You will be granted accesss to EWWS Easter Creeking Camp Corsica 2024.
Dates 30th March - 7th April 2024 CATEGORIES Creeking Trips, Teen Camps Tag creeking III - IV30/03/2024 07/04/2024
Corsica, France
Quim Fontane
Agata Sobieraj
Guest Coach
14 - 25 years
Marseille (MRS)
Airbnb Style
Class III-IV+, Creeking
10 spots
Corsica, the mountain island, is the first place in Europe where rivers fill with fresh snowmelt water in spring. The incredible geography and geology of the island have created a paradise for whitewater paddlers with countless creeks that drain from the high snowy peaks. This is an ideal destination for intermediate to advanced paddlers, as most rivers range from class III to class IV+.
The pristine water and unbelievable landscape are a treat for both the boat and the eyes. Most of the classic rivers offer amazing low-volume creeking with endless drop-and-pool and bedrock rapids. Corsica may remind you somewhat of some of the tributaries of the Sesia, although most of them will feel less alpine, and the pools between the rapids tend to be bigger. Nevertheless, there is plenty of action to be enjoyed, and some of the sections truly feel like an aquapark – we're talking, of course, about the Upper Golo, the Travo, the Fium Orbo... we have a long list of targets, and our mission is to tick off as many as we can!
FLY IN/OUT & PICK UPS -Fly in to Marseille (MRS) on the 30th of March, aim for your flight to land before 2:00PM as our ferry will be departing later on that evening from either Marseille or Toulon. We will pick everyone from the airport and head straight to the port. We will ferry across the Mediterranean and over to the island overnight, the night on the ferry is always a lot of fun.
DROP OFF – You'll need to book your flight back home departing from Marseille (MRS), aim to book your flight departing later than 4:00PM.
GAME PLAN
The night on the ferry, crossing the Mediterranean to Corsica, will be the first adventure of the trip. Honestly, it only adds to the magic of Corsica. You set sail from Marseille at twilight and wake up to the breathtaking views of the Corsican shores and snowy peaks the next morning.
Once we arrive on the island, we'll head directly to our accommodation in Campita, nestled on the shores of the Golo River and not far from Corte. After assigning rooms and unloading the vans and trailer, we'll start planning our first river excursion in Corsica, likely starting with one of the Middle or Lower Golo sections. This will give us a taste of what Corsica has in store for us.
Water levels will guide our daily decisions, but some of the rivers on our must-do list include the Golo, Asco, Tavignano, Vecchio, U Liamone, Taravo, and Fium Orbo. Our coaches possess extensive local knowledge of these rivers and understand the water levels and weather conditions in Corsica and will select the best options based on the conditions we encounter during our stay. The specific rivers and sections we explore will depend on the skill level and enthusiasm of the crew we assemble for this trip, but expect most of the runs to be class III+ to IV+.
The ferry back to mainland Europe will be on the 6th of April in the afternoon and the flight back home is to be booked for Sunday the 7th of April.
INCLUDES
✔️ Loco Parentis (24h supervision) from point of drop off until hand over or check in completion at return airport.
✔️ Ferry from Marseille or Toulon to Corsica.
✔️ Accommodation in an Airbnb-style accommodation - most likely the chalets of the Campsite in Campita.
✔️ World class, personalised, low-ratio coaching led by Quim Fontané, Agata Sobieraj & potentially another guest coach.
✔️ All meals included except one eat out and meals during travel.
YOU WILL ASLO NEED
➕ Flights, in case you need to fly in or out at the beginning and end of the camp.
➕ Your own kayaking gear. If you don't have a creekboat the EWWS has a complete fleet of recent models for rent. Boats can be rent starting at 25€/day. Available boats include; Rexy, Zion Slalom L, Black Jack, Scorch S, Scorch M, OG, Tutea...
➕ A suitable travel insurance.
➕ About €100,00 spending money.
AM I GOOD ENOUGH TO JOIN THIS CAMP?
