Playak News Flash 2011-01-15

Playak News Flash - January 15, 2011
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines

Cerro Chirripo & La Perla First Descent Todd Wells - When I first laid my eyes on the Rio Chirripo Pacifico I was entranced by it's power and beauty. My original reason for visiting the Chirripo Pacifico was to scout out a few waterfalls I'd heard about and to climb Cerro Chirripo, Costa Rica's tallest mountain. I had planned to climb Chirripo with my buddy Nate Davis, and just before leaving for the trip Chris Baer, whom I had never met, got a hold of me to say that he was in the area and that he'd like to come along.

Update 1: July 2010 Bryon Dorr - Over the next week or so I'm going to try to update this blog with some photos and commentary. I've been slacking on this and want to get things back up to speed.

How To: Stay Toasty WARM in the Winter… Jackson Kayak - The most common question I get in the winter when I go boating is, "aren't you cold?". I can deal with 100+ degree heat of the Zambezi and enjoy that, but I dont' like getting cold. I don't mind the cold weather, as long as i have the right equipment to stay warm. Iwas always this way, as my slalom buddies used to say, "wimpy" when it came to the cold. I used to wear long sleeves when the wore short sleeves, I wore pants and booties when they wore shorts and bare feet, and i wore pogies when they didn't.

Little River Elbow Run Video worldkayak blogs - Before all the rivers in the Smokies went huge on our New Year's Day paddle trip in the Smokies, I had the pleasure to get to lead brother-in-law down his first descent of the Little River – Sinks to Elbow run. It was at a nice medium/low flow of +/-2.7′ and Jeff had a great run!

Season's End II - A Year in Review Chris Wing - A few years back I concluded my season with a highlight reel aptly named "Season's End." While traveling and training with my close friend Brad McMillan this past fall we were shooting quite a bit of footage and with all the footage I shot throughout the season, I liked the idea of revisiting this video concept. Unfortunately I experienced a hard drive crash while editing this video and it was put on the back burner for a bit.

First of 2011 worldkayak blogs - 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!

Uganda adidas Sickline - After one great month kayaking in Uganda on the White Nile we finally returned back home. I am very happy to be back but I have to say I kind of miss this nice sunny country a bit.

Freestyle Kayak Action at the London International Boat Show 2011 Canoe & Kayak UK - We always knew UK freestyle kayak star Pringle was destined to rub shoulders with super-models! Check him and his fellow kayakers in action at the 2011 LIBS... The Show also starred Canoe & Kayak UK's very own whitewater correspondent at large Ed Smith, who also gave displays in the pool and a series of inspiring talks.

Plattsburgh Uni Gets Lesson on GA Coast Savannah Canoe and Kayak - It was the coldest week in the dead of winter, but for myself, a faculty member, and 8 students from State University of New York-Plattsburgh, these last 7 days have been a great experience.

Exploring Middle Harbour Creek at High Tide Fat Paddler - One of the best things about paddling is that there's so many different ways to do it. You can head out into the surf, bump and grind through rock gardens, ride a canoe down a river, play out in the ocean swell or go for a lake cruise with friends. You don't need to stereotype yourself as any particular type of paddler – you're totally free to enjoy the water any way you like.

The rest of the Feather Bryant Burkhardt - One of the great things about rivers is that they keep flowing until they either hit the ocean or we use up all their water (the second happening more frequently than desirable...). In so doing they can pass through very different geologies and geographies and can have many different natures. The Feather river starts high up in California's Sierra Nevada and contains some of the best whitewater to be found on the planet.

Welcome 2011 from Sydney Harbour Fat Paddler - For my first real paddle of 2011 I wanted to get back to the scene of the amazing NYE Fireworks, Sydney Harbour. Grumm and I made the early morning trek a little after 5am to get down for that magical time of the morning, sunrise. And what a morning it was, with glassy waters and incredible light as we paddled amongst the early morning ship traffic. I don't think words can really do it justice though, so I'm going to let the photos tell the story!

Braving the Waves — Kayaking in the Gulf of Mexico Sea Eagle - My family and I love our Sea Eagle inflatable kayak. My son and his friends use it locally in the streams and rivers of Pennsylvania and have had quite a few adventures. We bought the Sea Eagle because of the information on your website, the ability to transport it so easily, and because of the great price. I recommend Sea Eagle, it's one tough kayak that can take a beating. From the rocks and trees in the streams of Pennsylvania, to the waves in the Gulf of Mexico, my family and I have definitely tested your kayak and it has never let us down. Thank you for an excellent quality product.

Danger on the Solway SeaKayakPhoto.com - From the quayside of Kirkcudbright we took the ebb tide back down the River Dee to Kirkcudbright Bay.

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