Playak News Flash 2011-03-06

Playak News Flash - March 6, 2011
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines

Slalom Training worldkayak blogs - I am not sure how it happened. I have never done slalom in my life, but suddenly I can't get enough of it. I think it is a combination of being fed up travelling for a minimum of 4 hours to reach any decent white water, low summer river levels and wanting to kayak more often. We have set up some lines on the Hutt River behind the club room. We then take our home made poles out, set them up and practise different moves and time ourselves over different courses. My times have been improving weekly and I am hoping that when I go to the nationals I won't have a repeat performance of my first race at the end of January! I did not do very well, but it was fun all the same...

North Fork Rogue Scheduled Releases Am. Whitewater - PacifiCorp has released the schedule for summer whitewater boating opportunities on the North Fork Rogue. This is the last year of a 3 year trial to evaluate instream flow needs for recreation and demand for these releases. We will be working with PacifiCorp to evaluate interest and demand for these releases. All releases will be from 10am to 4pm July 30, Saturday, 150 cfs July 31, Sunday, 500 cfs August 20, Saturday, Full NF inflow (approx 400) August Sunday 21, Full NF inflow (approx 400) September 4, Sunday, 350 cfs September 5, Monday (Labor Day), 250 cfs September 10, Saturday, 300 cfs September 11, Sunday, 150 cfs **Spill amounts may vary +-35 cfs due to the imprecise nature of the spill gate controls...

Second Descent Las Truchas Team Swain SE Boating - The Nuble river valley is situated in Region VIII of Chile. Often overlooked by kayakers visiting Chile in search of waterfall the laden runs Chile is known for. The Nuble itself sometimes has the feel of the "Numbers" of the Arkansas River in Colorado and sometimes the Gauley River in West Virginia, but all of the time it is graced with stunning Andean scenery. For those in search of unknown whitewater the Nuble river valley delivers, in the two weeks we where there we did the first descent of the Estero Las Damas, and the second descent of the Las Truchas, a tributary of the Nuble. The Las Truchas was first run in 2007 by my friend Jon.....

Big D Whitewater: Things are moving fast - The Dallas Waves update PaddleBlogs - The Dallas Park Board wanted to see the new whitewater park and get an update on the park's construction progress. Several of us were invited to paddle so the board members could see the waves in action. Matt, Stephen, Tiffany and I put on the water just prior to a bus load of city officials arriving. The weather was perfect. The water was around 415 cfs. With 20 to 25 people watching, I kind of felt like a zoo animal in an exhibit. But they were all very intrigued by our sport, especially the tiny boats.

FA Kayak Team Paddles into Production in the Brazilian Amazon First Ascent - Story and photos by Chris Korbulic First Ascent kayakers Chris Korbulic and Ben Stookesberry are in Brazil filming for the second season of "Kaiak," the first adventure kayaking television series. Our plane was on time to the Manaus airport, and we were only a little worse for wear after the multi-stop flight from Sao Paulo. [...]

How to Buy Swift Water Rescue Equipment Whitewater Rescue - Swift water poses many dangers to the rescuer. It is a dynamic environment, and one small mistake or misjudgment can snowball into catastrophe. In past years, one third of drowning victims in the United States were would-be rescuers. Many of these victims either lacked proper training or equipment. It is paramount, then, for rescue teams to not only purchase the proper equipment, but also to train and practice in swift water.

2011 Super Hero Inspires Confidence! Jackson Kayak - I did something on Sunday that I hadnt done since last year. I took the day off from the JK plant and went to the Big South Fork kayaking! I got my first crack at the 2011 Super Hero and I can say without a doubt that this is a boat that inspired a lot of confidence for me as I thought I was going to have a very rusty day out there getting the feeling for boating and also dialing in a new boat.

