2012

The Banff Film Festival is run every year displaying the top videos selected by the Banff Film committee. Every year hundreds of independent films are submitted to the Banff center from outdoor enthusiasts. These films are then narrowed down, and voted upon based on different categories and content. The selected best films are then put on tour throughout Canada and the US. They come to Ottawa every year in and around February and CUKC gets a group together to buy tickets to check it out. It usually takes place at the Bytown Cinemas, is around 3 hours, and cost around $16.

Above and below are trailers to the past two festivals, which give a great idea about what to expect at the festival. For more info, visit the Banff Center’s Website.

2011

Hell or High Water is one of the best paddling event of the year. The event has continually been attracting more and more participants each year. In 2010 there were 180 paddlers with more than double that amount in 2011. Participants tackled class III, IV rapids and the rainy weather to support a good cause and raise awareness of how precious the Petawawa River really is. We expect even a larger number this year. Below is an add for the event which gives the basic information (click on the poster to link directly to the website to get up-to-date info):

“Whitewater enthusiasts worry that the river, which has remained untouched from commercial development, will be drastically altered if two hydro dams are constructed upstream. Xeneca Power Development is seeking to build a station at the Big Eddy rapids just west of the CPR bridge with the potential to generate up to 10 megawatts. Mr. Kompass noted the weekend tournament was an chance to show off the river and what it can offer.” - The daily observer

CUKC always attends this event and tries to get as many members as possible out each year to capture the beautiful river and have a grand old time! The event occurs at the beginning of May and in and around this time there will be a signup opened and CUKC will email out some info. CUKC aims to arrange carpooling from Ottawa to the Petawawa River for this event. If you are interested in paddling the river you MUST be an experienced kayaker (CUKC unfortunately cannot take any beginners on this River). However, if you would really like to get in the water, you are free to set up a CUKC raft to compete in the raft races!!!! Please visit their website for registration details.

Below you will find a link to the 2011 Info Package which will give you a good idea of what the event is about and what to expect. Of course, this year may be different in some ways, but the main purpose and overall structure of the event is usually constant from year to year. Here is the info package for 2012:

http://five2nine.ca/events/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/info-package-final.pdf

King of the Clubs is a fun event that takes place at the Ottawa River and is basically a meeting of all the clubs around Ontario to compete for the “King of the Clubs” title in a series of fun events throughout the day and night that incorporates all skill levels of paddlers.

CUKC tries to attend King of the Clubs every year, but we seem to all be busy during that time of year. CUKC wants to get as many people as we can out to this event because it is a great way to get in touch with all of the other paddling clubs and to have a friendly competition that is meant for everyone! We will be sending out an email to notify everyone to sign up for the event, and we will have a signup form opened up closer to the date. Please see more info below:

Date

This usually takes place on the Labor day weekend in September.

Events

Below is a list of the usual events that you will find at King of the Clubs. As you can see its a great time for everyone to participate in the events and have a ton of fun while competing to be the best club.

1. McCoys Relay – Club paddlers participate in a relay through McCoys rapid involving, running, surfing, eddy hopping, etc. A timed event the fasted club/team wins.

2. Boat Rescue – The Lorne Rapid will host a new event this year. Each club will throw in a set number of boats into the rapid as team mates wait down stream to pick up boats, clip in and race to set finish location.

3. Advanced Boater Cross – 5 paddlers from each club line up above Norms Rapid along with other club participants. Race is fastest TEAM (all 5 paddlers from club) that get to finish line located below Coliseum Rapid.

4. Intermediate Boater Cross – 5 paddlers from each club line up above Dogs Leg Rapid along with other club participants. Race is fastest TEAM (all 5 paddlers from club) that get to finish line located below Blacks Rapid.

5. Kayak Pull – Replacing Tug of War, this event will be set up similar to Tractor pull, where 5 paddlers from a club have a set distance to pull barrels through the water in River Run Bay. It is a timed event.

6. Kayak Toss – Top three throws from each club will be added together for the longest distance covered in the kayak toss this year. At least one of the top three distances has to be posted by a female.

7. Rope Toss – An accuracy team event involving throwing a rope bag a set distance where accuracy counts.

Event Logistics

All event outlines, start times, etc, will be handed out to clubs on the Friday evening or Saturday morning during check-in. Events are subject to change depending on water levels or other unforeseen circumstances. All clubs will need to have a representative present at 7:30 am Saturday morning meeting.

