Canoeists and sea kayakers planning flatwater fall trips on Labyrinth/Stillwater Canyons of the Green River in Canyonlands National Park might want to start making a change of plans. On Aug. 20, a huge flash flood caused severe damage to the switchbacks on the road leading to Mineral Bottom, making the road impassable as a put-in or take-out....
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It’s got a capital G, Class V and the same season. But it’s not Gauley Fest. It’s Gore Fest in Colorado, drawing the Class V racing set to Gore Canyon of the Colorado River the last weekend in August every year. The event, put on by Timberline Rafting of Vail, promises debauchery, death ferries and dunkings, and once again delivered a few surprises...
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Lego Land in London: Scott Shipley of S20 Designs in front of his new three-dimensional, modular RapidBloc System debuting on the London Olympic whitewater course. View Website
Usually the heat associated with “the dog days of August” keeps the dogs on the porch makes the rest of us lazy. Extreme heat didn’t keep the athletes or spectators away from the banks of the Warta river and the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships. The event wrapped over the weekend in Poznan, Poland. PL checks in with the results. No dog-paddlers allowed. Read more.
There must be chumthing in the water. In the past two weeks, two reports of shark attacks on sea kayakers have surfaced like the culprits' dorsals in California. PL caught up with one of them, Duane Strosaker, for his take on nearly getting shredded ...
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Turns out you can also make rapids out of kayak plastic. Proof lies in the new whitewater slalom course for the London Olympics, which just saw water for the first time....flowing over plastic features designed by Scott Shipley. Read on for beta and a video glimpse...
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Expedition kayaker and filmmaker Bryan Smith is back from Russia with love…for salmon, first descents and wild places that still remain. We caught up with him at the Outdoor Retailer show to get his take on all things Siberia and salmon...
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The Outdoor Summer Market Retailer Tradeshow is in full swing this week in Salt Lake City, Utah. PL is on the scene, and yesterday witnessed the open-air demo from Jordanelle Sate Park. Stand-up paddleboards were all the rate at the on-water demo, with appearances by gurus Laird Hamilton, Chuck Patterson and Slater Trout among others. Read more.
Paddling Life is on hand at this year’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market tradeshow, to bring you not-in-the-industry folk up to speed on what’s going down. First installment: a look at products for the stockier set. Turns out that Morgan Spurlock, whose 30-day McDonald's diet documented the fast-food industry, isn’t the only one going super size. Paddlesport exhibitors are also banking on beefier consumers by churning out products that excel for XLs. Following are a few tipping the scales.
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It should be a fairly straightforward exercise in manliness. The unwritten rules were obvious to all parties involved. However, to quote The Dude (or El Duderino if you’re not into that whole brevity thing) “New s&%# has come to light.” Read more.
Kayaker Jason Craig Appears in Sports Illustrated.
What’s next...Letterman? That could well be the case for 16-year-old kayaking phenom Jason Craig, who recently appeared in iconic sports mag Sports Illustrated. Read more.
The 2010 ICF Junior World Championships have just wrapped from Foix, France and the American women are finding themselves on the podium for the first time. The men, meanwhile, missed finishing in the top three by just two touches and four seconds… Read more.
Tragedy struck the Euro Rafting Championships June 4th on Italy's Noce River when a member of the Bosnian women's rafting team drowned while paddling the river's slalom course... Read more.
The International Whitewater Hall of Fame (IWHOF) Board of Governors has announced its 2010 Inductees. The eldest of this year’s class was born 100 years ago and the five individual hail from as many nations. A celebration of these individuals' contribution will be held at the 2010 IWHOF Induction Ceremony on September 25, 2010 outside of Washington, DC at the Bretton Woods Recreation Center... Read more.
Sea Kayaker magazine, Mountain to Sound Outfitters and the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce announce a new paddlesports event in Seattle, WA. Greg Whitaker, founder and CEO of Mountain to Sound Outfitters announced today a new world-class sea kayaking and stand up-paddling (SUP) event to be held June 25, and 26 of 2011 at West Seattles Alki Beach. Read more.
Last year he won FIBArk while nearing his 50th birthday. This year wildwater paddler Andy Corra, from Durango, Colo., set a new world 24 hour record by paddling a whopping 273.5 miles in 24 hours during the Yukon River Quest. While his mark is still awaiting certification by Guinness, it bested the old record of 261 miles set two years ago by Ian Adamson. PL caught up with the downriver don to get his take on the new record...
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Missoula MT played host to an old-west style shoot-out this weekend as the US Freestyle Kayak Team trials were held at Brennan’s Wave on the Clark Fork River. It wasn’t exactly high-noon at the OK corral and absent were the Hatfield-McCoy like bitter rivalries, but the “Young Guns” certainly came out with both barrels blazing.... Read more.
