Continue reading »]]> Last weekend saw the first ever River’s Source Whitewater Symposium at the River Dart, Devon, UK. The event is set to become a favourite fixture on the UK whitewater calendar with something for every paddler interested in whitewater!

Contributions from every corner of the industry provided an excellent range of courses, from learning new skills on the river with coaches at the forefront of whitewater paddling or hands on boat welding workshops through to tips on how to get your articles published and how to create the perfect exposure to go with them! They were also excellent value for a full days course with some, such as Canoe Kayak Magazine’s photography course, being completely free! To see the scope of the diverse selection of courses have a look here!

Paparazzi on the river during the free photography clinic! - Photo: Tom Foster

Team Pyranha were out in force with Team Coaches running a variety of courses, Team Paddlers on hand to help outfit your boat or take you through the features of the full fleet of demo boats. Pyranha’s owner and head designer Graham Mackereth and industrial designer Rich Taylor gave fantastic presentations on Saturday evening. Graham’s insight to the history of kayaking was outstanding, Rich then brought us right up to date and showed us how to design the Shiva using the latest CAD packages with CNC prototypes before a live audience!

Rich takes us through the process to design a modern whitewater kayak. - Photo: Tom Foster

Of course no trip to devon would be complete without a run down the upper Dart. Although levels were low, the Shiva was great for rock moves all the way down!

Paula cruising Euthanasia in the small Shiva! - Photo: Stuart Watson

Tom Foster about to go over the edge in the large Shiva! - Photo: Stuart Watson

Looking forward to 2013 event already. If you can’t wait to get back to the Dart come join us on and off the river at Dart Fest on the weekend 18th / 19th February.

Continue reading »]]> Below: Steve on the Rio Valles, photo by Adam Goshorn

Below: Adam on the Rio Santa Maria, photo by Steve Krajewski

Since my first trip to the Huasteca region of Mexico in 2005, I have returned almost ever winter for 2-3 weeks to revisit my favorite rivers in the area and explore new ones as well. There is an abundance of rivers in the region with a variety of options depending on water levels. Most recently, Steve Krajewski, Mark Newton, and I drove south from Alabama to spend a couple of weeks enjoying the warm waters and sunshine provided by the Huasteca region in December of 2011. Despite lower than normal water levels, we had good weather and an awesome time paddling many of the classic and a few not-so-classic rivers in the area.

Below: Mark on the Rio Verde, photo by Adam Goshorn

Below: Jorge and Steve cross a bridge over the Rio Moctezuma, photo by Adam Goshorn

Mexico is a huge country with a 31 states that form a landmass larger than Alaska and California combined. Many regions in Mexico contain great whitewater, so one might wonder why I keep returning to the same area year after year. The answer is simple… MONEY. I would love to kayak in Veracruz, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and other parts of Mexico (and I hope to in the future), but the Huasteca region is the closest, most accessible whitewater when driving from the southeastern United States. Its proximity alone makes it by far the cheapest destination in Mexico and easily half as expensive as any fly-in tropical destination in Central or South America.

Below: Mark on the Rio Valles, photo by Adam Goshorn

Below: Adam on the Rio Valles, photo by Steve Krajewski

I’ve worked hard keep kayaking a big part of my life and my success in doing so is due in part to keeping cost as low as possible. I have a job that allows me time to kayak around the southeast throughout the year and I am usually able to take two or three bigger trips outside of the southeast each year, but the key to all of it is trimming cost any way that I can. The ability to drive to Mexico is what makes it such a cheap destination, but it’s the driving that also would make it more expensive to continue to the other regions beyond Huasteca. In December of 2011, our total group cost per person for the entire trip, including all of our food, gas, border fees, camping fees, etc., came out to a mere $750 each. The next closest area with such a tight concentration of great paddling would be Varacruz, but the drive south adds around eight hours (plus the 8 hour return trip) easily adding over $100 to the total per person cost of the trip.

