Playak News Flash 2009-11-30

Playak News Flash - November 30, 2009

News Watch Headlines

Wavesport Blogs: BC Creeking About 5 mins from the cabin we were staying in was a great little run for the group of paddlers we had with us. The Maligne River is a very scenic place. Also on our list of scenic floats was the Whirlpool River.

Kokatat Blog: Chris and Sharyn Jones' Himalayan Odyssey We took some days out to explore the environs of the Yangtse and vowed to return with kayaks in the near future! Sadly many of the great runs in Yunnan have either been flooded by dams or are threatened by hydro development.

Valentin Grollemund: Chile - Pucón I'm in Pucón since 4 days, the trip in Chile started as worst as it can start. The first day we paddled the Nevados, wich is a real creeking paradize with slides, waterfalls.

Nookie: Update from Team Rider Doug Cooper After a week or so I heard that the Gateneau river had come up nice and high and the high tension wave was well in. Arriving at the wave it felt surprisingly European.

Jackson Kayak: Ravens Fork Video update Here is a quick little video from our low waters weekend on the Ravens Fork. A great Fall season river fun.

Jordan Searle: East Waikaia - Blood, Life and Steep White-Water Once on the water there was about 800m of relatively chilled out class II before the action began, and didn't really stop until the end of the day. There were a couple of sections you can break down but most of the rapids required long scouts.

Immersion Research: The Wonders of South America Stephen Forster of the New River Academy has been getting some epic paddling in down south.

River Dayz: Celestial Falls: another classic PNW park n'huck We knew the park ranger was there, luckily Scott and Dan scouted out other put in options the day before. So we put in at an alternate spot and paddled downstream towards the falls. There are two falls, the top one is about 80 feet or so and lands on rocks. So we portaged the top drop, seal launched in above the 40 footer and each gave her a go.

LiquidLore: The Ottawa Double Header While Ottawa's playboating is pretty well known, outside of the Ottawa paddling community not many people know that the town itself offers up some of the best "downtown" waterfalling of any city in North America.

Jackson Kayak: New Funs on the Russell Fork Clay, Emily, Dane and myself went to run the famous Russell Fork River. We though what better river, than to take some of our New Funs to play along the way.

Palm Blogs: Freestyle Selections 2009 The selection for this years Great British Freestyle kayak team was three events held over the past two months. The first two were held up at Nottingham, at the Holme Pierrepoint white water course. The third was held at Hurley. These events, for anyone that doesn't know, were to select the British team for this years Europeans that are being held in Austria.

Am. Whitewater Journal: American Whitewater Journal: Nov/Dec 2009 Assembled on the riverbank we listened spellbound while Stevens described the geology of the canyon, the unique and fragile aquatic habitat of the river, the complex system of administration under which the river corridor was managed, and the history of man's occupation of the Canyon.

American Rivers: 58 Dams to be Removed in 2009 American Rivers today released its annual list of 58 dams in 16 states that have been removed or are slated for removal in 2009. Thanks to the removal of these outdated dams, communities across the country have the opportunity to enjoy better water quality, improved public safety and flood protection, and more abundant fish and wildlife.

Kokatat Blog: Lincoln Canoe and Kayak cold water clinic – Suzanne Hutchinson reports November 21 was a beautiful autumn day in Freeport, Maine where a cold water clinic took place at Lincoln Canoe and Kayak. After an in-shop presentation by Eric Duffy of Wilderness Maine Associates on hypothermia, we all suited up and headed over to the Harraseeket River for a nice swim in the cold water.

Dash Point Pirate: SCUBA for Rolling I've always said that when learning to roll it's important to remove all distractions so you can concentrate on technique. Do it in warm pool with a dive mask, so you're comfortable and can see, and don't have water running in your nose. The scuba adds the additional comfort of not having to worry about breathing.

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Playak News Flash 2009-11-25

Playak News Flash - November 25, 2009

News Watch Headlines

CKS Squad: An East Coast Fall - Photo Recap A tidal rapid, these play features form daily a couple of hours after high tide. I can't tell you exactly when they form, but I do recommend not showing up late, because the fun spots appear and disappear quickly.

Immersion Research: IR Customer Service TV: Fit help with an IR rand skirt This is an in-depth look at how to choose the right size IR rand skirt for your boat. This should be helpful for anyone looking for a new IR rand skirt.

Rivers of Chile: Rio Calbuco Draining the South Western flank of Volcan Llaima (3125 meters) is the deceivingly innocent Rio Calbuco. After meandering thru braided debris flows coming off the flanks of the volcano, the river tightens up at Puente Calbuco for it's thundering 8 km descent to the confluence with Rio Quepe below town of Cherquenco

Creek WV: Middle Kaweah lap two + gawking at big trees. We did not get out of our boats again until the bottom of the 420 gorge area, where a shallow drop with a 90 degree pillow/flume at the bottom prompted a quick portage.

