Welcome to the 3rd edition of the French Alps Packrafting Meetup.
May 1st (Monday) – May 8th (Monday) 2023.
Durance Valley, Hautes-Alpes (05), France
Join the meetup, register now.
This event is not affiliated with a particular brand or business. It’s a volunteer-run, low-key event with the aim of meeting new paddling partners, discovering new rivers, developing whitewater safety, improving boating skills and raising money for river conservation. None of the activities/workshops presented at the packrafting meetup are mandatory. However, we very highly recommend participating in the safety-related ones.
Participants will have the possibility to take part in an optional rescue course if enough people are interested. A one-day day course which covers the basics : swimming in white water and river hasards (+150€). We very highly encourage people with no knowledge of safety to take part in the one-day course. If you are interested, answer “YES” in the registration form. More info : here
Use the menu to find out more.
We invite all participants to carpool to the event in order to share the cost and reduce our carbon footprint. All this can be done via the Facebook event page.
/!\ All participants must come with :
– A whitewater specific helmet (no bike helmet nor climbing helmet),
-A whitewater specific PFD,
-Neoprene suit OR dry-suit,
-A pealess whistle
Event overview :
Date :
The event will take place from Monday May 1st (public holiday) to Monday May 8th (public holiday) 2023.
Participants are free to come and leave any day of the event.
Location :
Near Briançon, in L’argentière-la-bessée, Hautes-alpes, France. (more info in the “location” tab).
How can I contact the organizer :
Email : maxence42mtb@gmail.com
Who is this event for :
The event is open to everyone with or without previous packrafting experience. Paddlers must be at least 18 years old.
How do I register :
You can register for the event by clicking on the “register now” tab at the top of the page, or by clicking->here. Please, register as early as possible.
What is the goal of the event :
The goal of the event is to gather packrafters from around the world, create bounds, develop whitewater safety awareness, improve packrafting skills and talk about packrafting !
Is this event free ?
No. To facilitate the logistic, it is essential that we know precisely who is coming to the event. Therefore we require all participants to make a donation to “Save the blue heart of Europe“ an non-governmental organisation working diligently to preserve rivers in Europe through environmental studies and campaigns. After the event, the exact donation will be made public. The registration fees do NOT cover your stay at the campsite and will have to be paid to the campsite on arrival. The organiser DOES NOT earn any money from the event.
What should you bring :
Your personal camping gear and Packrafting equipment.
/!\ MANDATORY :
– A whitewater specific helmet (no bike helmet nor climbing helmet)
-A whitewater specific PFD
-Neoprene suit OR dry-suit
-A pealess whistle
Who is responsible for my safety ?
Nobody is in charge of YOUR safety. Even though some participants have extensive knowledge of safety, is it CRUCIAL that paddlers are honest about their paddling skills and DO NOT rely on others for rescue. You will be in charge of your own safety at ALL TIMES. A rescue course is organised during the event. If you would like to take part in it, answer “YES” in the registration form.
Are there any Whitewater shops near by ?
Yes, there are 2 shops in the Valley. One being at the slalom section in Saint-clement and another one a few kilometers from there.
Which rivers will we paddle on:
The main river is the durance, floating right next to our campground. However the valley is filled with rivers such as : the Guil, the ubaye, the guisane, the fournel, ranging from class II to V. There are also two slalom sections and two small lakes nearby.
This event is voluntarily run by me : Max Clemencon. I was one of the organisers of the European packrafting meetup in Slovenia (link to the 2023 edition : here) and decided to create a 2nd packrafting meetup in 2019. The goal of the event is to unite the packrafting community, create friendship, improve boating skills, develop a culture of safety in whitewater and bring awareness of endangered rivers. None of the activities/workshops presented at the packrafting meetup are mandatory. However, we highly recommend participating in the safety-related ones. I also run a packrafting blog for beginners : packraft101
Packrafting Meetup in the French Alps 