Staying Home Sucks, home
Massif de la Chartreuse Mer de nuages Chamrousse
Chamrousse, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Romanche, Gavet - Séchilienne

Kayak spot · France

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

60Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 9: Wind 3 kn gusting 14, Air 14 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 55 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 57 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0.4 mm

Thu 5 · 64 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
13°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 45 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
6°C
Rain
10.5 mm

Sat 7 · 57 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 60 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 68 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
14°C
Rain
0 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 243, poor
  2. Tue 355, fair
  3. Wed 457, fair
  4. Thu 564, good
  5. Fri 645, fair
  6. Sat 757, fair
  7. Sun 860, good
  8. Mon 968, good
  9. Tue 1069, good
  10. Wed 1170, good

The spot in three facts

  • Grade IVits hardest rapid V
  • Moving waterthe water
  • Best Jun–Aug7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Romanche, Gavet - Séchilienne
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov43, poor3 kn10kn2°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov55, fair3 kn12kn8°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov57, fair3 kn11kn9°C0.4 mm
Thu 5Nov64, good3 kn10kn13°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov45, fair1 kn6kn6°C10.5 mm
Sat 7Nov57, fair2 kn11kn9°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov60, good2 kn11kn11°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov68, good3 kn14kn14°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov69, good1 kn14kn15°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov70, good4 kn20kn16°C1.5 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

best Jun–Aug

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.

Map

put-in, take-out, its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Romanche, Gavet - Séchilienne

A river section on the Romanche, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade III to IV, its hardest rapid V, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 13 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Chamrousse. Within 5 km we also list 2 ski resorts, 1 kayak spot and 1 mountain bike area.

  • River Romanche
  • Grade Grade III to IV, its hardest rapid V, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 13 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,430–US$2,660 each

about US$1,430–US$2,660 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to GNB, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$490–US$1,010
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$235
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$329–US$543
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$584
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$154–US$289
Totalabout US$1,430–US$2,660

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Chamrousse

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Chamrousse

28 min by car · 15 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 15 places to stay in Chamrousse · Booking.com

About Chamrousse its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$121 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 17h 55m

About 17h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → GNB, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 15m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits