Playak News Flash 2010-11-30

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

News Watch Headlines

Oswego Creek, Lake Oswego, OR Northwest Video Scrapbook - During the LOIS Project for the City of Lake Oswego 2 billion gallons of water was pumped from the lake and into Oswego Creek (A.K.A. Sucker Creek). Since this project was going on during the late summer months when nearby streams and rivers were at their lowest it attracted the attention of local whitewater kayakers.

Surfing around the Toronto Islands [Trip Photos] Paddling Instructor Blog - I got back earlier today from a fantastic day on the water kayaking around the Toronto Islands. The wind was gently blowing just strong enough from the South West to bring in some very nice 2 foot swells.

It's A Wrap paddling.net - The holidays are upon us. But then again, thanks to the retail stores, Christmas has been on our minds since August. But, they're really on us now. Now is when you look at the calendar and see how many "open" weekends are left in 2010. If you're like me, the weekends are about the only time you can work in a fishing trip, so some planning is in order. Obviously, Thanksgiving is this week. Many of you will be traveling to spend time with family friends, and travel will most likely consume this weekend. Good for you - you made the right decision.

Video update from the Rio Claro…that's Chile! Team Pyranha - So far our trip has been quite amazing. Paddling everyday, mostly warm weather, and good flows. Here is a video from a trip we took a few weeks ago up to the very very beautiful Rio Claro.

Nicaragua and the Rescue Class Jackson Kayak - Nicaragua is a magical place. I have had such a great time down here and it's just the first week! We started off with our bags getting lost. Luckily it only took a day to get them back. The passion of Latin America is inspirational for me. San Juan del Sur was our first stop.

Double the pleasure Tony Paradise - Today we ended up at Tors Cove after a scouting mission in Brigus South. There we spoke to 3 local fishermen who advised against launching. They wouldn't go out in their 10 metre fishing boat they said. That was almost a dare and the testosterone cut in for a bit but we listened to reason and retreated to Tors Cove

Lamure bay Ottawa River A whole bunch of Ing's - My cheeks and bit's that stick out on my body are still holding the cold energy of the day as I type this report up. My original plan for today was to awake early and head to Rock lake in Algonquin park, a good 2 hour drive from my house. Waking before sunrise I seen my VERY sleepy wife who had been babysitting for a friend last night and was up until 2 am. Directing her back to bed I got the lad's breakfast and watched some cartoons.

Luncheon on a gravel bed in the River Lochy SeaKayakPhoto.com - The sea lock of the Caledonian Canal opens to Loch Linnhe beside Corpach pier.

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 2010-11-29

Playak News Flash - November 29, 2010
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines

NubleFest 2010 Dagger Blogs - When most people think of kayaking in Chile they think of the steep creeks of Pucon or of the big water at the Futa, but I was fortunate enough to spend the past week experiencing another gem of Chile, the Rio Nuble Valley located in the small mountain town of San Fabian. I was brought to the town because of my good friend Jon Clark, who found this place many years ago and has since been returning yearly to experience the beautiful vistas, play on the river's waters as well as to support a movement to fight the hydro electric projects that threaten the Nuble River and its tributaries.

BIlly Harris 2010 a Year in Review Jackson Kayak - My wife got a job as a sugar momma, I lost team trials. Its been horrible, its been great, Its been a great summer, and fall, however I have been hiding a way a bit not gonna lie. Sure I made my rounds as Billy Harris the kayaker visiting shops in, Calgary, Quebec, NY, and all over including boater boards and all that. But I have been hidden away a bit at the same time. Now the Moose fest was a blast, riding coolers down a hill, missing phones, toilet papered rooms and cars.

Fran's trip to Nepal FlowFree - A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to go to Nepal for 3 and a half weeks. A tip for anyone who wants to go there; factor in some ill days :-S

Rock Lake Algonquin park A whole bunch of Ing's - I don't know what I'm looking for, but I must go. There is a passion involved, however it is really hard for me to put my finger on the feeling. Looking for something is the best way I can put it.

Coosa Outfitters Whitewater Clinic Jackson Kayak - Considering the lack of water in the southeast this weekend I think Dane, Clay and I were in the best place possible.

Thanksgiving at Rock Island Jackson Kayak - Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays. Good food, good friends, and this year some good kayaking and great weather.