Below: Steve on the Rio Valles, photo by Adam Goshorn

Below: Mark on the Rio Santa Maria, photo by Steve Krajewski

In December of 2011 we spent multiple days running laps on the classic El Salto and Cascadas Micos sections of the Rio Valles. Despite low water, we were still able to run the 3rd and 4th canyons of the Rio Santa Maria finishing at the famous Cascada de Tauml. We also spent a few days traveling and paddling with my fiend Jorge Marquez. Jorge is Doctor in Tamazunchale and I met him in on the Cascadas Micos in 2005 during my first trip to the region. In the years since we have kept in touch and when possible we have connected whenever I was in the area. This time, we took him down the 2nd canyon of the Rio Verde for his first time. Then he took us south into the state of Hidalgo, where I had not previously paddled, to spend a few days paddling sections of the Rio Moctezuma and Rio Amajac.

Click HERE to see the VIDEO from our 2011 trip!

Every once in a while I wonder if someday I will look back at the years of my life I have devoted to the paddling and regret not choosing a path that might have led to increased wealth and professional advancement. I certainly cannot imagine feeling that way now, but I sometimes wonder how long can I continue to choose planning for paddling over planning for life outside paddling? Will I always consider these decisions to be the right ones? Is it possible to live this way into old age?

Below: Adam and Mark on the Rio Santa Maria, photo by Steve Krajewski

Below: Adam at Cascada de Tamul, photo by Steve Krajewski

Having just returned from spending most of December on the road (in Mexico and elsewhere), I feel affirmed in my life decisions. I am relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready to work hard as the busiest part of work-year begins. I’m ready for the hard work ahead and the next adventure, whatever that may be… and that is what paddling continues to give me more than 20 years after I began canoeing with my dad in a rural area in Virginia. For me, paddling keeps life fresh, keeps me excited, and continues to create the best memories anyone could hope for.

Below: The group takes a break on the Rio Amajac, photo by Steve Krajewski

Below: Steve on the Rio Verde, photo by Adam Goshorn

Until Next Time…

Adam Goshorn

Below: Mexico scenery, photo by Steve Krajewski

Below: Driveway to Agua Azul, photo by Steve Krajewski

Below: Sunset over a swamp, photo by Adam Goshorn

Continue reading »]]> My name is Sean Glaccum and I have travelled to the Himalayas almost every fall since 1997 in search of rivers that have never been kayaked or rafted.  Past Himalayan first descents include:  First kayak descents off Mt. Kanchenjunga (3^rd highest peak), Mt. Cho Oyu (6^th highest peak), Mt. Dhaulagiri (7^th highest peak) and Mt. Annapurna (10^th highest peak).  This past fall, a goal that had been set years ago came to reality; to paddle raft the Dudh Kosi river which drains Mt. Everest.  As a bonus, we were also able to use the Pyranha Everest kayak.

My expedition team was comprised of 3 rafters: Myself as guide, Dak Helentjaris and Matt Jost as paddle crew on the 13ft Maravia paddle boat and Pat Riffie as Safety Kayaker in the Everest.

The Everest was made in honor of the team led by Mike Jones who made the first kayak descent of the Dudh Kosi in 1976, in 13ft long fiberglass Pyranha kayaks.  35 years later this new Pyranha kayak ran safety for our raft team trying to battle the silty whitewater of the Dudh Kosi.  The Dudh Kosi drains the Khumbu glacier which mountaineers climb to summit the tallest mountain on earth, Everest.  This was my third visit to the Everest region to run its extremely beautiful rivers.  I had recreated the trip the ‘76 team made twice before this trip in my kayak.

After a long flight around the globe from our home in Idaho, we warmed up outside of Kathmandu on the Bhote Kosi River swollen with monsoon rain.  Soon we felt adjusted to the Himalayan whitewater and were flown into the Lukla airstrip in a small plane for our hike up the Dudh Kosi.  A Sherpa porter named Ang Kami would carry the boat up to 12,000 feet to the put in and four other Sherpa men would split the rafting gear.  At seventeen years old and just over one hundred pounds Ang Kami had no problem with the Everest that was twice his size.  It was slow going for the porters with the heavy loads on the small exposed trail.   We also had to bribe the park officials to let the kayak into the park since extreme sports had been banned from entering just a few years before.  Lucky for us contacts from my previous trips helped make it possible to make an exception for our team.

