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2023 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday |
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News items or reports on club
activities should be sent to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk |
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This year was to be a
four-campsite, more mobile trip with paddlers dropping in and out at different
times. We started at Isle de Serre White
Water Centre which is just outside Lyon and breaks up the outbound journey. We then moved on to l'Argentière
la Bessée to camp next to the Durance River. There is a lake and White Water course next
door. At the end of the first week,
some of the group headed home to return to work while the rest moved over to
the Ubaye Valley and camped at the end of the Racecourse section. We then moved up to Bourg St Maurice and
camped at the Isere campsite to paddle the river Isere and its
tributaries. The trip is a holiday with
late starts and sunny conditions. The
paddling is from easy grade 2 to harder grade 4+ and you can choose which
paddles you join in on. Ideal for families
with plenty of additional activities to try.
Stuart T, Roy Mc, Keith S, Sara B, Kurt T, Mark G, Sarah G, Fiona B, Helen S, Mike F,
Cameron F, John C, Kirk W, Harry R,
Gerrie W, Steve H, Chris M, Oliver M, Lewis D, Mark B, Marianne B.
The annual Alps Holiday has been running every year since 2008.
Day 01 Friday: Espace Eau Vive de l'Isle de la Serre by
John C
This year's Alps trip started a day early for 4 lucky paddlers as we headed down "sarf " to catch the Chunnel. We stopped off at a Morrisons ( other supermarkets are available) and bought a couple of Onion strings and a couple of bérets as we all know the French customs officers have a great sense of humour.
On arrival at the Chunnel young Harry, " an Alps virgin with a big safe boat! " was in the passenger seat to hand over all our documents. After chatting to his mate in the next booth just to delay the Anglais the cheese-eating surrender 🐒 gave us our passports back.
We met up with Roy and Mark and except for a small incident at the toll booth, where Mark went in front to slow the A team down without a tag and was then advised he had to back out and use another lane. The rest of the trip was as normal with a few stops for food and a stretch.
We arrived at L`Isle de la Serre White Water early afternoon and set up on the campsite which provided excellent camping, showers, a café and several restaurants in the nearby town. This year as, an added bonus, we were provided with an ex-army tent complete with two fridges and a stove as a base.
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https://www.google.com/maps/@45.8517716,5.4241953,14z
The Whitewater
Stadium offers a 600m long river course. It recreates a succession of more or
less technical passages: rollers, surf waves surf, smooth waves, eddies and
technical breakouts etc. Its major
advantages: - Its S-shaped
layout reduces portages. - Its water
quality is good, located upstream from the great Lyon metropolis. |
Once we had set up the camp, we unloaded our boats to paddle on the course. There were a few pointed boats (apparently the course is being used as a warm-up for the 2024 Olympics. There were a few meaty holes to negotiate but our favourite was the steep ramp into a boiling mass of white.
About half-way down the course are 4 stoppers or play waves depending on your point of view. We honed our skills here for a while before retiring to our new army tent.
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Day 02 Saturday: Espace Eau Vive de l'Isle de la Serre by
Kirk W
The advance party
were up at first light to take advantage of the white-water course. Well, it was
light anyway, and we put in a hardcore couple of laps before breaking for a
leisurely lunch. The afternoon saw the arrival of Steve H, the Murphy boys and
Lewis, with Stuart and Kurt pulling up soon after. After some high-calibre
social exchanges, setting up tents and maybe a beer or two, it was time to get
back on for another couple of circuits with surprisingly no mishaps, followed
by lots of frisbee throwing and a few more beers. It had been roasting all
afternoon and was still hot even though we had waited until the end of the day
before getting on again to throw some shapes/practice some strange expressions
on the waves around the course.
Mark G sent his
drone up to survey the site and the course and produced this fabulous shot of
the l'Isle de la Serre.
Keith and Sara
arrived at midday after resting overnight in a motorway Aire (rest stop with
picnic tables and toilets). They then
went for a cycle ride along the Rhone River through several picturesque
villages.
That night we tried
to go out into the local village for a meal but the only non-Michelin starred
restaurant was “complet” (FULL). We had
to make do with take-a-way pizza instead.
