Possible Itinerary
Day 1 Saturday - The campsite
Slalom Course
Day 2 Sunday The Gyronde
& The Campsite to St Clements
Day 3 Monday The Upper
Guisane & The
Day 4 Tuesday The
Day 5 Wednesday The Durance to Embrun -
Day 6 Thursday Châteaux
Queyras & Middle Guil &
Day 7 Friday Glacier Blanc & Lilo Race
Day 8 Saturday - Upper
Durance & Upper Guisane (Possible
Day 9 Sunday The Gyronde & Lower Durance (The Sunshine Run)
Day 10 Monday
Day 11 Tuesday The Drac & The Severaisse
Day 12 Wednesday The Verdon
Gorge – Canyoning
Day 13 Thursday The Middle Guil & Châteaux Queyras Gorge Via Ferrata - Route 1, Chateau Guil Gorge
Day 14 Friday Rabioux Wave – The Clock Face – Via Ferrata - Campsite to Embrun (38km run of grade 2/3)
Day 15 Saturday The Gyronde
Other Rivers to
consider. Durance Gorge, Angel Gorge on
Guil, Ubaye Gorge, La Fresquieres section of Ubaye, Middle Ubayen La Thuiles
Section
If enough Water
The itinerary may change subject to weather
conditions, water levels and energy levels to ensure group safety.
The Classic Runs and Beyond
If we were to produce a blow by blow account of all the rivers of the South
Alps we’d need a book, not a few pages, so he following is to give you a flavour
of what to expect, and to help you plan your ideal itinerary as you organise
you trip. There’s lots of good info on the web, but we’d also highly recommend
getting hold of a copy of Whit Water South Alps by Peter Knowles. It’s a few
years old now, but it’s still packed with excellent river info.
The
Durance
Briançon Gorge Grade 3/4
This section has some fantastic scenery as you paddle around the lower part of
Briançon old town. It’s an excellent paddle in high-water and quite solid grade
four, but we’d give it a miss in lower water. Get in by turning right down into
the valley off the N94 just outside Briançon on the way to Montgenèvre to le
Fontenil. The bridge here signifies the get in. The river is rocky and
technical with a couple of nice gorges and the guidebook describes it as ‘nice
introduction to technical paddling – steep yet forgiving’.
The Durance Gorge Prelles to L’Argentière Grade 4/5
The get in for this alpine test-piece is on river left just below the
The Sunshine Run part 1 - L'Argentière to St Cléments Grade II
A great section for a warm up, or for paddlers of less experience, although it
can become a bit of a drag in low water. Lots of bouncy water, small waves and
holes to practice your skills on before you get to the take out, complete with
ice cream and a canoe shop at the take out for St Clément
Sunshine Run Part 2 - St Cléments to Embrum Grade 2/3
A pretty, larger volume section of river, which is really popular as a first
section on a new trip to the Alps, or as a fun run in playboats. It kicks off
with some grade two for a bit; before the river becomes bouncier grade three.
Soon enough you’ll reach the famous Rabioux Wave, it is a favourite play spot
and you’ll probably be greeted with a small crown of spectators on the bank and
an eddy full of hotshot playboaters. This is a great lunch stop, and you can
certainly while a few hours away playing on the wave. After the high action of
the Rabioux the river continues with a mix of grade two and three, but with plenty
of great eddy lines for tail squirting and cartwheeling, and lots of splat,
rock-spin style moves if you’re quick. There’s even the odd tasty play-hole or
two to catch on the fly. Soon enough you’ll reach the town of
The
Onde Grade 3/4
Many groups choose this as their first alpine run but get caught out by its
speed. The main tricky rapid (4) lies right at the start, and t is possible to
put in below. But even then at the grade the little Onde punches above its
weight. It’s fast and shallow river and can suffer from nasty tree issues,
especially in early season. Small groups are best and despite its grade it’s
not ideal for novices until they have had a chance to warm up on a few of the
more forgiving runs, as an extended capsize or swim could be painful. As the
saying goes, ‘ I was setting up for a roll and the first thing that went
through my mind was a… Rock!’
It can be hard on kit too and we’ve certainly seen a few pairs of paddles bite
the dust.
To get to the put in drive up through Valloise towards Les Grésourières,
following the road on the left bank. You can park at a wide area by a road
bridge over the river leading to a campsite. You can choose to walk over the
bridge and carry up a little to put in on river right and get a short warm up
down to the bridge. On river left, just after the bridge, just above the first
trick drop, or again on river left just below the drop.
Onve the first drop is over the rest of the river is fast moving grade three al
the way down to the confluence with the Gyr. Get out on river right, just
before below a large road bridge. Don't try to go down further as there is a nasty
barrage lying in wait.
The Gyronde - Grade 3/4 (6)
The river is grade three and four for around three clicks, before it passes
below a footbridge. Get out on the right after this as soon as you see the next
stone bridge and portage the ugly, dangerous and generally unrunnable drop.
Follow the small road on the right bank until you see a worn path back down to
the river. If you want to push things you can get on straight away, but the
drops are manky and we tend to push on and put in a bit lower when things calm
down a bit. Once this is passed the river drops down to grade three again. All
the way down to L'Argentière. Be careful of a nasty man-made weir about two, or
so, kilometres downstream. It has a lot of debris in the base and at higher
flows it forms a very nasty hydraulic with a vicious towback. It has been run,
and can be sneaked on the left, but we’d recommend opting for the very short
portage on the river left bank. From here it’s a cruise down to the confluence
with the Durance. Continue down and take out at the slalom course/campsite on
river right.
