Playak News Flash 2010-06-30

Playak News Flash - June 30, 2010
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines

Double Trouble, Upper Lewis Falls Evan Garcia - The thought of the Upper Lewis Falls scares me. I ran it in 2008 with a friend Marshall Woods, it was a high level and a very powerful falls. He went in the cave behind the main veil and swam out...I was nervous to go up to my boat, but ended up with a good clean line. You can see it in "Demshitz the Movie" or this blog update.

Chubby Wave Great Falls, MT Wavesport Blogs - We left CO and headed to MT driving through Yellowstone National Park. We saw a bunch of Buffalo, Elk, and Mountain Goats. I really wanted to see a Grizzly Bear but glad we didn't there was a man killed by one while we where there.

2nd Alpine Cup in Wildalpen (AUT) adidas Sickline - There wasn't a long break between the Europeans and the second Alpin Cup. This time the competition was in Wildalpen on the famous river Salza. The hole, called the "Heli wave", was made by the owners of the campsite there – so it was an awesome job they did.

2010 Pyranha Molan Review Alpine Quest - Playboating, I've got a descent loop, cartwheels, and airscrew/pan-am if the conditions are right. I'm 18 years old, 6'1" on a normal day, and 160 lbs. with size 10.5 feet. My typical boat is an '08 Jackson allstar, but I've gotten the chance to paddle lots of other boats including the 2010 Allstar, Wavesport Project 52, etc. Playboating, I've got a descent loop, cartwheels, and airscrew/pan-am if the conditions are right. Hopefully this gives you a good idea of where this review is coming from.

Werner Paddle's team member Kelsey Thompson reports from the 'West Side' Werner - Kelsey Thompson, Werner Paddles team paddler, has been in Western Canada for a few weeks now kayaking. Setting off from his home on the Atlantic Coast in Canada and after some serious air time play bpating in the Ottawa Valley, where temps reached as high as 38°,the trip west started as a bit odd.

haute alpes, then soča to sjoa & Ula Simon Westgarth - It's that time of year where is run from the dirty end of the alps across the Po Plain to the beautiful Julian Alps, unpack, repack, dinner in Nußdorf with Olli and 2000Km north to Sjoa and the Summer residence in Norway. It's like driving uphill all the way, it take 2 days from Slovenia, and I managed to get through Book 7 of Harry Potter again, just getting ready for the forthcoming movie from November…

USA Team Trials Begin in 2 Days!- Missoula, Montana Jackson Kayak - The 2011 World Championships are being held in a wave/hole, but mostly a hole. Brennan's Wave on the Clark's Fork, in downtown Missoula is a perfect place to select the 2011 team. This wave/hole is almost identical in size and is also angled like Plattling, Germany. The one in Germany is angled the other way, however, and not quite as much.

A Fire Within – My Dream to be the World Champion in Freestyle Kayaking Kokatat Blog - My name is Polly Green, and my dream is to be the World Champion in freestyle kayaking. My journey is about finding out what it takes to be a winner not just on the water, but in life. Kayaking has shaped my entire life and I will always be entirely grateful to the sport, the rivers and the amazing places I have been lucky enough to experience. I have learned so many lessons along the way: I have lost friends, faced fear, experienced magical places, made lifelong friends, and have tried to pass on what I have learned through teaching and my films

European Freestyle Championships Palm Blogs - The European Freestyle Championships recently took place in Lienz, Austria. The hole was bouncy, flushy and very hard to find the retentive spot for any loop-type moves – so much so that the majority of ladies (including myself) and many men scored 0 points in at least 1 prelim ride! Thankfully, just one air loop (from both rides) for the ladies was enough to obtain a position in the semis, and by finals my rides had become more consistent.

Spring-less duemmstuff - Reality check was harsh after returning from New Zealand in February. A lot of work to be done on my college final paper, a job and short cold winter days meant not much paddling was on horizon. Furthermore, compared to last year, this winter wasn't as generous with snow and not much water was coming down the Slovenian Alps this spring. Yes, this spring sucked for me from a kayaker's point of view. Nevertheless I did join the white-water rescue training programme and I got to train as an instructor under supervision of Slovene water rescue guru Urban Herzog.

