Playak Weekly Digest Playak News Flash - January 20, 2011  Norwegian Team Completes First Self-Supported Circumnavigation of South GeorgiaKokatat Blog - Sigrid Henjum, along with 3 fellow Norwegian kayakers, recently returned from their successful circumnavigation of South Georgia. Preceding the Norwegian team were two successful circumnavigations of South Georgia in 2005 by New Zealand's Adventure Philosophy Team (Graham Charles, Mark Jones and Marcus Waters) and a British team (Peter Bray, Jeff Allen, Hadas Feldman, and Nigel Dennis). |
 End of Season: UpdateWRSI - Everyone knows pictures are worth at least a thousand words, and who doesn't like looking at sick drops and fun stuff!! Here is a big photo dump of places I've been this season with good friends having good times, even portaging. Thanks to everyone who made it good, Totten, Jeff and JD, Mckibbin, Kris Wilson, Hoover, JP, Fish, Nick, Gordon, A-train, Dan P, Chelan Crew, you all know who you are!! |
 Winter kayak self support on the Lower Box, New MexicoCKS Squad - So with Northern New Mexico not getting much snow, It was time for a nice overnight trip down the class 2-3+(at flows of 600cfs) lower Box. The Lower Box is a great 15 mile wilderness run deep in a basalt gorge just west of Taos, NM. My friends Nate and Duke had never been on a kayak self support trip before and were amped to give it a try. We headed out Dec 10th, 2010. Although the 2 days were fairly warm, the night time temps were still getting down below freezing. |
 Class IV Classics: Lynn CreekLiquidLore - It was a long time living in Vancouver before I actually got on Lynn Creek, one of the very popular urban North Shore runs. Following a small disaster (snowfall in the city, it's a big deal when the snowplows are pickup trucks) the Lynn filled with logs and other forest debris and for almost a year this was the way it was. There had to have been enough wood in there to build several log houses, not including a massive log jam at perhaps the most inconvenient spot on the whole run that essentially rendered the whole thing unrunnable. I guess there was an excuse. |
 Reichenbach-Wave updateMarkus Leppaenen - The city of Munich is working hard on the river banks of the last Isar stretches in Munich around the Reichenbach-Bridge in the city center. Yesterday we had a peak of the river level as it rained and it was really warm so all the snow melted as well. Therefore we had the chance to see how the work on the river-banks so far has influenced the wave. The good news, there still is a wave/hole. |
 Halo Effect Trailer - A New Paddling Movie from Steve & Dave FisherCanoe & Kayak UK - Years ago I went to Iceland with legendary extreme kayaker Shaun Baker on an expedition to run some of the country's huge waterfalls, indeed while we were there Shaun broke the World Waterfall Record as it stood at the time. It's falls and huge, wild whitewater rivers are still drawing in the very best extreme kayaers in the world. |
 When the rain came – Artle Beck and the RoeburnDave Goadby - It rained at the weekend. With the Met office heavy rain warnings all over the news, texts were going backwards and forwards between kayakers around the country and I agreed to meet some friends at the take out for Artle Beck at 7.30am. Being a bit too keen Tom and I were there early and it was pitch black. With the aid of a torch we could see that the river wasn't as high as we were expecting, to be honest it was quite low. We sat solemnly in my car awaiting the arrival of the others. |
 Clay Wright Reviews The 2011 Jackson Rock StarCKS Blog - How is the Rock Star different from the All-Star? Faster and looser by far, harder carving and at really diagonal angles to the current, easier and smoother to cartwheel, wider, shorter, and taller. The bow feels slicier, the stern much more substantial because it's a bit wider and has 2 extra gallons for extra pop on back loops. You really feel the difference when you cartwheel as it's a much smoother and balanced transition when linking end for end. |
 Thoughts on 2011 BoatsJackson Kayak - For the past three winters, Rock Island has been my first paddling destination of the New Year. Traveling to the middle of Tennessee has always seemed to get the year started with the right stroke and is quickly becoming a yearly tradition. The first week of 2011 was no exception, with 5,600 cfs spilling at Rock Island and a whole bunch on new Jackson Kayaks in the works. 2011 will be one for the memory book with the short and sweet Hero series and a new playboat to rock your socks off; the Rock Star! |
Playak News Flash - January 19, 2011  Perfect conditions on the Rhone Riveradidas Sickline - Ever since I got into freestyle kayaking in the late 90's (known as rodeo back then), I had heard of that big, powerful and somehow legendary wave located in Lyon, on the Rhone River. For many years it was simply a matter of front surfing what appeared as a beast to us, young punks in our long, clumsy rodeo kayaks. Then the flat hulls appeared and opened a whole new era for freestyle kayaking, and Lyon soon became the European epicentre of big wave paddling. |
 Write-Up: Pucon, Chile: Upper TrancuraA Wet State (CA) - The Upper Trancura was a nice warm-up for us on our first day of boating in Chile. That day, we were with a class III boater, in new kayaks, and using new paddles so the team put-in above Salto de Mariman. Later in the trip, with sore backs from our " Very Park-n-Huck Christmas" we opted to come back to complete the Upper Trancura and rest our bodies. In all, the Upper Trancura only has 5 or 6 standout rapids including the commonly portaged Salto de Mariman. However, spectacular views of the Volcan Villarica make this run one of the more scenic sections of river that you can boat while in Pucon. And if you are not up to kayaking the class IV rapids, worry not as several rafting outfitters in Pucon offer daily raft trips. |