Once on the water the river was much higher than the two previous times I had run it due to this year’s very late monsoon.  The power of the silt laden whitewater was tough on our nerves and I was thrown from the raft only a few minutes after putting on.  Pat in the safety kayak darted through the waves, holes, and rocks looking after us rafters describing the Everest as a battle tank!   The most difficult part of paddling any craft in the Everest region besides the tough whitewater is the altitude.  After just a couple of paddle strokes you can feel the oxygen being depleted from your blood making for an exhausting experience.  Pat would say the Pyranha was making boofing and catching eddies so easy that he was able to hold on to valuable energy that his rafting friends were not finding so easy to hold on to.

Every eddy that the raft had to catch took all we had because of the powerful current but safety Pat would always be sitting there ready to catch us if we had issues.  Rapid after rapid our team pushed our way down river, dawn till dusk.  At night we would feast on a special Nepalese rice and vegetable dish called Dal Bhat and hot spicy Tibetan momos.  Each morning we would be stirred awake by the roar of the Dudh Kosi bouncing off the steep river canyon walls.  Many of the rapids were several hundred meters long with multiple must make moves and little time in between drops for stopping.  Scouting each long rapid took lots of time and energy with a few drops being too choked with boulders, forcing us to portage.

The last time I had run this section we had no portages.  But after a “G.L.O.F” (glacier lake outburst flood) that came off of the flanks of Ama Dablam (6856m) in 2008, the river bed was scoured with the high volume flood and many house and car size rocks were pushed and shoved around to change the Dudh Kosi immensely.  After almost two weeks pushing our skill in this remote Himalayan setting we completed our goal to raft the high altitude river that drains the highest mountain on the planet.  The Everest would prove to be the perfect Himalayan kayak on not only on the Dudh Kosi but on five more expeditions in the next two months of travel.  Empty, loaded to the hilt, hucking waterfalls, or dragging swimming rafters through heavy whitewater, there was no doubt it was a whitewater machine!  On the trip we all took a turn paddling it and could not have been more pleased with our craft of choice for keeping us safe.  In the next kayak expedition you can be sure the Pyranha Everest will be the first thing on my gear list.

Sean Glaccum

Continue reading »]]> I’ve been paddling in the small Varun since last spring and have been loving it! I love to do downriver play and to do class IV creeking in my playboat, so it’s been a super fun boat. Here is some footage from some North Carolina goodness, the Nolichucky, a class III play run and the Watauga, a class IV boof run:

Fun Nolichucky footage of Leland in a medium and me in a small:
http://www.brushymountainpublishing.com/rivergypsies/pyranha/varun.mov

Scroll down our facebook page and click, Fun At Watauga Falls!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/rivergypsies

Have fun out there!

Continue reading »]]> It has only been a couple weeks since I’ve arrived back from Mexico but I am still dreaming about the mountains, food, white water, and the beautiful women!  Mexico was the perfect playground to try out Pyranha’s new Shiva and here are the pictures to prove it -

We arrived in Vera Cruz, Mexico on New Years Eve and made our way south on New Years Day with high hopes to find a guide to get us to the put-in of the Rio De Oro.

 We were fortunate to find the local guide Fernando who lead us directly to the put-in.

Following our guide Fernando

25 footer

The Shiva is the perfect boat for roosting some stouts.  It was hard to adjust at first because I’ve been so used to the Burn’s edges but the Shiva’s rocker makes it easy to boof and the added volume in the stern and bow keeps the boat stable even in the rowdiest of water.

Setting up the hammock for the night.

After our successful run on the Rio De Oro we decided to venture down south to check out Aqua Azul which was too high so we ended up running the Upper Rio Tzaconeja two days later.

Christopher Kyle showing off his Shiva on the Upper Rio Tzaconeja.

The Rio Tzaconeja was a perfect river for testing the Shiva’s versatility and maneuverability. With plenty of slot moves and beautiful scenery everyone was smiling at the end of the run.

Cool view from the top of one of the main rapids.

We then made our way back up to the Aqua Azul which still had a fair amount of water.  We decided to do the upper section which ended up being my favorite part of the entire trip.