Trip, competitions, fun in Italy and Austria duemmstuff - First stop was World Champinoship of extreme kayaking – Teva Outdoor mountains games 2010. The river Chuisella had low water level then last year. But in the evening the water rised and it was fun and pushy.In long race I was 4., because I paddled across the rock twice:(

How small can you go #2 Imagine Surf Blog - Here are some photos of the little 6'11″ SUP in action on a river wave in Montreal – Habitat 67.

Video: Fishladder June 13th 2010 with Valley Mill Kayak School playak.tv - Valley Mill Kayak School director Jim Buley, and DC local paddler Collin Swan, do a run of the infamous Fishladder Rapids of Great Falls of the Potomac River. Jim is paddling the new Jackson creek boat; The Villain, and Collin is in his 2009 Jackson Hero.

Video: Kai Lenny - The new generation of watermen playak.tv - Check out this interview of Kai Lenny when he was in Bidart for the Oxbow Totally Bananas Tour. He is the leader of the new generation of watermen and just loves being in the water! Explanation...

Canoe Basics and the Kamanu Composites Pueo OC1 with Luke Evslin SUP Surf - I visited Luke Evslin at the Kamanu Composites Factory in Kailua on Kapa'a Quarry Road to learn more about the Pueo OC-1 and the basics of the canoe. Being a newbie to OC-1, I wanted to get the basics from someone with experience before testing everything out. I know some of this may be very basic for those with experience but for the newbie crowd, this will be very helpful and informative.

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Playak News Flash 2010-06-28

Playak News Flash - June 28, 2010
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines

Middle Heber River, Vancouver Island Rafting Life - Toward the end of June I had some worked lined up with the COLT program at Strathcona Park Lodge. I had the goal of trying to get out on the Middle Heber river for a little while, as I had heard that it was a beautiful section of river. Talking it over with a number of people it worked out on June 21 that we could go. Getting back from the last day of WW2, finished organizing the boats for the 3 day Nimpkish trip we were doing the next day and a good dinner at the Lodge. Good food at Strathcona Park Lodge.

River Leader Training Course in Soča Slovenia Gene17 - Gene17 introduces a new trip to Slovenia on the Soča River, the River Leader Training Course every Autumn & Spring, is aimed at paddler's wishing to gain competence on white water and the confidence to lead their friends on Class II/III.

The New Celestial Falls Evan Garcia - I was going on and on about how much I love the Metlako falls on Eagle creek this last week and I saw something on the Internet where Clay Wright called it "The New Celestial". This gave me a good chuckle! For those who don't know what that is check this out Celestial Falls.

West Side Wavesport Blogs - I been in Western Canada for a few weeks now and it started off as a bit of a shock to the system. Leaving the Ottawa Valley where temps reached as high as 38°C I arrived in Calgary greeted with snow and a temperature of -1°C. Although it did warm up right away the weather has persisted to be less than desirable barely breaking into the double digits with lots of fresh snow in the higher elevation mountain ranges... in some cases there have been reports of a larger snow pack now than there was in January. Luckily it seems like the worst is over and things are starting to brighten up.

Teva Extreme Outdoor Games 2010 PeakUK - This years extreme kayak race took place on the Val Chiusella river. A longer race section was set than previous years, which, after running the river several times before the race and realising I couldn't successfully remember any of the lines, resulted in having to draw myself a map and knuckling down to some revision the night before!

Royal Gorge - Not for Mothers Eyes Jordan Searle - I know I say this about a lot of river trips but this is the best multi-day, or even single river trip, I have ever done. Although the original team of six was eventually reduced to four, due to work commitments and and just not feeling it, I could not have picked a better crew to go in there with. Logistic's worked better than imagined with Shannon driving our shuttle (thank you), Corey taking our car back to Auburn (thank you) and for Rach, Dee and Matt who walked into the generation gap put in, day two camp, with steak, pesto, pasta, bacon, bagels, avacado, cheese, beers and even goon! With a good flow on the guage we decided it was on...

