August 27-28-29 Maniwaki


Quebec Canada


2004


SW Local River News


In the East… The Quebec Cup series is wrapping up its final event on September 4th at Lachine Rapids in downtown Montreal. The Quebec Cup champions will be crowned for the points


Canoe Kayak Rafting


O O


Information:Fqck (514) 252-3001 www.gatineau.org


earned in this six event series. Julie Dion and Laura Nash are in hot pursuit of the women’s division top seed, Cindy Jamieson. Dave Nieuwenhuis and Brendan Mark are closely following Guillaume LaRue in first place. The Quebec Cup Series champions are still up in the air; in the air like where the competitor’s are trying to go...The two-part North American Wildwater Championships, designated the Can Am Championship for Canadian paddlers, will be held August 8th in northern New York State on the Salmon River and August 12th on the Rouge River Canyon in Quebec. If there are five countries in attendance this series of Olympic style races will be designated as a Pan American championship; if not, the Pan American championship will be held next year at a separate venue...In Nova Scotia, after all the rivers dry up, whitewater paddlers head to the Atlantic Ocean for some big ocean surf along the southern shores. Dustin Barker, owner of www.kayakatlantic.com, is organizing the first ocean surf event for boaters in this area. Dates to be announced, but sometime in the fall...Even further east, across the Atlantic Ocean in France’s Hawaii Sur Rhone Big Wave Comp, Canadians made an impressive showing lead by the forces of Level Six team paddlers Patrick Camblin and Laura Nash who finished 2nd and 1st. Fellow east coaster Dustin Urban took home top prize in the rodeo event.—Jamie Chapman east@rapidmag.com


In the centre... The future of


whitewater competition is here. The Canada Day weekend saw the first ever Boatwerks Big Bass Downriver Classic. It is just like it sounds: a full day of intense fishing and a downriver race


Special Guest GILLES FORTIN AUTHOR OF GUIDE DES RIVIÈRES SPORTIVES DU QUÉBEC In collaboration with


competition on the Gull River. All fish must be caught from a kayak. Combined score takes home glory. The overall “grand champion” was Rapid’s own Ben Aylsworth (“Reactionary” p.19) with a second place downriver finish and a one-third pound minnow.


Rumour has it, he was even gracious in accepting his prize, saying nothing at all about Quebec, park ‘n play rodeo punks, or your little sister... Claudia van Wijk, local paddler and owner of MKC, will soon be subject to notoriety of a different kind—she has landed the prestigious post as the sports analyst for all whitewater events at the Athens Olympics. CBC will be airing the four days of whitewater competition on August 17-20. Canada’s Olympic slalom team this year consists of David Ford, Margaret Langford and Jamie Cartwright. This is one competition that will be worth watching. According to Claudia, “The course is incredible: it is man-made and cost 25 million Euros [close to 40 million dollars] to build. It uses sea water from the Mediterranean and spirals over top of itself. Best of all, it will be ready... one of the few Athens facilities that's (sort of) on schedule.” Claudia, can you poke Brian Williams to see if he’s real? Thanks and congratulations on landing such a prestigious role!... In addition to Ottawa Kayak’s rodeo at McCoy’s on Labour Day weekend and the Canada Cup National Freestyle Championships at the Garberator, September 10-12, the Ottawa River will see a new festival. RIVERPALOOZA will take place at RiverRun August 6-8. They've planned a rolling rodeo, extreme race, Saturday night party, live bands, native ceremonies and even mud wrestling. Mud wrestling, perfect! —Bryan McKenzie central@rapidmag.com


In the West… As the annual arrival of summer heat brought


out skin, lit up forest fires, injected-snowmelt rivers with water, the fire was stoked under the Ashlu hydro project controversy to a blazing inferno. Ledcor, the proponent for two run-of-river hydro projects in the Ashlu watershed, near Squamish, continued to work towards approval despite a statement from the Squamish and Lillooet Regional District saying the projects were "not consistent with SLRD policy." That news prompted the Whitewater Kayak Association of B.C. to step up efforts to protect the river, including launching a website, ashluriver.ca, to position paddlers for the fight… B.C. resident, Canadian Sports Awards top male athlete of the year and one of the best K-1 racers in the world, David Ford, returned to the podium at the World Cup level, winning a silver at a race in Merano, Italy, after a couple of less shiny results. The placing is a big boost for the Olympic bound athlete. Fellow British Columbian Margaret Langford also did well finishing 7th… The 2004


Local Currents continued p47


14 // www.rapidmag.com


S


P


R


R


O


È


T


I


É


E


G


I


C


E


Z R


V


S


R


I


R


V


E P


S


R


R


O


E


T


V


T


Y


U


illustrations by Lorenzo Del Bianco


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52