French
Alps 2018 paddling trip
Day
1 The Durance from the campsite to St Clement by Sarah Gille
After the usual long journey to get to the alps for our yearly Liverpool canoe club whitewater paddling trip. We decided to start off with an easy grade ½ paddle from the campsite down to St Clement.
The aim would be to
get our paddling legs/arms ready before we advanced onto the much harder
sections of rivers within the Southern Alps.
As we drifted down the flowing river we caught a few eddies and bounced along the wave trains whilst admiring the spectacular scenery.
We had set off a bit later so had the river too ourselves and chatted about what we could cook for tea and what we had been up to since the last trip.
We approached a sweeping bend and suddenly noticed graham
upside down in his boat. Its ok we thought as he is a highly competent whitewater paddler however if we push our 
limits sometimes the
best of paddlers can get a bit wet.
Out of his boat Keith dashed to his rescue but with only a camera in hand and on the opposing side of the river Graham was left to perform a self-rescue.
A paddler of the year contender some suggested. Keep your eye out on the website when voting opens??
Soon we were at St clement where we practiced throw lines in case anyone else was to have a similar misfortune to that of Graham. (most likely me for writing this piece)
Then back to the campsite for the more willing paddlers for a few runs of the slalom course.
Day 2 The Lower Guil by Keith
We were away by nine
and headed down towards the lower Guil. Overnight rain had put a little volume in
the rivers and it looked like a good choice. A short stop at a boulangerie for some more
pain (bread) and breakfast pastries and we were off.
The get in was over
a small bridge at the end of a rough track.
After nearly running over a
breakfasting family (who had set up a table in the middle of the turning
circle) we quickly unloaded the trailer and were on the river. Someone had created a small dam and model
waterwheel near the start – quite a work of art.
A delightful paddle
down through the gorge and valley below took us to a hanging waterfall pouring
from the cliff top. Some paddled into a small
cave and overhand on river left and then under a Tyrolian Traverse setup by a
school group who were abseiling down a cliff.
The river then led down through a straight section with a number of “wing 
dikes” or walls which created great
eddies for breaking in and out.
We then met the
river Durance and there was a distinct boundary between the two rivers (clear mixing
with glacial grey meltwater). We passed
under a limestone overhang and on down to St Clement Slalom course and rafting
centre. We spent some time playing on
the waves there before having lunch and fetching the minibus.
Day
2 The Lower Durance by John Cooke
We were back on the
water and set off in one large group, first stop was down to the slide rock
were people got out and jumped in, only one idiot did it in a boat! Kirk showed
off his gymnastic skills with a perfect 10 and earned the nickname Olga. A few
small play waves and then the Rab 
wave was in sight.
Everyone made it
through making it 14 nil to LCC, may not happen next time as paddlers will be
directed more towards the middle.
After leaving the Rab we were on our way down river enjoying the wave trains that
are great fun and put a smile on every paddlers face. The last main feature
being Helens bridge and by now there was some tired paddlers, as I looked back Olga
drifted over the wave and a little smile appeared on my face as he was slowly
pulled back in.
At the get out a bit off rolling
practice and then up to get changed, it must have looked like a “wizard’s 
convention” as people stood round in
a circle with towel robes getting undressed, small French children could be
seen staring in amazement.
A quick trip to the
supermarket and then back to the campsite for a BBQ, does life get any better?
Day 3 The Upper Gyronde
by Hannah Bellamy
We had a leisurely
start this morning, and after a good breakfast of fresh baguette and a few
loads of washing we headed off to the Upper Gyronde
about 10am. We stopped at the bridge at Les Vigneaux
to have a look at the level and confirm our plan for the day and decided that
rather than do a 500m portage to continue down to the campsite we would paddle
the Upper Gyronde on the morning, get out at the
bridge and the Upper 
Durance in the afternoon.
The river is quite
fast moving and technical with lots of rock ‘gardens’, a perfect warm up for
the Ubaye planned for tomorrow. We split into smaller
groups of 3s and 4s to give each other lots of space and off we went. We
paddled our own lines around the rocks, watching out for each other and eddy
hopping to keep the groups either side in sight. A few sneaky rocks caught a
few of us out but all in all it was a great section of river, very different to
the bouncy wave trains of yesterday, and enjoyed by everyone.
