Welcome to the Women’s Whitewater Weekend! We’re so excited to host this event again in Jasper July 25-27 2025 and we’re looking forward to a wicked gathering of ladies!
After a setback in 2024 with our weekend being cancelled due to active wildfires, we are excited to head back to Jasper – as the usual group campground was lost to the wildfire, we will be camping at Whistlers in Loop #9. This year the event will return to its roots with the focus of retention of women in whitewater sports, this means we are not offering courses or runs which are suitable for new paddlers this year.
We are limited by the Campground rules with a maximum of two cars and two sleeping units per site so we are asking people to carpool and share sleeping units as much as possible. We encourage ladies to use the Facebook group to find carpools!
**update** All our camping sites are now full. If you would like to book your own site, you can go to https://reservation.pc.gc.ca/ to reserve your own campsite. We are booked into Loop 9 at Whistlers from 25-27 July.
2025 Participation Options:
- You can attend as a volunteer lead for river runs, volunteer as a sweep/safety, or attend as a participant (and you can mix it up all weekend!)
- Optional Friday familiarization run(s) for volunteer leads and sweeps to learn the rivers
- Intermediate to Advanced Peer Led River Runs on Saturday & Sunday. In previous years we have offered Sunwapta, Magline, Fraser, Athabasca, Whirlpool, Mystia - sign up will be on the weekend itself.
- Peer Led SUP River Run of the Athabasca on Saturday afternoon
- Intermediate Level Rolling in the River Group Run: Opportunity for intermediate level kayakers who are already proficient in a pool setting or semi-confident on a river a chance to practice river rolls during a peer led river run on the Athabasca River on Saturday morning. Please indicate your interest below so we can get an idea on numbers. Spots will be limited, and sign up will be on the weekend itself.
All women, transgendered, and non-binaries are welcome. Please don’t register or attend if you’re a cis male.
Comments and notes to registrants:
- You must be an AWA (Alberta Whitewater Association) member to attend this event. You can become an AWA member directly for $15: https://www.albertawhitewater.ca/individual-membership or join your local club that’s affiliated with AWA: https://www.albertawhitewater.ca/find-club
- You will need a National Parks Pass to attend the event.
- Refund policy: a full refund will be provided for cancellation notice by July 12, 2025. July 12th. After that there is a 20% cancellation fee retained.
- To participate independently over the weekend, you must have the ability to self-rescue on a class II river. Other paddlers will assist with rescues when possible, but you are always the person primarily responsible for your own safety. Paddlers must be able to eddy in and out on class II and should have a minimum experience of 20 days paddling on moving water (if an experienced paddler has invited you to attend the event with them, and they are taking responsibility for you, then you are welcome to attend with that person). The organizing committee hopes to expand our course offerings next year, but we do need more volunteers to make this happen. So if you are a newer paddler and want to participate next year – come volunteer with us!
- Most of our participants will be in kayaks and SUPs. You are welcome to bring a different craft as long as you have the minimum skills listed above.
- If you are a wheelchair user and want to participate, please contact coordinator@albertawhitewater.ca prior to registering. AWA owns a trail rider which could be made available at the festival.
