Playak News Flash 2011-01-13

Playak News Flash - January 13, 2011
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines

Chirripo Pacifio huck fest Chris Baer - La Perla is a 50 + foot drop that starts with a tricky slide into a 30 foot vertical drop. Todd and I had this gem in our sights for the last 3 weeks. We had been keeping ourselves busy with other adventures but today it was time to pluck this first descent. The drop is just a short hike up the hill from Casa Mariposa, (the hostel I have been home basing out of). After scouting the beast one more time there was little hesitation in running such a magnificent drop.

The Lower New Leif and Natalie - As the end of last semester came to a close, Leif and I decided to leave behind to snow and ice laden streams of Colorado to seek warmer environs in the North Coast.

New Year, New Creeks (video) River Left Productions - had a week to burn before school and my good friend Dave Carey had recently been unemployed so we both decided to chase the rain out West and down South. Big thanks to everyone who let us crash over the week and here is a little video I made that sums up the trip pretty nicely.

This just in- World Record Waterfall Descent Immersion Research - Brought to you by Fred Norquist, Evan Garcia, Logan Grayling and Anton Immler. You will notice Anton putting his trust in one of our Double D Drysuits while executing this amazing feat. We would also like to note, that the Double D has officially passed the dryness test against more than just H2O, we can now add vodka & redbull to the list!

How to Calculate Canoe Seat Positions PaddlingLight - After you build a canoe hull, possibly from PaddlingLight's free canoe plans, and trim it out with thwarts, gunwales and a yoke, you need to add seats. Historically, few canoes had seats built into them — the paddlers either knelt or sat on gear. While that's still practical, it's much more comfortable to sit on an actual canoe seat. If the canoe plan didn't include seat positions, then you need to calculate that position yourself. Luckily, with a little high-school level algebra — and you thought it would never come in handy — calculating a canoe seat position is painless.

That's right! Ice… man. I am dangerous Immersion Research - In hopes of making the 11th Iceman Championships slightly more comfortable for a few folks I traveled to Columbia SC with a fleet of IR's newest Drysuits. The following photos journal the exciting day.

Antarctica Dreams Kayak Yak - Antarctica. WOW. Not enough words to adequately describe this incredible and beautiful location. Pictures can show the expanse, the vivid colours, the fun and lovable animals, the mountains et cetera, but they will never capture the 360 degree view, the warmth of the sun, the chill of the wind, or what is felt deep inside. It was the dream of my lifetime and I shall be forever changed by it.

Sebago Frostbite Regatta 2011 Frogma - Of course what was really going on there was a warm-up balance brace -- or would that be cool-down? -- getting ourselves acclimatized for the traditional Sebago Frostbite Regatta rolls. That water is COLD these days, you don't want to just plunge in without a little preparation.

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