Hello ,

Summer has kicked off and it is the season of festivals and paddling adventures! It was a slow start, but high water finally graced us with some of our favourite creeks still running in July! Our clubs have been keeping busy and we are happy to have 6 summer staff helping out around the province as part of the Canada Summer Jobs grant program.

Festival Updates

Brierlies Festival and Competition June 24-26

The Brierlies Fest was a weekend long event with whitewater competitions at the Brierlies rapid on the North Saskatchewan River, with the event based on the island next to the rapids. There were 20 competitors and 35 attendees participating in SUP, freestyle and extreme slalom throughout the weekend!

This event was hosted in collaboration by Alberta Slalom, Alberta Playboater's League, Rocky Canoe Club and CANRVRSUP with support from Badfish SUP. The 2022 Alberta Whitewater Race Series is supported by AQ Outdoors & Kootenay PDL.

Sundre Paddlefest July 1-3

Sundre paddlefest was lots of fun and hosted around 65 paddlers for the Canada Day weekend. It was held at the group campsite at Sunset Guiding and organized by the Bow Valley Kayak Club.

The Red Deer river was a great level around 95 CMS. Lots of big waves, ledges, and holes to enjoy! It was great to see so many paddlers attend!

Women's Whitewater Weekend July 8 - 10

This years Women’s whitewater weekend was focused on playboating as 20 ladies ventured to Rocky Mountain House for some sweet surfs! The weekend took place at the Brierlies rapid on the North Saskatchewan river with Brenna Kelley providing tips, tricks, and instruction for the group!

They would like to thank the following organizations for their support: Alberta Playboaters, Baker Creek Resort, Paddle Alberta, Aquabatics, and author Mark Lund.

2022 Canadian Whitewater National Championships

The AWA is excited to host the 2022 Canadian National Whitewater Championships from July 30 to Aug 7! We are looking for participants, volunteers, and spectators to hype up the events and to help showcase our whitewater facilities at the Kananaskis river and Harvie Passage!

All AWA members are welcome to register to compete. Registration is $50 for a single event or $150 for the full Nationals week (includes registration in multiple events, food on Aug 6 and a t-shirt!)

Subsidized camping is available at Canoe Meadows (Individual/family; daily/weekly) for the duration of the event and we are inviting all AWA members to join us – whether you are participating or not!

Want to be involved but don't want to compete? We are looking for volunteers to help out with all events throughout the week. Volunteers will be entered into a draw for gift cards from Aquabatics and Jaylife 13 drybags! Sign up here

Single event registration

Full event registration

Camping registration

General Information

Member-at-Large board position open

We now have a Member-at-Large position open on the AWA board. This is a great introductory role to be involved with the AWA as it is a general position. Are you interested in helping support the growth and development of whitewater sport in Alberta? Please send expressions of interest to: president@albertawhitewater.ca

We want to thank Doctor Lee Green for 4 years of service on the AWA Board! His thoughtful public health advice was particularly valuable during the pandemic and his wilderness first aid courses are legendary. We wish him well on his sabbatical and look forward to seeing him on the water often!

Canoe Meadows Campground

REMINDER – AWA members receive a 10% discount on the individual campsite bookings at Canoe Meadows in Kananaskis! There is still availability many weekends throughout the summer. Please input the discount code at the time of booking on the website. Discount codes are sent out with your AWA membership confirmation email, or email admin@albertawhitewater.ca with any questions.

If you visit the Kan, you'll soon meet Brandon, Candice and Kristin, our 2022 Campground Hosts. When not supporting the facility, they can be found running Bow Valley SUP.

BOOK CAMPING

Kananaskis Fundraiser Update

AWA and ARSA are continuing to fundraise for the 2023/24 facility upgrades and maintenance of the Kananaskis river. We've raised around $9000 this spring, on top of $13,000 from the winter, towards the final $100,000 needed for the wave and rehabilitation. Thank you to everyone who has already contributed!

More Project Details

We are continuing to collect donations and the government of Alberta will be matching all donations until the end of August.

How to get a Tax Receipt & Match your donation

Donate now through Alberta Sport's Donation Fund Program to get a tax receipt and the government will match dollar for dollar. (max $1000/donor) Choose 'Whitewater' and 'Facility Development'

All Kananaskis donations will be used only for Kananaskis Project. We will recognize all donors equally because we know that everyone's love of the Kan goes beyond people's net worth.

Please consider: How much does the Kananaskis mean to you?

DONATE NOW

Events

Our clubs have something for everyone!

2022 Calendar

2022 List

Anytime - Alberta Virtual River Race League - CKC

Race on just about any river in Alberta for a chance to win!
Specific favourites like the Elbow, Sheep and Kan will be hotly contested

July 22-24 - Toby Creek Race CANCELLED

Unfortunately due to unseasonably high water, we have had to cancel the Toby Creek Race. Read the full statement from organizers here.

Jul 29-Aug 7 - Canadian Whitewater National Championships, Kananaskis

This multi-discipline event based out of Canoe Meadows will be the first time all of AWA's competitive disciplines are combined. We hope to see lots of cross pollination of athletes, volunteers and spectators. Hosted by AWA, ACPA, ABSL & APL, it will include polo, slalom, extreme, freestyle, downriver & SUP

August 13/14 - KanFest - CKC (rec, freestyle, creek, ++)

NCCP Leadership Courses List

Scheduled NCCP courses around Alberta. Need something different? contact us.

Youth Programming List

For further information contact - admin@albertawhitewater.ca

New Commercial Members

We have two new commercial members:

Bow Valley SUP and Surf out of Canmore

Kelsey’s Caravan - Adventure Hostel out of Cochrane

Commercial members are businesses interested in collaborating with the AWA. Please consider supporting these local businesses for your adventure needs!