The Taureau - A Quebec Classic

Taureau – A Quebec Classic 

This fall OPS paddlers Philip Kompass and Mike McKay did a mid week run of the classic whitewater section of the Jacques Cartier river, the Taureau.  For years the Taureau has been recognized as one of the premiere rivers in the east, possibly the best.  With stunning scenery, remote wilderness, and over 20 kilometres of class 4-5 whitewater, it is a hard river to beat.

Jacques Cartier National Park (JCNP) is a beautiful wilderness area located about 30 minutes north of Quebec City. The shuttle drive on the Taureau is a bit of a monster, taking roughly 2 hours each way.  The shuttle can be split into two halves – the first portion is from the highway to the take out inside JCNP.  The second is from the gates of JCNP up to the put in.  On this trip, we only took one car, but thankfully you can hire a local dog sled outfitter (www.traineaux-chiens.com) to drive the second portion (JCNP to Put In) and drop you at the put in, and return your car to his business near the entrance to the park.  You should call ahead to make sure he is available.  On finishing the river, you either need a second car or hope to thumb a ride.    

After a night pirate camping at JCNP, we met with Pascal and began the shuttle. In order to get an early start we decided to eat breakfast at the put-in prior to getting underway, and just brought the stove and food with us as a safety precaution.  The Taureau – even though it is done often – is not to be taken lightly.  Injuries or equipment failure can cause huge problems, as there is no mid-point road access and egress from the canyon would be next to impossible.  We lucked out, and the fall weather was spectacular and we were able to enjoy the sun for the entire day.

The river starts with a long section of class 3-4 rapids until you reach the first significant drop (Le Veau / The Calf?).  This rapid is a double drop with a beautiful fade boof in the middle.  Sweet start to the day. 

Next up is Triple Drop.  A class five drop with some potential consequence if you aren’t on your game.  It stacks up around 40 feet in total and at this flow had a sneaky hole to contend with early, and a mid point 6 footer into (hopefully over) a sticky backed up hole.  We both cleaned it, running it blue angel.

The river begins to narrow at that point and consists of more ledge style drops.  The highlight of this section….ballerina, a beautiful 2 stage rapid that we ran blind. It couldn’t have gone better.

Team OPS - Taureau - Ballerina from Five2Nine Productions on Vimeo.

OPS - Taureau - Ballerina from Five2Nine Productions on Vimeo.

A major tributary, the Launiere, joins the Taureau on river right at roughly the mid-point of the day, bring the flow up substantially. After a portage around a sieve drop we entered into the hardest section of the river.  From this point the canyon closes in, the rapids become much more challenging and start stacking up.  With just the two of us we had to rely on each other in case anything went wrong.  Luckily, all was great, and mostly edge-of-your-seat boat scouting and bad memory from a run five years ago got us through safely.

After the last significant rapid, Coming Home Mohammed, the gradient begins to taper off and the scenery is stunning. 

Take a look behind you and you will see what you have just paddled down, and around.  Huge granite domes dominate the landscape; lay back, float and soak some of this in.  You’ll have a great feeling of accomplishment by this point, enjoy it.

We were able to get to the flatwater section in just a little over 5 hours of paddling.  Add on an hour or so of class II to get to the take out on river right. Not so long ago this river was considered a two day trip but with new boat designs, materials and better equipment, this is likely one of the best one day trips you will find.

Again, This river has alot of exposure. Remember your safety kits, breakdown paddle, extra food and bring some emergency supplies as an unplanned night out is a real possibility in there.

Check out some more of what Quebec has to offer here: 

Currents - Episode 7 - Quebec from Five2Nine Productions on Vimeo.

Equipment List:

Sweet Wanderer

Go Pro Camera

Werner Powerhouse
Kokatat Dry Suit

Jackson Villain S & Liquid Logic Jefe Used (For Sale)

L Level Six Reign Drytopand Pants

Stohlquist Descent PFD

Moosefest 2011

OPS Paddlers: Mike Mckay, Phillip Kompass & Eric Clement

The highly decorated work of American Whitewater can find its roots in upstate New York, namely in the fight to save the Moose River. In the early 80’s a band of dirt bag paddlers (Chris Koll, Pete Skinner and others) bonded together on a common issue: the damming of many of New York’s rivers.

Over years that followed, these battles helped to shape the way the AW works with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and, set an example that still provides recreational releases on rivers across the United States. Check out the summary of these events in Currents Moose River Part 1 & Moose River Part 2

Use it or lose it. With the ink dry on the negotiated schedule for recreational dam releases, it was important to bring people to the Moose River. The brainchild of Chris Koll; Moosefest became a reality. The annual whitewater festival held in Old Forge, NY the weekend after Thanksgiving (Canadian) has been going strong since the mid-nineties, bringing hundreds of boaters to benefit from one of the last whitewater days of the season.