Asian Games 2010 Daily Paddle - The largest ever Asian Games lowered its curtain in a festive Closing Ceremony on Saturday night as Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, President of the Olympic Council of Asia, hailed the Guangzhou Asiad "a huge success" and "the best ever" in history. The games are about the size of the Olympic Games!

Kayak Accessories – Some Essential Kit Kayak Raft Adventures - Many people considering taking up kayaking are put off by having the mistaken belief that it is an elitist sport and they would not be any good at it.

Going South worldkayak blogs - I am getting all excited about hitting the South Island after Christmas. Thinking of the South Island at the moment – our thoughts are with the miners' families.

Reminiscent of a river: the Loch Eil narrows SeaKayakPhoto.com - In the narrows, the west going flood starts at -0435 HW Oban (+0220 HW Dover) and the east going ebb starts at +0130 HW Oban (-0400 HW Dover). The spring rate in both directions is 5 knots. We were in the narrows an hour before the end of the ebb and were surprised to be drifting at 3.2 knots.

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 2010-11-28

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

News Watch Headlines

4 days in Devon Gene17 - This was going to be a interesting trip with a steep learning curve that much was clear in my head as I drove south to meet Simon Westgarth and my fellow 4* trainees at River Dart Country Park in Devon.

A Weekend on the East Lyn worldkayak blogs - During the week I had been watching the many millimetres of rain find their way to the river prior to the UHCC weekend trip to Dulverton. The webcam for the East Lyn was showing a steady 100 cm (tope levels for this run). After a good night at the Bridge Inn and ear plugs to block out the snorers, a group of us headed over Exmoor to one of the best runs in the Southwest of the UK.

Joe Keck Reviews The Jackson Kayak Villain CKS Blog - Well, fall is here. It's always a time to look back at the kayaking season's great memories and triumphs that we've had on the river. At the end, I always think back about my gear that was all shiny and new at the beginning. Did it work as advertised or is it time to try something new next spring? Well, one piece I loved all summer was my new Jackson Kayak Villain. I am a big fan of the Rocker and last winter I waited in trepidation for EJ's newest take on the creek boat.

Upper Palguin worldkayak blogs - Apart from that we have visited the local drinking establishment called Mamas & Tapas. Watched the Demshitz run the middle Palguin (a 70 foot waterfall). Other rivers in the area which we have managed to get on are the lower Liacura (class 3 medium volume float), the Maichin (class 4- boulder gardens with one portage), the Magic Canyon of the Liacura (class 4 with one massive horrific portage and another easier portage), the Truful Truful (non stop class 3 rapids with around 3 eddies in 9km).

VIDEO: Jet Kayak Rapid Magazine Blog - What happens when you take a top performing play boat design and put a jet engine in it?

Getting the Shot: Veinte y dos and Garganta New River Academy - On Tuesday New River Academy took a group down Veinte y dos Saltos on the Rio Claro in Chile. This insanely fun run is a wonderland of super clean waterfalls. Still, this is no Siete Tazas, you don't just fall off the waterfalls, they have lines and some are pretty challenging. But even more challenging than the run was getting to the run. First is the drive over hundreds of rocks and potholes followed by a thirty minute trek into a forest, over hills, and through streams. Finally you arrive at the river and see this incredible twenty-five foot waterfall.

Coaching with Cardiff Canoe Club worldkayak blogs - Last Sunday I was back in my home town of Cardiff and was lucky enough to get out on the Ogmore River with Cardiff Canoe Club. Chris and Mark are both going for their Level 3 Coach assessment soon and were keen to get some practice in. The group was split into two and Chris and I headed down river with Sarah, Gethin and Phil. Although I was official photographer for the trip, I did join in all the exercises that Chris set to help improve breaking in and out, surfing, ferrying.

The Adventure Show - Kayaking this Sunday Simon Willis - The Adventure Show at 8pm on Sunday (28th Nov) features exciuting canoe and kayak slalom on the River Tay at Grandtully. There's also a catch-up with Andrew Murray, who is attempting a record breaking run from John o'Groats to Morocco.

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 2010-11-27

Playak News Flash - November 27, 2010
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines

GB Selection Win & Hurley Classic Win River Zoo - The 2010 season of competition finished this last weekend with the Hurley Weir League event & Hurley Classic on the Sunday.

Hurley Classic Weekend worldkayak blogs - So even with low water we managed to have 2 days of Hurley action a the Hurley Classic. 1 and 3/4 gates produced a unique hole/wave combo with a nice shoulder. It allowed the best to prove themselves and stopped the locals from completely dominating.