Waiting for pizza to be prepared in the small village of Sault-Brénaz
Sunset over the River Rhone by Chris Murphy
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Day 03 Sunday: Espace Eau Vive de l'Isle de la Serre by
Fiona B
With everyone now at
the White-Water course the warmup paddles could really start. Most now new the course and made several runs
with confidence. Waves were surfed and
loops made.
People were feeling
really confident in the 27-degree warm moving water. After lunch Fiona had booked hydrospeeding
and those brave (or foolish) enough went over to the centre to don their
wetsuits, flippers (Fins) and be given their Hydroseeds (a large piece of foam
shaped like a torpedo that you hold onto and try and steer your way down the
river).
Once successfully
down the course Fiona demonstrated how to jump in and surf the bottom
wave. All the experience from last year
was now coming into its own. Others
tried and failed but then eventually success.
First Harry, then Stuart and Kurt, all managed it. After the hour session was up, totally exhausted
people returned for a second late lunch.
As the course
quietened down people got back on the river to paddle into the late afternoon
before eventually getting off to dry their kit and prepare for move one, over
to Briancon and A l'Argentière la Bessée.
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Day 04 Monday: Le Vénéon by Roy Mc
We planned to travel across to l'Argentière la Bessée via Grenoble so that gave us a great chance to paddle the Vénéon again. This was only about 8 miles off our route and runs near the resort of Les Deux Alpes.
We all met up at the get on which is a raft get on parking place that unfortunately has a barrier across, so we had to park on the side of the road and carry boats to the start. This involved a class 3 rapid with some big pour overs and holes to avoid. The water was cold as it had come down from the glacier above near La Berade.
I set off after Keith who was in an eddy
taking photos. Most made it down safely
and once we collected the bits and pieces we headed
off in two groups of 8.
The first stop was the magnificent “Cascade de la Pisse”. We all got out to take a closer look, swim, splash and paddle in the plunge pool at the bottom. We spent about 20 minutes here and then set off down the river again. Now much easier with gravel beds and split channels.
Just before the barrage at the bottom we got out river right next to the rafting centre and carried up the short way to the cars. Once the short shuttle was done some headed to the café while others made their way around to Briancon.
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Day 05 Tuesday: l'Argentière la Bessée to St Clements by
Steve Hitchin
For
anyone who has never been on the LCC France holiday, this 19 km paddle may
sound far, but it’s an absolute joy. Starting at the camp site, above the
slalom course, if you so desire, this big wide river takes you through some
beautiful Alpine views. The first grade 2 rapid is at the third bridge, just
before La Roche-de-Rame. Here a number of
rocks create a great place to practise breaking in and out of large
eddies. The remains of a rocky weir
caught out the flipper dipper but help was soon on
hand to put him back into his craft.
Before
long we come across the Glider airfield were a very active club sore the skies
and use the thermals to stay aloft for hours.
The route now sometimes needs careful navigation between the numerous
islands and gravel banks. Watch out for
the trees on the outside of many of the bends.
The rapid at Eygliers has been changed
radically by floods from last year but quarrying on the riverbank may have also
played its part.
At
the confluence with the Lower Guil there was only a small flow this day, maybe
they were refilling the hydro scheme dam upstream after the morning’s peak
generation of electricity.
Our
Group enjoyed the journey from start to finish. With play waves and wave trains
to entertain before reaching the destination at St Clements and another slalom
course to play on. Great lower grade paddle for anyone wanting to find out what
Alpine paddling is all about and gave many further confidence
to tackle a possible grade 3 the next day.
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Day 06
Wednesday: St Clements to Embrun by John Cooke
Day six started from the centre at St Clement, after a quick shuttle down to Embrun we were all on the water heading down river. 19 paddlers today on the water.
The first thing of note is a rock slide where all the younger members climbed out and got the boats in position. Videos will appear as people download footage or sooner.
A few wave trains and rapids later and the Rab wave is within reach, parked in the eddies waiting in line as this is run one at a time. My turn arrived and I set off in the Ripper dipper, down the wave and boom, it's now a " Ripper dipper super flipper " photos below.
A lunch stop and
back on the river, wave trains and surf waves were played on by all those in
play boats and some in bigger boats.
After the drop down under the bridge and over the last wave we got out river left and spent time doing some throw line and rescue practice.
