Alps White Water Holiday – France 2026 – Sunday Day 03 Middle Durance

2026 08 03 Middle Durance (Saint-Crépin Airfield to Saint-Clément)

Our group launched directly under the Saint-Crépin bridge, meeting a swift, continuous current that immediately established a fun, engaging pace for the start of the trip. The middle channel of the river provided excellent paddling conditions, with steady gravel beds and natural pebble bars generating continuous, predictable small wave trains.

As we approached Eygliers, the river widened significantly into a calmer section. This gave the group a welcome opportunity to catch our breath, regroup, and enjoy the open valley views before the gradient tightened again. A particular highlight was the confluence with the Guil, where the cloudy, glacial stream of the Durance met the clear snowmelt flows from the Guil Valley. This created a striking, distinct eddy line, which provided much fun as the group practised their break-ins and ferry glides across the seam.

The run finished at the fantastic Saint-Clément whitewater stadium area. This section features structured currents and small play waves, making it the ideal venue for practising eddy turns and basic manoeuvres.

Once at the bottom of the run, we took advantage of the location to hold a comprehensive throw line practice session. Every member of the group successfully rescued their partner, demonstrating sharp safety skills. Keiron put in a brilliant effort during the drills, enthusiastically supporting our lighter paddlers and acting as an anchor to prevent them from being pulled down into the rapids.

To wrap up a fantastic day, we used the artificial canal and kayak slide to lap back up to the top, running the stadium course several more times.