CdB Whitewater Paddling Club

Safety First

The best thing we are known for at Coureurs de Bois paddling club (CdB), is watching out for each other! We are very, very safety conscious, and always take care of our own and everyone else we see in trouble. However, please be advised that the CdB is not a teaching club: we ask that you have at least a one week paddling course with an Accredited Paddling School, or equivalent, before you paddle on the river with us. You are responsible for your own safety, equipment and river knowledge on all trips. Any paddlers under 18 are the responsibility of their parents or guardian. Every paddler is responsible for having a current membership waiver signed.

Brief History

Coureurs de Bois is a paddling club founded in Ottawa in 1981 and is steeped in the rich tradition of our ancestors, the Coureurs de Bois, who roamed the "First Highways" of our country, our rivers, in their canoes! We have members who are Slalom paddlers, Open boaters, C-1'ers and of course Kayakers. We are one of the largest clubs in Ontario, with over three hundred members and counting.

Type of White Water We Paddle

We paddle the easy stuff, the hard stuff, and in-between stuff. We paddle creeks, rivers and we attend paddling festivals. Some of our members even compete in white water rodeos, like the Level Six Ottawa Cup (and win!). Some of our members paddle almost every day in the summer time, and some even paddle almost every day year around, cold weather and all.

Pool Sessions

We have winter swimming pool sessions for members to practice their roll, learn flatwater tricks, or just splash around.

Annual Events

The CdB organizes paddling/social outings throughout the year: Palmers Weekend on the Madawaska River in May, Newcomers' Day on June 14 on the Ottawa River, and the Beast Feast in August on the Gatineau River. CdB members attend many big and small paddling festivals, so you can usually find someone to carpool with to save gas money and the environment, all at the same time.

The regular paddling season starts in May on Thursday evenings at Champlain Bridge, where we practice our rolls, our surfing skills and catch up on the latest paddling gossip. We surf the small play waves by the wall and the bigger ones in the in the middle of the downtown Ottawa River. You are most welcome to join us there, if only to say hi! Just ask for CdB paddlers, and we will be glad to explain to you what we're all about. Afterwards, we always go to Whispers restaurant on Richmond Road, for some "après-paddling" snacks, refreshment and some very tall stories…

Peer Paddling Advice at CdB

We can offer advice on many paddling related topics, boats, equipments and river running techniques. We have members who can suggest to you which line to run and more importantly which line noth to run...That's the advantage of paddling with paddling peers that have accumulated so much experience on the river.

Environmental Aspects and Diversity of CdB

The CdB is a very environmentally conscious paddling club and we donate to river conservation projects, as well as practice leaving no "trash footprints" when we leave a river. Many of our members are bilingual. We boast a membership from all over the world, Australia, England and Germany, to name only a few countries...

Other Social Activities

Of course, our main activity is paddling, but we also go camping, skating and skiing in the winter time, some of us even go indoor rock climbing. Many of our members have developed lasting friendship outside of paddling. What we are and what we do is have fun together! I think you will find everything you need at Coureurs de Bois.

Membership

Our membership fee is $15 a year (single or family), which includes access to our forum (a trip organizing discussion board), discounts from outfitters, and deals from kayak schools. If you want a family membership please have each paddler complete an application form/waiver.

A great club to join!

Cheers,

Paul Potvin
CdB Exec Member of Public Relations and Marketing