P A D D L E R P R O F I L E
Vince Dupont
KEEPING ON HIS GOOD SIDE
“I HATE BIG HYDRAULICS. I love the rest: waterfalls, boulders, slides. But not hydraulics,” says Vincent Dupont in his only slightly accented English. “I’ve been trashed way too many times.” To see photos or videos of Dupont paddling you’d be surprised
to hear him talking about hating anything about rivers. Not only does he seem fearless, he exhibits a rare mix of technical talent and dog-like enthusiasm that lets him throw himself at just about any feature on any river. “I just like to go crazy,” he says through a smile. Of course, you probably haven’t seen photos or videos of Du-
pont paddling. Despite being one of North America’s most talent- ed whitewater paddlers, he’s appeared in only a few videos and magazines—far fewer than many lesser kayakers. But there’s the catch. Dupont isn’t a kayaker. At 24 years of age Dupont is not what most people picture when
they think of open boaters: at 5’9” and 150 pounds his slender frame would fit in a kayak cockpit without any trouble, and he doesn’t wear a dorky Salamander visor. He not only knows what a Space Godzilla is, but can perform the freestyle move on command. He got his start in whitewater while paddling on rivers with his
family, getting a taste for big water by running the meaty Chambly rapids with three in a canoe. The Montreal local has a number of first descents under his towbelt—many while paddling an open boat. Those wanting proof of his credentials are welcomed to tackle Quebec’s Malbaie, Basse Cachee, Taureau or any other of the messes of rocks and falling water that make up Dupont’s list of favourite rivers. Dupont prefers to keep his work away from the river and toils
at a nine-to-five job—setting up tents, outfitting boats and fold- ing sweaters—at a Montreal outdoors store. “Never have I tried to turn my certifications into a job,” says Dupont. “I would rather run creeks than compete in freestyles, and working on the river would be like putting a big piece of pie on the table and just looking at it, not being able to eat.” Though Dupont admits he’d sometimes like an extra blade for
rapids that call for extra speed, it’s not a lack of power that causes Dupont to take his own line. “If everyone goes right, then I’ll go left,” explains Dupont. “Above a big drop I’ll decide for myself what line I want to take.” And why does he always look so happy? Put it down to the pow-
er of positive thinking. “I don’t have pictures in my head of things that could go wrong. I don’t think of failure. If I did, that is when I’d get trashed.” —Philip Kompass
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Not one to keep his nose out of trouble. PHOTO ROBERT FAUBERT
PATRICK LEVESQUE
RAPID
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