Canadi -eh? Clay’s Spring Fling by Will Richardson | May 23, 2005 | Whitewater | 0 comments May 23, 2005 Just back in from a whirlwind trip up to Canada after Cheat Fest, and while the infamous ‘Mini-bus’ had dropped out, I managed to find plenty of action. Stopped off to surf in Watertown on the way up and re-discovered how high the Super-star can loop! Crossed the border that night, then met up with Tom and Jane from the UK and Brian from CO in the Owl parking lot and hit the water with high hopes. But running the ‘Middle Channel’ proved to be quite a let-down that first day. Perhaps influenced by the late-night driving, finding the raft companies closed, and the frost IN my truck when I awoke – it just didn’t live up to the ‘big water play’ run I was seeking. At 11.5′ ponds separate small channels with small holes and waves and then Garvin’s appears and looks downright nasty. We walked, then played on down and were ferrying to the take-out before we knew it. So, off to the Gattineau! The famed ‘High Tension’ wave was in so we zipped up and found the big-water play run had been seeking. The run is short, but the huge green waves and punchy holes make the 2 hour trip from Cobden more than worthwhile. After several big rapids with great surf, the ‘High Tension’ wave appears: a 6′ wall of water curling into a diagonal hole so you can huck huge time after time. The surfer’s left shoulder is steep, green, and perfectly clean of chop or turbulence – it’s like a cross between ‘Corner Wave’ on the Ottawa and Skook in BC. The rib send you launching high so you can right blunt without touching your bow or Pan-am over into Silly Flips with ease. Dave N was throwing lefty Helix’s and Mcnasty’s while Billy Harris worked on his clean-spin to clean blunt combos. I tried out some Mystery Flips and regular loops and also caught an unintentional Lunar Orbit while trying a clean 720. So we stayed 2 more days. At one point, Ben built a fire right next to the eddy to keep us warm while waiting our turn. It wasn’t that the river was frigid, just that the sub-freezing nights in the trucks were taking it’s toll (you know it is cold when the dog-bowl freezes solid in the truck by your bed). Great river and a great place to hang out – camping at the take-out or put-in and restaurants in the nearby town serve dinner till midnight. Back to the Ottawa, we hooked up with a big group of ‘Locals’ and hit the Middle Channel again, this time at 8.5′. Still no big-water surfing, but the features had improved and it’s hard to argue with 4 loop spots and a sweet class 5 drop. The rope-like ribbons of water flowing into the ‘Dragon’s Tongue’ at Garvins is a sight to behold and paddling into them is a view to remember. At this level some turbulence in the landing made threading the two lower holes a bit tricky, but it all came out smooth and that view paddling in is certainly worth some extra time scouting and the setting of safety. After a brief stop in Watertown once again to log a little Super-star flight-time, I headed down I-81 and branched over towards Fayetteville, WV . . .where we pick up next issue. Clay High Tension, Gattineau River Cold day at high tension Keeney’s Accept Reality entrance shot Keeney’s ‘Accept Reality’ Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