Here is the vid of my going insane due to lack of whitewater at my current location, and some boating in BC and the Northwest Territories. Enjoy.
10/29/08
French news
A sweet Summer by Mathieu Coldebella
Mi-June is the end of the school year in France and then the beginning of the kayak time. The night after my last exam I took a plane from Lyon destination : UGANDA.
One month paddling every day on the awesome white Nile river : always moving between Bujagali and the Hairy Lemon to paddle a lot the river and the Nile Special wave.
After those 4 weeks in this awesome country, it was time to go
back in Europe to have the euro championship in Spanish Galicia.
Unfortunately I have had some problem with my van on the way and arrived the day before the competition after 17,5 hours driving. In fact I miss the event and finished at the 17th rank.
1 week later happened the R3 : Rabioux River Rodeo in the Alps which was a pretty cool event an a nice final for me against Mathieu Dumoulin and Gerd from Spain. I was 2nd and this result allowed me to win the Free Kayak Tour : French Championship.
Immediately after that we left France to go to Praha in the Czech republic for the first World Cup event. We had a sweet training week in a pretty city with nice people. The hole was really small but every move possible I managed to pass through the prelims but unfortunately finished 11th of the quarterfinals.
A last party in this amazing city and lets go for the 2nd event of the 2008 world Cup : Augsbourg. Result 31st after a very bad 2nd ride.
The last event in Thun was very different thanks to a small wave on the opposite with the 2 first spots. Sun and blue water are the paddling conditions in Switzerland. A reel nice event with a 4 prelim runs system to enjoy the spot. 16th of the qualifications but very good sensation in my new Nemesis S. The next day during the quarterfinals, I was not really in the course and finished 18th.
The world cup over I had to go back to school knowing I was on the 17th rank which is OK but I really want to do better next year.
Go big and have fun.
Mathieu
Mi-June is the end of the school year in France and then the beginning of the kayak time. The night after my last exam I took a plane from Lyon destination : UGANDA.
After those 4 weeks in this awesome country, it was time to go
back in Europe to have the euro championship in Spanish Galicia.Unfortunately I have had some problem with my van on the way and arrived the day before the competition after 17,5 hours driving. In fact I miss the event and finished at the 17th rank.
1 week later happened the R3 : Rabioux River Rodeo in the Alps which was a pretty cool event an a nice final for me against Mathieu Dumoulin and Gerd from Spain. I was 2nd and this result allowed me to win the Free Kayak Tour : French Championship.Immediately after that we left France to go to Praha in the Czech republic for the first World Cup event. We had a sweet training week in a pretty city with nice people. The hole was really small but every move possible I managed to pass through the prelims but unfortunately finished 11th of the quarterfinals.
A last party in this amazing city and lets go for the 2nd event of the 2008 world Cup : Augsbourg. Result 31st after a very bad 2nd ride.
The last event in Thun was very different thanks to a small wave on the opposite with the 2 first spots. Sun and blue water are the paddling conditions in Switzerland. A reel nice event with a 4 prelim runs system to enjoy the spot. 16th of the qualifications but very good sensation in my new Nemesis S. The next day during the quarterfinals, I was not really in the course and finished 18th.
The world cup over I had to go back to school knowing I was on the 17th rank which is OK but I really want to do better next year.
Go big and have fun.
Mathieu
10/16/08
thorpie's update.
Hi All.
Well im now hanging down in New Zealand after a successful paddling trip to Mexico.
Yesterday We paddled the Nevis River in southern NZ, its an angry little class5 creek. And with all the spring melt it was charging along at over 20cumecs- which is on the high side of fun.
well - keep charging the lines.
chao
Thorpie
Well im now hanging down in New Zealand after a successful paddling trip to Mexico.
Yesterday We paddled the Nevis River in southern NZ, its an angry little class5 creek. And with all the spring melt it was charging along at over 20cumecs- which is on the high side of fun.
well - keep charging the lines.
chao
Thorpie
10/14/08
West Virginia in the Fall
Whats up guys! This is Tracy with an update on New River Academy. We've been up in West Virginia this past week. It is so nice to be in warm weather after freezing our butts off in Canada. Everyone was totally pumped to be able to hit up the Gauley! Personally, The Gauley is one of my favorite rivers in the US. It has runs for all skill levels. The lower is a fun run, with some intro to bi
g water. It is really good for tuning up skills and getting experience. The Upper has sweet class V rapids with awesome play and infinite lines. Whats not to love? This past weekend was the final weekend of Gauley Season. I actually got to try my hand out at rafting! I have to say, I missed my playboat. Rafting was SO scary. At one point, we lost all our crew surfing Hungary Mother (a hole on the Upper). Somehow I manage
d to stay in the raft. The whole time I was cowering on the floor of the raft, just waiting for the hole to let go of it. Not my proudest moment. It was a cool experience though. The river seems totally different from a raft's perspective. If you are ever feeling burnt out on kayaking, give rafting a go. Its fun and totally worth trying!