Day
3 The Upper Durance by Michael O'Rourke
We dropped in from a layby and ran
the first half of the Upper Durance at brake neck speed lead by John or Helen,
no one could quite see who, but every eddie and wave
was missed. After a pause and quick word from Keith we slowed the pace a bit
and did some actual kayaking eddie hopping, breaking
in and out. We were spoilt for choice with the number of eddies to choose from.
Entering the stinky river part of the Upper Durance
Dom decided this would be a great place to go for a swim, while I decided to
demonstrate breaking in to 
Hannah and ended up upside down in
the eddie, but I think that still counts.
We continued down the river to the weir passing not 1
but 2 stop signs. Kirk assured us this was fine, and we finally reached the
slack waters before the weir and hauled our boats up a steep slope which was
probably the hardest part of the day.
While Keith cycled to collect the van Dom dished out the hand sanitiser
to counteract the effects of the stinky river, and as of yet
no one has been sick.
Day
4 The Ubaye Race Course by Stuart
Conway
Today’s river was one of the best
white water race courses in Europe, a variety of large
rapids separated by calm pools, well that what the guide book says.
We reached the get in at Le Martinet after a 1.5 hrs journey
from the campsite. We all set off in one group lead initially by Keith. The first section was full of boulders, quite
a challenging introduction to the river. We all made it, and then Helen took
the lead and we sped through the next couple of section till she was sent back
to bring up the rear. 4 more major
rapids were paddled before the first of many 
rafts caught us up.
Having been down the river in previous years the “Shark
Tooth” rapid was the one that bothered me the most, but we all managed to get
through with no mishaps. The lead in to final rapid before the Roman Bridge and
fabulous gorge proved no problem with all making the best line through. Only one more surprize lower down was when we
came out of a right-hand bend there was a under cut
that we all managed to avoid (except Nick but he did roll up).
Brilliant day on the river, then on
to Lac Luazet for a swim and a well-deserved beer.
The only casualty today was a crayfish, stunned when Hannah threw it back into
the lake after it was dropped by a family of fishers. She will now research how
to reintroduce crayfish to their natural environment, or how to cook them!
More
photographs……….
Day 5 Upper Guisane
by Kirk Williams
The
9am departure was a bit of a shock after yesterday's leisurely departure, but
we managed to get everyone loaded and up to the get in, after a quick stop for
a view of the S Bends rapid, highlight of the Upper Guisane.
The drive in past slightly murky water suggested that
runoff from last night's storms had brought the rivers up a touch and this
proved to be the case. This made it even more important on a relatively narrow
river with limited/small eddies to split into smaller groups to manage our run
safely. The top of the river is an introduction warm-up 
and all the groups made it to the eddy above S
Bends safely, with only one or two mishaps along the way. For those who didn't
know the river from previous years, we had the added safety of some excellent
traffic direction/instruction from Keith.
The safety of the bank gave everyone a chance to have a look at the rapid
from the top down perspective before making their go-no go choice. With the
limited feasible bank & on river safety organized, the group set off in
buddy pairs. Most made it the bottom without any mishaps
and everyone seemed to be smiling or grimacing nicely for the photos. Our slick
organization was interrupted by the appearance of a solo raft that managed to
get itself quite seriously pinned at the top end of the rapid
but the only casualty was a raft paddle so all good. Our fool proof river
signal of John running most of the way down to the bottom eventually managed to
get Kirk to come back up to the top of the river for
the final pair descent. Luckily the rest of the team 
were having fun
trying to reunite Mark with his shiny new boat that he carelessly sent to the
other side of the river. Finally, the last two were ready to go, although John
really wanted the comfort of the complete attention of the rescue team so our pair was a little stretched, but we made it down
without too much swearing.
After S Bends the team pulled into few minor eddies to reconstitute the
paddling groups before heading for a convenient rocky beach to all get together
for the final scenic run through the riverside chalets of Chantemerle
to the get out. After a bit of chest beating about smashing the rapid, we set
off for a nice relaxing final section. On the way, Helen decided to make things
more interesting by checking out the hydraulics of one the small but
surprisingly powerful weirs, which was great for the important lunchtime
paddling banter. The final bit of drama came with Ciaran finding the cause of
his sinking boat was a rather large split in the hull, meaning an early get
off/shuttle pick up, but eventually we all gathered on the grass at the get out
guarding parking spaces for the minibus/trailer. The decision then was whether
a smaller team would run the Lower Guisane, a more
serious challenge, but the sensible decision was to leave that for another day.