Paddlers flock from all over the Northeast to huck themselves down Fowlersville Falls, a 50 ft slide that gets your heart pumping early in the day; or Agers, one of the cleanest waterfalls you’ll find. (The cold water just might help cure a hangover from the previous night's shenanigans).

As much a social event as a paddling festival, Moosefest is no stranger to Canadians either, and many will cross the border to hang out on the Moose and paddle this classic river.

A few things to consider when coming to Moosefest:

Temperature: It can be cold and for many people who paddle the warm summer rivers, a shock to the system. One option is the Barrier Drysuit . This will help keep you warm and is a very worthwhile investment for us in the North who would like to extend the paddling season early into the spring and late into the fall.

2. River running: Many in the Ottawa Valley spend the entire summer in a play boat. The Jackson Hero or Super Hero is a great way to transition easily for a intermediate paddler to a river running style. It is sturdy and easy to control. It also has the volume and feel of a creek boat with not all the displacement and size.

3. Protection: I have seen people get hurt on this river and it is best to protect yourself. I like the Sweet Wanderer personally but if you want to take it one step further, a full face helmet (Sweet Rocker FF) may be your choice. This will not only protect you, but will also instill a level of confidence to tackle harder rapids.

Also, elbows really hurt when you hit rocks. Protect them. Level Six Elbow Armor, NRS Elbow Pads
Moosefest is a great time. It is a party on and off the river. Hope to see you there!!

New York State Creekin'

By: Mike McKay

This past weekend OPS paddlers Philip Kompass & myself headed down to New York State to take advantage of releases on the Taylorville, Mosier, and Eagle sections of the Beaver River and releases on the Raquette River. Traditionally this weekend is jammed packed with fun, friends, great camping and a lot of kayaking. “Beaverfest” as it is known, comes together through the great work of American Whitewater. If you are interested in the back story, check out  Currents Season 1 Episode 11 Part 2.

To give a break down of the sections:

Taylorville section of the Beaver is a beginner creeking paradise. It has everything you need to get on the steeper rivers but offers them up at moderate pace perfect of intermediate boaters. There are slides, boofs, technical rapids, and even some nice ledges. They are all relatively friendly which makes them great for paddlers looking to get on harder rivers, and this section is short enough that an easy walk brings you back to the top in 10 minutes time for multiple laps.[FYI, Mike actually nailed 7 laps on Taylorville this year. Not sure if it is a record, but it is a heck of alot.]

The Moshier section of the Beaver is a slight step up from Taylorville, providing some larger, steeper drops including a perfect 10 footer at the start that is a great place for people to try their first waterfall. The notable exception is Moshier Falls proper, which is an absolutely stellar class IV+ rapid, offering stacked drops in pushy water with multiple moves throughout. Sadly this year this year a tree blocked the entry making it necessary for paddlers to skip the first tier. Thanks to those folks who took the time to wave down incoming boaters, as that strainer presented a real hazard for people who would have otherwise just rolled into the drop on the fly. Moshier Falls is a gorgeous rapid, and worth running several times.

The Eagle section of the Beaver is short and steep. Super fun, not overly difficult but a big step for those who are not familiar with steep and channelized slides. Since it is short it is and easy section to lap and get many runs on. This year the boys from 'King of New York' hosted their second stage of 4 races on the Eagle. It proved to be a great success and attracted nearly 40 racers. Times came in as low as 1:30 for those using Green Boats.

After a jam packed weekend of hitting the Beaver we all rallied over to the Raquette. We found that rather than the traditional 720 cfs release, it had been ramped up due to heavy rains the night before. This made for some more bite to the already hard rapids. For me, this was my second year organizing the Raquette Race and was very happy to have it as the third stage for the King of New York. Things went very well and the race was success for the second year in a row attracting some very fast and strong paddlers.

For more on the Raquette, see the earlier OPS post on fall creeking: Raquette Heads Up Article.

Over the weekend I had a great time paddling my Jackson Villian S. It proved to be a great boat for taking down some more technical lines as well as getting some serious air off some of the sweet boofs. Also, since it was such nice weather I was happy to be in my Level Six Chochee. This might just be my favourite piece of gear. I love the neck gasket. It keeps water out of my boat but I also stay cool while paddling.

All in all, a great weekend. Great turn out. Awesome times with friends. Looking forward to hitting some more fall releases and spending as much time on the water as possible.

Habitat 67

By: Adam Chappell

When the line ups are long on the Ottawa why not take a trip to Montreal? There are a few world class waves with no line ups AWESOME!!!

Summer Creeking and a Raquette Head's Up

By:Philip Kompass

Summertime, and the livings easy. Corny. Whatever. Its true. Here in Ottawa we are lucky to have so many whitewater options, seriously lucky. What people often overlook, once the summer low Ottawa playboat season hits, it the absolutely stellar creeking options that open up in the later season.

