Drau (Race Course)
| Stretch: | Leisach to Lienz |
| Difficulty: | Class II |
| Distance: | 1.8 miles |
| Flows: | 50-100+ cms. Check "The River App" |
| Gradient: | 53 fpm average |
| Put-in: | Bridge in Liesach |
| Take-out: | Bridge in Lienz |
| Shuttle: | 4.2 km (5 minutes one-way) |
| Season: | Spring through Falls |
| Written: | © 2016 |
Austria & More 2016: Day 6 Afternoon
After the Isel Gorge, a coffee & gelato break, Ali (Reiner's wife), Reiner, Jim and I decided to go run this section of river. Reiner has participated in an extreme triathlon on this section that included paragliding, mountain biking and kayaking. The section had a nice slalom course to go along with the surprisingly nice scenery. You are in the city basically, but the mountains that surround you are spectacular and will keep you entertained.
Speaking of the triathlon though, Reiner related to us a somewhat ironic story about the previous year where one of the paragliders upon coming into the stadium to land managed to hit the ambulance that was parked there in case of injury. Apparently the person was badly injured so that part isn't funny. But there is still something humorous and ironic about someone crashing into the people who were there to help in case of injury. I think so anyways.
That night, we headed over to a pay campground at the take out of the Huben section of the Isel. The campground was right next to the water, had a wonderful meadow next to it with views straight up to the alps. They also had wifi, a bar, and a shower. We ended up staying the next two nights here, making bbq together and sharing in each others company. That coupled with the warming weather resulted in these few days being one of the best stints of the trip.
For reference, we had 67 cms which felt like a nice mediumish (maybe a little on the lower side) flow.
Thanks to Harald and Reiner Glanz for sharing photos and for making the trip possible!
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Mi 0.0:
- Boogie (II). The first bit is just some nice little boogie. Great to work on your eddy catching and ferrying
- Slalom Course (II+). The hardest section also has a slalom course. You are able to make this section as hard or as easy as you want.
Boogie (II). Just some nice mellow boogie...
- Ledge (II+ to III-). Right at the take-out is a ledge that you will want to take care with. Far left or far right seem to be the best option. Dropping in the middle would likely result in a swim for a class II boater.
Take-out: From the bridge over the Isel on Tiroler Str. (B100) in Lienz, continue South West for an additional 750 m before turning left onto Amlacher Str. Cross the Drau and immediately turn right going past some tennis courts. Park on the right. This is take-out
Put-in: Go back the way you came, and then turn left onto Tiroler Str (B100) and then left at the roundabout after 600 m to stay on it. Continue for an additional 2.3 km to the left turn on Leisach. Follow this for 650 m just past the soccer fields and park at the warehouse. This is put-in.
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