Guest Blog - Molly, a day of kayaking on the River Lech
A Day on the Lech
Happy Faces at the take-out of the River Lech.
St Anton is heaven; that’s all there is to it. The views and variety of terrain provide a joy and a challenge for me as a skier in the winter and a hiker/trail runner in the summertime.
I had never been paddling before I met the kind people at Kayak Arlberg, and my teachers were so patient and thorough. After the week-long “Zero to Hero” Beginners Course, I learnt so much from gaining my balance to controlling the kayak and then heading to the river to work on the skills needed to be a confident whitewater kayaker, by the end of the course I also learnt to roll and could eddy-in, and eddy-out like a little duck!
Since taking the Zero to Hero Beginners Course, when I am back in St.Anton I now hire a guide from the Kayak School Arlberg and we kayak on the River Lech for the day.
A typical day with Kayak Arlberg for me starts with an amazing breakfast in my lodging at Piltriquitron: Soft boiled eggs; yogurt with granola and fresh local mountain fruit; a selection of rolls; and a charcuterie board for breakfast sets me up for a good days kayaking on the river!
The Kayak Arlberg van picks me up after breakfast and we drive over picturesque mountain passes where you will see the “locals”: grazing Tyrollean cows and sunbathing marmots, before the winding road continues along the deep gorge and finally down into the Lech Valley.
We unload the van, suit up, and enjoy a moment of stillness while the van goes to our pick up point. Then we shove off! We have times of calmer water when we talk about the challenges ahead, then paddle-paddle-paddle into the rapids. We practice ferrying across at places in the river where the power of the water matches the experience level of the kayakers.
At lunch time, we eat our packed lunches on a sunny river bank with a gorgeous 360 degree view of the pastures in full bloom and stunning mountains. I like to share treats and stories and exchange my Strava account info before packing up and shoving off again.
When a particularly difficult section approaches, we eddy-out, climb up on a rock, and talk about the best ways to approach it. We plan a line, paddle-paddle-paddle, and ride the waves, cheering each other on. It is great to be able to paddle the rapids of the River Lech knowing that my Kayak School Arlberg guide is leading down the line and keeping a watchful eye on me incase I flip over.
After a great days kayaking we head back over the mountain passes to St.Anton am Arlberg. I love talking to my hosts in Piltriquitron about my experiences kayaking and look forward to seeing some photos of me in action later in the week.
What I love about the day on the river is that everything has been organised, planned and taken care of. I can use the modern kayaks and fantastic kayak equipment that is included in the days guiding and of course I feel in very safe hands with the fully qualified instructors and guides that work at the School.
A day on the Lech is better to be experienced than to read about it.
See you out there!
Molly Q
Molly comes a couple of times a year to St.Anton am Arlberg. She first came for the skiing but then realised that the Summer is not just as good but even better! We enjoy taking Molly out for a few days on our local rivers and she is great fun to kayak with.
The Zero to Hero Beginners Kayaking Course is a fantastic way to learn the fundamentals of whitewater kayaking and to become confident enough to return year after year to the river with a guide. It is a great day out and you get to see the area from a very different perspective, the mountains look more impressive from the river and the alpine meadows are just stunning.
Follow the link to find out more about our: Zero to Hero Beginners Kayaking Courses