Chicago is known for its storied sports franchises, deep-dish pizza pies, and bone chilling wind. This August, however, the city and Lake Michigan play host to the fourth annual Chicago Shoreline Marathon. The event proudly claims to be “The only world-class race to paddle Lake Michigan and the shores of Chicago”. Read more.
The new film "Hotel Charley V" follows Jesse Coombs, Darin McQuoid, and Ben Stookesberry as they descend three never paddled waterfalls. Jesse talks with PL about the difference between adventure travel and promotional touring... Read more.
Danielle Molmenti (ITA) didn’t take many risks, but still took the top spot in Men’s K1 finals while Jasmin Schornberg (GER) followed suit in the Women’s K1 final. Both credit their middle starting positions as keeping the pressure off, and completing efficient low risk runs en route to positioning themselves atop the podium. Read more.
Next up, a Geritol sponsorship. Mike Freeburn turned on his own burners to win this year's 26-mile FIBArk race on the Arkansas, a whopping 20 years after first winning it in 1991. Meanwhile, Gary Lacy of Recreation Engineering & Planning took second, with Freeburn awarding him the title of "Legend" for competing in 36 straight events... Read more.
Home-field advantage isn't everything. Californian native Danny Ching takes 1st place in the two most important races at Battle of the Paddle in Waikiki, HI. Read more.
Lyons and wagers and galoshes Oh My! The 2010 Lyons Outdoor Games were by all accounts a soggy affair. The bike events were cancelled, and the raging waters of the St. Vrain river moved the paddle sport events upstream. Yet, nothing dampened the spirits of the spectators and competitors who braved the elements to participate in the 7th annual LOG. Read more.
SUPs seem to be all the rage, and inflatables are fast becoming the boards of choice for inland use, be it on lakes or rivers. Following are two new additions you'll find in the line-up, one from C4 Waterman and another from BoatstoGo. Read more.
Get yer’ game on. If Idaho's North Fork Payette has long been a badge of courage for the hair-boating set, now it's a full-on coat of arms. Heavy rains and flooding of the North Fork reservoir have led dam officials to open the gates, releasing a record 9,000 cfs into the raging waterway and luring the bravest of the big water dogs out of the whitewater woodwork to give it a go ... Read more.
While high water forced the cencellation of Sunday's whitewater events at the Teva Mtn. Games, Saturday went off without a hitch, with the melt-off spelling flushy conditions for freestyle and fast times for downriver kayak. Read more.
Noa Ginella, a 16-year-old from the North Shore of Oahu, HI, surpassed all other stand-up paddlers including the two favorites to win the Surf Sprint event over Dan Gavere by more than 16 seconds. Read more.
With warm temps surging the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs to 14,200 cfs, a new grandstand area, and nearly five times as many spectators as last year, the national River SUP Championships brought the country's best watermen to the Rockies to do single-bladed stand-up battle on Memorial Day. Who won? One guess... Read more.
It must be the Vegemite or something else from Down Under. Whatever the reason, kayakers from the Southern Hemisphere are the first heroes at the Teva Mtn. Games, with Kiwi Sam Sutton winning for the men and Australia's Tanya Faux for the women at the Bud Light Lime Steep Creep Championship on Homestake Creek.
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Sure, the weather is warming, the snow is melting, and the rivers are just about perfectly primed for paddling. It’s hard to think about anything other than getting out and getting wet. However, nobody spends 24 hours a day canoeing. (Though some have tried.) When it’s time to relax put down the paddle and pick up the 2010 edition of the ICF’s official magazine Planet Canoe. It’s out now and it’s chock-full of all things canoe related. Read more.
Barfing, Bullwinkle and big air. One contestant puked at the end of the extreme race on Fish Creek, two moose joined the spectators on the sidelines, and big air was the name of the game at the freestyle event. Read more.
From Canada to Scotland & Wales, and back the United States, the globe-trotting DVD features 3 hours of adventure and provides insight into the diversity of the sport and the influential people who tell its story. Read more.
A Paddling Life Special Report from the Nile River in Africa from Dr. Jesse Stone. The extreme kayaker gives Paddling Life a first-hand account of they mystery and wonder of the Nile as progress threatens to alter the course of the river forever. Read more.
Kayakers might soon be catching a whole lot more fish, thanks to a few Kiwis. After months of R&D, New Zealand's Fluid Kayaks has placed their dedicated fishing kayak into full production: La Bamba! Read more.
Heliconia releases sequel to award-winning kayak fishing documentary. The ExOfficio presents Kayak Fishing: Game On 2 follows Jim Sammons around the world on another fishing adventure of a lifetime. Read more.
Teva, the iconic adventure brand founded by a grand canyon river guide, is
pleased to announce its partnership with the U.S. Men's and Women's National
Whitewater Raft Teams. Teva will be the title sponsor of both teams and the
paddlers will play a critical role in Teva's ongoing technical product
testing and development as official Teva Life Agents. Read more.
