Lee Valley - Open 8th September

[DanT]

Miss it already!

Anyway - the good news... as of today LVWWC is currently taking bookings for rafting between 8th September and the 31st of October.

[Sickboy]

If I had a fiddle I'd play it, but dancing the silly dance is all I can do.

Happy days

[jmmoxon]

The first Olympic venue to open to the public will be the Lee Valley white water canoe park. In just three weeks, if you pay £49, you can spend all morning being strapped into a rubber dingy and flung down the same course on which Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott won a gold medal in the slalom canoe event. Those who would like actually to emulate them, and paddle down it in a proper canoe, will need to pay £10 – but only after having passed a proficiency test.
The canoe centre will be open because it is not being used for the Paralympics, and it’s about 12 miles from Stratford.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympi ... e-too.html

Mike

[jmmoxon]

Just five weeks after the [C2] medals were won, the venue re-opens to the public on 8 September. If you have the nerve and want to experience the ultimate adrenalin rush, book now to paddle* or raft the course which beat many of the world's best athletes>>

http://www.essexlegacy.org/olympic-venu ... er-centre/

Mike

[steve4746]

What's with the proficiency test and why do you have to do one when signing a piece of paper elsewhere is good enough?

Steve.

[evolvedlight]

What's with the proficiency test and why do you have to do one when signing a piece of paper elsewhere is good enough?

Steve.

The olympic course is significantly harder than any other artificial course in the UK. I know at HPP they used to ask that people were 3* - it would be a 4* at Lee Valley. Instead of making people go through weeks of training for a 4* (me and lots of mates only have 2*/3* but are much better boaters), you can instead do a one hour assessment. This assessment sometimes includes them showing you the course and giving useful advice. When you've been on it you'll see that it can give some pretty big beatings if you put yourself in one of the large holes.

[Patrick Clissold]

Giles would be the best person to answer this as he does the proficency tests (at least he did mine). I want to take my wife to the legacy course. Do you have to do a proficency test for this one? What if I want to teach an absolute beginner?

[steve4746]

Surely its no more dangerous than anything I can throw myself down after "Iv'e" deemed myself competent? I see where your coming from Evolvedlight but surely signing some disclaimer would be good enough, someone could pass the test have an off day get injured so the competence test can't be just to avoid injury? I paddled the Morriston at WWPF and no one was checking competency, so either Lee Valley is harder and more dangerous than a river like the Morriston or they are being a little up themselves?

Steve.

[Randy Fandango]

Steve -- it might be heresay but the word on the street at the course was always that the assessment was put in at the insistence of the course's insurers as a deal-breaker.
Patrick -- hello! :-) Paddlers wanting to paddle the legacy only also have to pass the assessment (albeit just the legacy course part) before they can get centre membership -- the only way to book yourself on either course.
The only exceptions to this are if you make a sole booking of the whole legacy course (at £200 per hour -- ouch) or if you're booked in and being coached by an (I think!!) BCU level 3 coach or above who's made that arrangement with the course.
Give me a shout if you have a date in mind as I'm sure it could be coincided with an assessment :-)
Giles

[Scumbag_Scout]

Surely its no more dangerous than anything I can throw myself down after "Iv'e" deemed myself competent? I see where your coming from Evolvedlight but surely signing some disclaimer would be good enough, someone could pass the test have an off day get injured so the competence test can't be just to avoid injury? I paddled the Morriston at WWPF and no one was checking competency, so either Lee Valley is harder and more dangerous than a river like the Morriston or they are being a little up themselves?

Steve.

You're not alone in your argument, but I've met plenty of people who've said similar things and then swam like a fish, no offense, I don't know you, this might not be you.

I spent more hours than most up at Lee Valley over the last year or so, I was working on the banks taking photos of the rafters so I've seen plenty of people do their assessments, had plenty of people complain to me about needing to do an assessment and watched the comedy of errors of people trying to complete their assessments.

I'd say 99% of people agree with their result at the end of the day, those that are told they're not ready have already swam or felt intimidated enough to know this was the right decision. There are those that had bad days and come back another day and pass and those that are lucky and get a pass and swim a fair bit on return visits. Swims down the course really aren't nice and those that do generally go swap their bib for the legacy course.

The course is a lot more continuous than most places most paddlers paddle regularly, and it's easy to lose speed through each stopper and really struggle to get into eddies.

Don't think of it as an assessment, think of it as a personalized introduction and guide to the course, you might make a few new friends and if you're obviously capable you'll breeze through it. Be careful though, if you're too cocky the assessors have been known to ask you to make the challenging eddies and go put yourself in side-show (the boat sized sticky hole) and go get out. (I've seen a few experiences paddlers swim out of it).

Enjoy it, most people have fun.

[Patrick Clissold]

Giles, many thanks I will let you know if I manage to convince the better half.

I was a bit unsure of the whole assessment idea before I went. However, the assessment really was an introduction to the course rather than anything else. There were 5 of us doing it, and only 2 of us ended up being allowed to go down the full Olympic course. 2 couldn't even paddle on the flat without falling over.

After paddling it I can see where they are coming from. It is a lot more pushy and difficult than anything else artificial I have paddled in the UK, and what else would you expect, it's the friggin Olympic course!

The main problem I had with the place was the fair from laid back attitude which you get in other places, i.e. CIWW. The booking system, the fact you could only get on the hour, the limit of people on the course, and most ridiculous thing of all, you were not allowed to go to reception in wet gear! Please tell me they have changed this.

[Sickboy]

I believe the intention was to change the flooring once the games had finished, thus making it a non slip surface and you being allowed through the front door rather than being forced to use the tradesman's entrance, we'll see come opening I suppose.

[steve4746]

If its an insurance thing that explains it, I didn't realise you where only allowed on for an hour, but while you have to pay for someone else to tell you if you can manage something I'll leave it. Cheers for the replies.

Steve.

[Dave Manby]

I wouldn't like to swim the course - it is a brutal swim and not like a river it is an artificial course and so almost by definition not like a natural river. Because it is compressed the water hits the "rocks" and does not flow round with a cushion of water in front of the rock like on most a natural river. Too much bravado and testosterone in self assessment would result in too much bruising and bleeding!

[Scumbag_Scout]

If its an insurance thing that explains it, I didn't realise you where only allowed on for an hour, but while you have to pay for someone else to tell you if you can manage something I'll leave it. Cheers for the replies.

Steve.

The assessment lasts one hour, for most people they're done within 30-40mins and have the rest to play for themselves, and you can go straight into reception and book another hour. There's no limit to the amount of hours you can book, but most people after 1 hour of that sort of boating is enough, I rarely bother paddling for more than one hour now.

[TechnoEngineer]

booked in and being coached by an (I think!!) BCU level 3 coach or above who's made that arrangement with the course.

[pedantic]
Old L3 or new L2+MWE.... and I believe the coach must register themselves with the centre too
[/pedantic]

[jmmoxon]

Has Lee Valley managed to make thay distinction?

Mike

[garya]

If its an insurance thing that explains it, I didn't realise you where only allowed on for an hour, but while you have to pay for someone else to tell you if you can manage something I'll leave it. Cheers for the replies.

Steve.

Steve that's sad and you really are missing out on a fun place to be and loads of freindly paddlers and locals. The place as a really good vibe and the escalator and easy access to everything make it great to paddle. It even has a liceense bar and terrace to drink beer on and watch the action.

The course is big fast and fun when compared to any other course in the UK. The water is also really clear and clean. on a summer day all the concret holds the heat really warms it up too so it feels like a swimming pool.

the assesment will get you a numbered user card and is a bit like a gym induction they go through some basic hosekeeping stuff about the centre and then get you to paddle. There are a number of sections to the assesment starting on flatwater, the smaller legacy course and then the big olyimpic one.

the assesors just want to see you in control and do a tidy paddle.. if you can you can and you can have fun doing it too its nothing heavy and I had a good laugh when I did it.. gradually those that have got to there limits get ticked off for acess to the apporpirate sections of the course and small handfull of you will be left with he anticipation of the long escalator ride to the start pool of the olyimpic course.

The course is fun and I got asked to make any 5 eddies I wanted before the first bend. This was probably the trickest part of the course as it is all quite tight and fast with a few interesting holes and wave to catch you out.. it will quickly be very clear if you are ok with the course and then its just a case of having fun and showing them what you can do.

If you are looking nervouse or avoiding things then the asseor may just ask you to make a particular eddy or cross river move. They really want to to pass and sign you off. even giving those who need it a second chance at stuff if they mess up a bit. they really want as many people as possible to do well and pass .. they encourage everyone and are really friendly too.

I knew what they wanted to see as I had watched other assesments from the bank and so just paddled that on the course with out too much prompting from them and got a tick in the box.. it was really easy, fun and stress free. they need to do an assesment as they get a very wide range of abilities turn up to paddle the course and are just trying to keep people from hurting themselfs before they are ready for it.

You can go on the course for more than an hour as long as you have paid the fee. £10 hour on the big course and £5 hour on the legacy

you are a good and show that ability straight away you will have fun and get and easy pass and can stay on the course for the rest of the hour under your own steam.

Hope you can make it down some time it really is worth it.

Gary Archer