Threats to The Gila and to River Access ~ Top 5 Whitewater Safety Articles

Playak News Flash - March 28, 2015
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines Threats to The Gila and to River Access Am. Whitewater - March was a busy month for AW as we worked hard to derail two very troubling bills in the New Mexico legislature, while continuing the good fight to stop a devastating Gila River diversion. Kayaking Tumwater Canyon in a Long Boat Daniel Patrinellis - After a trip on the South Fork Salmon in Idaho last summer, I fell in love with this 11'9" stick of a boat. Refurbishing a favourite paddle into an heirloom Paddle Making - Working on the paddle the night my older son was born (2008). For that reason, that paddle has always been linked to my firstborn so I decided to commemorate the occasion by decorating the other side with a height marker, images of his little hands, feet and some important milestones. With the recent birth of our 2nd child, I decided to refurbish another cherry paddle with a similar height marker. Top 5 Whitewater Safety Articles Rapid Magazine Blog - From debating what equipment to carry to analyzing neuroscience research, we've looked at the topic of river safety and rescue from many angles in our 17 years of publishing Rapid. Team JK Goes APEs in the Nolichucky Gorge worldkayak blogs - Stephen and I lead a total of 20 APEs clinic participates down the mighty Nolichucky Gorge over the course of the two days (13 on Sat and 7 on Sun). We were blessed with great river levels (+1,900 CFS on Sat and +1,700 CFS on Sun) and wonderful weather (Sunny to partly cloudy with temps in mid 60's) on both days. Stephen was a fantastic instructor and a great motivator to encourage each participate to try and learn new paddling skills in each clinic all day long. Kalama Falls Kokatat Blog - Kalama Falls wasn't on my radar until I'd heard about Chris Korbulic running it. It looked like a great drop and Jah Bison had just run it, so it didn't take much to talk a few friends into grabbing their kits and making the drive south from Seattle. The Countdown to The R6 Euros Begins Palm Blogs - Well, it may not be conventional, but for our penultimate training session before the European Championships, we decided to mix things up a bit. We have a strong race team of seven women and we decided to see whether there were any hidden strengths that hadn't been shown yet in the formations we usually take. Yukon's Top 10 Paddling Trips Canoe Kayak - The Alsek and Tatshenshini rivers are two of the Yukon's most iconic river trips. Besides these there is Teslin, Big Salmon, Nisultin, read about these beautiful rivers to explore here. Did You Survive a Dangerous Paddling Situation? We Want to Hear About it! ACA - As part of an upcoming grant project, the ACA is currently looking for paddlers who are willing to talk about their narrow-escapes out on the water. If you have survived a scary experience while paddling, this is your opportunity to transform that experience into something that could help others. Auction Block: Bill Mason's Grumman Canoe Canoe Kayak -  As much as Mason, a filmmaker, painter, author and Canada's most famous canoeist, praised his beloved wood-canvas Chestnut Prospector, a stalwart 17-foot aluminum Grumman was his go-to boat for introducing his young family to river tripping. Now, the venerable canoe is up for auction on eBay. While a 17-foot, flat-bottomed Grumman may not have the aesthetic appeal of a Chestnut, it's a workhorse that did yeoman service for the Mason family. GoPro extendable pole Tony Paradise - In between weekends when we paddle these days I'm toying with GoPro mounts.  This post is to describe my extendable pole. Ej'S Epic Nile River Trip A River Facing Death Jackson Kayak - I think it is important to that I both share the wonderful experiences from my trip, but also make sure you know that the Nile River Rapids that are left for kayaking, will be getting dammed up in 40 months if the illegal dam isn't stopped. EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: The Echo Composite Ocoee Rapid Magazine Blog - A new take on an old favorite will hit rivers this spring: a brand new composite version of the ever-popular Ocoee canoe. The composite Ocoee will be a combination of carbon, Kevlar and fiberglass—materials Convery has worked with a lot in his two decades of crafting handmade paddles.The first composite Ocoee will be ready this Friday and on the water by the weekend. Palm Equipment Fuse Jacket 2015 – First Look unsponsored - The Palm Equipment Fuse jacket has had an upgrade for 2015. The jacket is constructed from a new light weight three layer fabric and the Glideskin neoprene neck gasket has also been improved. Plenty of Water for the Wild Rogue River! Northwest Rafting Company - Spring is here and there is a lot of talk about summer river flows in Oregon for rafting, kayaking, and fishing. With lower than normal snowpack in much of the West, rivers like the Rogue River, Deschutes River, and Klamath River are an oasis for river lovers during low snowpack years due to their upstream dams and natural aquifers (nature's dams).

To see all the latest news, videos, forum discussions and more, visit Playak News Watch.
This is the standard version of the newsletter, covering all paddling disciplines. To change the tailoring, please login on Playak, and then click the yellow triangle at the very top of the page to set your interests.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter with only one click, click here.