Boo-urns Ellen!
Just to point out what I said earlier (purely because I buried it in a maze of other stuff), the normal Alps window is right after exams, up to the end of June (as long as you want to go for).
Unless you just want to go to Slovenia, but you don't just want to go to Slovenia, the paddling isn't amazing (although I think it's possibly the nicest place generally to be in).
OOh, I guess a quick description of the places.
France - Briancon region.There are a few places to base yourself, but around Briancon is the most popular.
There's a good variety of rivers in terms of difficulty, they tend not to have the relatively unspoiled charm of Italy or Slovenia though. Food/drink is shops is pretty cheap, but eating out is expensive. Contrary to common perceptions, French people are lovely. This incidentally is the place that the Alps "Bible" is based around, but it's probably worth keeping in mind that it was written a while ago. While you're here why not take a trip up to the nearby hamlet of Bouchier. Many people each year pilgrimage to this settlement that was founded with the sole intention of worshiping me.
Italy - Val SesiaPaddling wise, this place is pretty fucking awesome. It's got just the kind of rivers that a lot of the people going will be looking to push themselves on. That said, the options at the lower end of the spectrum are more limited. Generally very nice. Eating out is fairly cheap, shops ok(cheaper than Ireland anyway). The water is crystal clear and it's got the kind of paddling that I just love.
The only is that aside from paddling...there just isn't all that much to do. It's definitely my favorite, but if the water levels aren't playing ball, you might just go crazy. Look out for the smelliest dog in existence; his name is "Argo", but he won't come when you call him, only just after you've made food.
SloveniaLovely place this; it's like stepping into middle-earth...but without the orks. Paddling wise it's impossible not to talk about the water. It's beautiful. It's like paddling in mouth-wash for the whole time you're there. The paddling isn't the most challenging, but if you're willing to look for it then there's definitely spots where you can really hone your skills. I guess that you could sum up the difference in character by saying that somewhere like Italy forces you to make your best moves, while Slovenia doesn't, but if you want to make gnarly moves, there's loads of potential for it. Generally very safe and group-friendly paddling (siphon-canyon aside), it's a great spot for a very club-orientated trip, or as a warm-up. Unusually, you cross the border from Italy and the bugs just double in size and exponentially in number - this isn't really troublesome, but kind of fascinating. Eating out here is reasonable and food in shops is really cheap. Fuel was also comparatively very cheap when I was there, I believe that Matt actually cried.
Italy VideoFrench-villeSlovena-whatsitUCD Alps 2010Edit: shit, I did a lot of rambling again, didn't I...
