Harvey's Passage

 

You would think living in the Albertan metropolis of Calgary it would mean, pollution, traffic, hypsters and drought, well you would be right about most of it, however they have recently invested millions into creating a white water playground for the large kayaking population residing in the most populous place between Vancouver and Toronto.

Although my season was vastly occupied by creeking and river running I managed to get down to this white water creation, Harvey’s Passage, to kayak with some friends while they taught a freestyle clinic on the weir. We managed to get this place while it was receding from high flood which meant we got to surf a wave, yes a wave in the middle of Calgary.

Although some of these features have been created to form some aggressive features it leaves a lot of room to practice everything from spins and front surfing to tricky-whu’s and airscrews. Be ready for the fire department to stop by as this whitewater parc. Is located directly to the west of a main highway, and a majority of commuters think we are drowning.

Check out Alberta Freestyle on facebook and Calpaddle.com for any info you need to paddle in this area.