To join this camp, you should be a competent paddler that feels comfortable on class III whitewater and have a reliable roll. Unlike other destinations, such as Val Sesia, Corsica boasts a wide range of rivers with varying character and levels of difficulty. Virtually every paddler can find sections that challenge their skills. This flexibility allows us to customize the week's difficulty based on the participants' levels. If necessary, we can also divide the group, ensuring everyone paddles at a level where they are being pushed but not overwhelmed. Corsica's diversity enables us to offer a trip that can be either gentler than the French Alps or equally as challenging as our spring camps in Val Sesia or our summer trip to Norway—it all depends on how sendy we all feel.
WHAT BOAT SHOULD I BE BRINGING WITH ME?
A typical Corsican river is a low-volume drop-and-pool creek, demanding continuous maneuvering around boulders, tight bends, shots, and slots. For this type of adventure, we highly recommend half-slices or stylized creek boats as our preferred choice for this adventure.
I DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT BOAT 🙁 WHAT NOW?
Not to worry, we can rent you a boat – We have a few Rexys, Scorches, Zions, Black Jacks, Tuteas, OGs and Queen of Hearts you can choose from. Let us know your body weight and dimensions and we will bring the one that will suit you the most. Rent starts at 25€/day.
HOW DOES THE ACCOMMODATION LOOK LIKE?
We will be staying in the chalets at Camping Campita, we've used these before many times in the past and they are very comfortable and convenient; spacious, good cooking facilities, lots of place to hang our gear, close to the river... just the perfect EWWS set up.
MY ENGLISH IS NOT THAT GOOD… IS THIS OK?
Can you think of any better opportunity to study English without even noticing it? Sessions will be run in English but in case you don’t understand or you have any questions, our coaches do speak French, Spanish and Catalan. Other Burners may be able to help you as well. Don’t worry, we will find the way to understand each other and your English will improve by the day!
WHAT KAYAKING GEAR DO I NEED TO BRING?
We are going creeking, this means that there are some pieces of gear and safety equipment we expect all paddlers to bring with them. On the first place you will need to bring a drysuit or a combination of drytop + drypants or drytop + wetsuit. You will also need a pair of grippy river shoes, a full-cut helmet and a river running lifejacket. Other mandatory safety equipment every paddler needs to have every time we go paddling include; whistle, throwline and river knife. Boats must have airbags! As rivers in Corsica are often bony we strongly recommend you to bring elbow pads.
Are you missing any piece of gear? Not to worry, the EWWS runs an online shop and we can sort you out - as an EWWS you can enjoy a 10% discount for most products of our shop.
WHAT SORT OF STUFF DO I NEED TO BRING WITH ME?
We will be sending out a detailed list with all the things you'll need to bring once we get close to the camp. However, in short you will need; sleeping bag, documents (ID, passport…), some pocket money, your favourite board game, a book, an open mind, lots of motivation…
HOW DO I BOOK MY KAYAK ONTO MY FLIGHT?
It is generally easy to book your freestyle boat onto most airline companies. However, some companies have length limitations that would exclude most creekboats. It is important to read the sport baggage policies of the companies you are considering to fly with before booking your ticket. Here is a quick breakdown of the fares of various popular airlines:
Ryanair - 35€ for the regular Sports Equipment, 55€ for a Large Sports Item. It is possible to check in up to 2 Large Sport Items per person per flight. The maximum weight allowed is 20kg, but you might be allowed to fly paying an additional fee of 11€/kg up to 32kg. In general quite a friendly company for both freestyle and creekboats.
EasyJet - The fee is 55€ and only one item per passenger is allowed. You can check in your kayak without problems as kayaks are amongst the items that are allowed on the airline's sports baggage policy. Up to 32kgs. Friendly for both freestyle and creekboats.
Eurowings - Up to 32kg allowed, it has a cost of 50€. Generally a friendly company for both freestyle and creekboats.
