Hello everyone,
Nature has decided to play a few tricks on us this week!


Due to heavy rainfall, the Drôme River is in flood and unfortunately won’t be navigable for canoe descents as originally planned. But no worries — we won’t let that spoil the party!

The Open Canoe Festival is still happening, and we’ve put together an awesome backup program for you.


Most of the workshops will be moved to a nearby lake, so you can still paddle and learn new techniques with our 35 instructors.
There’s enough space for everyone on the lake, and you’ll be able to sign up for sessions directly on site.

The safety workshops (throwing techniques, rope handling, etc.) will go ahead as planned.

And that’s not all! Lots of land-based activities await you: talks, conferences, demos, screenings…
Many of these were already on the schedule — only the river workshops will be adapted.

Remember: the OCF is led by top canoe-tripping specialists, all eager to share their skills and passion.

In short, everything’s in place for a fantastic weekend, even without the river — especially with the weather set to improve!

The atmosphere will be just as great, the paddling community will be there, and the spirit of the festival stronger than ever: adaptability, friendliness, and a shared love of canoeing.

Thank you for your understanding and your enthusiasm.


We can’t wait to see you this weekend — don’t forget your Canadian flannel shirt!

— The OCF Team

Here's the program for the 2025 workshops. Please note that you will have the choice of 10 additional workshops (themed descents) offered during Sunday's grand descent. These “Grande descente” workshops will also appear in the “river workshop registration” e-mail sent out on Monday April 7.

Remember that registration for the “ground workshops” takes place at the Festival (and not online as for the river workshops).

Click HERE to download the PDF.

Workshops: how it works.

The workshops can be in French, English or both at the same time! There are more than 100 workshops in 3 days proposed in 3 main families:

• Technical canoeing for Beginners (level 1), Intermediate (level 2) or Advanced (level 3).
• Safety (rope techniques, unpinning, first aid…)
• Canoe Culture: including many of the topics described above.

By taking part in the OCF, the idea is to do a practical workshop on the water adapted to your level. Each participant is entitled to two on-water workshops during the weekend.

Registration for the workshops is in two steps : one part online (email sent on April 7) for the river workshops and one part on site (at the Festival) for the workshops on the ground.

Click HERE to download the PDF.

WATCH OUT!
We'd like to draw your attention to a dangerous rapid at the village of Aouste sur Sye, 3 km downstream from Gervanne Camping (Mirabel and Blacons).

PORTAGE OBLIGATORY!
DO NOT GO TO THE RIGHT WHERE THERE ARE SEVERAL TREES IN THE WAY = DANGER!
AS SOON AS YOU SEE THE CHURCH, AIM FOR THE LEFT BANK, STOP AND PORTAGE!

We haven't been able to cut down any of the large trees that stand in the way.
The lower the level of the Drôme, the more dangerous the passage.
BE CAREFUL!

Pre-registration emails for the river workshops will be sent to all registered participants at noon on Monday 7 April.

Remember to check your SPAMS!

If you have not received anything after 7 April (midday), please contact us by e-mail, giving your ticket number and booking name.

See you soon in the Drôme!

When you register at the OCF, you will have to indicate your level of practice: beginner, intermediate or advanced. It is not that simple. Read this article carefully before registering.

The OCF's team of instructors counts 30 coaches, including some of the best specialists in Europe. They all know that OCF participants have difficulty qualifying their technical level. Very few participants consider themselves to be beginners, when in fact they are! This can result in groups with very different technical levels, which we want to avoid.

Therefore, to determine your level, we invite you to ask yourself the following questions which are valid for all types of boats (tandem or solo canoes, inflatables, kayaks, packrafts…):

Level 3/ Advanced:

• My partner and I master boat edging when eddying in and out, regardless of the strength of the current.
• We master the techniques of back steering and bow rudders.
• We know how to stop precisely in a chosen eddy line.
• We can read the river and its dangers.
• We are autonomous in our recovery technique in case of capsizing.