The Teva Mountain Games are the nation’s largest celebration of mountain sport, lifestyle and music featuring top professional and amateur athletes from around the world. The environmentally-friendly adventure sporting event hosts approximately 2,000 adventure athletes, along with an estimated 40,000 spectators. Athletes converge on Vail’s mountains and rivers to compete in eight sports and 24 disciplines for over $100,000 in prize money. Events include kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, road cycling, World Cup Bouldering, amateur climbing, fly-fishing, trail and road running and stand up paddling. Read more.
A coalition of seven corporations and foundations driven by sustainability have united to raise funding and awareness for the environmentally threatened Colorado River. Read more.
Students at TRU earn college credits while exploring the rivers of Nepal and help Nepalese Sherpas with funding to continue their own education Read more.
You might know Nick Offerman as the star of NBC's Parks & Recreation. But the Hollywood mainstay also has a place in his heart for paddling and woodworking. Want proof? In addition to acting, Offerman released a DVD April 21 on how to make canoes. PL caught up with him to get his take on building canoes and, of course, the paddling life...
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There was a time when every boater you met on the river was your friend. To a large extent this is still the case. However, as our sport has grown in popularity, so too have some upsetting trends. Read more.
On a cold spring day in Montana, a group of rafters prepares for a float. It becomes clear looking at their horseshoe PFD's, T-shirts, and shorts that they are not ready for the class IV rapids below and the 35 degree temperature. This article explores a problem all boaters face at one point or another, "should we stop these people from making this mistake or let them choose their own adventure?" Read more.
Want to help your local waterway? MillerCoors and River Network have joined together for the second year to award $50,000 in grants to support watershed protection programs. And all you have to do is register your program online.
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While an 8.8 earthquake wreaked havoc on northern Chile, several groups of paddlers from the U.S. were in the country running the goods. Following is an update from New River Academy's David Hughes... Read more.
You never know when your 15 minutes of fame will come. Take mild-mannered kayak fisherman Drew Gregory, for instance, whose YouTube video of him getting embarrassed and pummeled by rabid geese has topped 100,000 views and aired on Jay Leno on Friday, Feb. 5. PL caught up with him between pecks for the low-down... Read more.
When it comes to paddling in the Olympics, you have to like having it in a city named after a river. Such is the case with Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro winning the bid to host the 2016 Olympics, putting the Games in South America for the first time in history. PL checks in with those in the know to see how it might affect the U.S. chances to medal... Read more.
So you ran the gnar, canoed up to a bear, and sea kayaked under a whale spout. Where’s the proof? Without it, it’s just another tall boating tale. Luckily, there’s a new crop of Point of View (POV) cameras that make capturing these moments easier. Here’s some PL guidelines to help you make an informed buying decision to back up your abducted-by-UFOs claim...
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So SUPping is getting off the ground. To go about it correctly, PL cornered SUP-convert and 2003 US National Freestyle Kayak Champion and ACA-certified instructor Jimmy Blakeney to offer his tips, from beginner to advanced. A SUP rep and athlete in New England for Jimmy Lewis Boards, Blakeney has developed a full SUP curriculum based on his kayak and surfing experience, and launched his new SUP school, New England Paddlesurf, this summer to get people stroking in the right direction…
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Kayaks have been used to deliver a lot of things. Whales come to mind, as do fish. Computers don’t usually top the list.
But that’s what Richard Smith -- a former elite special-forces officer from Scotland’s Royal Marines, now turned IT manager for Oracle -- did on his Northern Lights Expedition to Greenland this summer. As part of his missive to raise awareness about global warming, he used his sea kayak to deliver laptop computers to Inuit children. Read more.
"Early on that day we came across a fresh dead body that was still in neoprene and had been buried under rocks...it showed us just how delicate life is. Later on we found out that there were two dead in the same pile of rocks..."
--Sam Sutton on paddling Siberia's Argut River in July
"To leave a patient on the side of a river while you get your gear out of the car and set up a rescue system you read about in a book is simply not good policy"
--Duke Bradford, owner of Arkansas Valley Adventures on the rescue of a 13 yr. old girl from Clear Creek on 6/17/10. A rafting guide employed by Bradford was arrested for interfering (read=assisting) with the rescue.
I was a god-damned poster child for bad judgment...dumb, but what can you do when you're hypnotized by a force of nature?"
--North Fork Payette pioneer Doug Ammons on being lured in by record high water to come out of Class V retirement and paddle the Lower Five at a record 9,000 cfs (and subsequently swim).
"My initial goal was to not embarrass myself."
--Tao Berman, after winning his first-ever ramp competition, at the Red Bull Canal Crashers Big Air Contest during Richmond, Va.'s Dominion Riverrock Festival.
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.
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