The Gyr – Grade 4/5
One of our personal all-time favourite Alpine runs. A late afternoon blast down
the Gyr followed by a cold beer outside the bar overlooking the take out. This
is a run for seasoned paddlers and offers fast furious action from start to
finish. It is both incredibly fun (or scary depending on your outlook) and
incredibly freezing in equal measure. The later in the day you choose to get on
the Gyr, the bigger it will be! In our opinion, if you’re confident,
experienced and skilled enough to be getting on the Gyr then the higher the
better. We reckon that the best water level is when you can hear the rocks
rattling down the riverbed. A surprisingly disconcerting sound! This provides a
very fast and furious non-stop grade five run with hardly any eddies. Be aware
though that the nature of the Gyr can change rapidly and hazards can appear and
disappear quickly, so drop by drop account would be pointless. Walking up and
inspecting the run before you get on (via the river left path) is easy and is
highly recommended. If it’s your first descent it will certainly help to
decrease the fear and increase the fun. The get in is at the bridge by the
holiday complex at Pelvoux, and the get out is immediately above the bridge in
Vallouise as there may be reinforcement wires just below this bridge. This
river section is quite short, but it is certainly worth the effort and was good
fun.
The Guil
Of all the fantastic rivers in the region the Guil is our absolute favourite.
It has it all. From gentle bumbling on it’s very lowest stretch, to the drama,
challenge and excitement of the Château Queyras and Gorge de L'Ange Gardien
gorges, through to the sheer smile-inducing quality of its whitewater laden middle
section and its rarely run main gorge, a veritable mini-expedition. We’ve had
more excellent alpine days on the Guil than any other river.
The Château Queyras Gorge - Grade 4 +
This, and the Gorge de L'Ange Gardien, which lies below are often seen as
test-piece sections, indeed rights of passage in to the ranks of the alpine
paddler. It can be inspected from river left, from a minor road, with a little
bush-wacking. We warn you now that the gorge looks horrible from above,
because, as we know it is always difficult to judge scale from above. Once to
enter the gorge it is tricky and you need to be on your game but it is actually
easier than it looks. It is very tight and in places the width of the gorge
isn’t much less than the average riverboat's length. In may ways it feels a
little like being flushed down a U-bend! There is an infamous undercut corner
halfway down and care should be exercised, as it is very difficult to protect.
The get in is just past Château Queyras in the shadow of its impressive
fortress, and the get out is where the river passes under a minor road bridge.
The Gorge de L'Ange Gardien (Guardian Angel Gorge) Grade 4+/5
This section has a reputation and for good reason. It is more Corsican in feel
and has many shoots and slide around and over high boulders. It also hides some
treacherous siphons and undercuts, and it should be treated with care and
respect. If in doubt… Scout. Inspection, and if needed portaging, are usually
fairly easy, but with one exception.
The get-in is at the road bridge at the end of the Château Queyras gorge. You
then get a short warm up to stir before the remains of an old road bridge
signal the beginning of the assault. It’s difficult water throughout and there
is one ugly looking drop, in a gorged in section that was impossible to portage
and very hard to inspect. It all adds to the adventure though and if you take
your time, use good judgement and take care, you’ll be raving about it in the
bar that night. The section finishes where you meet the main road again, close
to the L'Ange Gardien Bridge.
The Guil - L'Ange
If the Guil is our favourite river, then this is our favourite section. It starts
with a bang at an impressive series of drops known as ‘Triple Step’. You can
choose to get in above or below this depending on your mood. It’s trickier than
it looks as each drop slows you and pushed to the right and more than one
paddler has taken a rinsing in the bottom hole under the infamous ‘Curtain’.
From here, in reasonable water levels the section down to the road bridge at La
Chapelue is fairly solid four to for plus and from then on is chunky grade
four. With a few drops that call for inspection, and possibly safety cover.
Eventually you’ll come to a large road tunnel on river right. There used to be
a nasty slot rapid here, but flooding has changed the rivers features here
considerably. From this point, the river can be paddled without bank inspection
by solid groups at grade four and it’s all excellent read and run fun and some
good punchy holes until you get to the take out at Maison Du Roy, where the
river becomes a lake above the barrage.
A beautiful and picturesque section of the Guil that flows around the back of
the
The Guisane
The Upper - La Casset to Chantemerle Grade 3/4
The get in for the upper is in the
From La Casset there was about a mile of grade two to three gravel bed type
rapids, before the river rounds a noticeable right-hand bend and drops into a
grade fairly long grade four section at Guibertes, popularly known as
‘S-Bends’. This is easily inspected, protected, or even portaged. But it is
relatively easy apart from the initial lead in to the rapid. From here the
paddling continues at grade three down to the get out on river left at
Chantemerle by the roadside car park. It’s a rafting put in, so easy to spot.
The Lower - Chantemerle to Briançon 8km Grade 4 (5)
The get in is the same car park as you tackle out at for the upper. You almost
immediately come across a broad bridge with a nasty looking weir at its far
end. This is Shelob’s Weir. It can be sneaked on both the left and right sides,
but it is manky and has debris at its base, so caution should be used. To
inspect or portage, get out above the bridge on river right. A few bouncy
rapids follow until you reach the next hazard, a clearly marked large weir,
which is usually portaged on the right. This weir has been shot, but it is a
bit of a boat wrecker at lower water, and has a powerful hole at higher flows.
Below the weir the game really begins. The river is now much more continuous
and you need to be on your toes. It’s definitely possible to boat scout all the
way down, but be careful of tree hazards. In high levels its fantastic fun all
the way to the take out, which is at a road bridge on the way into Briançon.
Other Recommended Rivers (to go in box)
Claree – Upper/Lower
Ubaye – Race Course/ Ubaye Gorge
Romanche