More
photographs……….
Day 5 Upper Durance by Kirk Williams
We
decided to return to an afternoon stalwart, the Upper Durance, with only a few
of the team deciding to give it a miss for different reasons (done it, no boat
& tired). We set off without our intrepid shuttle cyclist who was going to
catch us up, so plenty of opportunity for taking our time and enjoying playing
the many friendly water features along the way.
With the rain booster, the levels were higher than our previous run and this
perhaps explained why Helen & Roy soon disappeared into the distance. We
did manage to encourage the team to get closer together and work on making
small mid-river eddies, surfing small waves and venturing into some small
holes/pour overs. All good practice for the bigger stuff we will be
encountering on other days. As we paddled past the smelly bridge towards the
jaws of the barrage John reminded me of our daily rolling programme, so a murky
water flip had to be executed (successfully) but when we looked for Helen she
was already heading up the bank faster than we've ever seen her go to the bar.
There's always tomorrow.
Day 6 Middle Guil
by Ron Wood
9am sharp off to the Middle Guil, an Alpine classic 3-4 run, the merry
band of 13 were excited but also maybe a little nervous that this was going to
be a more challenging day. The easier
“warm up” initial section proved interesting, with the combination of fast
flowing water (a little higher than usual) and a more technical rocky run than
previous days sharpening everyone’s concentration. All of the group made it
down to the first get out before it started to get a bit more big and bouncy,
thankfully no real mishaps and then rounded off with a tantalising re-gathering
of the teams in the eddy above (for those new to the river) “surprise drop”.
After a bit talking up the size of the drop/tow back, the need to keep the boat
straight, and of course, the need to “paddle, paddle, paddle”, everyone
disappeared over the horizon happily to be seen again.
The section after this
became a bit more challenging and some of the group had already taken the
decision to call it a day and the remainder
split into more manageable teams of 4 and 5, with Keith leading one
group and the rest in the safe hands of John C. Everything was working
wonderfully until we decided to portage a rapid with a boulder choke and some
confused water. After some careful
positioning of boats by our most experienced river leader, the blue Mamba
decided to get back on the water with no one on board and, crucially, no one
ready to execute the easy catch before it got going in earnest. With Helen’s
deck showing appalling timing in refusing to fit her boat, the intrepid Silver
Fox set of chasing it like it was covered in feathers. To make things more
interesting it stayed up right, with a better line than any of us, making its way
a good 8oo metres before breaking out nicely into an eddy all on its own. Much
to John’s relief. The challenge now was to reunite boat & paddler, with the
bankside forest of trees and a steep loose rock climb up to the road above (and
down again…). While I was fighting to scale the boulder Strewn slope I was
pleased to see Kirk appear with a handy sling to assist the final section and
drop down to where Keith had battled up river with the independently minded
Mamba. Paddler and boat happily reunited, the team waiting patiently upstream
then navigated carefully down to meet the rest of the group (a big hand to
Ciaran, Hannah & Mike for sensibly staying put as requested).
Once we thought everything was sorted we were
then faced with the prospect of either the Staircase (a 5-, really a bit much
for the team spread) or a meaty portage around to reach the more accessible but
still exciting river below. The team reduced to 5 at this point with some happy
faces wanting to stay that way, plus a pretty “boat-chased-out” John (good
effort mate!) We huffed and puffed our way through the portage to a tight get
in above some familiar rocky fast flowing lines. The section from here down to
the get out was really enjoyable and navigated quickly with a smaller team until
we gathered above the finale “Letterbox” drop, perhaps a grade down from its
guidebook marker but exhilarating nonetheless. Everyone nailed it after Keith
had demonstrated an interesting “paused-boof” (an advanced move) to confirm
that was not the best line, but I did it anyway! Bit of a walk up past the
tunnel with boat/kit to wait for the minibus, welcome thanks to Trevor for
speeding things up with an unplanned motorised shuttle.
Day 6 Château-Queyras
by Ron Wood
Once we had picked up everyone from various lay-bys
along the side of the road we made our way up to Château-Queyras. People quickly found their needs for the
afternoon, ice-cream for some, a classic gorge Via Farrata for others, and a
small team unable to resist the frothy charms of the Château-Queyras gorge. A brief isnpection confirmed there was more
water than usual from previous years at this time of year, but our hardy team
weren’t going to back out now.