 Season 2010 closing at La Malate and Hawaii Sur RhoneMarkus Leppaenen - In the middle of Dezember the temperature suddenly rose in France and a lot of snow in the mountains melted. In addition it rained and the water-levels of the Doubs and the Rhone shot through the roof. Hence we adhoc took two days off work and did our season 2010 closing 4 days paddling-trip to France. Well first we had to wait in Munich for our friend Toby Hüther who had quite an odysse with the ICE (fast train in Germany) through Germany and therefore we started our trip a little late around 4 o`clock in the morning instead of in the evening the day before. And as you can see in the picture it was cold in Munich. |
 High Water Insanity on the Washougal River, OregonLL Ladies Lounge - Yesterday was an epic day for boaters in the Pacific Northwest. Everything, and I mean everything, was flooding. The photos that have emerged of the rivers such as the White Salmon and the Clackamas are nothing but crazy! Some of us decided to head up to the Washougal River for a play run. The night prior (when we were planning) the flow was 2,600 with a forcast of heavy rain. We only expected it to rise to 6000 max. |
 The Original Whitewater Explorers of Ecuador--Orellana and PizarroSmall World Adventures - Each year, hundreds of kayakers come to Ecuador to explore it's many rivers for themselves. Many of Ecuador's rivers are known, published in our guidebook, on the web, etc...but many are yet to be explored, and kayakers are still doing 1st descents here. |
 Seakayakers, gypsies and bothy dwellers on MorvernSeaKayakPhoto.com - This was a memorable trip that took place early in the month of June. Our aim was to circumnavigate the Morvern peninsula in western Scotland. It is very nearly an island being nearly surrounded by Loch Sunart to the north, the Sound of Mull to the Sw and Loch Linnhe to the SE. Only 11km of land lie between the head of Loch Sunart and Inversanda Bay on Loch Linnhe. |
 Fort William Mountain Film FestivalSimon Willis - This is my local film festival, right on my door. So it's hugely remiss of me that I didn't know a thing about it until I saw an advertisment. |
| NatureBridge Awarded REI Foundation's Inaugural Mary Anderson Grant SNews - Annual $50,000 grant to support connecting more children to the outdoors |
Playak News Flash - January 18, 2011  Last few days on the OttawaWavesport Blogs - Now that winter is in full force I am sorting through all my photos from the past season and I am quickly getting very excited for the 2011 paddling season. |
 Write-Up: Pucon, Chile: Lefincul Canyon of the Rio LiucuraA Wet State (CA) - This short a sweet section of the Rio Liucura is most commonly paddled as an extension to the Lower Nevado. I have been told though, that some folks do go into the Lefincul Canyon just for the canyon alone. Though they apparently usually bring lots of beer and a fishing pole. The Canyon itself has one entry sneak, or good drop, and one easy drop. |
 Write-Up: Pucon, Chile: Lower NevadoA Wet State (CA) - The Lower Nevado sports one of my favorite rapids of our trip to Chile. The boof to slide was just too much fun and in too committed and scenic of a gorge to not fall in love with. The drawback to this run is the extreme brevity of the run. For those of us who do not want to run the Demshitz drop nor the Diablito just below, this run has only 4 drops and 1 rapid. Because of this, you will likely want to extend the run through the Lefincul Canyon section of the Rio Liucura just down river a kilometer. |
 Monday Morning Motivation - Australian Slalom ChampionshipsCumec Magazine - The 2011 Australian Canoe Slalom Nationals were held last week in Nymboida, NSW. While the residents of Queensland were evacuating their homes the fastest kayakers in Australia and the NZ Junior Development squad were battling the rising waters just over the border. |
 Greenland Week 2010: Interview with Kiliii YuDash Point Pirate - Primitive skills expert, skin-on-frame kayak builder and paddler Kiliii Yu talks about fishing and coastal foraging while guiding trips around Vancouver Island with his company Sea Wolf Kayak. |
 Kayak or Canoe?paddling.net - Some years ago, I guided a group of teens on a canoe trip in Minnesota's Boundary Waters. As we rounded a point, a yellow kayak darted toward us. The paddler - a young woman in her twenties - flashed a smile, then poured on the coal. In a flash she was gone. |
 Day 20 - sleeping beside spiritsThe Seven Settlements Solo Kayak Expedition - It is amazing how much I got out of speaking Greenlandic yesterday. It is important to note that Niaqornat has overwhelmingly shown/revealed/exceeded my cultural goals for the expedition. I got by on my level of Greenlandic - with lots of small confusions, but I got by. I sorted it almost without Danish. In fact, Danish did not help one bit! I got a good feeling about the settlement and deliberately left good gear there almost just to prove that I can. |
 Together, the Werner team enjoys the Cold Stroke Classic SUP Race.Werner - Travelling as a little family on a 2 week SUP mission, that included the Surf Expo trade show and surfing in Puerto Rico, Werner Paddle's Mette Mosquera, Dan Gavere, Danny Mongno and athletes Nikki Gregg and Joe Mosquera landed for the last stop at Coast Urge's 3rd Annual Cold Stroke Classic SUP Race. The event was well attended and hats off to the Costal Urge staff for putting on a smooth race and awards dinner for over 120 competitors. |
