WITH THE RIVERS OF THE OTTAWA VALLEY in the throes of an epic May run-off, there are few places a kay- aker would rather play. But while paddlers the world over pour in like sap from the maples, Steve Fisher and Tyler Curtis turn their backs to the Ottawa and look toward a no-man’s land of unexplored Quebec rivers, a score of first descents and the hopes of finding the next great play spot. So begins the 2006 Red Bull Recon. Well more than a year in the making, the Red Bull Re-
con was the brainchild of South Africa’s Fisher, a long- time seasonal resident of Montreal and world-champion kayaker who wished to tap into a great deal of unexplored whitewater surrounding his Quebec basecamp. “I had been using Montreal as a base for eight years
and had heard about the awesome rivers further to the north and east, but access and time had always been an issue. Tyler and I took a short trip the year before, and although we paddled our asses off, we were left won- dering about the possibility of what could still be there,” Fisher explained. Unlike a traditional expedition, the Recon was not so
much about one river or one destination, but rather the entire area. On their itinerary were more than 40 rivers, creeks, rapids and falls they discovered through long hours studying maps and satellite images, or through nothing more than rumour. Fisher explained that this untapped region around Montreal and Quebec City is home to some of the most diverse paddling in the world, including huge waves and falls, cragged creeks and long stretches of rapids that are hidden treasures lying just below radar. When the Red Bull crew set out, featuring a list of ex-
pert paddlers including Ben Brown, Dan Campbell, Pat- rick Levesque, Vincent Dupont and local Quebec hosts “The Doms,” (Dominic Chaput and Dominic Fournier), they were heading into unknown territory to document what may or may not be there. “It was a no-holds-barred, no-limits, no-worries expedi-
tion for us,” said Curtis, four-time Canadian National Free- style Kayaking Champion, adding the garnered financial support of Red Bull was crucial to being able to access the many remote rivers they planned to attack. Floatplanes don’t come cheap, and neither do ATVs or Sea-Doos with gasoline clawing its way over $1 per litre. With a two- month trip planned, carpooling only goes so far. The group paddled most of their hit list, many of which
will be featured in an upcoming Scott Lindgren produc- tion, who was along for the ride. There were some rivers left undone, however, and may in fact become the subject of another Recon to further open the secrets of Quebec’s eastern townships and northern climes. “Time and water levels were not on our side. These are
still in the pipeline for another time or project,” Curtis said, recalling some of the prime missed locations. “Lake Manicouagan really stuck out for us as a place
we wanted to explore. Nicknamed The Ring of Terror, it’s a ring-shaped lake with rivers feeding into and out of it. We arrived a little late for the water flows we needed and had a torrid time with the bugs!” —Philip Kompass
WWW.REDBULLUSA.COM/RECON
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