Well, what a blast! The guide book “toilet
flush”, or the Cresta Run, really do convey the feeling as you pick up speed through
the increasingly narrow channel between sheer rock walls. The trick 
(apparently) is to follow the water and stay straight
while avoiding bouncing off too many walls. Easier said than done with plenty
of fast approaching boulder drops and, the crux of the run, a narrow corkscrew
halfway down that requires you to trying to keep left before sliding right and
holding your balance to ride it through. On this occasion, the river gods
decided it was John’s turn to take one to feed the team’s banter, but most of
us know it’s only a matter of another run or two for our lesson to arrive. Even
at these approaching medium levels there is a useable eddy ½ way down for reuniting
the seperated and a quick breather before taking on the calmer final section.
Below the eddy is not without its challenges,
starting with another small drop with some awkward boulders in the middle to
navigate around. We wound down paddling past a couple of small gorge-side waterfalls
and down to the get out by the road bridge high above us. It was all over too quickly. We then had to
find our way back along the road to the minibus and trailer, spotting our Via
Ferrata gang below but for some reason they seemed too distracted to hear our
shouts. Once back in the village we chilled out with a well-earned drink at the
small café by the bridge. On the way
back we picked up the bike and made a short call at supermarket, then back to
the camp site by 7:30. A full day
enjoyed by all.
Day
6 Via ferrata at Château-Queyras by Michael O'Rourke
and Trevor Strain
We turned up
after our mornings paddle and had a walk to do a recce of Chateau-Queyras gorge
at Via ferrata. After seeing the raging
running torrent through the gorge five of us decided we really wanted to do
some climbing for instead. Mike, Hannah,
Dom, Ciaran and Trevor parted with 5 euros to hire some Via Ferrata harnesses
and headed up to the gorge.
Lead by Dom we slowly traversed through the
gorge, clipping and unclipping on the safety wire. There was a variety of rock
holds, metal fixings and a tight rope to navigate. Two thirds of the way through, Mike, Hannah
and Trevor decided it was time for a refreshing drink while hardened climbers
Dom and Ciaran saw the traverse through to the end. Hannah and Trevor made up
for not finishing the traverse by running up a really steep hill to a medieval
hut, Hannah impressed us all by running all the way without stopping.
After kayaking a section of
the Guil with the Liverpool canoe club five intrepid
kayakers went to explore the via ferrata at Château Queyras.
First of all we went to the rafting Centre to hire our
safety harnesses. Each included two lanyards each with a carabiner to ensure
that when traversing the via ferrata each person is always connected to the
safety line with at least one lanyard when moving past the anchor punts on the
safety line.
Dom led the way on to the via ferrata with more than one of the group thinking whose idea was this ? After the first 50
metres working along the cliff face the group started to relax a little. Our white knuckles started to change colour,
that was until we came to a section with a three-metre steel cable tightrope
which also included steel cable hand rails on each
side. Each member of the group traversed the tightrope in turn. As we started
to gain confidence we came to the first get out
ladder. I seriously considered this as an option but decided to continue. The
next difficult section was a curved route followed by a ten-metre tightrope
walk which was a little shaky. We came to the next get out ladder where we all
left the ferrata, but after discussions two of the group decided to complete
the whole course which included a section of overhanging cliff face which they
found quite tough. But exhilarating and all gained a sense of achievement for
their efforts. All returned safely to the cafe bar for refreshments.
Day
7 The Durance by Helen Siertsema
Sunshine was elusive for our run of the Sunshine run today
despite promises of sunny weather by the Meteo.
Previous rainfall had kept levels nice and bouncy as we had a lie down and snooze
in our boats. Some of us were hitting the “Wall” and were glad of this relaxing
run.
Meanwhile, the skies were darkening and hopes of any
sunshine appearing evaporated like droplets in a hot pan. As we approached St
Clement the heavens opened and the mountains disappeared into a threatening
cloak of blackness. Thunder and lightening ensued and
we paddled like stink to avoid being turned into 
crispy bacon.
The sun started to shine as we left our damp lunch spot at
St Clement and we were soon bouncing around on wave trains. On arrival at the Rabioux wave, Keith decided to ring the changes and we took
the right- hand channel which was a lot bouncier than the usual left one. Rather
than peeling off one by one to run the wave, we ran it in convoy. Yet again it
was a 100% success rate with no swimmers. Some folk practised ferrying across
the huge waves in the rapid with differing rates of success.
