2 a.m. sunsets...24 hour playability.
A 60 square kilometre labyrinth of whitewater.
described huge waves and crashing holes as “Zambezi-sized.” Today,many big-water play- boaters refer to the best waves as “Slave- like.”Whitewater kayakers from around the world have heard stories about the Slave’s enormous features and have started to make their way north. Descriptions of “holes that would cart- wheel a Greyhound bus”and “waves 30 feet high” are actually quite true. But these sto- ries definitely do not speak for all of the fea- tures on this river. There are many smaller holes and waves dispersed throughout these rapids that can be safely paddled pro- viding you have respect for the size of the river. Bays filling up and then overflowing
downriver create surging and cycling water levels. Pulsating like a river in flood, the water expands, folds, and erupts because of
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the enormous volume trying to squeeze into the path of least resistance.“Elevators”(huge eddies that provide a way to paddle upstream and work your way across the river) can be the size of football fields and have two-foot standing waves in the oppo- site direction to the main flow. The volume creates pressure waves and whirlpools of dramatic proportions. Float bags are essential. Volume is the name of the game and losing your boat is more than an expensive experience. Mostly, floatbags are helpful when you’re hanging onto your boat as you get sucked into the darkness of a giant whirlpool, which can reach 30 feet deep and are as dangerous as their tornado counterparts. Paddling with a group is another must.
This river is three kilometres wide in places. If you lose track of someone,they’re basical- ly on their own. It’s very difficult to see
Aurora Truckealis
swimmers in the silty brown water amid the numerous channels and holes. Visiting paddlers should be armed with
good knowledge of the features and lines. The only way to do this is to find a local guide or someone with previous Slave expe- rience.
A final word of advice: Be prepared with
a bug jacket in your boat or end up possibly overdosing on bug repellent.
Paddling the Slave The Hudson’s Bay Company and
Northwest Company set up fur trading posts at either end of the Slave’s rapids. Fort Fitzgerald, at the top of the rapids, is all but abandoned today. Fort Smith, overlooking the last set of rapids, marks the site where river boats once reloaded after the long portage. Now, Fort Smith is the NWT’s gov- ernment, education, and whitewater centre.
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