Swirling currents and rapids provide thrills in Switzerland, as paddlers embrace adventure against the backdrop of scenic waterways.
After weeks of river running I was itching to get back in my playboat again, especially with the World Cup fast approaching. Our travels took us northwards in Switzerland to the picturesque town of Bremgarten close to Zurich. Bremgarten is well known for it’s two river waves with the upper popular with kayakers and the lower with board surfers.
The river level was quite high which unfortunately meant the upper wave wasn’t at its best, however, it was forming a nice hole. For two days the hole stayed at a constant level which was good for training and learning the feature. I spent a lot of time working on Mc Nasties, which although the feature wasn’t perfect for were coming along ok. Cartwheels, cleans and splits were also being worked on in various combinations.
After a heavy nights rain we awoke to see the river had risen almost a metre overnight which was bad news. The upper wave was completely washed out, however, the lower wave had steepened which meant it was now possible to surf in a kayak. The wave wasn’t the greatest and required constant work to retain on it but was good for quick spins and small blunts. We decided that with all the rain we’d be best leaving the area and heading to our next destination – Austria. Bremgarten had been fun though and its definitely somewhere I’ll be returning to.
Your next reads
