Volcano Spews Ash on Futaleufu, Olympic Team Trials Rundown, Will This Be the Year of Big Sur?, A Flood on the Grand, the Return of Bomber Gear, A Q&A with Kelley Woolsey, and more!
Olympic Dreamin': Austin Crane (stern) and Scott McCleskey en route to a first-place C-2 showing at the Charlotte Slalom Team Trials last weekend. Photo by Issac Schmidt View Website
West Virginia's Cheat River Festival is one of the most rowdy whitewater events in the country. And the Cheat Race is a classic amongst racing aficionados. Event organizer Rick Gusic recaps the rumble in the West Virginia jungle. Read more.
When 1972 C-1 bronze medalist Jamie McEwan, now 55, showed up at this year's Olympic Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C., to race C-2 with son Devin, it brought back a flood of memories as to why he, and others, race slalom. A PL stroll down slalom's memory lane... Read more.
One of whitewater paddlesport’s most beloved locales, Chile’s Futaleufu Valley, is under ash attack from a volcano 70 miles away that erupted this week near the coastal town of Chaiten. This letter/report from NOC instructor, and Futa local, Jon Clarke was originally published on PL’s partner Web site, Boatertalk.com. Plus: a firsthand report from outfitter Chris Spelius... Read more.
This spring, expeditioner and friend-of-PL Jon Bowermaster added the final feather to his ten-year-long OCEANS 8 project, which took him around the world one continent at a time by sea kayak. While each adventure was wildly different – from the Aleutian Islands and Vietnam to French Polynesia and Tasmania – each was connected by his floating ‘ambassadors,’ the kayaks, providing a unique, sea level look at the health of the world’s oceans and the lives of people who depend on them. Read on for a first-person account of his latest journey to Antarctica...
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With Brett Heyl besting Scott Parsons in men's K-1, Zuzana Vanha topping Nee Ashley in women's K-1, Jeff Larimer beating Benn Fraker in C-1; and Scott McCleskey and Austin Crane on top in C2 at the Charlotte Olympic Trials, the road to Beijing is as convoluted as ever. The good news is that the U.S. fared well, and will field a full whitewater team... Read more.
Kelsey Thompson loves freestyle. Kelsey Thompson loves creekin'. Kelsey Thompson loves kayakin'. Hence he has to love his paddling gear. Check out what this Nova Scotian is wearin' on the water this season to keep from freezin'. Read more.
It’s been more than 10 long years since Colorado’s most epic surf wave, Big Sur, graced the bottom of boaters’ hulls for more than a few hours (it appeared briefly in 2004). Before that, it was in 1997, when Prijon’s Hurricane was in vogue. With eight of the state’s resorts reporting record snowfall, and April adding to the tally, PL is betting that this year the most unique wave this side of Skookumchuck will resurface after its long mystery move...
Read more.
The Paddling Life editors recently went through some of their favorite accessories in the gear closet and came up with these fine offerings. There's plenty of quality whitewater equipment out there this spring. We'll keep you updated as more goods flow through our closet. For now, feast your eyes on these must haves. Read more.
Adventure Xstream’s 8th season--a 6-event multisport endurance series featuring paddling, navigation, mountain biking, trail runrning, rappeling and Tyrolean Traverses--started off witha bang with record numbers charging off the starting line in Moab, Utah, on April 5, 2008. PL's man in the field chimes in... Read more.
Topping this year's Most Endgangered Rivers List released by Washington, D.C.'s American Rivers are three paddling favorites: North Carolina's Catawba; Oregon's Rogue and Colorado's Poudre. “Water is a precious resource," says AR President Rebecca Wodder. "We must treat it as such..." Read more.
This Memorial Day presents a chance to satisfy your whitewater craving and conscience at the same time, all while boating with some serious big-shots. Coloma, Calif.'s “Paddle with the Pros” puts proceeds to First Descents, a program designed to empower cancer survivors. You’re likely to have so much fun you’ll forget it’s for a good cause... Read more.
PL gave this year's booties a run and we're back with the goods. Slide your dogs into a pair of these and put that uncomfortable past behind you... Read more.
Got Memorial Day plans? Steamboat Springs, Colo. is the place to be (Monday, May 26) for the third annual Paddling Life Pro Invitational to watch the best men and women kayakers in the world compete in a one-day, two-event competition for a cash purse and year-long bragging rights. Read more.
No man chases down Class V cataraft descents like Mark Cramer, and he does so with an eye to safety, supported by the most functional gear available. Read more.
The Young Guns are the rave of whitewater kayaking these days. Maybe that’s because they’re going off the hardest? Whether it’s Tyler Bradt setting a world waterfall record or Anthony Yap inventing another new freestyle move, they're getting it done. And getting it all on film. Paddling Life recently caught up with producer Rush Sturges to talk about their new releases including Source and State of the Art.Read more.
Resident badass Rusty Sage recently won the High Performance Finals at the World Kayak Surf Championships and finished third in the World Cup Men's at Santa Cruz. In an exclusive interview, he tells us all about his recent victories, the rigors of surf kayaking, the culture of the sport and upcoming events. Read more.
You expect a lot of things when you decide to review whitewater kayaks during December in Colorado. Staying warm definitely isn’t one of them. We packed up the quiver and drove to the Barrel Springs and Shoshone sections of the Colorado, still running thanks to a malfunction in the turbines of the nearby powerplant. Call us weenies, but it was the first time either of us had kayaked in Colorado in December (it was also the first time we’d ever used pogies on bike handlebars as part of the shuttle). Read more.