The Upper Aqua Azul = Spectacular white water and scenery.

The coolest gorge I have ever been in.

Scariest rapid I ran the entire trip, massive cave on the bottom right. You have to exit the rapid by splatting the rock at the bottom and angling left.  Ridiculous but the Shiva handled her well.

The cave drop on the Upper Aqua Azul

One word - Sketch.

Such an amazing run with rapids at the beginning and ending reflecting something similar to what you would see on the Upper Blackwater in West Virginia.  The river at one point went completely underground and required a portage into a sealed cave.

The river just all the sudden ends at one point and enters into a cave. Crazy!

We ended the trip with running the lower section of the Aqua Azul to the bottom five where one of our fellow boaters ended up breaking his leg on the first of the big five but that is a whole other story that can be read here -http://leifandnatalie.blogspot.com/.  Here are some of my favorite shots of the Shiva in action on the Aqua Azul.  Huge thanks to Shawn Yingling and Adam Johnson for the photos.

Christopher Kyle taking it all in

Christopher Kyle putting the Shiva to the test!

Roosting the Shiva off of one of the larger slides on the Aqua Azul.

Boofing made easy with the Shiva

This trip would not have been made possible for me if it wasn’t for my local kayak shop Starrk Moon Kayaks, where you can pick up your very own Shiva today.  If you are looking for more paddling porn to get you through this cold January you should also check out a collaboration film I did called The Full-Release Project on Bombflow’s site - http://www.bombflow.com/archives/the-full-release-project.

Peace,

Brenton Petrillo

Continue reading »]]>

Plymouth Explorers – 1st February 2012

1st Feb 2012 Venue: Treasury Café-Bar-Restaurant, Catherine Street, Royal Parade

Entry: £4 (or £15 pa)

Event

The evening will be very interesting with a topic that hasn’t been explored yet! Our guest speaker Daz is planning to Kayak down Everest, a challenge that should not be undertaken lightly. Daz will be introducing himself and his previous adventure history then taking us through the expedition plan.

This will be a very unique evening for Plymouth Explorers.

This is a great opportunity to talk to like-minded people; so come along, invite your friends and join our community. Joining will bring you plenty of opportunities and benefits.

Treasury Café-Bar-Restaurant, Catherine Street, Royal Parade,
Plymouth, Devon. PL1 2AD
Wednesday 1st of February from 18:30 until 20:30

The talk will begin at 7pm.

Over the past 20 years Darren Clarkson King has kayaked some of the world’s most challenging rivers and countless classic descents. He is a writer and has just finished the text for White Water Nepal (3rd Ed), a guidebook to the rivers of Nepal with Peter Knowles.

For more information about Darren check out

Continue reading »]]> Following the return of our boats and our bowels to (relative) health we decided the best option would be to head out on an overnighter on the Rio Chichamocha, a rarely rafted river due to the terrible roads and the length of the run.

The four in our team were joined by some new friends we have made in the town of San Gil and a couple of adventurous british backpackers.

The river started off with some mellow grade 2/3 before steepening up to some entertaining big volume grade 4 down to the pueblo of Jordan, an almost deserted town of less than sixty people.

We spent the night there eating some great food provided by the locals and playing Burro – kind of like spoons, and normally played with them too, but we improvised with flipflops. Fran was sadly the loser and so ‘el Burro’ – the donkey.

The next day held more fantastic sunshine and some exciting grade 4 rapids in a tight box canyon, before the canyon opened out again and ended with a steep 30 minute hike out to the trucks.

After a long and bumpy ride back to San Gil we made plans for the next day to go to the Rio Suarez, a big volume section of river  close to San Gil. Fran had a rest day because she still hasn’t fully recovered from her toilet dependency, so it was up to Lowri, Niamh and I to bring back some good pics.

The Suarez was a fantastic big volume run with huge waves and holes, some technical gradel 4/4+ rapids and some easy grade 3 wave trains.

A great end to our time in San Gil. Next stop, Villavicencio!

Check out the Kayak Colombia blog for more pics and extended stories!

kayakcolombia.wordpress.com