Great day on " The sunshine run "
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Day 07
Thursday: Middle Guil and Château Queyras by
Oliver
Murphy
Thursday offered
one of the most challenging rivers of the trip so far: a relentless grade 3
paddle down the Middle Guil amongst some of the best scenery the French Alps
have to offer. Although more attention was paid to the many rocks along the
riverbed, navigating around was challenging. We set off from the get-in in
small groups of 4, paddling the ‘easier’ first section, including the surprise
drop. Next, we approached a fork in the river which had run on the right in
previous years, but the group elected to take the left channel instead. This
proved quite challenging when we were confronted with a 90-degree turn with a
drop followed by another 90-degree turn with a drop that all who ran made it
successfully down.
Paddling on, we
arrived at the difficult staircase which one group had gone a third of the way
down before realizing they were on it. Because of this for the first time, LCC
decided to run the rapid as a group. The rapid more than earned its reputation
as we made our way down the 100m+ grade 4 section that required quick thinking
to navigate around the boulders and drops. Most of the group made it down
intact with only a couple of swims including someone (me) running over their
dad with their kayak.
After a couple of hours, a few of us elected to get out early while the rest of the group paddled the last section of the river. Once everyone was off the river, it was a quick drive to Château Queyras for a spot of lunch by the fort. A couple of keen paddlers (Mike and Cameron) then took on the famous narrow gorge beneath the château.
Oliver Murphy
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Day 08 Friday: Upper Guisane by Chris Murphy
On Friday morning we all set off for the River Guisane and the put in at Le Casset, on the way up to the Col du Lautaret. This is a pretty river that winds its way down the valley towards Briancon, through the different villages that make up the Serre Chevalier ski resort. We put on in four different groups and made our way down the top section which was a bit boney in places. This part of the river is pretty easy, but can be quite fast with few eddies. The hardest part was trying to make sure that we evaded as many of the rocks as possible in the shallows. We all collected at the notorious “S bends” section to form a plan of attack.
S bends is a bit of a challenge because the river speeds up and there are several drops and many large boulders which means that picking a path through is not always straight forward. You may decide to boof a rock only to find another lurking behind it forcing evasive action. I have paddled this stretch a few times and have come a cropper before. I think the Chris V’s “S Bends” score was locked at 2-2 going into this paddle so I was determined to come out on top this time.
We set up bank support and went down group by group. I set off in the last group with Ollie and Lewis behind. “S Bends” is quite a long section and although my line over the initial part was pretty good it became a bit more ragged further down. After a few frantic moves and close shaves, I shot past Stu and Kurt attempting to rescue a pinned boat minus its paddler. Finally, I entered the final drop and despite knowing it was there, still managed to hit the submerged rock on the left, before eddying out on river right. Yes, 3-2 to me!
After a short delay while we reunited paddlers with boats,
we continued onwards. We passed through the commune of La Salle-les-Alpes and
eventually reached the get out at L’Envers. This
would be the put in for those wanting to test themselves later
on the Lower Gusaine, but for most it was
lunch and the end of the days paddle. As it was also the end of our weeks paddling,
John, Kirk, Ste, and I headed back up to La Salle-les-Alpes to don some straw
hats and sample a cold beer as we reflected on another great LCC trip.
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Day 08 Friday: Lower Guisane
Harry R
After the Upper Guisane, the A team decided to tackle the Lower Guisane. Keith and Roy led the way for Harry, Lewis and Ollie.
The first crux of the river, “Shelob’s Weir”, was no trouble for such a talented team. In lower water, it was easy to navigate but with a syphon on the left and large pinning boulders on the right there was still some considerable risk. All this in the dark under a major bridge over the river for the winter skiers. The river continued with long sections of technical rapids, plenty of pin potential, but no trouble for the A team.
One of the highlights of the river was the slide next to the major weir (the French are very considerate with constructing infrastructure and all access points and dangers are clearly marked for visiting and local paddlers. Keith happily paddled ahead to capture our enjoyment on his camera as we flew down, big smiles all around.
After some more tricky grade 4 rapids, the A team emerged into Briançon, not a swim in site (thankfully, we didn’t have a certain somebody in a Ripper with us).
All in all, a brilliant section of River ticked off the list.
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Day 09a Saturday: Slalom Course by Cameron Fletcher
Adjacent to the campsite at l'Argentière is the l'Argentière la Bessée Slalom course. Early on Saturday morning, a number of us got up early and went to paddle it. We walked up alongside the water to the get-in at the top of the course. We got on and did some ferry gliding across the top flow before dropping down to the first pool.