Norwegian Airlines - Max dimensions stated on website are 250cmx79cmx112cm. This is more than enough for any freestyle boat and borderline for most modern creekboats. Likely that they would not care about 20cm extra as width and height of the kayaks are much less than their max allowance. 32kg max. weight allowance makes it a good company to chuck your kayaking gear inside your kayak :).
Cost is very reasonable at 30GBP (if booked online) or 50GBP directly at the counter.
Vueling - Kayaks are not on the allowed item list, but surfboards are. You will most likely not have any problems convincing the employees your kayak is actually a paddleboard. The weight limit is 32kg and the maximum length 270cm, which is good for all freestyle boats and many creekboats. The cost is 45€.
Lufthansa - Kayaks are not on the allowed item list, but surfboards are. You will most likely not have any problems convincing the employees your kayak is actually a paddleboard. The maximum length allowed is 3,15m and the maximum weight is 32kg so this is a creekboat-friendly company. The cost is quite elevated, at 70 - 150€ depending if it's a domestic flight or an international flight.
Aer Lingus - Kayaks are not on the allowed item list, but surfboards are. You will most likely not have any problems convincing the employees your kayak is actually a paddleboard. The maximum weight allowed is 23kg and maximum length is 240cm, so freestyle boats are a go, but it is not a friendly company for creekboats. The cost is 40€.
Wizz Air - Kayaks are not on the allowed item list, but surfboards are. You will most likely not have any problems convincing the employees your kayak is actually a paddleboard. A slightly odd company as the price depends on the season and it's higher during the summer months and lower during the winter. Not the most kayak friendly company so better to be avoided if you travel with your boat.
We highly recommend that you book your sports equipment in advance to avoid higher fees in the airport check in, or even worse, finding out that the flight is full and not being allowed to bring your kayak with you on board.
Also, packing your kayak nicely in a bag or using a "sock" for surfboards will maximise the chances that everything goes smoothly and that you don't have any problems.
I AM UNDER 16 AND TRAVELLING ALONE. WHAT COMPANIES ALLOW U16s TO FLY IN THEIR OWN?
Ryanair - This company does not allow unaccompanied minors under 16 years to travel. U16s can travel only in case there is a responsible adult over 16 years of age.
Easyjet - This company does not allow unaccompanied minors under 15 years to travel.
Eurowings - This company allows minors as young as 12 years old to travel unaccompanied. Children between 5 and 11 can also fly if they are accompanied by a sibling over 16 years of age. The company also offers an unaccompanied minors service at an extra charge for passengers younger than 12 years of age. DIRECT FLIGHTS ONLY!
Norwegian - Maybe the best company out there to fly if you are an unaccompanied minor as they accept ages ranging from 5 - 15. From 5 - 11 you will need to contract the Unaccompanied Minor Service. This service is available but only optional from 12-15 and once your 16 you'll be considered an adult.
Vueling - This company allows minors as young as 12 years old to travel unaccompanied. Exception - Italian kids must be at least 14 to be able to travel alone.
Lufthansa - This company allows minors as young as 12 years old to travel unaccompanied. Children between 5 and 11 can also fly if they are accompanied by a sibling over 16 years of age. The company also offers an unaccompanied minors service at an extra charge for passengers younger than 12 years of age, although it is also possible to book for up to 17yo. DIRECT FLIGHTS ONLY!
Aer Lingus - This company allows minors as young as 12 years old to travel unaccompanied. DIRECT FLIGHTS ONLY!
Wizz Air - This company does not allow unaccompanied minors under 16 years to travel. U16s can travel only in case there is a responsible adult over 16 years of age.
REMEMBER: Some countries have specific requirements for any children under 18 years who wish to travel into, out of or within their country. You must contact the country’s embassy website or national authorities for more information before you make your booking, and commence travel as these requirements can vary depending on the country, and can change regularly.
1,395.00 €
If in doubt, please use the live chat in the corner to make sure the camp in Corsica, France is suitable for your age and experience.
