2022 LCC Alpine Holiday to Durance Region in France: Day 11 Tuesday: Upper Guisane (take two) by Steph Blissett and lower Guisane
Day 11 Tuesday: Upper Guisane (take two) by Steph Blisset
We had pre paddle lunch at the get in whilst checking out the retro gear the huge pack of German paddlers had. We waited for them to leave, finished off lunch and got kitted up. We split into groups of 4 with no shuffling of people needed this time and launched off the bank to get on our way. I’m no expert but the river seemed lower than the previous trip and my boat let me know this for sure!
After a few smatterings of rocks there followed a few thousand more and it became clear to me that this was the best river to practice my stern rudder.
Almost all paddlers today attempted the S bends which was reportedly a pinball from top to bottom. A few pinned boats and the word carnage was mentioned by more than one paddler and there was a set or 2 of wet ears but all was well when we re-joined the pack at the bottom. I’m quite glad we chose the long, horrible portage instead!
The meet back at the beach was much more disciplined than last time and we continued onwards in our small groups.
The rest of the way had a bit more water so made it a bit faster and splashier through the little village and under the bridges.
No sign of any deer today but there were a few little birds to chase down river. I also did not see the globe in the house but that’s perhaps because Nick had stolen it already the previous trip out? [Edit, unfortunately after 20 years the globe has now been removed – the end of an era.]
We all made it safely to the get out carpark and sorted the drivers back to cars and headed to the shop for a dinner run.
Stuart, Sara, Roy and Keith continued on for the lower Guisane but I chose not to consider this option as despite my drunken state the night before, I firmly still remembered Stuarts warning about the lower section.
Day 11 Tuesday: Lower Guisane
After safely negotiating S-bends on the upper Guisane we were keen to paddle something a little more technical. The river was lower than normal and would be more difficult with many exposed boulders and tight turns between each feature.
We set off from the car park with Fiona in still in her “Bio Pool” (baignade bio chantemerle) and were soon going under the bridges used by the main ski runs back to the valley. The second of these, Shelob’s Weir can be sneaked on river right, but it is manky and has debris at its base. It is frequently run using hotdogs and rafts but watch out for frequent pinning.
We paddle on down through several bouncy rapids passing a couple of commercial groups and soon ventured on the new weir. Last time we were out we inspected the new rafting / kayaking shoot, so we paddled down carefully avoiding the portage signs of old and one by one shot the right-hand channel. This was a blast and boats quickly gained speed to skim over the water below. It is almost worth driving up the gravel road on river right just to shoot this feature several times.
We paddled on down through steeper territory, a sharp left hander gave excellent sport and several big stoppers with very large boulders on either side. More rapids ensued. Roy took the lead and the inevitable happened to the pin king. The ripper is not an ideal boat in this sort of river running territory (then again it is not the place for playboats either but at least I could spin into the small eddies).
Stuart to the rescue and Roy was lifted off the rock to safety. We continued down past the site of previous notable swims. A right-handed corner had numbers large but rounded boulders making choosing the line difficult. A group of German paddlers caught us up and we let them go first. They bounced over numerous lines and we decided on a route to the left of one of them. Most of us ended up being thrown onto a submerged rock requiring a brace with the left arm. (I now know why Roy and Stuart had several bits of paddling armour covering their elbows etc.)
All successfully down we paddle on to the end of the river under the two road bridges and past the gondola ski tow in the town. A final weir and a few interesting rapids let to the rafting get out and the conclusion of another successful day. I topped off the day with a quick cycle descent down to Briançon and then back to the campsite.