

[jsmoke]

Weirs = Avoid.

Probably the best video on hydraulic jumps.
I witnessed the aftermath of a weir drowning and a near drowning when I was about 12 and we found a body in the river Ure, shortly followed by the guy's 13 year old daughter about half a mile downstream. They'd gone over a particularly dangerous weir in an inflatable dingy. She was wearing a buoyancy aid. He wasn't. He was wearing a black wetsuit and just looked like a tractor inner tube or something semi-floating in an eddy.

Interesting. We were actually told that if you do get stuck in one of these to take off your bouyancy aid, which would be a difficult thing in itself, like being in a washing machine. BUt thinking is that you should just get flushed to the surface and then flushed out. However in the video I posted I don't think they were wearing BA's, so who knows.

 

[Jono]

Yeah if you didn't have your BA on, the theory is you'd be more likely to be washed to the bottom of the river bed and could then swim out under the hydraulic, past the boil line and to safety. You can hardly float in a hydraulic anyway, a lot of the time due to all the air that's trapped in the water. Like trying to float on top of foam in your bath.

 

[Amp34]

I do a bit every now and then. Not really too bothered with white water stuff though, more touring/"expedition" stuff. We're thinking of doing a week in Belize kayaking the cayes this winter as we did a week in the Philippines a couple of years ago and much prefer warmer water!

 

[413x]

Finally got myself a 'proper' kayak.
Have always loved it but transporting and storing is difficult.

I now have an oru kayak that is can even take abroad.

I'e cchosen this thread to revive to see if there are any others out there who may want to go out on rivers this year.

Based in Lincolnshire south