Visa Team LiquidLogic - Liquidlogic team kayaker Martin Vollen and Mathias Fossum on Visa river in Norway.

My highlights reel from the past 10 years including all my biggest crashes Dagger Blogs - Below is a link to my highlights footage that we have compiled over the past 10 years.

Aquabatics Creeking Course Video Aquabatics Calgary - So if anyone is thinking of taking a Creeking Course with us next spring or you have taken one this past year check this little video out!!

Back in Black Rapid Magazine Blog - What happens when you take a top performing play boat design and reduce its weight by 40% and increase rigidity?

Fluid Vuvubat Medium Playak - The Vuvubat is a plastic polo kayak that delivers high performance in an affordable, almost indestructible package. The Vuvubat complies with full ICF regulations and can be used in ICF sanctioned kayak polo competitions.

Into the Belly of the Beast: Running Garganta del Diablo New River Academy - Normally, I would start out a blog with a short description of what New River Academy just did, but this experience was so unique and so amazing that a simple sentence saying that New River Academy ran Garganta del Diablo would not do the experience any justice. Everyone's seen the pictures and the movies of it, and going it we had all thought that we knew what the rapid would be like. Yet from the moment we did the ski ramp into the canyon, it defied all expectations.

LL Updates - Quebec LiquidLore - As of late the bulk of our content has been coming out of SW BC - some of the sections in our guidebook are starting to get a little dusty and needed some attention. Turns out lots of people thought the same thing.

Paddling down the River Leven rockratrobinson - Check out several nice pictures!

Dragon's Throat Revisited Mt. Hood H2O - The footage taken from the first descent of this drop was ruined by moisture, so I had hoped for awhile to get back up there and get some more. The time presented itself when my dad came down to school to see where I was living now and drop off some essentials. While eating lunch I decided we should head up there and look at that drop as it is a pretty cool spot and Macey (his dog) needed to get out and move around.

NEW MAGAZINE: Content # 36 Kayak Session - Destination: Ticino – Switzerland. ITV: Mike Dawson. Zoom In: Gauley Fest , World's biggest paddling festival. Profile: Flemming Schmidt. Mission: Thule Beri, Nepal...

Fiestas of borja Small World Adventures - November 21st is always an interesting time to be in Borja--our local community and home base of Small World Adventure's riverside lodge for the past 13 years. This day marks the celebration of the Virgin of Quinche--an interesting figure in both Indigenous and Catholic Ecuadorian faith. The Virgin of Quinche was carved from wood in the 16th century by famed artist Don Diego Robles.

Surfing lessons and a new paddle homemade kayaks - I must admit its great to see all the new Greenland paddles out on the water. It does take some getting used to, changing from a Euro style paddle to a Greenland one. The feel is completely strange and it takes a good while to get proficient with the stick. So keep at it folks, and soon it will be as natural as pie.

The 2nd annual, every man's Rio Grande multi-day kayak trip CKS Squad - The 1st annual, every man's Rio Grande multi-day kayak trip started last year in 2009. The Rio Grande in Northern New Mexico is an awesome multi day trip. From the Colorado Border to the Rio Arriba County line is 65 miles of class 2-5. The sections are, Ute Mountain (class 2), Razorblades (class 3-4), Upper Box (Class 4-5), La Hunta (class 2), Lower Box (class3-4), State Park (class 2), Racecourse (class 3).

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.
To manage your Playak subscriptions, click here.

Playak Weekly Digest - week 47

Playak Weekly Digest
The world's top paddling links in week 47, 2010.