SUP Surf: Birth of The New S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement Race SUP The board has no sharp edges so to turn it, you really need to use the rudder. It tends to roll and slide more than surf although the glide is so addictive that it's what I'm riding on days with under 15 mph winds.

Mark Tozer: Adventure Sports Coaching - Canoe Week Despite the poor weather and heavy rain that saw large areas of Cumbria in flood and which effected Wales also, the team were able to enjoy a full week of skills development.

homemade kayaks: Beach rescue I had already bailed out once, got tumbled by a strong wave, had my spray skirt ripped open and didn`t manage to keep myself in the kayak in the wave. I think my thigh braces are too slippery and dont have enough support to hold on to in these conditions.

ICF: Collaboration is Key: Tony Estanguet visits ICF HQ In a display of real commitment to the cause the group looked deeper into how all parties can better the sport of Canoe Slalom and how they can work to improve relations between the ICF and the athletes.

Am. Whitewater: Efforts Continue to Protect the Middle Fork Snoqualmie and Pratt Rivers Earlier this month American Whitewater was invited as the sole public witness to testify on the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act.

ACA: MA Legislation for Kayakers Recently proposed legislation in Massachusetts relating to kayaks and safety were brought to the attention of the American Canoe Association. The ACA National Office has authored a response letter and has submitted copies to 11 individuals in the MA legislature detailing the ACA position on the proposed bill.

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Playak News Flash 2009-11-23

Playak News Flash - November 23, 2009

News Watch Headlines

Jordan Searle: Another Nevis Exams over and done with, should have a degree on the way... where to go?! Silly question really, guranteed flows on the Nevis River, Kawarau always there and many more prospects if the rain comes.

Kokatat Blog: Update: Another Girls At Play Mexico trip added Girls at Play is committed to increasing the number of female enthusiasts in paddle sports and to using paddling to empower women in their daily lives.

Adrian Shanahan: Tripping to the South East Not only was this one of the most fun and exciting kayaking events ever held in Ireland it is also possible the first Boater X held in a tight & technical gorge that saw a paddler use a 16ft sea kayak avec full face helmet.

Palm Blogs: River access in Wales; A chance for your voice to be heard. You may be interested to note that the Assembly Bus will be visiting the following locations to gather video evidence as part of the Sustainability Committee's inquiry into Access to Inland Water.

Fraser Valley WW: Vancouver Island Season Kick Off Once we arrived at the put in bridge over the Browns river we realized that this was going to be a really big and fast run down the Browns, it was running into the trees and flowing way higher than either of us had ever seen it before. This was the first time I'd seen the Browns actually brown in color.

Freestyle Kayaking & Expeditions: Austria & Old Herold Short movie from aur spring creeking in Austria and fresstyle kayaking on the best Slovak playspot - Old herold wave in Trencin.

LL Ladies Lounge: Westwater in November We arrived to the put in and started paddling down stream. I was nervous at first because I think I had at least 50 pounds in my boat; but the remix was fast and very responsive. The first 5 miles of flat water went by fast. The gorge was beautiful and surreal, I felt like I was flying over the waves. I think I got about 4 feet of air off one wave.

DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking: Bhutan: Class III-IV+ Our first shake down paddle was 30 minutes down the road from our lodging, the Paro Chu. The section we did had a nice Class III warm-up stretch, followed by a mile of fun Class IV. On the river we split into two groups. This ensured that everyone had plenty of room to move about the river, enjoying the moves and playspots without a crowd.

SUP Surf: 30 Minutes of High Performance Standup Paddle Surfing Airing on TV The Stand Up World Tour Contenders introduces the concept of high performance Stand Up Paddling, and the World Championship Tour that has been set up as a proving ground for the world's most celebrated ocean sports athletes.

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Playak News Flash 2009-11-21

Playak News Flash - November 21, 2009

News Watch Headlines

KayakPucon: Pucon is incredible Pucon is full of kayakers and water in all the rivers, is very cold Nov. for the moment but we believe that december.

WWTCC: When the Kids come home! With the 3rd selection event looming on the horizon I did feel quite guilty just using the wave gate and not even having one ride in the hole, but with way water levels are looking I have heard it said that the weekends event may not run.

PeakUK US: Winter Paddling in Bend The put-in was snowed in and the all wheel drive barely got us there. The water temp was sitting around 42 degrees and the sun was out. We geared up and checked out the drop. There was a little wood but nothing in the way.

