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Beyond the Alps
Part I - From Idea to Airport…
by Mark Rainsley
NB. This two part article was first published in 'Paddles' Magazine. It is intended to offer advice to paddlers contemplating their first big overseas paddling trip.
Widening Your Horizons
The UK is among the best places anywhere to paddle whitewater. But the time
will come when you seek a little of what we lack; sunshine, access, and blue
water. Driving to the Alps can go a long way towards satiating this lust,
but they are the thin edge of a very thick wedge. Consider venturing further…paddling
exotic whitewater is about the most fantastic thing you can do within our
sport. Here at Paddles we have a wealth of experience in globe-trotting paddling,
mostly acquired the hard way! This month we examine about what is involved
in putting a trip together…get planning!
Where on Earth?
The choice is huge. The ongoing Paddles World Guide outlines plenty of destinations
to tempt you. However, there are more general decisions to make. Do you want
river-running or play? Steep creeks or big volume? Roadside shuttles or multi-day
camping? A more fundamental choice is (using discredited terminology), ‘Third
World’ vs. ‘First World’? A trip to a less economically developed country
like Peru or Ecuador offers incredible cultural experiences and ‘memorable’
travel, coupled with phenomenal untamed rivers and genuine commitment. On
the other hand, a trip to a ‘developed’ country like the USA or Norway offers
safe roads and the cultural reassurance of MacDonald’s, alongside equally
challenging paddling…with detailed river info and professional emergency
help easily available. There are exceptions to these rules, but for certain;
the former will be ludicrously cheap (apart from the flight) whilst the latter
may cost the earth. You will lose out on some ‘paddling days’ on your Third
World trip due to unforeseeable hassles; but your First World trip might
lack the true adventure those amusing hassles offer.
Gathering Evidence
Paddlers naturally spin yarns and share experience. Numerous guidebooks cover
all popular destinations and magazine articles are a goldmine (never throw
‘Paddles’ away!). The Internet brims with reports and has revolutionised
communication between boaters. A query on www.boatertalk.com or www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk will yield results. Emailing a local expert may be more effective than letters
and long distance calls. Last month, one email sorted airport pickup, accommodation
and shuttles for our Christmas Uganda trip. Maps (can you get lost on rivers?)
carry a wealth of data and their own allure. Stanfords www.stanfords.co.uk sell USAF Tactical Pilotage Charts for obscure spots…we are actually planning
a Vietnam trip with the TPC used to carpet-bomb Hanoi!
The Away Team
Ideally you’ll be joined by your usual boating mates, forming a safe, cohesive
group. End of problem. In the real world, not all of your mates have the
same salary, holiday or sympathetic marital situation. A worst case scenario
finds you boating with random strangers; a heroboater demanding supergnarl,
a novice you met at the put-in (“I’m a grade 4 boater”) and ‘Ensign Nobody’,
a doomed fellow with poor social skills whom you met online. Great friendships
have been forged like this…but factor in whitewater and you’ve a trainwreck
ready to happen. Whomever you’ll be boating with, you’ll need some time with
them before the trip. Ignore reputations, CVs and testimonials; spend a weekend
confined in a tent or small pub with prospective group members. If this doesn’t
lead to cabin fever and subsequent violence, you may have found a match.
Next, reach 100% agreement about what you want from the trip. This is no
naff platitude, many trips fare badly because X expects playboating, Y wants
waterfalls. No-win compromises result; X winds up scared, Y not scared enough.
Don’t cut corners on group planning, you’re going to share experiences and
pressures that would strain marriages. No mates? Consider a commercial trip.
You take your chances with companions, spend serious money and relinquish
free will. In return you get professional guiding and safety cover, with
logistical stresses removed. Adventure Whitewater www.adventure-whitewater.comand Kayak International www.kayakinternational.com are established tour operators.
Gimme Gimme
If your trip breaks boundaries, you may be eligible for a grant; the Royal
Geographical Society Expedition Advisory Centre (www.rgs.org) is full of
advice. Consider commercial support - sponsorship! Sponsorship doesn’t mean
handouts; you have to be able to offer something concrete in return. Articles,
photos, film footage…examples of how to offer your sponsor a raised profile
and positive image. Get real. If you want cash, look beyond the paddlesport
industry; truth is, few paddlers achieve this. You are unlikely to get free
gear within the industry, but may be able to negotiate discounts. In any
case, approaching the sponsor professionally with a thought-out plan is essential.
