Canmore paddlers take on Bow Falls and succeed

Two Canmore paddlers pulled off a stunt that’s only previously been faked in the movies.

Ray Schmidt and Chris McTaggart kayaked over the Bow Falls in Banff last week, a major waterfall on the Bow River, just before the junction of the Spray River.

Several classic Hollywood films of the 1950s depicted famous movie stars being swept over Bow Falls, including Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum and the son of Lassie.

The two advanced kayakers pulled off the feat in front of some surprised tourists last week while local filmmaker Adam Greenberg captured it all on camera.

The rapids are typically considered very dangerous due to many unseen jagged rocks underneath it.

A section of the falls has been dubbed "the coffin" by paddlers because of the likelihood of being trapped underwater by the vicious spinning water.

McTaggart decided to tempt fate and try the feat on his lunch break.

The difference last week, he said, is the high water made the normally dangerous Bow Falls safer to navigate.

About 180 centimetres is considered an ideal water level for running the hazardous course. Water levels were measured at 180 cubic metres per second last week.

The previous time the falls were at such a high level was in 2007.