Kayak Video Guide – Enns Obere Kummerbrücke (Upper 600) IV-V, Ennstal, Styria, Austria from Absolute Outdoors Strobl on Vimeo.

ATTENTION: The “Nadelöhr” rapid, which is shown on the thumbnail picture, might have changed in a bad way after the last 2 floods. The footage on the video is around 2-3 years old. As it seems, already 2 experienced paddlers got stuck in there and one even was sucked trough a undercut somewhere. REALLY scetchy – make sure you take the left line or take really good safety preparations.

THX TO: Kajakladen.com, Snapdragon, Sandiline

GENERAL DESCRIPTION (kajak-austria.com) (vboyz.at)

One of the best runs in the area, my home-run and an all time classic. Must-Run if you are in the area, it never gets boring.

Find directions to the put-in here:

mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=z1NsCyRjdUT0.k7uzIwBtiEHQ

My personal opinion about ww grades and water levels:

minimum level = around 10 cumecs. below is still runnable, but not too much fun.
10-30 cumecs = class IV-IV+
30-40 cumecs = IV+ – V-
>40 cumecs = V
>60 cumecs = holy moly 🙂

A good level to run it the first time is about 15 – 30 cumecs.

To check the level, drive up to the power plant (road on river right after the bridge), there is a electronic gage showing the cumecs. The line on the video stays pretty much the same until about 30 cumecs. Holes will get more of an issue than and will get really big above that. There are loads of hidden syphons and undercuts, so swimming is not really advised anywhere, especially on higher flows. On low water you have eddies in between, and it is more pool drop style.

Below the upper 600 meter on the video starts the lower section of the Kummerbrücke. It is more or less class III-IV, with exception of the “Hartelsgraben S” – a very significant rapid right after you paddle under the next road bridge. Scout this one. Lines are left or right depending on the level, or portage river left. There are tons of crazy eddies and cool lines on the lower, especially at medium water levels – so don´t miss it.

Take out for the lower:

Around 200 meter after the second road bridge on the right, or paddle down to the town “Hieflau”.
NOTE: Rivers and rapids change from time to time – please don´t take this as a 100% reliable source of how to run them.