There aren't too many places to surf or play on the course, but there's lots of Eddies all the way down to go in and out and across. We were paddling at the same time as some French youth slalom paddlers, and it was interesting watching how their style differed to general Whitewater paddlers. Once at the bottom - the walk back up is not too bad. We got off after a couple of hours of paddling - and just a short walk back to the Campsite!
Very convenient.
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Day 09b Saturday: Glacier Blanc by Keith S
We set off from the campsite at 7:00am to try and miss the heat of the sun as we climbed from the car park at the end of the road at Refuge du Pre de Madame Carle. On the walk up we were see 19 Marmots either on or very near the path. With only two of us this year making the climb they must of have been far less timid.
We took
a look around the old refuge but there were less flowers out this year,
maybe a sign of a later spring and more water runoff with the snow
patches. We then headed across the
water meadows to the last steep climb to the refuge.
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Glacier Blanc (like 90% of the worlds glaciers) has been
retreating (Shrinking) over the last 100 years due mainly to global warming.
Glacier Blanc is
on the east side of Barre Des Ecrins the southernmost of the 4000 m peaks in
the Alps. It is the largest glacier on the peak. The glacier began a sustained
retreat after 1870, that ceased in 1895-1900 , 1915-1920, 1935-1940 and
1980-1990 (Cossart et al, 2006). The glacier has shrunk by 5-10% of the total glacier
volume during 1981-2005 (Rabatel et al, 2008).
The series of images below are used to examine
the retreat over the last 14 years of Glacier Blanc with LCC trips to the
region. The first image is from 2008 and shows the glacier very low down
and almost level with the bridge. By
2023 it has retreated right up the valley and is now along
way above the refuge at 2550m.
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Day 09c Saturday: Vallouise and the flea market by Stuart T
After
a busy morning spent carrying out running boat repairs and with half of the
group returning home. Some of us
planned to soak up some French culture. We decided to travel by car to
the very picturesque town of Vallouise about 15
minutes’ drive. Our intention was to visit the local flea market
and enjoy a relaxing tour of the town.
We
parked the car and wound our way up hill, following the river Gyr that flows
through the centre. Crossing to the opposite bank we found the
market. About 20 stalls, mostly
dealers made up the market. It had the usual book stalls,
furniture, and lots of unique alpine tools and equipment.
Later
we explored the older part of the town, stopping at a lovely cafe for ice
creams and crêpes.
Day 10a Sunday Gyronde
(Campsite Bridge to Camping les Ecrins) by Mark B
It's
a tradition to squeeze in a run of the Gyronde on the
last day at Camping Les Ecrins. It had been low, but
the rain came on Saturday night, the perfect time to make this trip go. Seven
kayaks put on at the campsite bridge and proceeded down the familiar grade 3 bouldery rapids, steep at first but levelling out a bit as
we went on.
The
broken weir has become more runnable in recent years, and we found it
straightforward this time too.
From
there it was easier grade 3 paddling, with a few boulders to navigate around or
over in the shallow conditions. Joining the Durance, we found it very shallow
in parts, at least until just before the slalom course. A last bit of enjoyment
working our way down the course, and it was all over until next year for me,
with a "bon voyage" to the remainder of the group as they carry on to
the next half of this year's adventure.
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Day 10b St Clement Slalom Course by Mike F
Sunday
morning was change-over day: so after packing up the
tent and other paraphernalia; there was the opportunity to spend a few hours
paddling on the Slalom Course at St Clemont before arriving at our new
Campsite.
The
site has a range of features to paddled down or to play on - but the focus for
our session was the top-wave; where surfing, spins and some elevated actions
were possible!
After
a few hours on the water - with a break for Lunch, and then quick look in the
well-stocked Shop on site, and a Coffee at the Cafe; and we were on our way to
our new home!
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Day 11 Monday Ubaye Race Course by Sara B
The
six of us who had relocated to Le Bois des Hoches
campsite by the racecourse, began our day with a relaxed start. We headed to
the get-on at Le Martinet where we were joined by Sarah, who had come over to
join us on the river, and Helen who on seeing the low levels was wishing she
had brought her boat.
