The Kananaskis River is the centre of recreational and competitive whitewater paddling in western Canada. Built in 1984 by the Alberta Whitewater Association it has been renovated every 5-10 years since. The Alberta River Surfing Association added the Mountain Wave in 2014 with major reconstruction in 2019. The river is now used by thousands of people each year in all whitewater forms of recreation, including: canoe, kayak, surfboard, SUP and raft. The economic impact is in the hundreds of thousands per year.
Since the 2013 floods water flow management on the river has changed significantly. Peak flows are now overtopping the original design parameters yearly, leading to major rock movement and degradation of features
During
the next river enhancement we will be adjusting existing features like
Santa, Point Break and Green tongue to make them work better, as well
as hardening eddies and features in the race course so that the
new-normal flows won't negatively effect their stability. Here's the
scope of work to be accomplished.
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With a $150,000 facility enhancement grant from the Alberta Government secured and $60,000 in community funding, we are now $50,000 short on the river enhancement portion of the next Kananaskis River improvement project.
Adjustable River Wave (sub-campaign)
Your contributions will go directly into engineering and construction of the improved whitewater opportunities for all!
The Kananaskis River is the whitewater recreation hub for western Canada. With one excellent surf wave, many fun whitewater features and a permanent race course, the facility has been the lifeblood of whitewater canoe, kayak, SUP and river surfing in Alberta since it was built in 1984.
With all the growth comes a need for a high quality wave feature. We have researched, modelled and designed an adjustable wave that can be changed between surf and freestyle modes.
After 6 years of new-normal high peak flows since the last flood reconstruction, the rest of the river is in need of rehabilitation and upgrades. We will be increasing the robustness of the race course, Chubbys, Point Break, and Santa features, to name a few. The facility remains free to the public and all of the research and engineering will be non-proprietary, so that the technology can be shared widely and encourage more waves around North America.
We recently received a $150,000 CFEP grant from the Province of Alberta and have raised $60,000 from individuals, businesses and other organizations. We are now $100,000 short of the total expected cost of both the river enhancement and adjustable wave completion. Donate overall, or choose a sub-campaign here:
Kananaskis Adjustable River Wave sub-campaign ($50,000)
Kananaskis River Enhancement sub-campaign ($50,000)
Your contribution will allow Albertans to enjoy one of the premiere natural whitewater parks for years to come!
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