Food and Cost

BBQ will be supplied Saturday evening, which includes burgers and hot dogs and is included with your registration fee. Subject to change, the cost is usually in and around $10 each for the event. We usually stay for the entire weekend, so people bring up their own food for the other meals or they go to a local breakfast place.

Level Six Capital Cup is a freestyle kayak event that takes place right here in Ottawa at Champlain Rapids near Bates Island (for more details go to our River Description Section) during the spring time. The events hosts all skill levels of paddlers, from the junior beginner paddlers all the way up to the men’s professional paddlers. There is an entry fee if you would like to compete in the event, but if you just want to come and watch its free! Below is a great video to learn about the event and see what happened at the 2011 Capital Cup.

CUKC attends this event every year and even has some of the club members competing. It is a fun event to come by and watch, and there is always a really great after party for those interested in attending. CUKC will send out an email to invite people to attend this event and help arrange transportation to the event. For more info on the event, check out the Level Six Website.

Currents – Episode 10 – The Moose River pt. 1 from Five2Nine on Vimeo.

This is a festival that takes place in the fall and is located on the Moose River in New York State. The above video gives a very good description on the entire festival, including some background on the river.

CUKC only has a couple members attend this event every year as it is advised that ONLY EXPERTS attend the event. The river is very difficult and consequential. One should be very confident in their paddling skills and have previous creeking experience before they even consider running this river.

CUKC will send out an email close to the event to help people organize rides and carpooling. For a first hand look at the trip check our Juraj’s blog post entitled “Fall Festivals South of the Boarder”.

Currents – Episode 11 – The Moose River pt. 2 from Five2Nine on Vimeo.

What is Palmer Fest?

Palmer Fest is Canada’s premier whitewater canoeing and kayaking festival, presented by Rapid Media and hosted at the Paddler Co-op Boathouse. Palmer Fest is a laid-back social, instructional and fun weekend event offering the very best whitewater canoe and kayak clinics, on-water canoe and kayak demos, camping, music and the views of the best films of the year. This is a great event for new paddlers to get welcomed to the sport in a great learning atmosphere with all other paddlers at the same experience level, and in some very forgiving and fun rapids. The event takes place usually late May and you are able to register for official lessons at their website as linked above.

CUKC usually attends with a small group of people so if you are interested in going please let us know by email or going to the trip signup page from the main page to sign up for the trip. The signup will not be open until a couple weeks before the event. Also, we will mention the trip in our email as well, so keep a lookout for the information.

When is Palmer Fest?

Palmer Fest is always the Victoria Day Weekend.

Focus on Paddling

Palmer Fest includes the Palmer Fest whitewater kayak clinics, Single Blade Symposium whitewater canoe clinics and special women’s only whitewater canoe and kayak programs. You may take clinics in only one of these categories or mix and match for a variety of topics on that weekend. In addition to instruction-based clnics these mini gatherings offer professional and social networking opporunities—meet new and old paddling buddies and chew the fat about your next adventures.

Itinerary at a Glance

Arrive and camp on the Friday night. Saturdays and Sundays will be the on-water clinics—two per day. The clinics go from 10am to 12pm and then again from 2pm to 4pm. You select your clinics in advance when you register.

Saturday and Sunday mornings visit the HUGE Exhibitor Alley and check out the latest in boats, gear, trips and instruction.

We are proud of Palmer Fest being a family friendly event making daycare available so that parents can escape to the water for the action. Daycare is available during the clinics—parents must pick up their children immediatly after each clinic.

On Saturday evenings there is a paddlers’ social including catered dinner, the best whitewater films of the year, vendor exhibits and live music until 1 am.

The Madawaska River

The Madawaska River in beautiful Palmer Rapids is where Palmer Fest takes place and is Canada’s most beginner-friendly class I-III section of whitewater. Not far away are the Upper, Middle and Lower sections of the Madawaska River (including Hass Hole), a run on the Bonnechere River and the mighty Ottawa River – all within an hour’s drive of the Palmer Fest site.

CUKC usually has a small group of people get together to go to this festival every year and it is always a blast. Similar to the Banff Film Festival, the Reel Paddling Film Festival showcases the best paddling films of the year and the award winning films.

It is approximately a 3 to 4 hour show that takes place in a theater within the Ottawa area (usually something like the Bytown theater or the Glebe High School theater). Tickets are approximately $15, but may vary depending on the year. This film festival usually takes place in April.

If you are interested in attending, keep an eye on our emails in and around the end of March for information about how CUKC will be setting up attendance to this event. For more info you can also visit their Website.