News Watch Big Banana Falls, Rio Alsaseca Evan Garcia (Sunday 21st) *** - This is a belated update from the biggest drop of 2010 in my mind. All the boys found themselves in the deepest darkest jungles of Veracruz Mexico firing up drops from another dimension. Lead by the animalistic leader of the revolution, Rafa Ortiz, we found ourselves scouting the 128 foot Big Banana falls. No one would step up, until after 5 years of dreaming and waiting Rafa was ready to drop this stout. Chile – Rio Claro worldkayak blogs (Friday 19th) *** - First things first, the boys bought a sweet truck… and we headed 4 hours south of Santiago to the "Siete Tazas" or seven tea-cups… on the Rio Claro. Then we met up with some american boaters who were kind enough to take us down the upper section known as the 22 waterfalls. Here are the pictures in no particular order! Jackson Kayak All-Star 2010 Carbon Playak (Monday 22nd) ** - What happens when you take the All-Star design and reduce its weight by 40% and increase ridigity? Fluid partners with Paul Villecourt Playak (Saturday 20th) ** - Paul Villecourt is a professional whitewater photographer whose work I've admired for many years, but I never had the pleasure of meeting him until Kanumesse 2010 last month. Well, when we met at last, it turned out that Paul is a fan of my work too, and the connection was instant. Krutåga - Norway Mark Basso (Monday 22nd) ** - There's no question that the secret is out of the bag. Whitewater in northern Norway has always been on the map waiting for the first paddle strokes to arrive. Yet exploration by the foreign crowd has been limited mainly due to the laden creeks and overloaded options in the known southerly regions around Voss and Sjoa. Norrish Creek, Helmet Cam Footage Fraser Valley WW (Saturday 20th) ** - Here are 2 helmet cam videos I filmed with a GoPro HD Camera. The first run was on Oct 11 2010, the second run was Nov 7 2010 and a much better flow. Red Bull Snowkajak Obertauern Freecaster (Tuesday 23rd) ** - 100 Snowkajaker traten am 28. März auf der Edelweissalm in Obertauern zum Red Bull Snowkajak an: Im Kampf gegen die selektive Strecke und in Vierer-Heats Mann gegen Mann paddelte sich Bernhard Steidl zum Snowkajaker 2009. Kayak Balance Exercise Simon Willis (Wednesday 24th) ** - A few mnths ago I wrote a piece about the 5 Star Training session I did with Gordon Brown of Skyak Adventures. (Incidentally, Mark Tozer has written a good piece about 5* assessment). Quick Chile Update Team Pyranha (Saturday 20th) ** - It's been raining hard for the last 12 hours. It's coming in sideways and it's cold. So, unlike the past 2 weeks of go go GO…we're sitting around drinking yerba matte, eating bananas, letting our bodies recuperate, and catching up with the world. Here's a quick photo re-cap of our Chile experiences thus far. Fred's busy making edits. So, the goods are yet to come. Video abriendo la temporada 2010 Kayakpro Chile (Wednesday 24th) ** - Great video!!!! A Little Idaho 'Go Left' Carnage worldkayak blogs (Friday 19th) ** - Always easy to find carnage at GLOYF on the Main Payette. For some reason people don't think left means 'left'! Means of Production 2 Double 2D (Friday 19th) ** - After the successful release of Means of Production comes the long awaited cataclysm of kayaking and comedy; Means of Production 2. With a healthy dose of Brit-irony, MOP2 showcases the adventures of Max Bilbow and friends as they explore the familiar creeks of Norway and Corsica; and the lesser known whitewater of Iceland, Vietnam, Thailand and Siberia. Mexico 2010: The Rio Jalacingo Todd Wells (Sunday 21st) ** - To us kayakers, the Rio Alseseca is without a doubt the most popular class V river in Veracruz. However, for those of us who don't mind working a little more for the goods I think think that the Rio Jalacingo can dish out just as good of a time as the classic Alseseca. 2010 Green River Extreme Kayak Race Video worldkayak blogs (Friday 19th) ** - A great video recap of "The Greatest Show in all of Sports!" by Pilot Collective Media!! Green Race 2010 Jackson Kayak (Tuesday 23rd) ** - The Green Race is known as being one of if not the biggest extreme kayak race in the world. It is also the birth place for racing long boats, and because of the Green race several boats have been made specifically for the Green Race.

Hot Forum Topics looking for a yak to suit me (Gear) Which kayak for playboating & whitewater paddles? (Gear) Directory: Brands & Manufacturers: Guigui-prod Chronicles of Rage: Webisode Two Top Videos How to Flatwater Loop (KenWhiting) Beast - Part 3 - Inspire (KenWhiting) Carbon All-Star Promo (ntroutman) The Liquidlogic Remix (levinson) Nigel Dennis Kayaks (NDK) Explorer (amyannbesch) Upcoming Events Pots Rodeo UK, Devon, Exeter, Nov 27 Gene17 Adventure Paddlers Weekend UK, England, Dartmoor, Dec 3 - Dec 5 Himalayan Whitewater Challenge Nepal, Trisuli River, Dec 3 - Dec 5 The Nile Kayaking Festival Uganda, Bujagali Falls, Dec 7 - Dec 9

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.
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