A look into the tight-knit community taking summer sports to the snow
Matt Shipley (He/Him) // Coordinating Editor
Ethan Woronko (He/Him) // Illustrator
“Anyone down to kayak the Capilano today?”
It’s a benign enough question. When the North Shore rivers are in—meaning that they have enough water flowing through them to be runnable in a kayak—members of the Vancouver Whitewater Club (VWC) are not a rare sight on the water. The catch, though, is that the rivers are only runnable after a considerable amount of rain, meaning that the North Vancouver kayaking season typically runs best from November to May. This particular message was sent on a frosty January morning.
“For those of us accustomed to wearing dry suits, it’s actually better to paddle in the winter than the summer,” says Dave Sitar, a longstanding member of the Vancouver whitewater community. “For safety on cold water rivers, kayakers normally wear a full dry suit with an insulation layer every month of the year—so it’s better to paddle comfortably in 5-15°C weather in the fall/winter/spring than roast in your own sweat in the summer when it’s over 25°C.”
Most rivers in North Vancouver and the Sea to Sky corridor are fed directly by snowmelt and glacier meltwater, meaning that they remain uncommonly cold year-round. While river users may not be planning to flip or swim, a drysuit could mean the difference between a fun day and a hypothermic one—even in August. However, wearing a drysuit in August is a sweaty, uncomfortable experience, while the same suit in December provides just enough protection from the cold air to be comfortable at all times.
Many cold-water enthusiasts simply enjoy the act of experiencing something few people ever do. “I did the Cap yesterday, and as I got into one of the big eddies about five rapids down where the big waterfall is on the river’s left. I noticed the beautiful icicles all over the canyon walls,” says Glen Backus, another regular North Shore river user. “I knew not to paddle under them as the temperatures yesterday were rising. Just as I was admiring the wall, a giant 20 foot by 10 foot ice chunk came off the side of the waterfall and crashed into the water in front of me, covering me with a wave. It was a magical experience that I wish I’d had a camera to catch.”
Advancements in cold-water gear technology have given a whole new meaning to the term “year-round sport.” Much of North Vancouver’s unique multi-sport culture stems from the need to switch sports as the seasons change, but that mindset is quickly shifting—especially in the water sports community. While historically, it took a die-hard kayak enthusiast to enjoy a frigid winter river run, today it is not uncommon to see upwards of ten paddlers dropping into the Capilano River canyon as snow blankets the city above.
“Once upon a time, we paddled the Cap in winter without drysuits or even dry tops,” reminisces Ray Robb, the VWC Trips Coordinator. “All we had were wetsuits, nylon jackets with neck and wrist seals using velcro (it was a cool new invention) and wore neoprene farmer-johns with wool gloves and toques—we hurried to get down the river before our feet froze too much to be able to walk from the river to our cars.”
The VWC oversees a thriving, welcoming community of paddlers both new and experienced. The club offers lessons for all levels, free practice sessions and a long list of river trips every season—generally from March to October. Through the winter months, they can be found on Facebook and seen in action on any river within fifty kilometers of Lonsdale Quay.
To learn more and get involved, visit https://www.vanwhitewater.com/