An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir Dec 2015 / Jan 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 34 | by APTCE DANIEL O'BRIEN L ast year four members of the DF Kayak Club headed to nepal on a three-week expedition, kayaking remote rivers in challenging environments. this year three of the same team headed to norway for 10 days for some steep creeking. Kayaking is a general term for a sport that has many different disciplines, from expedition kayaking, as we did in Nepal, to kayak polo, which is a highly competi- tive but relatively unheard of sport in Ireland, to sprint, marathon and slalom, which are Olympic disciplines. In previous years we have run trips to the Alps for river running, aimed at hon- ing our skills both on and off the water. This year we attempted the challenge provided by the steep creeks of Nor- way. Known as a white water Mecca, with beautiful fjords, steep gorges around every corner, snowmelt to keep the rivers flowing all year round, and 24 hours of daylight in the summer, it is a kayaker's dream destination. Also, with several of the highest cliffs in Europe, year-round snow, and countless trails, Norway is the perfect destination for anyone with a buzz for outdoor adventure pursuits, allowing climbing, skiing, mountain biking, and base jumping, all year. The small town of Vossevangen in the south-west is the undisputed No 1 destination. We started our trip with a six-hour drive to Otta, and from there we headed to the Sjoa River for several runs on different sections, starting off with Grade 3+ wa- ter and finishing with the Grade 5 Sjoa Gorge, a pushy run with steep walls, only one way out, and large waves/holes that could easily swallow a boat and hold you under for several minutes at a time. Next up was the Store Ula a river that begins and ends high on a plateau, as the section after is an un-runnable gorge that would mean certain death. This river be- gins with some small slides and narrow turns before the water disappears in front of you down an 18-metre waterfall into a shallow pool: a drop that few have run, and many of those who did have been seriously injured. This is when you must weigh up the risk versus reward. Does the glory of conquering one section of white water outweigh the risk of injury or death? More often than not this is not a hard decision. in Norway Kayaking Scouting the sjoa gorge First drop on store ula Slides on the Ulvaa standard

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