Liquid Fusion Kayaking: Tour de Mendo - The Ultimate of Mendocino Coast Sea Kayaking PaddleBlogs - Imagine 4 days of sea kayaking among the rock gardens and sea caves of the ruggedly beautiful Mendocino Coast. Yes, many come to the Mendocino Coast to sea kayak and have paddled stretches of the rock gardens and sea caves but few have done a Tour de Mendo Liquid Fusion Kayaking Style.

Video: Kayaksurf session 2010 playak.tv - Biggest kayaksurf meeting in Portugal!

Video: River Bassin Trail Sponsored by Kokatat playak.tv - A short promo video about the River Bassin Tournament Trail that was founded by Kokatat Kayak Fishing Ambassador Drew Gregory. Kokatat is proud to sponsor this exciting new format of kayak fishing.

Gore Canyon, Still High, Still Epic Ross Herr - Some how, we're still lucky enough that flows are holding out on some of Colorado's classics. Word on the street is that our reservoirs on the western side here are all full to the banks. That means that all you on the Denver front range will have plenty of water to keep your lawns green, and we'll have plenty of quality class V kayaking over here!

Hogs Back – Spring 2010 Level 6 - HUEVOS! This here is an update from the local waterfall run in Ottawa close to Carleton university… Usually each spring this bad boy is flooded to the tits, but with the low water levels of spring 2010 we were running Hogs Back almost everyday… Sometimes the NCC ( dont know what it stands for) puts an end to the session and threatens tickets but we were lucky this year with no negative run ins.

International Canoe Federation: Another Canoe Slalom World Cup Coming Up Paddle Press - It's Round Two of the 2010 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup, this time the best Slalom paddlers in the world come together in La Seu d'Urgell; site of the 2009 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships and the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992. The Parc Olimpic del Segre in La Seu d'Urgell is ready to accommodate the 267 athletes from 39 countries who will hit the water this weekend with demo runs and opening ceremony on Friday 25th. Among these athletes are some reigning World Champions.

Kayak Noise - Looksha Elite Kayak Noise - Alex Matthews talks about the Elite....

Playspot Kalikovak Playak - Playspot Kalikovak is a small artificial hole created on a "Kalikovský mlýn" mill race. The obstacle consists of two wooden plates raised and lowered by car winches that allow the spot to be adjusted to different water levels. The level in the river varies through the seasons, highest in the spring (up to 20 cumecs) and lowest in the summer (4 cumecs), however the mill race has fairly constant flow about 4 cumecs. Most of the time, the feature is a nice hole 3,5 meters wide with eddies on both sides. It can also be fine tuned to a wave/hole or a nasty sticky hole just the way you like it.

A welcome break at Ganavan SeaKayakPhoto.com - So it was a great excuse to stop for second luncheon. Jim W's kayak is a Sea King. The low winter sun showed off her fine lines and chines.

This mail contains a selection of the world's latest paddling news. To see all the latest news, videos, forum discussions and more, visit Playak News Watch.
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Playak News Flash 2010-06-26

Playak News Flash - June 26, 2010
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines

South Silver- The injured photographers perspective Whitewater-Koa - Luckily when California was built they made a few rivers with easy access for walkers so when you are injured you can still enjoy the excitement of kayaking but from behind a camera lens! South Silver Creek is a great example of this with a track from top to bottom and easy access on the granite to each of the drops! On Wednesday Toni, Dan and Yan were at the bakery in Coloma (where i spend most of my injured time) and they were heading up there for the day! I Jumped on the opportunity to escape Coloma and head in there!

Skate Park! Evan Garcia - Summit creek was discovered last year by a young group of Washingoton brothers known as the Wells Bros. They live in Trout Lake only 5 miles from the put in of the infamous Green Truss run on the White Salmon and have been searching the area for little stashes like this. We had two good days on this creek last season getting the second run down the Skate ramp falls and the first descent of the huge top canyon falls...Those updates can be seen here Summit Creek.