Yest
erday New River Academy hit up the Tygart. The Tygart has two completely clean 10-12 foot waterfalls. They are AMAZING. It was totally sweet to get to work on boofs and freewheels. The best thing about these waterfalls is that they are super safe. With all the lines you can run, they are perfect for beginner and advanced levels. I definitally improved my boof stroke a ton. I am so ready to get to New Zealand and run some big falls. 
The only embarrassing moment for me was when I was paddling hard to get to the tip of this rock that was sticking out to boof it. I was concentrating super hard when all of the sudden, I fell off the side of it and plugged! I laughed it off, but man. talk about Oops. The Tygart is a really good 'park and huck' to check out if you are in the area. It is also a super photogenic spot if you are into photography.
Keep it real!
-Tracy d'Arbeloff
g water. It is really good for tuning up skills and getting experience. The Upper has sweet class V rapids with awesome play and infinite lines. Whats not to love? This past weekend was the final weekend of Gauley Season. I actually got to try my hand out at rafting! I have to say, I missed my playboat. Rafting was SO scary. At one point, we lost all our crew surfing Hungary Mother (a hole on the Upper). Somehow I manage
d to stay in the raft. The whole time I was cowering on the floor of the raft, just waiting for the hole to let go of it. Not my proudest moment. It was a cool experience though. The river seems totally different from a raft's perspective. If you are ever feeling burnt out on kayaking, give rafting a go. Its fun and totally worth trying!Yest
erday New River Academy hit up the Tygart. The Tygart has two completely clean 10-12 foot waterfalls. They are AMAZING. It was totally sweet to get to work on boofs and freewheels. The best thing about these waterfalls is that they are super safe. With all the lines you can run, they are perfect for beginner and advanced levels. I definitally improved my boof stroke a ton. I am so ready to get to New Zealand and run some big falls. 
The only embarrassing moment for me was when I was paddling hard to get to the tip of this rock that was sticking out to boof it. I was concentrating super hard when all of the sudden, I fell off the side of it and plugged! I laughed it off, but man. talk about Oops. The Tygart is a really good 'park and huck' to check out if you are in the area. It is also a super photogenic spot if you are into photography.Keep it real!
-Tracy d'Arbeloff
10/10/08
Jay Panther
Whats up everyone!? My name is Jay Panther and I am a freestyle skier that is real excited about the winter side of WRSI. Here is a video of two of the jumps I have been working on for the moguls.
I can barely wait for the season to start. We are heading to Canada at the end of October for early season training. In the mean time I am visiting family and getting real real antsy. If you have spent the last few months praying for snow, here is a video of last season to hold you over!
10/8/08
Russell Fork Forever
I took my Session + up to the Russell Fork last weekend for some sick Class V playboating. The turnout was small, but we had a solid crew of Southeastern paddlers show up for one of the best runs on Earth. All photos by Will Stubblefield.
10/7/08
One last hurrah!
Well with wife, dog and house in tow, we headed up to the Northwest Territories for one last boating trip of the year on the Slave River. I decided to take the 'scenic' route which didn't really live up to its name unless you consider flat gravel highway's as scenic (for three days straight). I decided to take the waterfall route and was a bit dissappointed when the combined flow of all of the drops I looked at was less than I can pee after drinking a dozen energy drinks. I did manage to run a few lines on one of the drops though (but you will notice the water has a yellow tinge to it...
Finally after driving FOREVER and dodging Buffalo ( a fun game on it's own) we arrived in Fort Smith and the Slave River. Now it seeems that not a whole lot of boaters go up there in mid September but luckily I hooked up (in a totally platonic way) with some of the local boaters and
got the tour of the goods.
Tweaking the Nipple and An evening on the English Channel Photo: John Blyth
The first day was a trip down Molly's Nipple, some Avalanche action and then over to the Edge before a quick rip through The Playground. YUMMY! So I'm sure you've all heard about the wonderful things up there but no one speaks of the dark side. For example the 'mountain' you need to climb back up to your car. Or how about the 45minute flatwater paddle before you actually hit a rapid. Whoever said you can't get lost on a river might try it out here. And then 'finding' the takeout on some rapids - 'Oh just look for the dark green trees' Guess what tips? All the trees are dark green. How about the bugs? I went when they weren't supposed to be bad which means in the summer you probably inhale them while breathing. I guess it's cheaper than buying food. And lets not forget about the town's proximity to NOTHING!
But despite all of these things I'd still go back. Yup, the river is just that good. So thats it for now but stayed tuned for a vid of the aforementioned tomfoolery.
Rush hour on the Highway and Big water = Good times
Later,
Dan Caldwell
www.kayakerslife.com
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