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Canoe Slalom

Canoe slalom is a whitewater canoeing discipline. Athletes race kayaks or canoes through numbered downstream and upstream gates as fast as possible; gate touches or missed gates add time penalties.

LevelVariant FamilyPaddlesports Family CategoryWater sport

AI-generated illustration: Canoe Slalom — AI-generated illustration

Classification

Category Water sport

Family Paddlesports Family

Level Variant

Getting started

Kurzbeschreibung Whitewater canoe/kayak racing through numbered hanging gates with time and penalty scoring.

Geeignet für Suitable for people who like water, technique, line choice and adrenaline.

Cost Moderate with club/loan boat; own boat and whitewater gear are much more expensive. Club fees, boat/loan, safety equipment, training and possible entry fees. Canoe club, slalom centre, whitewater course or youth group. Water safety and coach supervision are required, not optional.

First progress Basic paddling comes quickly; clean lines and upstream gates need feedback.

Fitness level medium to high

Was du brauchst

kayak or canoe
paddle
helmet
PFD
spray deck by boat
coach/safety

First steps

find a canoe club
learn paddling and capsize basics
paddle simple gates on calm water
increase whitewater only under supervision

Canoe club, ICF/DKV-adjacent slalom training, whitewater course or beginner course with loan boat.

Only with helmet, PFD, rescue plan, weather/water-level check and qualified support.

Weitere Angaben

Tags individual, team, water, kanuslalom, water-sport, canoe-slalom, paddelsport-familie, wassersport

Rules and format

Die Grundlagen

Ziel

Complete the slalom course through all gates in the fastest valid time.

Teilnehmer

One athlete per run.

Teamgröße

Individual start.

Spielfeld

Whitewater slalom course with 18 to 25 gates depending on rules/event context.

Dauer

Depends on format and event.

Wertung

Run time plus penalty seconds for touches and gate faults.

Gewinnbedingung

Best valid time, placing or score in the announced format.

Ausrüstung

kayak/canoe
paddle
helmet
PFD
spray deck
gates

Wichtige Regelpunkte

gate touch
missed gate
wrong direction
safety/equipment breach

Regelquellen

Federations and sources

Federations

International Canoe Federation
International Canoe Federation (ICF)

Canoe slalom technique and terminology International Canoe Federation · federation · high
Canoe Slalom Topend Sports · sport-guide · medium
Rules CanoeSlalom.co.uk · rule-guide · medium
Canoe Slalom International Canoe Federation · federation · high