Last week we had a great time on the famous Eisbach Wave in Munich. (more…)

S-Turn Falls

We have moved to Veracruz and have been getting on some good runs. The Alseseca has been keeping us entertained warming up on the roadside section. We will be heading downstream the next couple of days to the bigger drops but heres a few photos for now.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been busy paddling morning noon and night, testing one of the new Rev prototypes,  on and various features around the Thames valley.  The final boat will be a little different but here are a few words on were we are at the moment!                                                                                                                                                                                              

So we have a new play boat more an evolution than revolution the Rev takes the high performance of the 4 Twenty a step further.  I was always pleasantly surprised paddling the 4Twenty at just how fun and easy it was to paddle and also how user friendly it was to learn new moves in, not forgetting exceptional comfort.  Now with the new Rev You still have a boat that is great to sit in, the knee room has been slightly adjusted and still   provides plenty of foot room. However the performance has been turned right up!  The boat is considerably narrower than the 4Twenty; the vortex rails have been sharpened and elongated, this combined with the lower rocker makes for a much faster snappier involving boat to paddle.                                                                                                                                          

On a wave the Rev’s flat rocker and quick planning hull make’s it a very quick boat that loves to race down the line, but has still kept enough of the tail rocker for hassle free back surfing & for landing big blunts, pan am’s etc.  With   the reduced width, in a hole/pile of a wave the Rev isn’t  as stable as the 4Twenty and has taken a little longer to get used to, but the benefits you gain in acceleration, speed, looseness and bigger, easer air time out way any negative     points.  The volume distribution has also been tinkered with, and as a result the Rev is stable and controllable up on   its end, cartwheels, and split wheels and huge loops are a piece of cake. All in all this boat take’s a bit more thought to paddle than the 4Twenty but be patient on a big wave or a small hole or even just down at the local swimming     pool this boat give you a big smile!                                                                                                                        

The Student Safety Symposium is always a good weekend. Put a whole bunch of students together for a weekend and you’ve already got a recipe for fun, but then throw in a selection of great coaches and a program packed full of workshops, Q & A sessions, lectures and on the water coaching sessions covering everything from steep creeking to beginner trips; and you get a great weekend that everyone gets a lot out of and enjoys being a part of.

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last weekend i drove out to Ireland for the Big Boat Bonanza which was held in the heart of the wicklow mountains. I was out there last year for the race and it was low, this year it was even lower! But never mind atleast there was still just enough water to race on unlike Austria the weekend before. Saturday saw the team event, this is where you race in a group of three with each having a task to do during the race. The three tasks where making a very small eddy before the final drop, a tight down stream slalom gate and throw a 20m throwbag through a small slot in a board on the bank. I was given the throw bag, this turned out to be the hardest as no one had managed it yet. On our run down we managed to nail everything which was good as that gave us extra bonus points to take the team win. Sundays race was the fastest one down in groups of four went through to the next round, as normal there was lots of pushing and poping of decks. Just missed out on the final by one place with two people going through to the final. A great weekend with a good party, thanks to all those who ran it.

It’s been a busy few day!  The rain has started to fall and some of the Thames weirs have are starting to open. We have a great range og waves and holes on the Thames, a great testing ground for all new boats.

On Shepperton a pushy fast wave I found the boat to be fast, retentive, and very carvey, more so than the 4.20.

On a steep wave like Sunbury the boat excelled very well, with it’s super narrow hull, edge transfers were easy, therefore carving air blunts were going very big.

 I took a trip down to Hurley this morning on a classic 3 gates. The boat cartwheels well, it feels very stable on end and has a good amount of pop for loops. Again carving blunts were great the boat felt very loose in the middle gate.

The national watersports centre at Nottingham was the location for the British Freestyle Championships and the Alpkit Series Final. With everyone else on the Team out in Austria for the Sickline event, I was the lone Pyranha team member competing.

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After talking about it all summer we finally got a plan together and paddled the Raundalselve, in a DAY. Anyone who knows the Raundale knows just how much whitewater there is up there, with numerous sections that are all amazing and go at different levels. After in a seriously in-depth planning session (about a beer long) we called up Greg, Christy and Benji, set a time for the morning and checked the water levels and weather on the net. Early the next day we packed the van, took a few bikes and a VRS van to drop at various points for excape options and of to the top of the valley we went.!

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Kevin Burkhead running Fowlersville Falls in the NEW Everest!

We made it up to the Moose River Festival this weekend in northern New York in the small town of Old Forge. It is a great festival for class 5 as well as for kayakers just starting to get into the sport. (more…)

I am spending some time in Mexico kayaking and surfing this month. Lj Groth and myself went and hit up the Zimitan River. It was nice to be in water that didn´t require a drytop. The crew we got a ride up there with was quite entertaining, a couple of the raft guides did the run with us. One was getting worked in this little ik and another in this old school playboat, it was a good time to say the least. Soon we will head to Veracruz and meet up with a fired up crew. I am excited for the adventures ahead of us and will keep everyone updated.

I would just like to comfirm everything Gerb said. The event had potential to be the best ever.

Despite the tragic start to the event I think everyone pulled together and made the best of the time and put on a dam fine show 

I hope everyone is looking forward to racing next year.

Take Care. xx

Adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championship 2007, Öetz, Tirol, Austria

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The US Freestyle Nationals were held this weekend at the ASCI course in Maryland.

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As Richard has already said, the weekend saw the third of the Plastic Fantastic Alpkit Kayak Series events of the year, at the Nene White Water Centre. Here’s some more from the event…

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The 29th and 30th saw the Alpkit Challenge which was held at Northampton white water centre, or the Nene to the ones who know.

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