Bottoms Up Kayaking: Quebec - Exploration So there we were ... in the middle of creeking paradise Quebec, with a long list of amazing rivers to do and park n' hucks everywhere. And yet we had to make a very hard decision. With only a few days left on our trip, were we going to give up "the for sure thing" a bunch of classic rivers we knew were at sweet levels, for the unknown of an exploratory trip, a possible skunk.

Todd Wells: The Grays River As soon as the walls along the first gorge began to fade away we saw the first large horizon line. To scout Superbowl, the first class V rapid, we had to climb over a 30ft. tall log jam. Most of us decided to run this rapid and in the end we all ended up having relatively smooth lines.

Fraser Valley WW: Coquihalla River – Below The Tunnels We hiked through the Old Kettle Valley Railway Tunnels and over the last big bridge above the class VI section. After a steep scramble down to the river we put on one of the last bigger rapids of the tunnel section. With lower water and more than 2 paddlers a couple of the rapids above our put in would have been good to go.

homemade kayaks: Lessons learned Today we were smarter than yesterday. The sea was still rough and had large waves, the group was more selective and more disciplined too. Yesterdays events were on all of our minds as we headed into the surf. We had more towropes as well.

Kokatat Blog: Kokatat Featured Company in Today's SNEWS Kokatat is one of three companies profiled by SNEWS editor Michael Hodgson in today's edition of the popular outdoor industry trade. The article explores the benefits and reasons why an outdoor industry company would want to be ISO (International Standards Organization) certified. Kokatat recently attained the ISO 9001:2008 certificate.

surfski.info: Von Wildemann Powers through Monster Swells The Eastern Cape 2008 SA Men's Surf Ski Champion, Richard von Wildemann claimed this year's 22km Hansa Victoria Bay-Sedgefield race which forms part of the Discovery Men's Health Surf Ski Series in a nerve-wrecking and risky finish through monstrous 5 metre swells, finishing a mere 20 seconds clear of Durban legend Herman Chalupsky on Saturday afternoon, 14th November 2009.

SUP Surf: Joe Bark 18′ SUP Stand Up Paddle Race Board The board also has the same rudder system as you see on lie down paddleboards. One thing I though was interesting was the use of a slider for the pedal. It was a few O-rings that can be easily moved forward or back and on the fly.

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Playak News Flash 2009-11-19

Playak News Flash - November 19, 2009

News Watch Headlines

Dagger Blogs: Going off the lip Running waterfalls is one of my favorite things in kayaking, even thought it only lasts for few seconds, it is one of the greatest feelings ever. That doesn't mean you should go and run every single drop you find, running a waterfall takes big responsibility and compromise with yourself and with all the people you are paddling with.

Wavesport Blogs: Poe Tsang Poe It is about a neglected section of the N Feather that many Cali boaters have passed up and driven over, denied flow in the dewatered canyon downstream of the first bridge. Right now the plumbers are working on the pipes in the Poe Powerhouse, so we get to go whitewater boat riding.

Mt. Hood H2O: Hagen Gorge We didn't get out of our boats between the log dam and Euphoria falls as usual. I love this creek for this reason. Just flying down the creek is a great day of boating.

Palm Blogs: Time Trial For anyone wanting to smash the time, I'd guess the level was on the upper end of low, although I don't know it well enough to give an accurate gauge.

Wavesport Blogs: Whitewater Chile You might want to consider making your trip to Chile much simpler by checking out the Guide Book.

Fluid Blog: 2009 Summer on the Gatineau River by Mat Coldebella A small video of my summer trip on the Gatineau River. A full camping week on the sand next to the High Tension wave, grilled fishes, sun and friends.

Immersion Research: The South Platte I have finally gotten to getting some of the video edited. So here is the video of our time on the South Platte.

Fraser Valley WW: Lower Chipmunk Creek Chipmunk Creek is one of the largest tributaries to the Chilliwack River. We put in just above the first bridge over the creek and ran it from there down to the confluence. This is a short section that starts with a couple ledges then some steep boulder bashing.

Dave Hoffman: A Big Swell Hits the Oregon Coast The waves were mushy, disorganized, and huge. They just kept coming. Just standing on the beach I was intimidated. There's something about the vast enormity of these waves that hits me in the chest.

Werner: Great Gear...Great Cause Werner's Healthy Waters partner, the Norther Forest Canoe Trail, is hosting a fundrasing auction.

P&H Paddlers: Surfing at Tybee Island Fun in the sun on Tybee Island at the BCU Skills Symposium and Tybee Island Surf Jam.

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