Spring Creeking Tragedy Kayaker dies during second descent
Fraser “Fraz” Champion, a well- known paddler in the Alberta and Ottawa River paddling communi- ties, died in May during a second descent of the White River in west- ern Newfoundland.
“The White River run is a very
remote and long wilderness pad- dle,” said Kevin England, who com- pleted the first descent of the river in 2002 and was attempting the second descent on May 21 with Champion and U.S. paddlers Seth Warren and Matt Rusher. England reported that, with the
England and the others in Champion’s group feel that Champion’s death was a result of accidental circumstances that spun out of control. They have asked that the following lessons be taken from his death: All paddlers should use float bags at all times; they should check equipment regularly and replace anything not functioning properly (Champion’s skirt had imploded the previous day also); and they should not let concern for one member of the group prevent them from noticing fatigue or weak-
river running high and cold from the spring snowmelt, the team began running a stretch of nearly continu- ous class IV and V drops very cau- tiously after Rusher was injured early in the run in a shallow hole. Approaching the crux of the canyon section, Champion missed an eddy and was flipped by a breaking wave that also caused his skirt to implode. He was last seen alive try- ing to roll his swamped boat. A hel- icopter crew spotted Champion’s body the next day, trapped on the bottom of the river near his undam- aged boat.
EVENTS August 11
Nationals Whitewater Race
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August 11–14 Canadian Slalom/DR Nationals
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August 13–14 National Slalom Championships Kananaskis, AB
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August 18–21 Ashlu Whitewater Festival
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August 26–28 Upper Gatineau Festival Maniwaki, QC
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September 2–5 Ottawa River Festival Ottawa, ON
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September 3–4 Canada Cup National Championships Garberator, Beachburg, ON
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September 10–11 Aquabatics Freestyle Cup #4
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September 17–18 Unlikely Paddle Festival Likely, BC
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September 24–25 Totem Cup Super Sprint Slalom/Whitewater Kananaskis, AB
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September 24–25 Canada West Paddle Surf Fest Tofino, BC
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October 1–2 Frog Freestyle Festival Lytton, BC
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October 1–2 Slalom Quebec Cup #4 Mont-Roland, QC
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ness in the rest of the group. Though the 27-year-old Champion had recently moved to New Zealand, he had fostered many paddling friendships while studying at the University of Calgary and working on the Ottawa River. “Fraz had an amazing ability to bond with people instantly wherev- er he went; and Fraz went to a lot of places,” says England. “Every pad- dling community that he visited has benefited from his influence. Everything he did, he did with pas- sion, determination and courage.” — Bryan MacKenzie
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2005 Fall // 11
Photo courtesy SHAWN COTTRILL
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