A Rescue In Rockaway Frogma - There was indeed a very close call for a Jamaica Bay kayaker who faced possible death from hypothermia on Tuesday, and a well-prepared local resident, who fishes with the harbor rescue guys and knew just who to call, saved the kayaker's life within minutes! Most times, he (Felix) wears a wet suit. With the warm weather this week, he decided to try it without the wetsuit, although the water temperature was still quite cold (probably in the 40's). He was wearing woolen winter clothes and a warm winter hat (but no drysuit--not even a wetsuit!). He almost didn't return.

Crappy work AND crappy pictures Just Yakkin - I haven't posted in several days but work has been progressing. I just completed taping and filleting the inside seams and bulkheads. I entitled this post "Crappy work AND crappy pictures" because, of all the work I've done so far, this was the least enjoyable as well as the hardest to get pictures of. After joining the deck and hull, there is a need to fillet the deck/hull seam and then tape it. No big deal - IF THE BOAT DOESN'T HAVE A FULL DECK!! This means getting epoxy/filler right to the bow and stern. Access to these points is only through the aft/fwd hatches. The aft hatch is bigger and affords a little more room to work from...

Quick Hairy Lemon Report and Photos Jackson Kayak -   Hairy Lemon: The Hairy Lemon is the place to be if surfing big waves is your thing… before breakfast sunrise sessions, club wave peaks right after breakfast, there's a nice 'siesta' in the mid-day to stretch, read, or edit video via solar power, then Nile Special kicks up around 3 or 4 and peaks at sunset.   Amazingly simple, exhausting life enhanced by great food and a laid back lifestyle well suited to exhausted kayakers.  We call it the 'hairy lemon weight loss plan' because you just can't stop kayaking .. it's so good and so close and varies all day.  Enjoy the shots! Clay

Shopping Around for the Best River Trip? ID River Journeys - Advice from the five most experienced river companies on the Middle Fork: how you can be assured a treasured "trip of a lifetime". Sun Valley, Idaho - Americans know it can be difficult, and sometimes frustrating, to choose a vacation date, decide what to do, where to go, how to go there, and who to go with. Americans also know that a vacation is an important investment of time, money, and planning. You should demand the best experiences, the best opportunities for lifetime memories, and limit the hassles so the whole process is enjoyable, valuable, and relaxing. When your trip is over, you should feel that every penny was well spent, and that you and your family adventured with people who really cared.

Strange Looks worldkayak blogs - If you want someone to give you a weird look, drive trough Missoula, Montana with a surfboard on your roof  in February.  Crazy as it looks, surfing the river in Montana is possible most winter days.  This winter the Strongwater Crew has been snowboarding on powder days and surfing Triple Bridges on SUP's when the mountain conditions aren't so great.

Think your last camping trip was extreme? Try camping beside a volcano Paddling Instructor Blog - Extreme camping has risen to a new level. Back in June 2010, a group of researchers and guides decided to plumb the depths of Nyiragongo Crater which is in the heart of the Great Lakes region of Africa. Here are a couple photos from their adventure.

2011 Whitewater Stand Up Paddling Championship SUP Surf - PRESENTED BYJUNE 11TH & 12TH, 2011 GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLORADO Breaking news, C4 Waterman has once again teamed up with the Aspen Kayak & SUP Academy and EnviroAction Productions to produce the 2011 Whitewater Stand Up Paddling Championship. This exciting competition was the first whitewater stand up paddling event ever held and draws the top river SUPers from around the country. The event is a two day, three event extravaganza that always delivers. Starting on Saturday morning racers fly through class II and III rapids on long race boards The race finale is the large wave train of South Canyon rapid. The finish line is still 600 yds downstream and racers often swap leads to the finish.

Shirley Tharp's Class 3 Boater Review of the 2011 HERO! Jackson Kayak - With just one year of river runner kayaking under my belt the following review of the 2011 Jackson Hero was written by, and specifically for, boaters with "regular Joe" type skills.... ..

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Today's News Editor(s): JeanT, Tony_D, bartw, adrianshanahan.