Level 2/ Intermediate:

• My crew does not always master the canoe edging while eddying in or out in all current strengths.
• We do not always master the techniques of back steering and bow rudders.
• We do not always know how to stop precisely in a chosen eddy line.
• We do not know how to read the river and its dangers completely.
• We are not always autonomous in our recovery technique in case of capsizing.

Level 1/ Beginner:

• Beware, just because you have done the Ardèche (or other tourist classic) does not mean you are no longer a beginner!
• My partner and I do not know how to make a ferry, an eddy in or out, or a stop, or we do not know what it is.
• We do not know how to read the river from a canoeist's point of view, even if we have done some kayaking.

Jamie Barnes' film « A canoe Perspective » sums up the values of the Open Canoe Festival perfectly. It will open the Festival on Friday, April 18, 9:30 p.m. under the Tipi.


Finding purpose, identity and perspective through canoe expeditions… In May 2022, British adventure filmmaker Jamie Barnes travelled to Scotland with Canadian long-distance canoe paddler Martin Trahan. They aimed to paddle a small but formidable route, but a series of tribulations made their expedition even more challenging. This film documents their journey whilst exploring the reasons why canoeing is more than just a form of recreation but a way of finding purpose, identity, and perspective in an ever-changing world.

« Canoeing trips are all about the basics. Stripping away the things you don’t need and taking only the essentials. Paddling. Portaging. Camping. Fighting headwinds and enduring cold, wet weather. Marveling at the landscape while being challenged by the terrain. All are part of what makes these trips special and beckon us to go back for more.

Our modern lives can sometimes make us too methodical, and analytical. But the flow of nature doesn’t work like that; the wind and the water are ever-changing and do not conform to the plans we make. Canoeing teaches you to let go and be more present in the moment. »
Jamie Barnes

A film not to be missed. Opening of the Open Canoe Festival, Friday, April 18, 2025, 9:30pm, under the big tepee.

The Open Canoe Festival's 2025 lottery promises to be a memorable one! Our partner Destination Rivières is giving away an 7-day canoe trip to Swedish Lapland (excluding travel). How to win? Register with OCF to enter the grand prize draw.

Canoeing adventure on the Lainio älven: the boreal river and you...

July 27 to August 3, 2025.

The Far North, just a stone's throw from France! For 7 days, we'll be paddling in complete autonomy on the Lainio älven, one of Lapland's most beautiful rivers. Winding through the boreal forest, also known as taiga, the Lainio älven awaits us with its grandiose landscapes, arctic fauna, calms and rapids. Perhaps the river will offer us one of its salmon to make the evening's bivouac even more memorable. Whatever the case, we'll be in good spirits!

Environment and spirit of navigation

Lapland is Europe's far north. Lapland is home to the ancient Sami people and their transhumant reindeer herding. Lapland is the taiga and its pine trees as far as the eye can see. Lapland is the midnight sun and the northern lights. Lapland is a land of pristine rivers. Lapland is another world, just a stone's throw from our own.

If the mere mention of the region's name sends a thrill down your spine, don't hesitate: we suggest you discover it by canoe. We'll be canoeing down the upstream section of the Lainio älven, a dam-free river that flows all the way to its mouth at the Baltic Sea.

You'll return home feeling relaxed, with a change of scenery and a wealth of new skills. Let yourself be tempted. You won't regret it.

Take a look at the slideshow of our July 2024 itinerary on the Aby älven in Swedish Lapland.

You'll be guided by Aurélien Rateau, a qualified river guide (BP JEPS CKDA), experienced naturalist and experienced expedition organizer.

Destinations Rivières will also be offering one of its two-day technical river courses.

Subscribe to their Youtube channel!

https://destination-rivieres.org

You were expecting a canoe that is both very light and very durable... Esquif has done it!

Esquif made a big splash back in 2015 with the development of T-Formex, the successor to its cousin, the now-defunct Royalex.

