5/21/08

Teva extrem outdoor games

I spend some time in Italian Alps around sesia river. I gone there with the pyrenees crew to compete Teva outddor games and to discover others rivers!


the first magic drop

our friend who is more crazy : Eric Deguil hurts two ribs and cannot compete. so Fabrice Poueyto, Maxime Mitaut, and me make up the "Pyrenees' buddies" team.


a boof

It was great to meet some good creek kayakers on theses rivers! the competition was interesting. it's the first time I compete in an event like that, it's great. there are a lot of race :
-Team race (7th pyrenees buddies)
-Down river
-Sprint
-Slalom
-Kayak cross



another boof

the final drop

The next time we'll try to spend more time. there a lot of rivers : we must come back!
special thanks to organizers!
hope to see you next year

5/20/08

Summer time paddling


Wow, it's late May and it's still raining and the rivers are still flowing here in Alabama!!! This is best season we've had in two or three years for North Alabama. School has been busy this month, but this past weekend me and some friends found the time to hit up LRC and the Ocoee. Enjoy the pics!! !



A little airflip action at Hell Hole, Ocoee River Pic by Luke Hill






Huckin' a free wheel of LRC falls pic by Adam Goshorn




Rapid maintenance


Avalanche (low water line) pic by Luke Hill

(This pick doesn't really give justice to the tightness and sieve pile that Avalanche is at low water.)





Finishing Pin Ball pic by Luke Hill





See ya on the water!!!
-Charlie Mix

Hey everybody,

with my friends from pyrenees : Fabrice Poueyto, and Maxime Mitaut, we spend some time in Italian alps! We gone there to compete the "famous" Teva outdoor games, and to down some pretty nice rivers around val sesia.
it was great to meet all kayakers (others frenchies, crazy swisses, Italian,etc..) on theses "walibi" rivers!


the first "magic" drop


the boof party


the second boof party


the final drop

during this competition there many great races :
-the team race : 7th pyrenees' buddies.
-downriver.
-sprint.
-extrem slalom : very funny.
-kayak cross.

thanks to organizers for this cool event.
I think we must come back to discover others nice rivers. it's a paradise.

5/12/08

Early season Middle Fork of the Salmon

Hello! Kristin and I just returned from a blazing fast trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River here in Idaho. We'd wanted to hit this world-famous run for years, but had never been lucky in the lottery permit process. So, this year, a group of friends called in for an early season permit and we jumped at the chance to get on the trip.

This early in the season, the road to the traditional put-in (Boundary Creek) is snowed in, so we decided to take the tributary Marsh Creek into the Middle Fork. When we put in on Friday morning, it was snowing pretty hard. The first few miles of the creek had snow walls about 3 feet deep. Fortunately, there were no significant log jams, and the creek was low enough that our support cataraft was able to fit under all of the low pack bridges that cross the creek.

We booked it down Marsh Creek, portaged around Dagger Falls, and made it to mile 14 on the MF that first day, putting our mileage at 31. We felt pretty fortunate to descend low enough that we did not have to camp in the snow. The next morning, we woke to sunny skies, and had a great second day on the river. We saw lots of evidence of last year's forest fires, including remnants of several avalanches with splintered, charred logs protruding from them. We ended up going 53 miles that day, camping at Sheep Creek, where we spent the evening watching a huge herd of elk grazing on the hillside above us.

Yesterday it was a leisurely 33 mile paddle out to the take-out at Cache Bar. The river was flowing at a medium-high level, so all the Class III rapids on that stretch were incredibly fun, with giant waves. There was lots of great surfing on the fly too. Plus, we didn't go more than a 1/2 mile without seeing a mountain stream entering the river.

I was extremely impressed with the Middle Fork of the Salmon, and while we had to rush down it this time, I look forward to exploring that beautiful, Wild and Scenic river again in the near future. I'll keep putting in my lottery application in hopes that I get a early July permit. Until then, it definitely warms my heart to know that we have such a special place here in Idaho, and I hope every paddler gets the opportunity to run its rapids, soak in its hot springs, and have as great an experience as we did. Best wishes!

5/4/08

Haut tran pro kayak festi' Val

Hey all,

With my pyrenees' buddies : Fabrice Poueyto, Frédéric Dumont and Eric Deguil aka "mister broken ribs", we spent four days on new kayak "pro" event... the objectives are simple : to meet great kayakers, friends on pretty nice river (Tarn), with big sunny days!
We had lot of perfect moments.


unfortunately our friend Eric Deguil has broken two ribs the first day on a huge rapid : it was on "les sources du Tarn" or the upper upper section. and he needs take four weeks off, he's unlucky! and more we lost a team member for teva extrem race. but it's not big deal, you have lot of pyrenees' buddies!
This river is in"massif central" in France! it looks like the mystic green river : with big granit rocks, and the french style ;-)





On the classic upper section, we must make lot of securities. We didn’t make footage, it should be fun to see these swiming moments. Hubert aka « Shaun ‘hubert » was close to drowing. It was a trashy descent. Fortunately we didn’t have dramatic accident, just some injuries : two ribs, one shoulder, some fingers, broken paddle.



It was great to organize an event like this : special thanks to the family Grollemund.
All were perfect : water level, sun, shuttle, good people, barbecue, meat, beer.

thanks to Fabrice Poueyto for pictures.