After
organising the shuttles, we embarked on the classic section. The racecourse is
mostly grade 3/3+ interspersed with a few grade 4
rapids which can be quite pushy earlier in the season but the lower water
volume at this time of year made it relatively straightforward, albeit with
some additional rocks to navigate.
Our
run went off without a hitch, pausing to enjoy a few play waves and for some a
jump or somersault off a big rock into the river. The Sharks Fin rapid towards
the end of the section was a chance to practice some eddy hopping. We soon came
to our campsite, encountering Helen on the riverbank who kindly offered to
drive to the end to help with the shuttle, as we’d opted to continue to the
usual end of the river for the first-timers to see the
final few rapids and the spectacular gorge that marks the end of the
racecourse.
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Day 12a Tuesday Ubaye Gorge by
Kurt T
Backflips
= 26
High
Braces = 724
Rolls
= 5
Swims
= 0
We
embarked on our perilous journey from the campsite (Le Bois Des Hoches) on river left. After paddling the racecourse
section on the previous day, we were well up to speed with the river and
current levels 7 cumecs. (m³/s)
The
five of us set off on our merry way manoeuvring down to the usual raft get-out,
aka the point of no return!
Well
underway, the first couple of km seemed simple enough to navigate, we didn't
encounter any problems. Until the horizon line dipped below a mass of boulders,
similar in size to that of a Renault Twingo. We got out river left to inspect
the rapid. We all agreed that it was unnavigable with zero clear lines with
more than 10 ways to suffer a nasty fate. We had dinner and wine waiting back
at camp, so we decided to portage.
We
cautiously tackled another 50m of class 4 rapids eddy hopping our way down ensuring
not to lose line of sight with each other.
We caught a glimpse of a rickety old French sign with the word 'Exit' painted on it with a mysterious red substance. We mistakenly believed this might be the infamous 'Lions Den' (Grade 6). Same as the previous monster rapid, we had no choice other than to portage.
About
150m downstream we got back into our boats after fighting our way through the
thick vegetation of the gorge, from here on we made very slow progress,
carefully inspecting each rapid as the levels were low, and it was very tough
to find a clear path. We did run a few drops blind which is where the Toulson’s
had to put their many years of rolling practice to good use.
Keith
led the trip, navigating his way down in his child-sized Jackson playboat,
trying his best to make sure we all got down safely and in one piece.
Mike
& Cameron didn't even get their ears wet; it seems that the Ubaye was no match for their silky skills and determined
yet fun paddling style. Well done team Fletcher.
I
took a few nasty knocks whilst running some rapids upside down, battered and
bruised but still breathing to tell the tale.
The
river soon started to open up as we exited the gorge,
followed by some nice class 2/3 rapids that led into Lac De Serre-Poncon.
The
warm water of the lake felt good, we knew we had finished the trip in one piece
and lived to fight another day. Exiting the lake on the right, on a sloped
stone bank we headed back to the campsite for tea and medals. The total trip
time was around 3.5 / 4 hours.
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Day 12b Tuesday La Fresquière
to Race Course Campsite by Mike F
After
the morning's run down the Ubaye Gorge and a bite to
eat for Lunch; it was time to get wet again!!
A
small group took to the water paddling from La Fresquière
to the Race Course Campsite.
The
get-in at La Fresquière is just above the bridge near
to the Maison du Bois. The section has no warmup opportunity - and after a
slight mishap when practicing paddle-spinning - we were off into the flow and
away!
The
section starts as a grade 4 with large round boulders and pour-over drops;
running continuously downhill for about a third-of-a-mile until it levels out a
bit and continues at grade 3 for another mile or so where it joins the
racecourse section at Le Martinet.
[Please note that with normal flows this section is usually graded at 5-
and has had several deaths over the years including one earlier in the year in
May]
The
racecourse section was as always entertaining - and a fast paddle down brought
us back to the Campsite - weiry but happy paddlers!
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Day 14 Thursday the Isere by Helen S
The Isere is subject to releases from the Tignes barrage therefore, the day's paddle was put back until 12.30pm. Prior to this, we all headed up to the Slalom course at Bourg Saint Maurice to have a look at the world-renowned championship slalom site.
