By Alistair Williams
BA Outdoor Activity Leadership and Coaching, University of Derby
At 06.00 on 31st May 2018, I was one of a group of 22 students and one staff (Derek Burdett, Senior Outdoor Technician), who set off from the University of Derby in Buxton on a trip to paddle the River Soča in Slovenia. Twenty-eight hours later we arrived at our campsite and were joined by Tom Parker of ‘Tom Parker – Coaching and Guiding’, Chris Brain of ‘Chris Brain Coaching’ and Paul Smith of ‘Rock and Water Adventures’.
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Slovenia and King of the Alps
Our first experience of the River Soča was an afternoon of swimming in the cold but clear water just below the Trnovo campsite – learning techniques regarding swimming safely out of the flow, both with and without a paddle.
Some of us had been kayaking in Scotland on a university residential trip in the previous month, but the first two days were a slow warm up for a lot of the paddlers, with me only hitting my ‘rhythm’ in the afternoon of the second day. These sections were grade 2 heading into 3 and useful in getting the group used to what to expect from the trip. A few students with more experience were taken down the more technical grade 4 Otona section and the grade 3 paddle back to the campsite.
On the third full day in Slovenia, the whole group was taken to the Bunker Rapid, a grade 3 rapid, to try different sections of it, playing around on the top, middle and bottom sections, as well as playing around in the pool at the bottom. After lunch, the group ran the section leading on from the Bunker rapid down to a section called ‘The Krsovec Gorge’, which several of the group ran. The bunker and section below, was personally the most challenging section to me, as it included some larger drops, one of which I swam on, but conquering my fears was definitely confidence building. That evening we popped over the border into Italy, to sample real Italian Pizza.
The fourth day, Ed, Dan and Ligitas were delegated equal size groups to look after and act as ‘river leader’. The section leading down from Sprnecia 1, to the campsite, was repeated in the afternoon, for around half the group. I felt the section where Ed led my group (the group being coached by Paul Smith) was technical enough for Ed to be challenged but within reason. Also, having other students in charge allowed for camaraderie before we headed to the get-out for lunch.
Day five was a shorter day on the water, with the entire group paddling down from Toni’s camping, down to Sprnica 1 and around half running down to the campsite. This day culminated in an entertaining trip to the local bar in Trnovo, where an alcoholic coffee drink was shared from a multi-spouted grole.
During our final day in Slovenia, Ed, Dan and Ligitas led some of the group down the Otona section, with the rest of the group walking in for the final grade 2/3 gorge. It was here that we had a mini-race to determine who would take the seven places to compete in The King of the Alps Paddlefest, which we would be travelling to later that day. There were seven places, four men and three women, with the men’s spaces being hotly contested among the students. In the end, the men’s places were settled as: Ryan Craig, Daniel MacDonald, Ligitas Stravinkas and Ed Dix. The women’s places went to: Kirree Radcliffe, Dainora Jureviciute and Rosie Allport.
I personally enjoyed this final gorge section the most out of all the sections on the Soča, due to its combination of small technical challenges, lack of danger if you swim and fast flow of the current. Myself, and also the rest of the group, felt elated getting off the river, before heading on to the Italian leg of the trip.
We then spent the rest of the day travelling from Trnovo to Moos, in the province of South Tyrol, a predominantly German-speaking area of Italy. The next morning, some of the group paddled the river Passer, from the classic put-in, to the start of the Marathon Race section. After an interesting run of this section, the group returned to the campsite, in time for the festival briefing and the Friday night party. Paul left the group here, to head up to Germany to work with Bath University Canoe Club.
The following morning, the group set off early, to get the ten racers (the seven students, plus coaches Derek, Tom and Chris) into position for the beginning of the race. The race had mixed results, with Tom and Chris coming 65th and 73rd, respectively. Derek, Ed and Dan, came in at 91st, 93rd and 94th, staying close together for the entire length of the race. Rosie, Lygis and Dainora were held up by swims, but managed to get themselves over the line with some assistance from other paddlers. Kirree and Ryan swam early on and registered as DNF. The Marathon Race was followed by a grand final for the top 20 on a section of grade 5 water, where we could spectate almost within touching distance of the racers as they headed over and through waterfalls.
The races were followed by a larger party on the Saturday night, where everyone let off a little steam, whether they had paddled or not. There was a slower get up the following day and Derek took the students out for lunch, but not before Tom and Chris headed off to France for more kayak coaching. We then slowly packed up, before starting the final leg of journey back to Buxton.
I enjoyed the trip overall, despite being nervous about it going in, with the size of the group being a bit intimidating. King of the Alps showed me that the kayaking culture is full of kind and weird people who love kayaking and love partying almost as much. I have come off the trip having never felt so positive about my own kayaking and I look forward to what my future in the sport holds.
