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STOP PINING FOR A SURF WAVE. There are thousands of wicked creeks


from coast to coast, and you can paddle them right now. Here’s how to come face-to-face with a few hundred cfs of wild, gnarly, scenic steep. BY BRYAN SMITH


OU ARE A PLAYBOATER but the wave isn’t in. You’ve exhausted all the standard river runs with- in a weekend’s travel. But your boater’s heart is yearning to push the limits of paddle and plastic, to feel the pull of the river beneath your hull. Perhaps it’s time for you to try creek boating. Consider a few facts: There are liter- ally thousands of creeks across North America with run- nable levels from winter through the end of spring. Many creeks even receive sufficient flows throughout the rest of the year thanks to summer releases from hydroelectric fa- cilities and autumn rains. As a solid class III paddler, you already have the ba- sic skills to get on steep creeks. Your playboating training means you are capable of riding sticky holes and taking big hits in awkward positions. All you need is practice, trust- worthy mentorship and a little more strength and stamina to become a creeker. And, since everything on a creek is a little scarier, most of all you’ll need mental confidence. Features on creeks are essentially the same as on riv-


Y


ers. The main difference is consequence—the features you paddle are bigger and those that need avoiding are more dangerous. Creeking is all about finding the smoothest line through a rapid. Rather than intentionally subjecting your- self to the biggest features on the river like in playboating, you’ll be steering around anything that looks trashy. In the end, your precision, timing, confidence and water reading will be much improved after venturing to the creek.


Fiddle River, Jasper National Park, Alberta. PADDLER: DAVE SITAR / PHOTO: RYAN CREARY


24 Rapid early summer 2010


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