Go Paddling
Wildwater is a fun and adventurous sport to get you out on the river. Lots of whitewater clubs in Canada have a group of wildwater enthusiasts. You won’t find many clubs devoted exclusively to wildwater and the wildwater clubs that do exist are usually informal groups who arrange to meet up for river runs. There are a series of races each year and some races, including National Championships, are tied in with slalom.
The big boats used in wildwater make it an accessible onboard to river paddling. Learning whitewater paddling starts out on flatwater generally in a plastic playboat. This can take place in a pool or on a lake as the new paddler learns the basic skills of wet exits, rolls, paddle strokes, edging and controlling the boat.
Wildwater paddlers are gradually immersed into whitewater and learn to read the river by identifying whitewater features like holes, waves, eddies and eddy lines. They learn to navigate a basic course in a controlled manner and progressively find faster lines and move up to more challenging whitewater.
Find a whitewater club near you and link up with wildwater enthusiasts to make your first splash. Pretty soon you’ll be racing down the river and having a blast.
