After 2 years of reflexion, coming again and again in the Pyrenees, I can now say: it's THE place to paddle on May!!
You know for sure some steep and strong rivers on the french side, but did you know the ones on spanish side??
Looks like spanish Pyrenees offer us a larger choise of rivers and more rivers of class II to V and more.
Here a little 3 days report of what you can find in the spanish Pyrenees, follow us!!
May, Tuesday 11th:
I drove early to join my dear pyrenean friend and guide Eric Deguil and the Pion family.
We met all together in Foix, Ariège, and go to the Carol river, really closed of the border.
Stefun Pion goes down first
The Carol river it's beautiful, it's sweet but in the middle you've that!! Yeaaah!!
A pretty nice run and an incredible place, nonetheless stay careful because of the numerous dams on this river... Too bad...
Eric Deguil also goes down, easy!!
Just after the decent, we decide to drive a bit and sleep at a mountain pass.
The view is just amazing but it's pretty cold up there at 1700m...
A good dinner and we went to the bed.
May, Wednesday 12th:
Snow fell down during the night... First thing I saw that day, Brrr!!
On the morning we took again the road to paddle the Rio Ribagorsana.
And after a long time on little roads of the true heart of Pyrenees, here we are... Always under the rain...
It's a 300m section and it's steeeeep!!!
Stefun goes first, missed the hard entry of that nasty rapid.
Results, a broken paddle, a broken boat, a swim and a painful shoulder...
Eric, second to go, takes a diferent line and run it safe!!
The middle is just amazing!!
What we were there, a waterfall about 13m more or less with landing directly in the lake, yeaaaah!!!
Only Eric ran it, passing really really closed the rock wall at the landing and broke his paddle on his kayak!!! Wow!!
Well done Rico!!!!
After this quick but intense run, was time to leave the high mountain, rain and snow, to go on the Rio Gallego.
When we drove across the city, we did a Tapas dinner, one of the things to discover in Spain.
Eric
Take out by night of the Rio Gallego.
May, Thursday 14th:
Today we paddle a short section of the rio Gallego, then we drive back in France for the Pyrenees Buddies Race.
Let's paddle!!
Stefun Pion at the put in of the Rio Gallego, just under the dam.
Myself smiling at the put in, Viva España!!
The short section of the Rio Gallego we paddled is really funny and easily runnable for many kayakers!!
Yanis trys kayaking on the flat water at the take out.
A lunch in front of "Los Riglos", famous climbing international spot, and we went back in France!!
On the way back, we find a little kilometer long artificial section with 29 drops, we'll come back!!
When we arrived at the border on the way to the Brousset river in the Ossau valley, we found again the bad weather...
By 2°C and snowy rain, Eric and I paddle a quick run on the Brousset river.
After that, all of us drove doan Laruns in the valley for a long sleeping night!!
=> Next, in the coming post "Pyrénées Buddies Race"
When we arrived at the border on the way to the Brousset river in the Ossau valley, we found again the bad weather...
By 2°C and snowy rain, Eric and I paddle a quick run on the Brousset river.
After that, all of us drove doan Laruns in the valley for a long sleeping night!!
=> Next, in the coming post "Pyrénées Buddies Race"
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