June Creeking Level 6 - June has been a super busy month so far, I've been working a ton which is great as it's all on the river, I've also been paddling with Kelsey Thompson as he films for his new project called Locals Only which will feature myself and fellow L6 team member Billy Harris, I'll post more on that later. In the mean time we have paddled The Big Horn, Johnston Canyon, Red Earth, Elbow, Etherington, Pinsgton, and Blanket Creeks. Most of my best footage is going to the film but I do have some leftover stuff I threw together from the past couple of weeks.

Metlako Falls, OR (High Water) Sweet - Metlako falls mmmmm?…what can I say about this drop? After seeing this thing run three times in 2004, 2006, and 2008 I knew that this thing was for me. After my second trip to Chile of running big waterfalls, I was in prime shape to hit this monster. So off I went as a 19 year old kayaker to run this 85 foot beast.

A New Meca for whitewater !! Wavesport Blogs - The Saguenay Area is slowly but surely becoming a Whitewater Meca and it is easy to see why, for instance, just look at its heart the city of Chicoutimi. There are 5 major rivers that run straight through town, that offer up a variety of paddling, from playboating at Barret hole on the Chicoutimi River or surfing the giant siran's wave on the Saguenay river, to cl 3-4 river running on the Cyriac, or if you are looking for something harder you can get on the Valin or Moulin rivers. And this only within the city limits!

Early season BC Team Pyranha - Having spent the last two seasons in Norway I had been informed by a number of reliable sources that everything else is just training for BC. Well to sum up creeking over here the word 'adventurous' closely followed by 'awesome' seem most appropriate. On the whole most runs are steep, continuous and committing just the way we like it! Plus on arrival I was quickly informed that this season boasts the second highest snow pack on record, 16 metres on the tops. So hopefully the season will be a long one accompanied by juicy flows.

Freestyle World cup 2010 duemmstuff - Plattling was canceled, so only one freestyle world cup took place in Europe. There were about hundred competitors from four continent.

Micah Kneidl's big-water ID update, NF Payette at 9000? Jackson Kayak - Kayaking in Idaho has been unlike anything I have ever really seen in fifteen years of boating. Cold spring temperatures meant more late spring snowpack than expected. This mixed with heavy rains made for some serious snowmelt. The Payette River in particular had an unexpected record runoff. The first Saturday in June was the peak day; the South Fork of the Payette was at 14,000cfs.

Nepal & the Tamur in November with Matt Tidy Gene17 - Have no concerns about Nepal, as ever Autumn after the Summer monsoon has long since moved on, there is paddling perfection. And this November Matt Tidy from Gene17 is leading a trip to the wonderful Tamur in the far east of Nepal. The Tamur trip has it all for a Nepali adventure, wonderful ridge line trekking with views of snow capped 8000m peaks and access to the colourful culture & cuisine. Plus the Tamur River is a great paddle, 4 days of pool drop white water in a remote valley, with the final day bringing the best rapids and exciting paddling.

Quebec Fiyyaahhh Level 6 - A record low snow year meant that the 2010 Stakeout was a bit different than years past. Check the new Kayak Session for more on the trip!

Video: SKOOKUMCHUCK KAYAKING playak.tv - Freestyle kayaking near egmont bc on the skookumchuck narrows.

Dagger in Central Park Dagger Blogs - Dagger's presence was unmistakable this past weekend in Central Park, New York City! From Adventure's NYC on Saturday to Outdoor Nation on Sunday, red and black flags were flying as we partnered with several different organizations in the outdoor industry to promote paddling for all ages and walks of life.

Dustin Urban wins at 2010 FIBArk Whitewater Festival Kokatat Blog - "Today I thought I'd give a first person account of my win this past weekend at the 62nd FIBArk whitewater festival 25 miles south of Buena Vista in Salida Colorado. Let me begin by saying that this was the first time I have won FIBArk, and to do so with so many local friends and fans cheering me on, and with such stiff competition, was thrilling and definitely a highlight of my career. It was also among my most decisive wins, so I won't try to hide that I'm pretty fired up about it!

Fun flows on the Truckee river! Jackson Kayak - We have had some really nice flows on the Truckee over the past few weeks. It has given the Reno community the ability to get out and enjoy all of the different sections of river that we don't normally get to boat on. I was able to get a few laps on the upper sections of my new home river for the first time. It only took me 4 years! The upper sections have a bunch of non stop class 3 with one or two easy class 4 rapids thrown in for good measure. There are also a pair of totally safe and fun to run dams. I know it sounds bad, but they are really good to go and they are a great time. Enjoy the video!

