What is Red Bull Recon?

For years the white water community have talked about the under rated and untapped white water in the province of Quebec, Canada. Over the last four years I’ve done short ‘scouting’ trips that have since culminated in this 2 month journey of exploration – the “Red Bull Recon”.

During the months of May and June, our team of paddlers, photographers and cinematographers have set out on Red Bull Recon to explore and document what the area has to offer. The team includes the likes of Steve Fisher, Tyler Curtis, Ben Brown and Dan Campbell. The trip, documented by Scott Lindgren Productions, will soon be seen in upcoming TV shows and documentary films.

The area has some of the best and most diverse paddling in the world - huge waves, waterfalls, creeks and some of the biggest rapids we’ve ever seen – so big that it sometimes seems an impossible task to run and document them – but that embodies what Red Bull Recon is all about. If these rivers have until now been considered unrunnable, it’s up to us to figure out if that’s true or not. There are times when we have to walk away but we’ve found plenty of opportunities to step up and push the limits of what is possible in a kayak. We’re discovering new places and doing new things, all right on the doorstep of North America.

We’ve often had to get creative in accessing rivers with the use of seaplanes, personal watercraft, ATV's and bushwhacking of note. Our days are long, hard and exciting, but it’s all worthwhile each time we make a small mark in kayaking history.

We’re primarily looking for first descents but are also looking to surf numerous big waves that have never been surfed before. A lot of the time we’ll be working together with Quebec’s best local paddlers - guys like Vince DuPont, Dominic Chapeau, Pat Levesque and more. It will be key to take advantage of their local knowledge and run some of the best known rivers and drops before adding to their list of accomplishments.

To me it’s all about being pioneers - breaking new ground and discovering. Whether it’s trying new moves on a known wave, surfing a new wave, running a new waterfall or trying a new filming technique on a well known fall - it’s all part of what Red Bull Recon is about.

Steve Fisher