Here's our program during 7 days long trip to Briancon area in France(east from Grenoble, close to the border with Italy)

We went from Basel via Geneva/Grenoble/Col de Lautaret/Briancon/Valee de la Claree to camping place in Nevache, it took 10 hours, at least expect 7.

Claree river from camping place in Nevache to le Rossier/les Alberrts or even a bit further. The stretch about 1km from camping to the road bridge is WW3+-4, in summer with low water level a bit more technical but nice. With high water level it is just very very fast river, with few places to stop. In general, a lot of stones, which are mostly just overflown by high water. From the road bridge it was in summer river quite fine for rather beginners, but in high water level season it is still WW3 to Plampinet village. The rest is WW2-1 till the camping place in les Alberts. It has a very pure water, is rather cold. Nevache itself is rather high, the valley is rather open, so the place wasn't so hot as Briancon because of the wind and moutains. The Claree valley is very nice, the road is always reasonable close to the river, it was about 10 km total.

Guisanne from Le Lauzet possible to Briancon - 9 km, first part is rather easy about WW2-3, but very narrow with trees/branches/curves a bit downstream le Casset, then mostly WW2 till Chantemerle. In Chantemerle is quite dangerous drop full with stones just behind some bridge(be sure to get out of the boat in time), then it is very very steep but in principle WW3, the comes into the forest in front of some water dam(WW2-2+). You have to carry the boat on the right shore along the dam. Then the last part is about 4 km and is WW4 in 3 palces (I remember about 4-5 difficulties total). You get out of the river at the beginning of Briancon in slalom channel(WW3). Our real beginners went only the first stretch to Chantemerle, and we continued further to Briancon. The river is followed on both shores by trails, so it is very good idea to see the river first before you go. It is 4-6km what pays off to see.

Onde from Entre les Aigules (the end of asfalt road in the valley of Onde up to the bridge before some water dam and where Onde joins the Gyr river. It's about 4 km. The places above some small bridge in valley are WW4 to 6-, from the bridge downstream about WW4 to WW3 to WW2+. It's very pure, cold water. Let's say one can start about 800m above the bridge(the upper part is too difficult). Still, the first 1km is up to WW3+-4, so you will have enough fun. Don't start before 10am and get out of the river till 6pm.

Durrance from St. Clement to Embrun (up to 16 km), it's WW2-3, very wide river, a bit gray, the valley is huge, some nice nature around but uncomparable to other white water rivers around. It is just too wide and sometimes you find high waves, but nothing special.

Guil is my favourite river. It's for 3 days at least, we went in two days part. One is called "Angel gorch"(WW2-3), we started at our wild camping place(1-2km downstream the well known WW6 place with undercut rock) and boated down to the water dam(about 10km upstream Guillestre). In one or two places we carried boats around. The second stretch was from Chateau Queras to some piknik place where are some remnants of an old stone bridge and where the road to Chateau queras starts to go steeply uphill in S-curves. Along the Chateau Queras you go through very narrow gorch, about 4-6m wide, the rocks around are about 40m high and you just have to go through. It looks very dangerous from the street, but with low water level as we had 4th week in July it was easy, but now I agree with others who told me "The most difficult is to dare to go into this gorch, then everything is fine" - they were right. After this gorch, you paddel about 500 m downstream the castle and the river leaves the road. No chance, you have to get through 3-5? km of WW4-5 water in a small valley sheld from the road by some hill/mountain. With low water level, there are always places where you can stop safely, watch the blocked place, and even if you swim, behind the blockage is usually some swimming pool, where you can swim out, catch your boat and paddel further. In one place we had to carry the boat because of some tree, in one place we jumped into the water from rock about 4m high. Yes, we had a lot of fun!

We finished when the valley opened again in a place where was a road and some old, damaged bridge (originally about 14 m high?). From here it's about 2.5 km to our wild camping place, but on this stretch is the WW6 place, just by the road - we didn't want to make a suicide. Anyway, at this place were we went out of our boats, I've learned eskimo-rolls in 30 trials. Yes, that was the cold water which helped me and especially some german kajaker from Karlsruhe who was willing to stand in the very cold water to hold my boat in the beginning.
 
 

Ubaye is also a river for 3 or even more days, but we did not go on the river as it had not enough water. But Bernd said the most impressive part between St. Paul and Le Condamine is WW3 to WW4- , then WW3-2. The valley is slightly warmer than other around.

Var possible from Bijou nearby Gorges de Daluis in some sandtone, WW3-4, I'm not sure if we went to this river or not.

If you understand Czech, here's my e-mail message I've sent to my friends after I returned from this great trip. It was really perfect entertainment.

We went to this area again in June 2003.