Welsh Rivers Guidebook ed.2 Research

[Chris Bolton]

I've had a quick look in likely places (such as the Glaslyn) in my copy of Snowdonia Wild Water, Sea and Surf - not spotted it so far. Any idea where I should be looking?

Might Terry Storry have written it in "British White Water: The 100 Best Canoeing Rivers"?

[Phil Hk]

I have just checked Terry Storry, Alpine White water first edition 1982. In his description of the Queyras Gorge he does, indeed, invite us to "Stiffen up the sinews, and summon up the blood" ... the sentence finishes "for it looks horrendous"
Phil

[Neptune]

I ran the Queyras Gorge for the first time in 2016 at a decent level. It didn't look horrendous to me, I loved it. However the fella I ran it with got a bit of a trashing in the drop in the image below and didn't quite feel the same when we got to the get out. I of course thought that it was hilarous, hahaha. I'm the one in the white helmet.

[Jim]

I ran the Queyras Gorge for the first time in 2016 at a decent level. It didn't look horrendous to me, I loved it.

In 1982 when that book was written boats were 4m long. It must be about the time dancers and mirages first appeared, but chances are Storry had run it in a fragile 4m fibreglass (polyester and chopped strands) boat and was considering it from that perspective. I have greatly enjoyed it in my spud, but I think if I was paddling a snipe I would feel a whole lot differently about it... I might do it in a modern 3.5 m slalom boat, but a foam sandwich carbon/kelvar boat is a world away from an old glass snipe...

[Phil Hk]

Jim's post prompted me to mention that I first paddled it in 1983. First trip to the Alps and paddling a Dancer - the only one in southern England. It shows how standards and performance developed in the intervening years; at the time it was relatively unusual to see British paddlers out there. Fast forward to 2008 and I teach my 14 year old daughter to roll and we head to the Alps for her first taste of white water paddling a Dagger Juice. Following a few days on other rivers she aced it, including a roll mid gorge

Phil