Recently, the first-ever Pink Water course in Squamish invited female paddlers of all skill levels to run the lower Mamquam River and building community connections.
Participants in the course started the June 9 morning on Alice Lake, with paddling drills and roll practice on flat water.
In the afternoon, the group moved to the Mamquam River, running the lower portion of the course from the Mamquam access site on the Mamquam FSR to the takeout on Government Road.
The results of the day on the water were a few swims – and a lot of smiles.
“I’m pretty psyched on the day,” said organizer Amy Whitaker, who is a member of Quebec-based Pink Water, an organization that aims to get more women into the sport.
“I hope that there’s this little community starting to build of us, and everyone is starting to make connections and realize what they can do in the water. We want people being confident and comfortable to do what they need to do to progress in whitewater, and find that support network to do so,” she said.
Around 12 women attended the day-long event. Skill levels varied from first-time or second-time kayakers, to experienced canoeists looking to try the sport, to more advanced paddlers and guides.
The Pink Water Community was started in 2013 in Quebec as a Facebook page to bring female whitewater enthusiasts together. The group is now a registered non-profit and host an annual event called the Pink Water Challenge.
Events across the country organized by members aim to grow the sport for women.
Gina Hill, who travelled from Victoria to attend the course and was new to paddling the Squamish area, said the course was really positive.
“I thought it was fantastic, I thought the coaches were incredibly supportive, there was no judgment, the girls were great. The feel for the whole day was exactly what I wanted,” said Hill.
“You really need someone to guide you in, it’s not really something you can safely jump right into. Having that support mentally and physically on the river is invaluable,” she said.
The course was facilitated by Waterflow, a Port Moody-based company that offers regular whitewater instruction courses during the year. The course was taught by instructors Whitaker and Ariana Andrews as well as US freestyle kayaker Brooke Hess.
While there are many high-level female athletes and guides in the kayaking community, the sport is still male-dominated. Pink Water allows women to focus on growing their skills, according to Whitaker.
“I recognize the value of female only learning environments. There is a reason that all these ladies showed up today, most likely we all have similar values,” she said.
“The sport, like society, is not yet equally gender balanced but the river doesn’t make a distinction between genders,” she said. “Anyone can get into whitewater, have fun and progress. The more we can empower women to get on the river the closer we will come to having more ladies on the river. The river has given me so much in my life and I want to share that passion with others as much as possible.”
