PAUL VILLECOURT LOOKING FOR THE RIVER SENSE…

From his first paddle strokes in Bourg Saint Maurice, on France’s Isère River, Paddlesports have run through photographer Paul Villecourt’s life. Paul followed whitewater around the world and then spent over a decade documenting the adventures of others before starting Europe’s biggest open canoe festival. In 2017, Paul decided it was time again for an adventure of his own, paddling 1500+ kilometers across France in a canoe. We caught up with Paul on the occasion of the 9th edition of the festival to hear how the former adrenaline junkie now finds solace on the river.

Interview by Philippe Doux - Anna Bruno

Paddle World: You have been involved in Paddlesports nearly your entire life, beginning with whitewater. What led to organizing a canoe festival? “I love this idea: to live your life the way you really want; remember life is not all about working, but breathing and being happy.” Paul Villecourt: The first 20 years of my paddling experience were dedicated to fun and adrenaline. In 1995, at 24 (I’m 47 today), I created the first French freestyle team and managed what we called “the rodeo” in France. In 1997, I moved to Canada and started to work with lots of top paddlers, such as Corran Addison and Ken Whiting. All this time was fun, but when I became a father at 29, things started to change. During days spent on the river banks,…

You're reading a preview of

Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Paddle World magazine 2019

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.