A Kayaking Guide to the Rosanna River
We are based high up in a small mountain village in the heart of the Austrian Alps. The Rosanna is our home river, a steep Alpine river with a reputation of continuous whitewater. It has 5 quite different sections from the Corsica style Upper Rosanna, the deep and committing Rosanna Gorge and of course the Classic standard section. After living by the river for the past 17 years we have got to know the Rosanna extremely well kayaking, coaching and guiding whenever it is running. Since we started the only Kayak School in the whole region we have been working hard with the Municipality, Tourist Association and the local and regional governments to make the Rosanna more accessible to kayakers with better information about the river and making the river safer for everyone to enjoy this classic Alpine river. Things do not happen quickly in Austria but we are hoping that we will see some movement in the project soon. In the meantime here is our short guide to the River Rosanna. Currently there is detailed description of the standard section and we will add more detailed descriptions of the other sections over the next couple of months.
St. Anton am Arlberg
Located on the far west boundary of the state of Tirol in Austria. St Anton is renowned for its steep slopes, abundance of snow and skiing. All over the world ski and snowboard magazines have published photos of St Anton draped in a blanket of white. In the summer however, the village is a lot quieter and has a more laid back feeling. With all the snow that fell in Winter makes the Rosanna River a great place to kayak no matter what your skill or technique level is. If you like the mountains and the idea of being in the outdoors then St Anton also offers, walking trails, trekking routes, climbing, biking. There are plenty of places to relax and chill throughout the valley and with restaurants and cafe’s all serving traditional meals and drinks. Finally the air is pure, the views are spectacular and the Arlberg welcome is second to none.
River Rosonna
The Rosanna River springs from the lakes below the Fädnerspitze which is around 2600m. As it starts its descent, it cuts a path through the Verwall mountains which contain peaks of over 3000m in altitude before finally joining the Trisanna River and forming the shortest river in the whole of the Alps - the Sanna. There are 5 distinct sections of the Rosanna ranging from Class 2 up to (and sometimes over) Class 5.
The Upper Rosanna is the first section. It starts above Lake Verwall and is steep in nature. This section has some fantastic drops and slides that can be compared to the classic rivers in Corsica. You will have to earn your drops by carrying in your kayaks to the put-in.
Below Lake Verwall is the Rosanna Gorge. A small and sometimes very steep creek set in a deep little gorge with difficult access. It is a serious undertaking and has had just a couple of descents. Steve, John and Andy made the first descent of the Rosanna Gorge.
From St.Anton until the saw mill in the village of St.Jakob the Standard Section of the Rosanna is a fast Class 3 Alpine river. There are few eddies and the first time you kayak it you get a feeling of it being harder than it actually is. This has a lot to do with the continuousness of the whitewater.
From the saw mill in St.Jakub past the village of Pettneu and onto Schnann, the second part of the Standard Section of the Rosanna is certainly more relaxed than from St.Anton. It is pretty much all Class 2 with the river still flowing quite fast but with more manageable rapids. Since the landslides of 2017 and 2018 there have been new eddies made between Pettneu and Schnann making this section easier for rescuing and of course catching your breath in one of the small eddies.
At the village of Flirsch there has been a dam built with the majority of the water taken away from the river and passed through tunnels in the mountain to the take-out of the Wolfs Gorge. Currently the Wolfs Gorge is still closed to kayakers and will still stay closed for the foreseeable future due to the danger of landslides and the unstable terrain around the village of Strengen! With the Standard section of the Rosanna seeing the most river traffic, here is a short guide on where to park, put-in, take-out and small description of the section.
Standard Section St.Anton - St.Jakob
From: Old Rendl Ski Lift Station
To: Saw mill in St.Jakob
Difficulty: Continuous Class 3
Gradient: Roughly 16.25m/1Km (65m over 4Km) 1295-1230
Duration: 40 minutes
Distance: 4Km (3.7km)
River Gauge: 210cm is the minimum level for this section.
Season: May through to first week of July. Also after heavy rainfall plus the season can be extended if it was a good Winter.
Logistics: There are ample parking spaces at the Put-in by the old Rendl Ski Lift next to the river. If you are heading out of St.Anton follow the road up from the roundabout then after 300m turn left and head slightly down to the car park. The Take-out at the saw mill is easy to spot from the main road in St.Jakob. There is a turning off to the saw mill close to the petrol station / MPreis-Shop. Make sure you do not block the access road when parking and it would be better to leave just one vehicle here so that locals also can park to take their dogs for a walk along the river.
The first thing is to work out where you are going to put-in. There is a small hydro project that has put rocks across the river. For 2020 they will still be there but from 2021 there should be a route made for kayakers to pass and enter freely again on the river right side. We put on here and meet everyone at the first eddy on the river left before you go under the bridge made for the ski pistes! The Rosanna starts with a bang and there is really no warm up. As you kayak under the bridge made for the ski piste, the gradient will pick up and so will the features. You will be punching through holes, running waves and the most important thing is to keep the kayak wave straight and maintain your momentum.
