White Water Europe: Book One North Alps

Rating:
Summary: A Good Guide for Europe
Review: Although there are other guides in different languages and several online resources, this guide provides English-speaking whitewater paddlers with the critical information they need to find the classics of the North Alps region.

The book features 60 classic runs for kayakers and rafters in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Northeast Italy. These are separated by region as the Upper Rhine Valley, Engadine, Landeck, Lech Valley, Haiming, Upper Bavaria, Kitzbuehel Alps, and Val di Sole. In addition to the main river descriptions, Knowles and Bandtock include brief descriptions of "lesser classics" and "other runs" which round out the paddling possibilities for those spending more time in a particular region.

The river descriptions provide a good overall summary of the character of each run, but the book is more than that and serves as a travel guide to whitewater paddlers with notes on each country and region targeted towards those planning a whitewater vacation. There are suggested itineraries as well as stories and historical background that round out the guide and make it much more than just a collection of river descriptions.