High water comes with great responsibility Kokatat Blog - For the last month, Colorado has been the warmest I have ever seen. As everyone knows when the warm weather comes, the snow melts, and what happens with snow melt. HIGH WATER! Almost the whole state has been flooding, including the famous Glenwood Springs waves. Everyone and their grandmother were in the lineup to surf, including Team Kokatat paddlers Ruth Gordon, Jason Craig and myself Nick Troutman. Here are is a video clip from my two days of surfing the waves.

This mail contains a selection of the world's latest paddling news. To see all the latest news, videos, forum discussions and more, visit Playak News Watch.
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Playak Weekly Digest - week 25

Playak Weekly Digest
The world's top paddling links in week 25, 2010.

News Watch Thigh straps rule. I don't care who says otherwise The Roaming Dials (Tuesday 22nd) ** - This month I've been able to put a few days in while strapped into my heavily-modded yellow Llama. First Scott Solle invited me out with his swiftwater rescue class on Eagle River. NOLS Alaska was there in numbers and everyone who tried out the thigh-strapped packraft was in agreement that it's a qualitatively new and different experience. Straps got my son back into boating and the swiftwater class was the best money he's spent this year, he said. Summit Creek, WA Sweet (Saturday 19th) * - Summit creek was discovered last year by a young group of Washingoton brothers known as the Wells Bros. They live in Trout Lake only 5 miles from the put in of the infamous Green Truss run on the White Salmon and have been searching the area for little stashes like this. The basic deal with this run is that, you need a bit if rain to pump the normally dry river bed up to enough water to scrape down this high mountain drainage ditch. Once you get the water you need it is an amazing place with two very steep and clean basalt gorges to run. Kayaking with Jesse Coombs and Chris Korbulic (videos) Outside Blog (Tuesday 22nd) * - Jesse Coombs and Chris Korbulic, of Eddie Bauer's First Ascent team, took a gaggle of kayakers out on the water on Saturday, then headed back out on the river alone on Sunday to get in some extra runs. Filmmaker Allison Otto caught up with them on Sunday as they paddled through Class IV rapids on the Roaring Fork. Check out the video above. Middle Fork of the Salmon Level 6 (Tuesday 22nd) * - Stig and I made the long journey from Ottawa to Syracuse via car and then a hop, a few skips and a jump to Boise Idaho. From there we met up with our compadres Tom from Shred Ready Helmets, Morgan from North Water and Mark from Mountain Equipment Co-op. After a quick meeting at the airport to collect our goods quench our thirst, we all made away in the family wagon to Stanley Idaho, the home of Middlefork River Expeditions. Fibark 2010 Team Pyranha (Tuesday 22nd) * - Hannah Kertesz throwing down in the Salida Hole where she ended up 2nd in the Junior Women's class!! Read on for more results and photos from the last 4 days at Colorado's oldest & biggest whitewater festival. We're all exhausted after another busy Fibark weekend. Demshitz Jared Seiler and Dave Fusilli were out of all competitions due to injuries, but there were still plenty of people representing in all of the whitewater kayaking events. Summer fun on Soča Gene17 (Saturday 19th) * - Every year from mid August, the River Soča plays host to our second run of teaching trips in Slovenia. The prefect clear blue water with it's boulder garden white water, lends to one of the very best paddling classrooms around. It's a near unbeatable spot to develop confidence and be introduced to the very finest of new school kayaking technique. The pristine landscape adds a wonderful back drop along with fine food and great beer, Slovenia has everything for a great paddling holiday. SUP Video: Werner Team Rider, Andre Niemeyer, Heads South Werner (Wednesday 23rd) * - Andre Niemeyer and the boys are featured in a recent issue of My Local Line Up. Check out the video of Baja's East Cape. Iceland sweetness... Sweet (Saturday 19th) * - I simply love this barren island to the west of Norway. Extreme conditions all around, yet with people that always seem lighthearted. Being norwegian I guess I feel related to the icelanders, seeing that a lot of norwegians moved here during the Viking age. Fleeing the politically unstable Norway, they settled on this windswept island of fire and ice. And big waterfalls.. Raffuse Creek Exploration CKS Squad (Tuesday 22nd) * - When Todd calls and says "hey man, ive got something sweet, wanna go to BC this weekend?", It probably means its gunna be a good old fashioned BC bushwack to a worthy creek. Then he texted me some photos they had taken when they scouted it a few days prior. Pictures of clean waterfalls and a kickass gorge met my eyes. I dropped other plans and headed up to the squamish area. Some more photos of the Teva Games Team Pyranha (Tuesday 22nd) * - Here are the promised photos of the Teva Extreme Outdoor Games 2010. Video: Tanya Faux - 2010 Steep Creek Championship at the Teva Mountain Games playak.tv (Saturday 19th) * - A short video featuring Tanya Faux from the Bud Light Lime Steep Creek Championship at the 2010 Teva Mountain Game. Faux finished in first place for the women on 6.3.10 up at Homestake Creek. The Teva Mountain Games are a project of the Vail Valley Foundation. Yule Creek Sweet (Saturday 19th) * - Couple of days ago I got off work and that was the right time to meet up with Demshitz crew to run something big. We met up in little town called Marble close to big Colorado mountains in Aspen area. After last week when was rainy and cold, it finally got sunny and warm again. We couldnt have a better weather for our run on the Yule creek. Claire O bags Silver at Euro Freestyle Champs PeakUK (Tuesday 22nd) * - Claire O'Hara does it again! Already World, European and British Champion in Ladies Squirt Kayaking, 28 year old, Leeds girl, Claire O'Hara has gone on to achieve success in a different discipline of kayaking : this Saturday, in Lienz in Austria she won the Silver Medal in the Ladies European Freestyle Kayaking Championships 2010. Upper Blackwater; Revisiting a West Virginia Classic Fluid Blog (Saturday 19th) * - In the state of West Virginia, the Upper Blackwater is as classic of a steep creek as it gets. There are 62 major Class 5 rapids in the 2.5 mile run through a beautiful canyon. The run features more 4-8 foot drops and boofs than any other creek in the area and also runs fairly often. So it's a wonder that it had been 3 years since the Dogg had paddled that run. For years, it was one of my favorite runs and I logged somewhere around 100 runs during the period before 2007. Video: Andrew Holcombe - 2010 Steep Creek Championship at the Teva Mountain Games playak.tv (Saturday 19th) * - A short video of Andrew Holcombe from the Bud Light Lime Steep Creek Championships at the 2010 Teva Mountain Games. Holcombe finished second for the men on 6.3.10 up on Homestake Creek. The Teva Mountain Games are a project of the Vail Valley Foundation.