The final leg of the Sunshine Run saw the black, rainy
clouds disappear as we enjoyed the wave trains in the blazing sun again. It had
been a long day, but the paddle was finished off by a bit of rolling practise
by the get out. However, Helen failed to partake in this as she was up those
get out steps like a rat up a drainpipe and was threatened with all manner of
consequences by Keith.
Day
8 The Upper Durance by Stephen Hitchen
9am start for day
one, week 2 of LLC’s Alps Kayaking trip saw 19 of us enjoy the upper Durance,
which is a grade 2 river and perfect for the newbies who arrived Saturday to
stretch their legs and also the for those who need a bit more practice.
Put in just outside Briançon
saw two groups get in at either side of the ramp. Keith leading group one, Kirk
looking after group two. The river is wide and bouncy and offers great
opportunities for practicing hitting eddy’s, breaking in and out. Plus playing
on a few waves. It’s kind of like a longer, cleaner Dee. Great to build up
confidence. Both groups did this well. Hitting eddy after eddy, then breaking
out into the fast-moving water before bouncing along in wave trains.
On only a few occasions did she catch out LCC guys out.
Due to a few unseen underwater boulders. But all swimmers were straight back in
their boats with a smile on their face.
The get out a Preller came all too soon for me, I would
happily have gone around again I had that much fun.
Kayaks loaded and off to river number two, the Gyronde. Before we started though a spot of lunch and some
criticism of this authors Kayak fashion sense. Shin Pads and neoprene shorts,
not a great look I will admit.
Day 8 The Upper Gyronde
by Stephen Hitchen
Lunch over our intrepid LCC members put in
just below the barrage at Vallouise. 16 this time, so
four groups of four with a skilled leader in each. Group A-with Keith, B with Graham,
C with John Cooke while the D’s had Kirk. This river is the opposite of the
previous one. Not many eddies to hit and some tight rocky features. Hidden
boulders meant the LCC paddlers needed Shakira hips to ride the boulder (singer
who had great hip flicks while singing and sang about them Keith)
Even at the put in
there were casualties. Hidden rocks and low water flipping two onto their
sides. One bailed while one was righted by an LCC member jumping from the bank
to affect a rescue after direction from Keith. What a brave soul. 😜
Paddlers now all in
boats proceed down the grade 3 river. Fun features with small, fast wave trains
kept us all busy. Plus a few scrapey 
bottoms.
A few swimmers along
the way meant we had to find the sometimes hard to get eddy’s.
But we all made it in one piece to the main feature on our part of the river. A
technical feature at low water with a switch back entry followed by a fast
shoot with a boulder at the bottom.
Even a river leader
came to grief, but he was the first to run it.
With safety up and running
the LCC paddlers made their way down, with a helping tug from Graham to point
some in the right direction. The rock at the end of the shoot acted more like a
brick wall for most. Some swimmers but on such a technical river that’s no
surprise.
A few more drops
took us to the get out and a well-earned rest best for heading for the Slalom
course at the campsite for a few runs down.
Day
9 The Upper Ubaye by Ciaran Fahey
Earliest start of the trip so far for the clubs 2018 Alps
trip, at an on the bus time of 8am. The destination for today’s trip was the
Upper Ubaye a grade 3, despite the early start the long drive to the river
resulted in getting on at 10am, a slightly later time the planned due to the 
placement of a boulder in the usual get on point. So,
instead of a quick jump into the boats they had to be lowered down a steep
embankment and herded across a small stream to the river. This wasn’t a total
inconvenience as we got a good view of Fort De Nournoux
built in 1843 into the cliff face above the river.
We split into the
groups of 5’s for this river led by Keith, Helen, Kirk and mine was led by the
Silver Fox, John. We had a fun bouncy journey down this river as even though it
looked low there was still ample water in the main channel. The run has more than a few class 3 rapids
including long wave trains that the whole group bounced down. During this
enjoyable run we took the opportunity to practice frequent eddy hopping and
even a good bit of surfing. I even got a few tips from the club’s playboating
coach Graham on how to ride a wave for longer durations. Unfortunately, I got a
bit carried away surfing and got caught sideways with water gushing over my hip
and forcing me over, luckily there was
enough room for a quick role up again.