As you enter the rapid to go under the next road bridge you want to be far left, then the light will fade and you paddle under the road bridge that leads to the train station. The river continues past the village with a few more eddies on offer. You go under a lovely traditional wooden footbridge with flowers hanging down from the open windows. After the footbridge the river mellows slightly giving you a chance to catch your breath and check out the surroundings. While checking out the surroundings you will see the main carpark on the left side called Terminal East and at the end of the car park is the village bakery. This is your marker that within the next 300m the river will pick up again. You will notice that the trees on both sides of the river bank give a feeling of being closed in. The whitewater picks up with easy moves to make around a few holes before you come around a right bend and you will see the bridge where you may have stopped while driving to the put-in to scout the next drop!? The gradient continues and you will need to keep your focus as the following footbridge is your marker to tell you that in 200m you need to eddy out on river right and portage the small weir at the start of the saw mill. You can run the weir in high water but there are a few metal stakes that keep the rocks in place and are difficult to see. Hop back into the river just after the weir and then it is another 300m of fun Class 3 to the bridge where you can take-out or continue down the Class 2 to Schnann.
Good to know:
Paddle in small groups, we prefer 3-4 kayakers total in the group. This gives you more control over the group and you can keep a safe eye on your friends while kayaking. The eddies are small and there are not many that can hold a big group of kayakers.
If you are a little nervous, kayak the second part of the Standard Section from St.Jakob to get a feel for the river. It looks super mellow but it is really only when you are in your kayak do you realise how fast the river is flowing.
If it is your first time, scout the rapid just below St.Anton where the road crosses the river twice in quick succession. You will see wood and logs being stored by the side of the road and there is a place to park there.
Keep an eye out for wood in the Spring, if you are coming later in the season then check to see if there have been any landslides etc.
Don’t forget to at least have a beer or a coffee in one of the villages!
If you lose your kayak or paddle after a swim, please inform the Police (there is a station in St.Anton) as this will stop the water rescue getting called out looking for a swimmer in the river! If you kayak or paddle gets found then it will get reported to the Police and so you will get it back!
Standard Section St. Jakob - Schnann
From: Saw mill in St.Jakob
To: Schnann
Difficulty: Continuous Class 2
Gradient: Roughly 10.62m/1Km (85m over 8Km) 1230-1145
Duration: 1 hour
Distance: 8Km
River Gauge: 210cm is the minimum level for this section.
Season: May through to first week of July. Also after heavy rainfall plus the season can be extended if it was a good Winter.
Logistics: The Put-in at the saw mill is easy to spot from the main road in St.Jakob. There is a turning off to the saw mill close to the petrol station. Make sure you do not block the access road when parking and it would be better to leave just one vehicle here so that locals also can park to take their dogs for a walk along the river.
The Take-out in Schnann can be found on the left side of the road as you heading downstream after driving past the village of Schnann. You have to cross an old wooden bridge and park where the wood store is. Take out on the river left and just have a quick scout as currently there is not much of an eddy.
Description: Though the gradient has mellowed out from the section above it will still be a great paddle for Class 2-3 kayakers. After 300m you come to your first bridge which can have quite a strong wave that you will need to punch. If you are not too sure, it is just a short walk down by the side of the river on the right side to scout it. You then must keep your concentration and make the lines between the rocks and around a couple of holes. After a while you will notice the river start to mellow out a little and you will have time to check out the stunning snowcapped mountain tops and alpine meadows as you go with the flow. There are plenty of small eddies to take this section will really work the improvers and Class 2 kayakers on their timing. You may not get every eddy but the more you try the easier it becomes and so do the results! After you start to paddle past the village of Pettneu you will see a strong current coming in from the Malfonbach on river right. From here to Schnann there have been a lot of landslides over the past 4-5 years and so the river changes a lot. The gradient picks up again and with the help of the Municipality and local Government we have made some new eddies turning this section from Pettneu to Schnann into a more of a natural river rather than a purpose built canal!! By the village of Schnann there is a new rapid under the old road bridge, it can be tricky at high levels for Class 2 kayakers. Finally the river mellows out and it is just another 800m to your take-out on the river left. Though the river looks great after the take-out with some nice Class 3, you are not allowed to kayak further down!
Good to know:
Paddle in small groups, we prefer 3-4 kayakers total in the group. This gives you more control over the group and you can keep a safe eye on your friends while kayaking. The eddies are small and there are not many that can hold a big group of kayakers.
If you are a little nervous, check out the first wave below the bridge some 300m downstream of the put-in. Also it maybe worth scouting the final rapid at Schnann some 800m above the take-out.
Keep an eye out for wood in the Spring, if you are coming later in the season then check to see if there have been any landslides etc.
Don’t forget to at least have a beer or a coffee in one of the villages!
If you lose your kayak or paddle after a swim, please inform the Police (there is a station in St.Anton) as this will stop the water rescue getting called out looking for a swimmer in the river! If you kayak or paddle gets found then it will get reported to the Police and so you will get it back!
Check out a short video of the Standard Section of the Rosanna after a heavy Summer rain shower.