Italy / France Team Trip part 2: The Guil

Our next target on the Fluid Team trip was the Guil. The Guil seemed to be a popular summer destination for Europeans paddlers. With great scenery and solid intermediate to advanced paddling I could see why. We paddled two sections of the Guil the "Combe de Chateau-Queyras" and the "Combe de l'Ange Gardien", which I'm told means "Guardian Angel Gorge".

The first section was very unique, with an old French castle perched high above a narrow gorge. The spot was a major tourist attraction with castle tours, rafting, and some cool canyoning in the gorge below the castle.

Looking out over the Guil River from high on the hill just below the castle

The Guil River with the castle high above the gorge

The Castle

The Gorge

Canyoning in the Gorge

Paddling towards the bridge and narrow canyon

Celliers Kruger in the Gorge

Fluid Team Paddler: Val Grollemund

Looking back up the Gorge

Celliers and David below the Gorge with the castle in the background

A nice boulder garden below the Gorge

 Val Grollemund

Fluid Team Paddler: Hugh De Preez

Val Grollemund paddling through a very tight spot. This was a sketchy rapid and would have been a mandatory portage at higher water.

After paddling the Upper Castle Gorge and the rapids below it we continued downstream to the Guardian Angel Gorge section which had more great rapids.

The Guardian Angel Gorge didn't have any castles perched above the canyon walls but it provided great whitewater and solid scenery!

 Guardian Angel Gorge

Hugh De Preez

Fluid Team Paddler: David Arnaud testing Fluid's new creek boat the "Bazooka"

Val Grollemund

 Hugh De Preez

 Val & Hugh

We were stoked on the late summer paddling that Paul and Val turned us on to in the Durance River Valley.  The French Alps are a worthy summer destination for intermediate to advanced paddlers and provided a awesome testing grounds for the prototype Fluid creek boat we were testing "The Bazooka"!

Check Back Soon For Part 3 of the Italy France Team Trip!