OPEN CANOE FESTIVAL EVOKING THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE

Six years of Open Canoe Festivals on the River Drôme have revealed a strong, vibrant and truly international canoe-culture of independent tripping and journeying. Stretching from Denmark to Italy and from Spain to Austria – across the heart of where modern recreational canoeing began – this culture resonates with the aspirations of ordinary, everyday canoeists for freedom, self-reliance, adventure and discovery.

Words: Greg Spencer Photography: Philippe Bouvat, Julien Gontard and Paul Villecourt www.openc...

Elwood Blues: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses. Jake Blues: Hit it! Canoeists gathering ahead of “Le Grand Descente de la Drôme” commonly evoke the spirit of Jake and Elwood's classic road-trip adventure. As the clock ticks around to 10.30am, a few basics are checked – and it's time to be off! “La Grand Descente” is the heart of the Paul Villecourt's Open Canoe Festival – a remarkable, hugely atmospheric and truly international celebration of a pastime and an entire culture of adventure and outdoor living, all alongside the fast-flowing, emerald-green waters of the Drôme. In six short years, the Open Canoe Festival has contributed to, and heightened awareness of, a long-awaited “renaissance”…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Paddle World 2015

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