The final stretch of the river had an interesting section
with several boulders across the river to avoid. At the get out we climbed out
of our boats some less graceful than other as my dad Dominic crashed into the water
on his back as his boat floated an extra 6 foot down the river from him before
being rescued. After the boats were all loaded up we
headed ff to the second rver of the day the infamous Ubaye racecourse.
Day 9 The Ubaye
Race Course by Steve Hitchen
An early start for LCC saw us setting off just after the
bread delivery at 8am. With a second quick pit stop for pastries we were
underway. The drive takes us along the Durance which runs past our camp site.
We reach the lake at Embrun then head up the mountain on a switch back road
giving us stunning views.
We all put in on the upper Ubaye
at Jausiers which is the grade 3- section. The river
is perfect for newer paddlers and offers great practice for the rest. The
paddle took around an hour and all paddlers had a wonderful time. The sun was
blazing and the 
water warm. The Ubaye is a great river and after lunch it got even better.
After lunch we headed for one of the finest white water
stretches of river this paddler has ever been on, the Ubaye
race course which is grade 3-4. Or Ebay
as a few called it. With features from the start it was nonstop fun.
20 of us set off split into groups of 5.
A Grade 3 rapid to start. Followed by la Salle à Manger,
a grade 4 rapid. With slow moving sections which let you catch your breath in
between. 3 more featured rapids followed at grades 4 & 3+ before flushing
out under the stunning Roman Bridge. A few swimmers and a few rolled back up.
This author managed his first river roll!
If you come to paddle in this part of the alps this river
is a must. Possible to paddle twice in one day LCC opted for beer and chips at
the lake adjacent to the get out. With tales of the spills and thrills of the Ubaye Race course.
Day
10 Upper Guisane by Nick Coughlin
Twenty-two intrepid
LCC paddlers set off at the leisurely time of 10am to tackle the Upper Guisane. The Guisane is one of my
favourite rivers and this was the second
time we had paddled it in 
the past seven days.
It is a pretty fast flowing river going through pine woodland and then
eventually through the village of Le Casset.
We left a couple of
less experienced paddlers lower down the river and split into four groups of
five to do the first part. Our group had a fairly uneventful
first part, but we passed Dom after about 200m and he seemed to have got out of
his boat to check the hydraulics. The level was slightly lower than last week
so there was a lot of avoiding or bouncing off rocks which did cause a few
mishaps.
Forty minutes later we arrived at S-Bends and
all got out of the river to prepare to tackle the rapid. Some of the group
decided to walk around and so set off on the path. The rest of us then split
into groups of three and Graham, Keith and Kirk positioned themselves at
different points to provide some safety cover. I was in the first group with
Helen and Keiran. As usual Helen set off like Tim Brabant hurtling down at
top speed, Keiran and I tried to stick together. Unfortunately,
Keiran`s faulty boat forced him to abandon ship
halfway down, but he managed to get to the side [which incidentally is never
more than 2m away] I managed to get his boat and sent it over to Hannah and
Mike on the opposite side. Keiran was soon re-united
with his boat and we set off down the river. Most of the rest of the group got
back on here and we all continued paddling. A little further we picked up Sarah
and Charlie and headed towards the village. There was a little bit of trouble
at a tricky weir but when we were all back in our boats we carried on. I like
the part through the village and always
look out for a large globe on an outdoor shelf which I first spotted
Four years ago.
After a few bouncy
wave trains and a few small features, the river begins to level out just before
the get out. We normally get out and sit on the grass in the sun, eating our
lunches and waiting for Keith to do the bike shuttle. Unfortunately, there was a change in the
weather so it wasn`t as nice as last week but it still didn`t spoil a day on
one of my favourite rivers.
Day
11 Glacier Blanc by Jane Sheehan
Before the crack of noon (7am) we all set off to Pré de Madame Carle with the intention of walking
up a mountain to see a glacier.
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Keith and Mike about to set off up mountain |
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There were 12 of us, Keith, Sara, Hannah and Mike, Gareth and
Sarah, Ciaran, Trevor, Stuart, Nick, John and Jane. The early start was to allow us to ascend and
descend avoiding the hottest part of the day.
As it happened, we were lucky with the weather – it was overcast and
very welcome at that.
Le Pré de madame Carle is situated at
the heart of the Massif des Écrins at the foot of
Mount Pelvoux.