"I told him that we didn’t have to race in everything we do…having said that we are ahead." --Father-to-be Scott Shipley (due date around FIBArk) on he and Eric "EJ" Jackson's procreation timing (yes, EJ is expecting another boy)
"I’ve been fishing this tournament for years, and finally got it right. I only caught three fish all day but they were the right ones."
--Capt. Roger Bump of his winning 65.5” slam, consisting of a 29.75” red, a 19” trout, and a 16.75” flounder at the 2008 Jacksonville Kayak Fishing Classic. View results here.
“Vegetables…that’s what food eats!” --Rafter (and pig farmer) Channing Reynolds on a recent float on Utah's San Juan
"You are no longer on the rafting trip..." --NHL hockey defenseman Martin Skoula of the Minnesota Wild--in a text message to the Colorado Avalanche's Milan Hejduk after Heyduk checked him into the boards--in reference to an annual rafting trip the two take together.
"The skirts from Beachburg came to Paul Mason's rink last weekend and thumped us... rematch on Whiting's rink soon." Canoeist Mark Scriver on an ongoing grudge hockey rivalry between his one-bladed brethren and kayakers in Ottawa, Ontario.
"They could relate to sports, but it was certainly different than what they do." Olympic sprint kayaker Greg Barton on being inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Feb. 11 alongside the Detroit Red Wings' Steve Iverson and NFL star Desmond Howard.
"The only question to raise is what constitutes a 'kayak' for these kind of trips? It's a tragedy that Andrew McAuley didn't make the last bit as he was in a pretty much 'off the shelf' kayak--a ballsy effort, but ultimately he paid the biggest price for the gamble." --Expedition sea kayaker Graham Charles on the recent Tasman Sea crossing sea kayak expeditions.
Joke of the Month!
Saturday morning I got up early, put on my long johns, dressed quietly, and slipped quietly into the garage to put the kayak on the truck, and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. There was snow mixed with the rain, and the wind was blowing 50 mph. I turned on the radio and discovered that the weather would be bad throughout the day. I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. There I cuddled up to my wife's back, now with a different anticipation, and whispered, "The weather out there is terrible."
My loving wife of twenty years replied, "Can you believe that idiot husband of mine is out kayaking in that shit?"
"I'm feeling much better...a few cracked vertebra, broken finger, and fracture in my right eyesocket. Should be back in time for paddling season." Skiing magazine Senior Editor Sam Bass after breaking his neck skiing in the Utah backcountry
News of Note
Fresh off of setting a new waterfall record in Canada, in December Tyler Bradt broke his foot during the Nile River Festival while throwing a back flip in a local pub. But no worries: two days later he plastic bagged it and took second in the 45-km. endurance race with teammate Davey O’Hare.
If you don't sit in the right place, you'll sink." --72-year-old Leo Swinimer (as told to the Wall Street Journal) on paddling his 600-lb. pumpkin in Nova Scotia's annual Windsor-West Hants Pumpkin Regatta.
Dear Editors: I really enjoyed the latest e-newsletter from paddlinglife. Seriously, one doesn't often read and click through these things "cover to cover," but I just did. Of course, pole dancing is always guaranteed to up readership. I'd like to request more pictures of Shea Stephens. Can you post some, or email me some, or just give me her phone number? Thanks guys! --Aaron Bible
The aircraft that found him said they could not lift that amount of weight. Every resource we had simply did not work until we got down to physical manpower" --Chief Deputy Steve Ovick of Minnesota's Pine Cty. Sheriff's Office (as told to AP), regarding the resuce of a 500-lb. rafter from a shallow stretch of the St. Croix River. To get him out of the river, 50 rescuers took turns hoisting the boat two feet at a time until they got it to a spot deep enough to float.
“That kayak kind of kicked my ass out there. Everything else was easy."
--Ice Cube on the most difficult aspect of filming Are We Done Yet, which involved hopping in a kayak.
"My son and I are avid canoeists, fishermen and camping nuts. In other words, we smell badly on weekends..."
--Canoeist James Collins
Canoe Thread of the Month1! Note: Check here for the best of paddling forum threads...this one from rec.boats.paddle:
"I ran my BlueHole 17A down Husum Falls (White Salmon River, WA) in June 1980...afterwards, several outfitters told me that no one else had run it in anything other than kayak. Does anyone know of any earlier canoe runs of the falls....?" (View entire thread at www.tinyurl.com/38wlvh).
Thread of the Month2!
"How many people are there who paddle flat-water freestyle routines to the sounds of Yanni? And of those, how many are guys?" View thread here.
Thread of the Month3!
"Yeah, the RPM sea kayak is notoriously difficult to control. A native Greenland design, the RPM originated when the arctic seal population disappeared and smaller sea kayaks were made from the only hides available, those of the now extinct giant lemming.
"The RPM name comes from an Inuit corruption of the Danish "v'Rij Pathetisch Misvatting""
"I congratulate you on your perception that any decked boat is, of course, a sea kayak." View thread here.
Thread of the Month 4
Newbie looking for Stable Wreck Boat: Must be under 10'', and fast, very stable for paddling lakes and rivers, interested in running Class III whitewater and maybe ocean too. It needs to be light too and have a large seat for my big butt.
How many cupholders does a good stable boat have? How hard are these to lift onto my motor home? Can't spend more than $500 for both boats for the wife and myself. How big a motor can you put on one of these? Where are some good paces to fish and drink alcohol while paddling? DO I need a wet suit? I googled for some austrailian wetsuits .. try googling for "Radiator Wetsuit Ads" .... what do you think? View thread here. You can get anything you want (even a Swift canoe!). Click here for Alice's Restaurant Link Thread of the Month
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