Argen - Eistobel Gorge
The week before Christmas the temperatures rose and it rained a bit. So the forecast was promising. I tried to gather some motivated kayakers which wasn't that easy to find a couple of days before Christmas Eve. Some had to go to work, others had exams at college and there even were those who don't want to go kayaking if the temperatures are around the forties (°F = 5°C). Anywho I found at least one guy to join me, Philipp Much.
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Argen forecast[/caption]
Philipp is a young gun from the Munich area and absolutely motivated at any conditions. We started one day before Christmas Eve and had an impressive flow of 152 cm, usually you run this section at a gauge if 80 cm.
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Boofing the weir at the beginning // Max Eberl[/caption]
At a normal flow run the entrance weir on the very right. In that case it is more or less a slide. But a higher flows you need to run it a bit more left, so that you are jumping from 2 meters directly to a concrete surface which is slightly covered with water. My body pitched to the deck of my Remix when I landed. Just after that concrete slide you will find a big stopper…
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The hole after the weir // Philipp Much[/caption]
Both, Philipp and me had a deep dive at that point and got spit out like a rocket. My sprayskirt (no it was not a LevelSix sprayskirt) popped in that whole and my boat got flooded. For me there was no chance to catch an eddy so I had to run the next rapid without scouting and with a slightly maneuverable boat. It went out good but anyhow it was my first swim in 2011…so close to the end of the year. The Barrier Drysuit did a good job and kept my ass dry and warm.
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Some slide in the middle // Philipp Much[/caption]
After some time there is the big slide. For Europe it is one of the bigger ones and pure fun.
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Big slide on Eistobel // Max Eberl[/caption]
I ran first and Philipp second. Then Philipp got the idea to perform a Blue Angel run. Awesomeness :-D Check the video.
Even if I had a swim, I would say it was the perfect pre Christmas day. Thx to Philipp.
Sorry for the poor sound quality…
Cheers,
Max
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