Hot Forum Topics Win a Duem Stuff Freestyle Vest! Pyranha i3 - 221, 222 or 223? (Gear) Ouch! Helmet issues! (Gear) Wavesport Fuse 48 or 56? (Gear) Playboat Recomendations for tall semi-light person (Gear) Top Videos Composite Element - small wave, big fun! Kokatat Drytop and Bib (martakokatatcom) Outside in Aspen: Kayaking With Jesse Coombs and Chris Korbulic Glenwood Springs Summer Sessions (martakokatatcom) Green River Giant Slalom Upcoming Events 4 éme manche du FKT Natural games France, Millau, Jun 25 - Jun 27 Kootenay Whitewater Kayak Festival Canada, British Columbia, Crescent Valley/ Nelson, Jun 26 - Jun 27 Primo Stand Up Challenge USA, HI, , Jun 26 National Canoe Day Canada, Ontario, Peterborough, Jun 26 Muskegon River Races: Fun Paddle & HardCore Race USA, MI, , Jul 3

The Playak Weekly Digest is a special Saturday version of the News Flash, containing the most popular paddling news of the past week. To see all the latest headlines, videos, forum discussions and more, visit Playak News Watch.
To manage your Playak subscriptions, please edit your profile (subscription settings are at the bottom of the profile edit page).