Info

First of all, we are striving to create events that feel welcoming to people from as many walks of life as possible. Regardless of your gender identity, sexual orientation, racial identity, physical ability, culture, religion, age, socioeconomic status, or even whether you use one or two blades, whether you sit or kneel, and whether you paddle a kayak or canoe with an open or closed deck, we want you to feel welcome paddling at our events. We will not tolerate any discrimination, derogatory language, or derogatory behavior. To help balance historical inequities in sports, we have adopted an equity policy that will provide extra opportunities for participation. See the equity policy tab below for more details. 

For the Harvie Passage XL, we need you to feel confident paddling grade III+ to grade IV whitewater and be able to roll your kayak very reliably. You will want to have the desire to toss your playboat around on some dynamic play waves. If you can teach us how to throw a Helix, we would greatly appreciate it, but that's not a requirement. If you are worried that all you can do is spin, you have our assurances that we will go out of our way to cheer you on. If you don't want to compete, you can still paddle in the expression session. If you are under 18, you will need the signed permission of your guardian to participate and you must be turning 14 in 2023 as a minimum. Our safety team may exert discretion to prevent people from participating if they are believed to pose a risk to themselves. It all boils down to this: respect the river; be honest about your abilities. 

Harvie Passage XL will be hosted during what is traditionally the high water season in Alberta. The Bow River is controlled by a number of dams to mitigate flood risk, which lessens volatility in the flow rates. We will be running the event in the left channel on whitewater that deserves respect and is rated grade III+ to IV. There are three waves that are suitable for our freestyle competition. Each has a different prime water level, which gives us a large window of acceptable flows. The water level will determine what wave is used for the competition. The competition feature will be selected on Play Day and announced at the competitor's meeting. 

There will be two parts to the day:

1. Expression Session - Saturday AM

This is a formal open jam. Paddlers will be divided into heats and given an allotted time frame to be on the water, which will be announced on Friday after registration (and posted on our website here: SCHEDULE). There will be music and good vibes, and we hope to encourage participants to push themselves and be creative. Our judges will be loosely watching and will give recognition for memorable moments like big tricks, fun crashes, style, improvement, etc.

2. Wave Competition - Saturday PM

The competition will be run in the style of International Canoe Federation (ICF) RULES and APPENDICES with some variation (but never stricter). The exact details will depend on registration numbers and water levels. We are planning to run the competition as a final. This means each person would be allocated 3 rides (see EQUITY policy for details regarding the women's category) and rankings would be given to reflect the single highest-scoring ride. More details will be given at the competitor's meeting on the morning of June 17th. 

There will be two events to register for: Female and Open. 

Female 

This event will be protected for all folks who identify as female or otherwise genderqueer and wish to compete in a fair environment championed by feminine energy. 

Note: If you register for this event, we also invite you to compete in the Open event for an additional fee. If you choose to compete in both, you can decide whether you would like to use the score from the same rides towards both events, or if you would like to compete again with additional rides. This must be decided by Friday the 16th at registration. 

Note: 15 spots will be reserved for folks entering this event from around the start of May till May 28th, after which these spots will be available for anyone entering either event on a first come first serve basis. 

Open

This event will be available to everyone. 

Location

The event and spectating will be on the river left on the last drop (drop 4) of the large channel at Harvie Passage. It will be some walking distance from the designated parking locations and it is recommended that you bring a bike or skateboard for traveling to and from vehicles and washrooms.

Sustenance

The location of the event does not have food or water provided nor is it in proximity. Please plan accordingly to provide yourself with proper nutrition and hydration for the full day of events.

Cleanup

Pack in and pack out. Reducing trash and recycling is an important part of keeping our environment clean and healthy. It is important to pick up any litter that is not our own, as it can cause harm to wildlife and the environment. We should also strive to leave the area cleaner than we found it, by picking up any trash that has been left behind by others. Reducing our waste and disposing of it properly is a great way to ensure that the environment is kept in a healthy state. By taking the time to reduce, recycle and pick up any garbage that isn't our own, we can help make a positive impact on our environment.

Washrooms

Paddlers can access portable washrooms on the river right in Pearce Estate Park adjacent to the right channel. For spectators, we are presently working with the city to have close and accessible facilities for the event use, but with the close proximity to protected areas, the logistics it is proving difficult. It is recommended you bring a bike, skateboard, or some kind of rapid paved path transport.

Parking

TBD - check back in as we are working through our event permit. 

Pets:

1. Pets are welcome at this event as long as they remain on a leash at all times.

2. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pets during their stay.

3. Noise control is expected from pet owners to ensure a pleasant experience for all.

4. Pets must remain under the control of their owner at all times for the safety of all attendees.

5. At no point are pets allowed in the competition area.

Spectating is free. There will be good viewing on the river left shore adjacent to drop 4. Please bear in mind that the river might be flowing high and fast so it is critical to stay back from the water's edge. This site is accessible via the Bow River Pathway just upstream of Blackfoot Trail. Please check the Venue tab for more details. 

If you are not from the area, this is a great time to come explore the plentiful paddling opportunities in the Rocky Mountains and East Kootenay Mountains in British Columbia. Get connected with some of us from the local paddling scene for the best experience and advice. Some highlights to look for in mid-June: 

• Kananaskis - the local classic play run, has some great play features for wave and hole boating.

• North Saskatchewan, Brierlies Rapid - This is an excellent park-and-play feature that is a powerful, but clean hole for throwing large aerial tricks. 

• St. Mary's - an excellent grade III play run in southern Alberta if we are blessed with high water. 

• River Running - Alberta is a wonderful destination for intermediate paddlers looking to get out on fast-moving continuous grade III and IV whitewater in the springtime. 

• Grade IV and V creeking - Runs like Cataract, Cameron, Boundary, Bighorn, and Red Earth all offer high-quality whitewater for experts

• Kickinghorse - At high water, this run has been compared to the North Fork of the Payette

For more information, check out the links below. 

Please check back in for more info. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP, to help us plan. We will contact you when we make significant updates. We will continue to update this website as we get around to it. If you have any questions, please send us an email at admin@albertaplayboaters.ca and we will do our best to help you out.