Since not all paddlers necessarily need the extreme durability that traditional T-Formex offers, Esquif now presents, for part of its range, canoes in the T-Formex Lite version.

The weight reduction is primarily achieved by optimizing the various layers that make up the T-Formex. The arrangement and shape of the reinforcing layers (stern, bow, bottom, etc.) have been reworked. At the same time, the hardware components have been redesigned to further optimize the weight savings. The result: canoes that are 15 to 20% lighter! A real revolution!

Learn more:

The Esquif canoes in Lite version offer nearly identical durability to those in T-Formex Expé (the name of the other range) and a weight as light as Kevlar/carbon canoes.

For flatwater models, only the Lite version was justified: the Adirondack, Huron 15′, 16′, and 17′ will only be offered in Lite. The Prospectors 15′, 16′, and 17′ and the Miramichi 18′ and 20′ will only be offered in Expé version in 2025.

Finally, the Canyon, Pocket Canyon, and Prospecteur Sport are available in both versions.
Which version should you choose for these?

It all depends on your use:

If you plan on whitewater runs or expeditions where you can’t afford damage? The extreme durability of the T-Formex Expé will meet your needs and give you the confidence to face extreme conditions.

If you plan on solo portages or flatwater use with your children? The lightness of the T-Formex Lite will meet your weight expectations while offering a level of durability superior to anything available on the market.

Refer to the table to make your choice:

Come discover the new Esquif models in T-Formex Lite at the Canoë Diffusion booth at the 2025 Open Canoe Festival!

Canoë Diffusion and Esquif : first sponsors of the Open Canoe Festival.

The emblematic brand of inflatable canoes and kayaks GUMOTEX joins the main sponsors of the Open Canoe Festival! Numerous test boats will be available, and as always, several workshops will be dedicated to inflatable boating.

The OCF 2025 will also be an opportunity to showcase plenty of new products from Gumotex, including the new Scout, already a legendary boat, as well as new color options!

French distributor :

Becky Mason inherited her paddling skills and deep love for canoes from her father, the legendary canoeist Bill Mason, author and filmmaker of the Path of the Paddle series. She carries on the family tradition by sharing her passion for canoeing through a variety of avenues, including paddling instruction, filmmaking, writing, workshops, demonstrations, and slideshow presentations. In addition to her work in the paddling world, Becky is also a visual artist with over 30 years of exhibition experience in both public and commercial galleries, as well as studio tours.

In her role as an ambassador for the sport, Becky is also a Paddle Canada Instructor-Trainer and a Patron of Paddle Canada.

Becky resides in Chelsea, QC, with her husband, Reid McLachlan, where she continues to teach canoeing on Meech Lake. 2025 will mark the 38th year of her Classic Canoeing paddling school at the lake. Connecting with paddlers from all over is important to Becky, and she and Reid have traveled extensively throughout Canada and the northern U.S., presenting at a wide range of venues. Additionally, they’ve toured Europe and the UK three times, teaching and sharing their love for canoeing, its skills, culture, and heritage.

Becky has directed, produced, written, and starred in two award-winning instructional videos: Basic Classic Solo Canoeing and Advanced Classic Solo Canoeing. In 2009, she played a key role in revising the Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Manual and presented at the launch of the updated program. She remains an active Paddle Canada Instructor-Trainer and takes great joy in mentoring the next generation of paddling talent emerging through the organization.

Whether she’s enjoying a quiet paddle on a local creek, embarking on an extended wilderness adventure, or skating and skiing on the beautiful Gatineau River near her home during winter, Becky is at her happiest when she’s on the water.

Becky’s husband, Reid McLachlan, is an accredited Paddle Canada instructor for both flatwater and moving water. He is a passionate canoeist and also a talented visual artist, specializing in drawing and painting.

Becky and Reid are excited to be part of the 2025 Open Canoe Festival, where they will share their canoeing expertise. For the first time in OCF history, they will offer workshops in the Canadian canoe style on flatwater, alongside tandem canoe workshops and a special conference on Bill Mason’s canoe heritage.