This past July Mary-Jane and Vernon Oliver invited me up to Whitehorse in the Yukon to teach for their local kayak club. Whitehorse has a really friendly paddling community that boasts some fantastic paddlers, including kids in the River Raiders program. While I was there I worked with several of the River Raiders, including three girls, who are very talented and enthusiastic about paddling. These kids are also very driven and resourceful. They recently raised enough money to build themselves a big air ramp!
The Yukon River, which reminds me of the Ottawa, runs right through Whitehorse. In fact, the name Whitehorse comes from the whitewater in the rapids that churn through town. There’s a fantastic wave hole that’s easily accessible and makes for great park and play. While I was there we ran the class III-IV Tutshi River in Northern BC located about an hour and a half from Whitehorse, as well as the Wheaton River, a fun class II-III run nearby. I was really impressed by the breathtaking scenery, fun whitewater of all levels, the welcoming paddling community, and the notable talent of the River Raiders.
The only disappointment was that I didn’t get to see a Grizzly (from far away of course), but I did get to see a Lynx casually walking along the side of the road. Maybe I’ll get to see more wildlife on my next trip!
Below are some video clips from the Tutshi River (pronounced ‘too – shy’) taken by Bob Daffe of Tatshenshini Expediting, www.tatshenshiniyukon.com In the last video clip you’ll see me get a nice beatdown followed by a swim – very exciting!
Special thanks to Up North Adventures for lending me a boat while I was up there.
Check out their store www.upnorth.yk.ca and to get more information about paddling in the Yukon,
please visit the Yukon Kayak Club at www.kayak.yk.ca
Check out these videos from my trip down the Tutshi River. The last video is of my beatdown. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stQbEbN4N8Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2AdlqfxpWY
