Alps White Water Holiday – France 2026 – Wednesday Day 05 Middle Durance Morning Paddle

2026 08 05 St Clements to Rab Wave

The wait was finally over, the sun was blazing, and the water was glacier-cold. It was time for one of the most highly anticipated runs of our annual Alps trip: the classic paddle down the Durance River, from the slalom site at St Clément down to the legendary Rabioux Wave (the “Rab”).

If you’ve never done this stretch, it’s the quintessential French Alps run. It offers a little bit of everything—scenic float sections, bouncy wave trains, and a grand finale that always draws a crowd.

We kicked the day off with a leisurely start (and the traditional shuttle faff, naturally). After splitting into our groups and double-checking our lines, we put in at the St Clément slalom site.

The water was a beautiful, milky glacier-blue and running at a fantastic level. We took some time to warm up on the eddy lines and mess around on the famous St Clément slide, which, as always, did not disappoint. A few of our fresher faces got their first real taste of alpine eddy-catching here, experiencing the sheer joy (and occasional panic) of fast-moving continental water. After everyone was sufficiently dialled in—and a couple of rolling practices were successfully ticked off—we set off downstream.

The stretch below St Clément starts as a wide, forgiving Grade 2 bimble. The scenery through this valley is nothing short of spectacular, giving everyone a chance to relax, catch some sun on the deck of their boats, and take in the massive alpine peaks towering on either side.

As we meandered further down towards the Rab Wave, the river slowly began to pick up the pace, shifting into a bouncy Grade 3. It’s a brilliant section of water filled with friendly, splashy wave trains that had the whole group grinning from ear to ear.

But as the pace quickened, you could feel the dreaded anticipation building. We all knew what was waiting around the corner.

The rumble of the Rabioux Wave always reaches you before you actually see it. Some went down to take photos while the rest ran it as a group down the traditional river right side. Here,, there is no stopping; you just follow each other down with at least a 10 m gap and pile through the wave. With low water and river changes, it is more friendly than earlier in the year. We ha a few surfs, and Keiron was launched skywards and slightly upside down.

Our second group then arrived with Mike and Cameron spinning some impressive 360s on the wave front. Nick and Noah attacked the white water with forceful break-ins and S manoeuvres.

After lunch, the A team headed for the Upper Durance while the B team bounced their way down to Embrun.