Here we are
I’ve been invited by two friends of mine, the kayakers Piero Linda, kayak teacher and Alpin Action kayak shop owner, and Beppe Caramella, who have decided to paddle the Vjosa River, southern Albania, from the Greek border to the Ionian sea.
The river trip will be in
complete autonomy and we are going to use the Dagger Katana kayak model, the
most suitable for this kind of river trip.
The reason why we decided to make
this experience is mainly due to the fact that the river flows into a wild,
unspoiled and wonderful area for more than 280 km and because the Vjosa River
is at risk.
Infact it has been planned to
build 4 big dams, that would cause the whole distruction of the nature
the ecosystem, the biodiversity, the tourism and the prospective of an
economical development.
Especially considering that this
valley offers a lot of river activities, hiking, horseback riding and
mountain biking that are valuable economical resources for the territory.
Recently a group of kayakers from
Slovenia and another from Montenegro, went down the river to attract
attention on to this issue by involving local people and through a
petition which was then provided to the Albanian Ministry.
We just want to try to
strength their message and enjoy (hopefully not for the last time) this
amazing landscape.
The
first part of the way down is the most challenging phase as there are
rapids up to grade IV in high water, and then the river decreases in terms of
trouble and grade, but it still offers two canyon before it becomes flattened
at the estuary.....ComingSoon......
Have a good paddling - Gigi
Text: Gigi Codinotti Team ALPIN
ACTION
Pictures: Pietro Linda
The paddlers:
Gigi Codinotti
Pietro Linda
Beppe Caramella
Roberto Cavaliere
The boat: Dagger Katana Crossover! Dagger Katana - Dagger Katana Test
