By Steve Brooks

After flying back from a months kayaking in the Indian Himalayas, Stanzin was with us. Being granted a three-month visa for Austria and the rest of Europe, we took him skiing for the first time on our home mountain in the Arlberg region of Austria and then it was onto Slovenia to kayak for our second spring of 2018.

Steve Brooks Bio

Steve has lived in Austria now for over 20 years and from being a place to come and work seasonally on the river, to a base camp and finally making Austria his home! Steve’s love for kayaking and adventure is infectious and this can especially be seen in the kayak school he set up eight years ago. Based out of the Arlberg region in western Austria the school runs courses for beginners plus coaching and instructing kayakers through all the whitewater grades, including creeking and river running. In-between the kayaking season in Austria, Steve can be found kayaking and leading adventure trips and expeditions in the Indian Himalayas, Peru and Chile in South America. He speaks German like a local and is fluent in Spanish. When he is not kayaking he searches for that perfect powder run in the back country in his home mountain of St Anton am Arlberg or riding his Royal Enfield Bullet in search of undiscovered rivers in the Himalayas. For more information check out: www.gokayaking.at and www.gokayaking.at/blog

Small, steep and stunning – the Gimbach

We had been in the Soča Valley for a couple of weeks and had a few unexpected days off. We thought about heading south but we got a nod from the boys in the east (of Austria) that the Gimbach was running. So we changed our direction and found ourselves on a two-day road trip to the Salzkammergut region.

I got my first taste of Salzkammergut kayaking with Allgäu (Bavaria) based, John Blake, back in 2006. We were kayaking with friends in the Salzburg area running some rivers and drops that I had never heard of, then one day we went off for the day to the Koppentraun and had a blast! So with more information and a bit of planning and preparation, we were back in the area a couple of years later!

We had an amazing road trip and the jewel of it all for us was the Gimbach. A small, steep creek that is a bit temperamental with water levels but when it is in, wow – what a river awaits you!

Slides, lips to fly off, a steep walled gorge in the middle part with a crux three drops that must be run. As the gorge opens up, the drops keep on coming, each set of rapids seemed to have three drops or combos that made us hope that this little creek would never end!

When John’s friend and long time AKC kayaker Flo heard about our trip, his comments were, “Not many people paddle (at the time) the Kummerbrücke at that level! Koppentraun is a fun river and how did you find out about the Gimbach?”

So on this trip our first stop was the Koppentraun, where great spring levels made for a fun, fast run. The sweet thing about the Koppentraun is that you can do the shuttle with the train so it makes for many easy laps. Since one of the most stunning villages in Austria is just around the corner, we stopped by the banks of the lake looking at the village of Hallstatt.

With its steep mountain sides towering over the village, it is no wonder it has been given the title UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is absolutely stunning! However, now it was time to make our way to the Gimbach Kaskaden!

This little creek is well known in the German kayaking community and translated to English they are the Gimbach Waterfalls. However, it is only recently since the development of social media, that the word has got out. How many people kayak them a year? I have no idea, but when they are in, well they are well worth getting to!

It was day two of our mini-road trip and we wanted to get an early start. That was not such a big problem as Stanzin has been accustomed all his life to getting up early. I always wondered if he got up early in the deepest darkest depths of a Ladakh Winter?

You need to earn your drops down the Gimbach and so we hiked in and made the most of the warm up! It is quite a short little river but it packs a punch and of course it is extremely photogenic.

Needless to say we had a great time kayaking this little gem and for Stanzin it was something completely different in character to rivers and creeks he had kayaked before.

Our two-day mini road trip had come to an end and we were heading back to the Soča Valley to meet up with Ute and Ramona before another two weeks of kayaking on the gem of Slovenia.

My 10-month kayaking season was going really well… To be continued in the next Paddler magazine.

Information

Starting point:

Our route started in Florac, at the campsite marked on Paddle Points here: www.paddlepoints.net?PP=10041

Resources:

The book Whitewater Massif Central by Pete Knowles is the acknowledged bible for paddling in this part of the world and is aimed at families and open canoeists. Currently out of print, a revised and updated second edition is due out by summer 2018 from Rivers Publishing.

Camping:

We camped at; Pont du Tarn, Florac; Castelbouc; La Maléne; La Beldoire, Les Vignes. All are typical relaxed, tree-lined, French campsites, though in the height of the season booking would be essential. Typically, bakery products can be ordered for the morning.

Supplies:

There are supermarkets at either end in Florac and Le Rozier. The villages of St Enimie and La Maléne have small shops and a few hotels.

Temperatures:

In summer, it can be warm, very warm, in the high 30s Celsius. However, on the water it doesn’t feel as oppressive, though its very important to cover up and use water-resistant sun cream.

Family paddling:

The two middle days would be perfect for families of any age, and the final day for those who’ve done a little moving water before. The first day is a little harder, a mistake having more serious consequences.

Canoe hire:

Each village has plastic sit-on-tops for hire, which are fine for a short trip.

If you want to hire proper open canoes, and to get help with the logistics at either end, a British couple, Mark and Louise, have set up a business targeting this market with bespoke hire trips on rivers like the Tarn, Lot and Cele. Based in Cajarc on the Lot, the Tarn is one of their most popular itineraries. More information can be found on their website: www.canoemassifcentral.com