Before EDF turned the taps off after 10.30am, the course was looking very chunky indeed and much steeper than the Argentiere. site. Upstream of the bridge which crosses the course, the river looked a lot harder with steeper drops and bigger holes, not a place for the psychologically unprepared.
Following a long shuttle, the taps were turned on again and we cracked on. Stuart, Mike and Cameron started beyond the top of the course and picked the rest of us up us up at the bottom of the slalom site. The water was big and bouncy again as we headed off down river. The big and bouncy theme continued with continuous grade 3 water taking us past our campsite and beyond.
With no let-up in the big and bouncy, things became somewhat more serious as we approached Aime and the famous grade 4 Aime rapids. The water became even bigger, faster and continuous as we dug and boofed our way through, what seemed like some very intimidating rapids. Eventually, the furious pace eased up a bit as grade 4 settled into grade 3 water. This was a chance to catch our breath and to contemplate the consequences of taking a swim in the section we had just paddled.
After all the excitement, we came to a very picturesque gorge with some incredible rock formations. We weren't sure what to expect here, but it was a relatively calm environment compared to the previous section. Soon after the gorge, the river opened up and we arrived at our get out at the village of Centron. This was a fantastic paddle grade 3/4 paddle but be prepared to dig in at the Aime rapids.
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Day 15 Friday the Isere by Keith
Running
through the Rhone-Alps region of Southeastern France, the River Isere is near
famous Val d’Isere, the beautiful host of the 1992
Olympic Winter Games. The source of the river Isere is snowmelt from the
Graian Alps. From this lofty source the river flows in the Upper Valey called Tarentaise and then continues on
to the Rhone River, of which it is a tributary. A dam controls the river releases and make the
river Isere available from May to September. The descent starts from Bourg Saint Maurice and
goes down to Centron, the whole of the navigable
section of the upper Isère. Highlights
include the rapids of Aime and the gorges at Centron.
It is France's longest rafting descent!
There
are two white water sections on the river Isere. The first from the bottom of
the Slalom course to Gothard which is introductory whitewater, grade II-III
section. People with previous experience or those looking for a challenge can
consider the intermediate, class III-IV section from Gothard down to Centron. The white-water
course of Bourg St Maurice is steep and has very tight man-made eddies for slalom. This is technical and is excellent if you
want to test your skills. I would grade
it at 4+.
The
Isère, deemed one of the most beautiful rivers in the Alps, offers incredible
descents, during which you will ride the famous rapids of Aime with sections
called the 'Salle à manger' [the Dining Room], the 'Machine à couper le Jambon' [the Meat Slicer], and the 'Dessert'
[dessert]... and discover the magnificent gorges at Centron
and the Roman bridge.
We
were now a group of 4 with the others preferring to sight-see and take it is
easy on the 3-star campsite. We dropped
a car at Centron and headed up to the slalom site to
wait for the water to be turned on. It does
take a little while to make its way downstream and started to rise as we were
making enquiries at the FÉDÉRATION FRANÇAISE DE CANOË-KAYAK ET SPORTS DE PAGAIE
(FFCK) shop.
Cameron
and Mike got on at the top of the slalom course while Sara and I got on halfway
down. The water was heavy
and we gathered our breath in each eddy.
We then headed down on the full route to Centron. Having paddled the river
the day before we were full of confidence and played in each of the many waves
and stoppers.
We
soon passed the campsite and bridge and then down to the rafting centre at Gothard. We knew that the Aime rapids were coming up but this time enjoyed the almost continuous grade 4 section
with 6 or 7 major rapids all flowing into each other. The river was releasing at 28 cumecs (m³/s) so Aime rapids had about 35 cumecs (m³/s) with all the tributaries adding volume. The waves were large and stoppers and holes numerous,
but it was great paddling and this time we took our time and stopped a couple
of times to look back at each section.
Later
we entered the gorge section at Centron where the whole
river narrows down to a around 5m in width.
The water is deep through the gorge and the river is smooth and we
drifted serenely through the gorge. Soon
after is the last section which has some interesting rapids until is flows
under the N95 road bridge which signals the end of the gorge and rapids. Take out was on the river right just before
the next road bridge with a shallow gravel bed near an indent or gully with
good access to the car park. There is a busy
rafting get out just after the bridge just in case you miss the official kayak
and hotdog one.
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Click
or tap to read the full 15 days account of the 2023 Alpine holiday trip……..