This past week, a few of the OPS lads (Eric, Mike and myself) and a handful of friends headed down the 416 to the grand ole' US of A and the Raquette River, Stone Valley Section in Colton NY.

A 90 minute drive brings you to one of the hardest rivers in the East - or at least one of the steepest. But with guaranteed water due to American Whitewater's negotiated releases, we bored creekboaters can get our fix.

There will be several more releases this summer, so make sure you check it out.

As well, on the Labour Day weekend, there is plenty of dam release whitewater to go around, as the taps turn on for the Moshier, Taylorville, Black, Eagle and Raquette. Options from Class III to Class V. Go get some.

Raquette Race Wrap-Up 2010:

Five2Nine Productions - Events - The Raquette Race 2010 from Five2Nine Productions on Vimeo.

Raquette Update:

The mid-point staging eddy on Colton Falls has changed substantially, ad is worth a scout. Without going into too much detail, several racks have shifted in high water events this spring and the staging eddy below the small boof now flushes quickly into the slide. Give it a scout before running next time, as it may well affect your line choice.

The landing of this boof (see below) now flushes quickly into the main slide, and / or into unintended rock splats on the boulder at the lip.


LIQUIDLORE RAQUETTE GUIDE - CLICK HERE


++++

A 90-minute drive the other direction brings you to the Seven Sisters of the Rouge River, another great, but more forgiving, set of Class IV/V drops located near Calumet, QC (across the Ottawa from Hawkesbury). Runnable at levels of below 50, and prime between >35 and 15 cms, this section just dropped in. OPS paddler Marcos Gallegos got a high water run on Thursday, and McKay and I were able to on it on Sunday (37). This is a stellar section for those interested in practicing their boof stroke, or just dealing mentally with new rapids on a creekier type of river.

LIQUIDLORE ROUGE RIVER - 7 SISTERS VIDEO GUIDE - CLICK HERE

OPS paddler Adam Chappell's Worlds Championship experience

This year was one of the biggest events in freestyle kayaking, the 2011 World Championships which took place about a 1 hour train ride from Munich, in Plattling, Germany. This was my second trip to Germany, since I attended the World Cup last year in Augsburg and Plattling. I placed second in the Junior Men’s division in Augsberg behind Dane Jackson, but the Plattling portion of the competition never took place though, due to heaving flooding that sweep through Germany as a result of nearly three straight weeks of rain.

I trained very hard leading up to this year’s event, spending every free minute I could manage on the water, at any hole I could find. I also spent a lot of time at Champlain because that feature is the most similar to Plattling that we have in Ottawa. I didn’t know if I would be able to go to the World Championships until early March, since I was the second alternate on Team Canada. However, luckily for me, 3 people dropped out, which meant that Joel Kowalski and I got to compete at Worlds. I didn’t want to miss my High School Graduation ceremony, so I ended up arriving in Plattling much later than everyone else on the Team Canada. It did not take long to see how much of a mess 300+ paddlers could make of a town. There were paddlers everywhere!

I was in town for less than 30 minutes before I got on the water. I had only 5 days to train before the competition began, so I planned to make them count. I attended team training which was only a one hour session each day, but I also paddled from around 9 p.m. each evening until 1 a.m. in the morning to try to learn the feature in the little time I had.

The first time I got on the wave my confidence dropped! I had a lot of trouble sticking even simple tricks, like air loops and could barely get any big tricks going. After a few sessions on the wave, Nick Troutman of Team Canada, and the World Champion at the time, had a few quick words with me.
The things he said boosted my confidence and the next time I went out on the wave, I started throwing my big tricks. I just focused on slowing everything down and throwing everything by the book, one thing at a time. Thank you Nick!

When competition time came around, I was super excited to get out on the wave and to get at it. Not that I nervous, I was just anxious to get my results and see how I could do against the world’s best paddlers. My first heat I was super excited! I have never been as happy as I was when I was paddling towards the wave with hundreds of people watching. I was confident in my training and I threw down my best ride of the competition. My second ride was not as good unfortunately. I got a bit over confident, I think, and cut some corners. I didn’t set my moves up the way I’d practiced and ended up in 23rd position, barely making the first cut. The cut off was at 25th place so, luckily, I got to move on to the quarter finals.

In the quarter finals, I managed to move up in the rankings from 23rd to 17th place, but that wasn’t enough to make the cut for the semi-finals. At first, I was disappointed with my placement, but I realized, I’m still only 18 years old and I plan to go back and do even better! So, I spent the next few days cheering on the Team Canada members that were still in the competition and partying at Volksfest.

All in all, it was a very, very good time. Great paddlers from all over the world in one place, it can't get much better than that. Most importantly, I had the opportunity to learn a lot and I know that next time will be different. I will be even more prepared.

I’ve been training hard almost every day since I got back from Germany. Hard enough, I hope, to take first place at Canada’s next team trials, and who knows, maybe first place at the next Worlds!

CURRENTS - V2:3 - Oroville, California