Mission: Kanfestival 2007

By Billy Harris

I pulled into the parking lot of the Kananaskis and Scott Feindel was standing there with a smug look on his face. It had been 3 days of driving and at the end I was rewarded with Western Canada’s Big Drop maniac. Scott is a great guy but with me all round the most abusive human being I could have found. We traveled around NZ together creeking in 1999. Catching up we had a great time together, then it snowed. Coming from Africa and 30 degree weather I armed myself with snow balls realized that I was unprepared in may ways for the event and the weather. The Peg Boys, Winnipeg’s finest was out and paddling as well drinking like only “the Peg Boys” could. Making the campground for the Kan fest in a days time look like a tornado had struck as well as a snow storm.

The Kan event was everything you could imagine, a small mountain town close to a big city, huge crowds, free beer, thousands of prizes and I do mean thousands, silent auctions free clinics with Saskia from Paddle Perfomance, Scotty and myself plugged full of people wanting to try out boats, and learn more tricks for the season to come. Both of us love to teach, he’s and Saskia are two fo the best instructors I have ever met and we all love to teach. The whole event based around the idea of community and the community came out, other communitys came out from the outlying areas for it, Nelson Crew, Calgary crew, Prince George and a bunch of smaller others all came out. The Rolling rodeo was amazing, all the best of the west and a few easterners thrown into the mix of beginners and intermediates, everyone cheering everyone on. Survivor Kananaskis the following party moring and event involves standing in the river bed waiting for the fridge water to be turned on. Stupidity, the water was freezing. The idea to stand there in shorts until the last man or woman was standing the rest being swept away by glacier melt. People on shore sipping coffie made by the event Caterers chuckling at the stupidity unfolding below. The extreme race and the head to head was compete mayhem. People hacking and slashing their way down the race course fulfilling long time dreams of ripping and dipping friends and opponents along the way to victory. The Ball race was one of the finest. Teams of 4 no rules, boats bodys, swimmers, gear everywhere over a 2 KM stretch of whitewater. It took over an hour to recover everything including blown up balls and boats tossed into the river during on shore clashes. The unique thing about the event beside the hooting and shenanigans was the close knit group of people all looking out for and takeing care of the community. Event organizers doing an amazing job of getting everyone involved with small things that made up for a huge festival and a fantastic event. Nothing could have runs smoother, Clinics Packed, events full to capacity and if you wern’t in the water you were on shore drinking and helping out. A million thanks for everyone who encouraged me to come out for the event, and a special thanks to the kiddies at Undercurrents, Tony and Elliot and the rest getting me boats and Demo H20 paddles to me for the festival see you Monday night for the PK session and the staff paddle. I would just like to say my wife, as it turns out cartwheels like a champ now with thanks to Saskia’s instruction check out www.paddleperformance.com

Off to the Rocky Mountain House visiting shops doing clinics and creeking along the way. Check out the pics from the event.