Emily’s Exciting Kayaking Adventure in Oetz, Austria!

Day 1 – The Warm Up

The first day was about waking up our bodies up and stretching our arms. Nothing too hard, a float was what we all needed. The lower Oetz into the Inn provided some beautiful class 2/3 kayaking and was the wake-up we all needed. 10km of rolling waves surrounded by huge mountains and to top it off the sun was shining. 

The afternoon came, and although feeling a little tired we headed up to the Upper Oetz. A section of the river that was bigger than the morning paddle, still big rolling waves but a little bit more to it, grading being 3/4. The harder grade meant more wiggling and finding lines was needed but still super fun and not too stressful. A section that we would end up paddling and enjoying most evenings of the trip, a section the whole group could enjoy. After we had found our feet, we could get more playful throughout the week. Huge kickflips, endless surfs, epic tailies and sweet eddy moves were all on the menu for the group throughout the week.

Day 2 – A Day of two halves

The group split off for part of the day as half went to paddle the Heiligkreuz on the Vent and the newly cleared Middle Oetz both grade 5. The first day of learning was that big rapids are pretty much always under bridges and are called ‘Bridge Rapid’, a theme was beginning to be set. The sections of rapids would be explained as: ‘It’s like the Glen but not as good’, ‘It’s like the Glen but smaller’, ‘It’s like the Glen but’… you get the picture. 

The rest of us went to explore a popular waterfall with a beautiful walk to its base. The groups rejoined in the afternoon for a lower vent lap. A super cool section of river slightly higher up the valley. A gorge section similar to many in North Wales, some could say like the glen but wider and not as steep. It looked intimidating at first but was really fun and flowy. More of a Welsh style of paddling - super fun, enjoyed by everyone. 

This was followed by the now expected Upper Oetz evening mega train. 

Day 3 – The next step

Day 3 was a day for stepping outside my comfort zone. One group headed to the upper Vent (Grade 4) and the other to Middle Oetz (Grade 4/5). The Middle Oetz is a section that had been done earlier on in the week, but it was the first time for me. This section was steeper, had more continuous rapids and some must make moves. 

Second river of the day, yes, you guessed it, back at the upper again. It's just too good not to, but This time there was more water.

Day 4 – The Rain Came

Waking up, I was not too sure how much water would great us after a night of heavy rain with no signs of it letting up, it was an exciting but nervous feeling. The last few days had been super sunny with the glaciers feeding the rivers. The rain brought a whole bunch of new options and challenges to the group. It was decided that some of the group were going to head off up the valley to explore some previously done sections in more water. The Upper Oetz was huge, full of BIG waves and crashing holes, plenty to catch you out. I could Hear the boulders grind and move under the water, occasionally seeing a splash from the particularly big ones that rolled. Scary but cool. Then onto the Lower Vent, high volume kayaking in a pinched gorge providing some world class alpine kayaking, tricky moves with minimal eddies, and fast water brought challenges but huge smiles to the group. This was why we came to Oetz. 

The other group went for a huge lap of the Lower Oetz into the Inn. A mix of Powerful water and massive waves provided a river play paradise.

Day 5 – The final push 

The last day of kayaking brought tired arms and sore heads but the hype for kayaking was just as much as day 1. The temperature had dropped noticeably overnight bringing more reasonable water levels to the valley’s rivers. 

A favorite from the trip was the Lower Vent, the cold weather bringing the level down to volume that the whole group could enjoy. We hopped on and had a great lap, knowing what was coming but meant could set up early and hit all our favourite moves. Looking around and seeing nothing but smiles confirmed we had made the right choice to travel to this beautiful valley.

A trip to remember. Full of good times, good people, and world-class kayaking. The Oetz Trophy will be on the 19th – 21st of September 2024.; we can not wait to get started training and planning next year’s trip. 

Thank you to Canoe Wales for supporting us on this trip. Also thank you to Lyndon Williams and Marieke Vogt for guiding us during our stay in Oetz, this trip would not have been the same without their input. 

Until next time 😊 

Photos: Aaron Kendall