There are two glaciers, Noir (black) and Blanc (white). We aimed for the Glacier Blanc. It’s become a favourite spot for climbers and
walkers alike since the Refuge Cézanne was built and the stone road was sorted
in 1934 to allow visitors to save several hours of walking from the bottom of
the valley.
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(Photos of Trevor with the valley below
and of the group waiting for Jane and Trevor by the bridge) |
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It is a two and a
half hour walk with several options to stop.
First stop is at a bridge, two hours in (see photo) the second stop was
at a refuge and the third was at the glacier itself.
Those who had been before recommended hats, sunscreen, a
lightweight shell and suitable footwear.
One of the highlights was to see a Marmot.
Keith and Sara stopped for lunch at the bridge. Trevor and I met Sarah at the lake before the
refuge and everyone else made it to the refuge where unlike us sandwich
munchers, they were able to purchase a fine omelette and a glass of something
refreshing. Mike and Hannah made it to
the Glacier but Ciaran and Gareth took a wrong turn
and ended up higher than the glacier!
That might be why they were last back!
By the time Ciaran and Gareth returned, they found us all at
the restaurant at the foot of the mountain.
A great day out and all returned tired but happy.
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Ciaran and Gareth arriving behind
Trevor at restaurant |
Glacier
Blanc Refuge |
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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 had a mass loss of 11 m from 1981-2005 (Rabatel et al, 2008), which is 5-10% of the total glacier
volume. The series of images below are used to examine
the retreat over the last 10 years of Glacier Blanc. The first image is a
2008
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Day 12 Lower Guil
by Sarah Jones
We had an earliest
start at 8am and the get in wasn`t far away.
It was going to be a busy day with 3 sections of the river to do. I was told it was an easy paddle with good
views but still felt a little nervous getting on the water. We got in at Eygliers
Bridge, spitting into 4 groups of 4 or 5 people. I was in the last group with Keith , Sara and
Ron. Thy all helped guide me down the
river, catching some eddies on the way.
In between the
trickier sections we had a chance to admire the views, a high waterfall, Mont
Dauphin Fort, tall pillars of conglomerate rock and high cliffs. There were no dramas on the river and after
about 7km we arrived at Eygliers Bridge to get out
and onto the next section. I did
really enjoy this section of the river and to my relief I didn’t swim. It is one river to put on my list for next
time.
Day 12 The Middle Guil
by Gareth Jones
We arrived at ‘Montbardon
Bridge’, unloaded the boats, got out kit together and got on the water. Once on the water we organised ourselves into
about four groups. Keith called me over to his group along with Dom, Hannah and
Sara. Once we had our group together we set off down.
The introduction to the Middle Guil from our get on provided a gentle warmup with a few
large boulders to avoid but, otherwise it was a straight
forward introduction with an opportunity to observe the impressive
scenery that towered over us on both sides. At fairly regular
intervals the river started to present more technical sections that started to
redirect my gaze from the scenery to the challenges presented to us by the
river (staying in the boat, upright).
As we approached a bend in the
river with a small drop through some boulders we tried
to keep river left. One paddler took an interesting, more central line.
Watching the extra effort required to get through this route caused me to get
stuck broad side to the flow. The stern on one rock and the bow on another.
Inexperienced showed as I sat there for what felt like minute before I sussed a
way out that didn’t involve getting wet.
A little later a similar section
flipped a kayaker. Out went the call, ‘swimmer’. The swimmer got themselves and
the paddle out of the water promptly whilst other paddlers made themselves safe
and/or useful for the rescue. Keith chased the boat down the river and others
tracked down the bank to help remove the boat from the water. Once paddler and
gear were reunited we continued downstream.
At a large eddy the group pulled in
and waited for all the other groups to arrive. The ‘Surprise Drop’ lay ahead.
Most entered the eddy conventionally, some 
showed off (eddying upside down and then
rolling) and some simply floated past with boat in one hand and paddle in the
other.
Once all safely in boats and secure
the drop was discussed.
1. Paddle straight through the drop
2. Keep river right
3. Eddy out river right
So, we were sent down one at a time
after Keith had bobbed down to observe and provide safety. When I came to go down
I put too big a stroke in at the top lining up and neatly slid down sideways,
somehow bypassing the stopper and bobbing safely into the eddy (lucky).
Once everyone was down a number of us got out before the next more involved
section. We climbed out of the river and sat on the roadside wondering how the
adventure continued for the rest of the team.
