VIDEO: Huge Dam Removal Means New Whitewater on the White Salmon

Playak Weekly Digest
The world's top paddling links in week 41, 2011.

News Watch VIDEO: Huge Dam Removal Means New Whitewater on the White Salmon Dagger Blogs (Wednesday 12th) ***** - In 2 weeks, Condit Dam on the White Salmon River in Washington will be packed with enough explosives to blow a huge hole in the base of the concrete wall.  Moments after the climactic explosion, 10,000 CFS will gush from the tunnel and drain Northwestern Lake completely in 6 hours.  Skookumchuck Narrows Dagger Blogs (Wednesday 12th) **** - I woke up Saturday morning to my phone ringing and a groggy ten second conversation. "We're going to Skook, I'll pick you up in a half hour," said a voice that I couldn't quite put a face to. I knew it had to be one of the young local Bellingham paddlers and without thinking replied, ... Fun Runner review by kayak instructor Ben Kvanli Jackson Kayak (Monday 10th) *** - As the JK educational guy I am super excited to see more and more top educators getting fired up about the new Fun Runner. Here is what Ben, from Kayak Instruction, had to say about his day in the Fun Runner on the Gauley Clover Creek California Immersion Research (Friday 7th) ** - After spending five days in the Kern drainage (see previous post), on our sixth day in California we broke camp early and began driving north. It took a bit longer than we expected, but by mid afternoon we met up with another truckload of southeasters in the town of Three Rivers to discuss our next move. Almost everything in the Kaweah drainage was still too high, but Greg Garrard and Chas Lemley suggested that we join them for a run on the Shatner Ranch section of the South Fork of the Kaweah. The New Bliss-Stick Tuna Whitewater-Koa (Saturday 8th) ** - I have been lucky enough to paddle the new 'Tuna' from Bliss-Stick for the past few weeks on a variety of different occasions. First off was its home on the Kaituna where Sam Roil and I did multiple laps on the normal run critiquing its every move on the different drops. Austria: Central Europe's paddling paradise Seth Ashworth (Friday 7th) ** - So now I am back in the UK (for now) after spending the last five and a half months in Austria. If you have never been there before Austria is a fantastic place for a range of paddling. Mayhem, carnage, sick times, 12 months on the road.. Mike Dawson (Tuesday 11th) ** - The 2011 season has been a sick ride! From Sickline in 2010 where I blew chunks after qualifying first for the semi-final I have been to 22 countries, 40 races, driving thousands of kilometers, flown countless hours and had a hell of a time.Since Sickline in 2010 I've tried to step up my racing game... From Russia, With Love Immersion Research (Tuesday 11th) ** - This fall, one of our Russian Retailers supported and organized a whitewater festival called WW-Run- here is a little report on the events that took place! British Team Selection for the 2012 Europeans duemstuff (Wednesday 12th) ** - Saturday and Sunday held 2 of 3 events used to select a team for the 2012 European championships in Vienna, Austria. Having done well in the British chapionships already, I didnt need a top result so i thought i would make a bit of fun out of it, scrapping my usual approach to competition. Green River…..VT? Immersion Research (Wednesday 12th) ** - This past weekend, about ~30 Vermont boaters convened for an AW sponsored FERC-relicensing flow study on the Green River in VT. The Green had been off paddler radars until the last couple years when Ryan McCall (et. al) happened to find it running one day when the power company that owns the dam happened to be running a capacity test. Chelan Gorge: final release Jackson Kayak (Thursday 13th) * - Chelan PUD has offered releases the last three years on the Chelan River via a flow study made possible in part by American Whitewater. I recently read the original write up on the first feasibility study in Chelan Gorge. At the time I had only been boating a few years and had a different perspective. If Chelan was the only river to paddle in the region I could see pining for releases. However, Tumwater Canyon, Icicle Creek, and the best playboating the state has to offer are an hour away. Not to mention, Chelan looked nuts. I thought these guys were crazy. Things change. GB Freestyle kayak team selection weekend Seth Ashworth (Thursday 13th) * - So despite being back in the UK for less then 7 days and in-spite of the fact that I have only paddled my freestyle kayak maybe a dozen times in the last four months I chucked my stuff in the car, and made the drive north to GB Freestyle kayak team selection weekend at HPP, Nottingham. Sick line 2011 Zet Kayaks (Wednesday 12th) * - For the fifth time in a row, the adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championship takes place at the legendary „Wellerbrücke" river section in Austria's Oetztal Valley. We saw lots of ZET kayaks on the course during sick line weekend. here is some info from official sick line webpage: Paul Böckelmann ... EJ Goes Down Memory Lane, in Spain… Jackson Kayak (Sunday 9th) * - I have had an awesome trip so far in Europe over the past few weeks. My first stop was in England, and my trip to Nottingham (Nottinghamshire in Robin Hood) was full of great memories of the 1994 Pre-Worlds, and the 1995 World Slalom Championships that I competed in there, and many training camps to prepare for it… My trip to Nurnberg in Germany was a new place, so it was all new memories, nothing from the past. Oetz, Austria was next for Sickline, and my memories of racing there in 1984, and then again in 1989 (Kristine was with me there, and I remember having a picnic on the green field next to the river), awesome! Now, in the Pyrenees Mountains, I have many great memories from the past. CKS Squad Review: (...) The Shred Ready Full Face Helmet CKS Blog (Friday 7th) * - CKS Squad Review: Tom Janney Reviews The Shred Ready Full Face Helmet. One of the main questions that many up and coming creekers have is, do I need a full face helmet? A helmet is the most important piece of safety gear that any of us own.

Hot Forum Topics Problem with flat water loop (Whitewater) would you like to race in Greece next year? (Sea Kayaking and Touring) Win a Kayaking Trip to Uganda!! (Africa) Creeking on Réunion (Whitewater) Top Videos The Magic of White (Mkrut) Hinoemata Creek (kakinotanesennin) Storm Roll in the pool THR: Dock Drop reIMAGINED - Teaser (five2nine) Upcoming Events Whitewater Symposium US, TN, Rock Island, Oct 12 - Oct 14 Youth World Rafting Championship Costa Rica, Tres Equis - Siquirres, Oct 12 - Oct 16 4th annual Fall Paddle Florida on the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail USA, Florida, Live Oak, FL, Oct 13 - Oct 20 Pyranha Fest UK, England, North Wales, Oct 15 - Oct 16 UK Storm Gathering UK, Wales, Holyhead, Oct 22 - Oct 24

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Today's News Editor(s): bartw.