Harvie Passage was designed to take the death factor out of the weir and to also boast a playground for white water enthusiasts within city limits, which not many other cities in North America have. River left, class 3 rapids, is where you see on any given day experienced kayakers hanging out doing their thing. River right or the “Granny Passage” is rated class 2 and meant for the less experienced, but it is still a class 2. Someone may call me on it, too lazy to look it up, but I’m pretty sure that there are no stretches anywhere between Bearspaw and the Zoo that are more than a class one (which most casual Calgary weekend rafters are used to) so even a class two could be challenging for the more” relaxed” rafter. It would require you to be aware and be sure that you have all of the necessary tools, such as paddles, a raft that is better than a dollar store special etc. The raft that flipped in this case had taken river left. That, along with the fact that the river is high and dangerous, as it is at this time every year, didn’t help. Respect the river and wear a life jacket.. oh and if you are too drunk to figure out your right from left, you should get off of the river asap (not saying that alcohol was involved in this case, but just saying)
|