A great, sunny days paddle with
awesome views along the way.
Day 13 The Durance 39km by the Murphy’s
Campsite to St Clements Slalom Course
19
paddlers set out from the campsite at 10:30 some with sore heads after a long
night in Briancon. The first stretch of our journey
to Embrum was relatively calm except from one
incident involving Mark Benson being pinned up against a rock without his
paddle; it took a very big effort from Keith to pull him free. We
journeyed on to St Clements with only one swimmer who got caught in a wave
after attempting to play in it. Once we reached the slalom course some stayed
to play on the waves while others had a well-deserved lunch break.
Ollie
St Clements to Rabouix
Wave
After
we had our lunch we headed off for Rabouix
Wave (Raby Wave). Along the way we came to a small cliff where 
Steve,
Chris, Ollie & I (Charlie) jumped off, whilst John and Kieran seal
launched off the cliff. At Raby Wave we stopped at an eddy just before it.
Keith went down first to set up cover for us. At one-point Steve went down
before Keith signalled for him to come so he had to eddy out and wait for Keith
to tell him to come down. Mike hit a rock before the wave but managed to roll
up just in time to run Raby successfully. Nick, unintentionally hit the same
rock that flipped mike over but somehow managed to survive after sitting on top
of it for a few seconds. I followed Ollie down with my dad behind me
videoing. I went slightly to the right of Ollie which stopped
me from hitting him as he tried to roll up after
a capsize on the Rab. We only had one
swimmer and a few rollers on the Rabouix Wave.
Charlie
Rab to Embrun
We
left the Rab wave behind us and set off for Embrun.
We had also left Charlie as well as he was off to play crazy Golf with his mum
down at the get out at Embrun lake. Our final stretch of river contained a few
very bouncy wave trains and a couple of rapids but nothing that posed any
problems for intrepid group. The highlights of this last section were a triple
roll from Dom just for the camera and John showing off so much with his paddle
twirling that he decided to dispense with them altogether at one point.
He nearly paid the price as he entered a wave sideways with nothing to aid
him except his wit and good looks!
After
we had a battled a headwind for a couple of hours we
eventually reached the get out in Embrun. A quick refuelling at the Intermarche followed and then we made our way back to the
campsite to hopefully fire up the traditional B-B-Q in the rain.
Chris
Day
14 The Lower Gyronde by Mark Benson
Sometimes it rains
on the last evening before departure homeward. It is inconvenient for packing
up and (this year) BBQ cooking. Yet, at the back of some people’s mind, mine
included, is one good thought; the Gyronde will be
rising.
Saturday morning then, six of us have put packing aside, plus John Cooke who
is kindly driving us up to the put-in at the start of the Lower Gyronde grade 3 section. The Gyronde
has indeed risen, covering most of the rocks and promising a fast run through
small stoppers and over and around the larger boulders, down to join the
Durance for the final run back to the campsite.
Keith, Sara, Hannah and Michael put on below the bridge. Ron and I,
squeezing every moment out of the river, seal launch in from just above. Giving
each other a little room, we head off into the mist that blankets the river,
helter-skelter through the frothing white-water.
Very soon, we are at the weir. Normally a portage, it seems different. The
leftmost route to the normal portage point is choked with boulders and gravel.
Ron 
and Keith lead us to
an eddy just above the weir on river right. Keith scouts and guides us to a
narrow line over the right hand of weir.
Now the river eases a little, still fast flowing but a little more open as
it joins the Durance at L’Argentiere.
The Durance is also high enough to cover most of the shallows in this part
of the river but gets considerably higher once re-joined by run-off from the
power station. The river thunders into the slalom course and we follow Keith
down, using the slalom gates as a guide to the line. In the
midst of punching through a haystack and skirting a pour-over, I can
just imagine Keith comparing it with the Sun Khosi (unfavourably, of course).
Following Sara and Hannah into an eddy halfway down, I pause to gather my
thoughts. Almost immediately, there is excitement above; “swimmer!”. Ron is out of his boat. Soon Keith, Sara and
Michael are in hot pursuit of Ron and his gear. Following down, Hannah and I
arrive in the bottom eddy just in time to find Sara helping Ron from the water.
Ron safe and reunited with his kayak and paddle, our paddling is finally over
for this year’s French Alps trip.
Somehow, ending on a high like that, my kayak seems lighter as I carry it
back into the campsite.