Moving Water Canoeing with TRIPS!

There are lots of great moving water canoe opportunities in the Thompson River Basin for all ability levels. And TRIPS is a great place to learn these skills and to connect with other paddlers in the region who want to play in white water.

Beginner river paddling skills can be learned right in Kamloops on the South Thompson River where we typically paddle out of for our weekly evening paddle sessions.  We do suggest that new club members participate in out Learn ton Paddle Series and our Introduction to Moving Water Clinic at a minimum since even the river in town can have significant current at certain times of year.  This will be useful for beginners to learn for many of our day trips to local easy river sections including parts of the North Thompson and the lower reaches of the Shuswap River.

For river trips on slightly more challenging sections of moving water such as the Hefley Creek Rapids on the North Thompson, or the Thompson River from Savona to Ashcroft, taking an RCABC Basic Tandem or solo Moving Water course is recommended but our Introduction to Moving Water clinic may suffice. Ask the trip leader about your experience.

For those who want to attend harder river trips in class 2 and 3 white water, such as the Adams, Similkameen, or Nicola, or Clearwater Rivers, at least an RCABC Advanced MW course is recommended. For true white water trips of this nature specialized personal equipment is required such as a white water canoe made of a durable plastic construction, full floatation, a wet suit or dry suit, a helmet, etc.

More information on the rules and risk management is available in our Club Policies and on the RCABC website. Please contact our executive if you would like more information on moving water canoe training. You should also get a hold of the trip leader if you are unsure whether you have the right training and equipment for any scheduled moving water trips.