Most begging letters get binned; ask yourself, why? Lastly…do you honestly
need the grief? Do you want to bimble merrily down the rivers, or instead
worry all day whether the light is good to photograph the cag you blagged…daftly,
some trips have been marred by confused priorities.
Covering your Back
Personal Survival. Important. Paranoia aside, it’s a scary world for the uninformed
and unprepared. Health and gear insurance is a must. Check that your policy
specifically covers your destination and whitewater sport. Consider worst
case scenarios; are you covered for heli-rescue? Snowcard www.snowcard.co.uk and the British Mountaineering Council www.thebmc.co.uk offer recommended
policies. You may need jabs and tablets before departing; ask your Doctor
and check Travel Health Advice - www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAdviceForTravellers.
Tempted to skip this bit? So were the boaters who returned from the White
Nile with malaria. Nepal’s recent Maoist situation is sad proof that our
world changes fast. Even in ‘safe’ developed countries, the shadow of terrorism
now needs due consideration. Check the latest Foreign Office advice www.fco.gov.uk…heed
it! If you insist upon somewhere lethal, trawl www.comebackalive.com...Chechnya
has great whitewater!
Pack it in!
We’ll talk gear in Part II, but for now let’s think about getting it there.
Going to North America, you’ll have an indulgent 2x32 kilo allowance…a ‘mate’
brought his entire classical music collection Stateside last Easter. Usually,
you’ll face a restrictive weight limit. Rule #1: dump everything but boating
gear; take all of this including all the safety widgets. You can acquire
Y-fronts anyplace, but finding left-handed splits will be trickier. Where
do you put it? Inside the boat is ideal. We use large drysacks with rucksack
straps as luggage, these can strapped into the cockpit, carried separately,
or rolled away. Full paddles should be gathered into a padded ski or paddle
bag and strapped to the deck…boat and blades become one item of luggage.
Camera, guidebooks, small heavy objects…hand luggage. If restricted to a
20 kilo limit, things get grim. Boat and blades form your 20 kilos. Wear
BA, spraydeck and helmet at Check-in. Everything else is worn or goes into
hand luggage, a medium drysack compressed with roofrack straps. It can be
done!
Leaving on a Jet Plane…
Research flight availability and prices online at www.ebookers.co.uk. Then
book with a real person, via Trailfinders www.trailfinders.com or BTW www.bridge-the-world.co.uk,
cheapskate travel specialists. Flying your kayak is simply not a big deal,
but this is hard to appreciate when your dream trip hangs on the unknown
factor of, “What’ll happen at Check-in?” The database of reports at www.thepoly.co.uk is essential reading, but don’t take it at face value. Boaters operate in
an uncertain grey area between the rules. The few certainties we have …
° Phoning ahead, you will hear scary rules about maximum dimensions and
cargo rates…which you won’t hear at Check-in.
°
Politeness and the word ‘Sir’ work wonders at Check-in.
°
If your baggage – including kayak - is within weight, you will probably not
be charged.
°
You may end up paying to fly your kayak, but it will almost always get on the
plane.
°
If you tell fibs at Check-in (“My creek boat is featherweight”) and get caught,
you’ll suffer.
°
Oddly, groups seem less likely to be fleeced than lone paddlers.
°
KLM are perhaps the only airline that will never carry kayaks, BA are great.
°
Insisting your kayak is a surfboard will make you look silly.
This author has flown kayaks on about fifty flights, paying $100 once and being refused once (KLM).
Because it’s there…
How seriously should you take your trip? Are you organising a holiday or something
with higher purpose…an ‘expedition’? If your name is Allan Ellard, it’s probably
the latter. For most mortals, let’s face it…your trip is a holiday, in the
sense that you will be paddling where many others have paddled before. However,
from your personal perspective the distinction is meaningless. You had might
as well be running the Tsangpo, as it will all be new and challenging to
you. Invest your personal expedition with as much meaning and aspirations
as you wish, but keep your feet on the ground; other boaters will have been
there, and will help and advise. Whilst wading through the minutiae of preparations,
don’t lose the Big Picture; your trip is about great times on great rivers
with great mates…we guarantee that you’ll get them!
