{"id":26458,"date":"2022-01-20T10:00:06","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T18:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=26458"},"modified":"2022-01-18T17:55:51","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T01:55:51","slug":"home-waters-anne-stevens-and-the-rivers-of-austrias-tyrol-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2022\/01\/20\/home-waters-anne-stevens-and-the-rivers-of-austrias-tyrol-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Waters: Anne Stevens and the Rivers of Austria’s Tyrol Region"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paddling can be about adrenaline or relaxation. It can be about solitude or teamwork, about exploration or transportation. But no matter what paddling means to an individual, putting a paddle blade (or two) in the water is special because it engages all the senses. Rivers are alive and they make us feel alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m on my home rivers, I hear<\/em> the roaring of glacial water and the rumble of rocks tumbling along the riverbed,\u201d says Anne Stevens about the fast and powerful rivers of Tyrol, Austria. \u201cOn hot summer days when the levels are juicy, I taste<\/em> sediment in between my teeth and I feel<\/em> the icy water that is so cold it cools the air around the river. I see<\/em> a seclusion that contrasts the populated and developed surroundings. And\u2026I feel<\/em> pretty damn grateful to live here!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo: Huw Butterworth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anne has always lived near water, as she grew up on the coast of the Northern Sea in Emden, a small town full of channels and waterways. \u201cToday, I would call all the rivers around Innsbruck my home waters\u201d she says. \u201cI love the Brandenberger Ache the most, I work on the Ruetz in Stubai and I probably paddle the most on the \u00d6tztaler Ache.\u201d She has been living in Innsbruck for almost 10 years and was first introduced to whitewater through her local kayaking club on a trip to the Inn River, another one of her local favorites. \u201cThat’s my first memory of the area,\u201d she says. \u201cI would come back often to kayak, and years later I started working as a raft guide here. Then I went to university in Innsbruck and\u2026 just never left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Innsbruck is the fifth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the southwestern state of Tyrol. Mountains, peppered with ski resorts and crisscrossed with rivers, surround the city. The Inn runs through the city giving it its name, which means \u201cbridge over the Inn.\u201d Located less than 200 kilometers south of Munich, Innsbruck is less than an hour\u2019s drive from both the German border to the north, and the Italian border to the south, and is known for its skiing, whitewater rafting, historical attractions, and an all-around hotspot for mountain sports.<\/p>\n