2014 07 18 Paddling the Verdon with Ecole de kayak du Verdon and the Vagabonds FULL version

Note: this is the ultra-long slow-tv version in 1080p. Nice for people intending to paddle the canyon, maybe boring for others. For a shorter version see Vimeo https://vimeo.com/120226692
and https://vimeo.com/121494515 (720p)

In the summer of 2014 I unexpectedly ended up in Castellane after having left the Guillestre region because of bad weather. After having paddled the pre-canyon (Castellane – Point Sublime) a few times, I decided to go look for a guide, to paddle the Grand Canyon again. That turned out not to be that easy. There is a lot of rafting, hot dogging etc on the stretch of river leading into the Canyon, but no commercial rafting or kayaking through the canyon. This makes sense because of the risk involved.
At last I got in contact with the Verdon kayak school (Ecole de Kayak du Verdon). It turned out they have a website http://www.ecole-kayak-verdon.fr/ and are on facebook.
So on the 18th of July I joined a trip with the Verdon kayak school and some other French paddlers from a kayak school from the Guillestre region “Les Vagues à Bonds” http://www.canoe-kayak-alpes.com/en/.
I have now paddled the Grand Canyon twice. The first time without a guide, the second time with. After both these experiences, I would like to advice all paddlers who are not familiar with this river to get a guide.
It is not a very difficult river (class IV at the summer water level), but the amount of undercuts, sifons make that the “normal lines” will sometimes bring you very close to danger. Because of the huge boulders you cannot see what’s coming and a siphon blocking the whole river might be around a corner.
It is a long paddle, in a deep canyon with no help nearby. Do not expect other kayak groups to be there, because there are not that many people paddling this canyon. If you do venture out without a guide, make sure, that the Inbut is free, before you paddle into it. (There is a portage, but it takes about an hour).
This is not to scare you: it is the most beautiful river I know and if you are a paddler able to do a class IV you should definitely try to paddle it (with a guide). If you are a class III paddler try paddling the pre-Canyon. You can paddle up to Point Sublime. You can enjoy the beauty of the canyon without having to face the danger. Okay, you have to carry your boat up some stairs at the end (takes 10 minutes or so), but its definitely worth it.
The water levels are controlled by a dam, so in spring a lot of times there is no water. In July and Agustus there used to be water on Tuesday and Friday, but last summer there was water only twice. Because it was a dry winter, but also policy of the EDF seems to have changed. Most years there are damn release in the first or second week of september, but it is all very unpredictable and hard to get good info.