Back in the summer of 2015 I got my first creek boat and it was a Pyranha Shiva Small. My first run in it was on the Upper Nantahala, after that I used it on the Upper Gauley, Tellico, and the South Sauty.
The boat was perfect, every boof I hit, the boat just flew of it. Since the Shiva has high bow rocker it punches through any hole. With the rounder hull the landing off waterfalls is soft and if you mess up the boat resurfaces really fast; I learned that when I took my boof stroke too early on the Tellico at Baby Falls, which is about a 15 foot drop.
The Shiva is made to push harder lines, which is one of the things I love the most about it. I love to find the hardest lines of creeks and try to make them even harder, sometimes the lines I take are not even lines you should take. The deck profile of the Shiva makes rolling a piece of cake; I wouldn’t usually be able to hand roll a creek boat or most boats bigger than a play boat, but since the deck also has a good distribution of volume, it snaps right up, so if you were to be paddling off a really big waterfall where you have to throw your paddle away, the boat will roll right up as long as you know your hand roll or if you flip on a big rapid and you lose your paddle, you can roll up, and it is like you were using your paddle. That’s how easy it is.
The outfitting is like sitting on a pillow, at least for me. With the new C4S seat it gives you three different chunks of foam to put under the seat, you can get so comfortable sitting on the seat; once you get the seat to where you want it, it is practically bomb-proof. Once you have your bomb-proof outfitting, you’re ready to take the boat on the water. I can’t say how much I love this boat, it is perfect for me and it just might be perfect for you too!
This year was amazing, I paddled in 3 countries and 6 states. That might not be a lot, but it is a lot for me.
I started off in January with paddling in Alabama, then was off the water for a while because of knee surgery. Then for my first run after surgery, I was off to the Chattooga in South Carolina for a memorial run. Soon after, it was Coosa Fest in Montgomery, Al. I had a blast there, competing in freestyle, and coming in second place. Next, I was off to Columbus, Georgia with the Columbus Hometown Throwdown. I had the time of my life there, competing in boatercross, king of the wave, watermelon race, SUP, and my personal favorite, freestyle. Coming 5th in boatercross, 5th in SUP, and 2nd in freestyle, I loved it. King of the wave and the watermelon race don’t have a placing, the point of those disciplines is just to have fun.
Next I found myself at the Southeastern Kayaking Championship in Bryson City, North Carolina. With coming second in slalom, 12th in downriver racing, and 1st in freestyle. After that I went to the Charlotte National Whitewater Center, where I learned how to have consistent cartwheels and split wheels. That got me pumped, then I was back at the NOC in Bryson City, competing in the annual hometown throwdown, in the freestyle division, I came in 1st.
I stayed training at NOC for about 3 weeks, then my parents sent me to the Ottawa for the OKS Keener camp. It was life changing. Keeners has made me a better person and boater. I had the time of my life, I couldn’t believe what I got to experience, with big hole beat downs, swift water rescue, first aid training, and big wave surfing. Plus I got to get to know about 15 new friends from all around the world. What made my trip to Canada even better, was that the 2015 ICF Freestyle World Championships were on the Ottawa. Unfortunately I was not there for the competition, but my friends I made at the 2013 ICF World Championships were there, so I got to reunite with them.
The Ottawa has so many fun rapids like Garburater, where you have so many lines to run. First you can take the main line, which is straight down the middle. If you are like me, you want a fun line, like if you go to river right you have the pipeline. You paddle into a curler wave and then you disappear under water for like 3 seconds. You have the other option of river left of the boof line, there is about a 5 foot drop. You can pogo-stick off it. A pogo- stick is where you pencil into the pour over and throw a sick loop out of it, it’s very hard though. Then once you run the rapid you can paddle up to that ledge, which is a pour-over, you can swim into it and you can get sucked under water for about 15 seconds and pop up down river about 5 feet. My personal favorite is the rapid brain dush. It is a huge whirlpool spot to stick boats in, jump in, and squirt boat.
When I went to go back home to Alabama, I stopped at Hole Brothers in Upstate New York. I had a blast there, one of the great things paddling there was that there was a restaurant on the bank of the river, so after you paddled you just get out of your boat and eat. What could possibly be better, kayaking and food, that’s amazing. Once I got back home, it wasn’t even two weeks, I was off the Gauley Fest in West Virginia. I got to paddle with all of my friends, reunite with my friends from Keeners and other friends from the Ottawa. The Gauley is so much fun. Especially Pillow Rapid, if you get the line right. I did not, I went down it upside down, which was still fun, though it caused a broken camera, busted hands from the rocks, and funny pictures.
After Gauley, I went to GAF (Guest Appreciation Festival) and I had a great time paddling. Since GAF is a special occasion, there is a big release of water, so the Upper Nantahala and Cascades are running. I ran the Upper, but not the Cascades. I will leave the Cascades for 2016 or 2017. I had an amazing time of the Upper Nantahala paddling with one of my really good friends. With big boofs, big holes, and technical rapids, it’s a fun run.
Next up, was the Fall Columbus Hometown Throwdown. That was fun, I made new friends, learned new tricks, and competed. I came in 4th in boatercross, 5th in SUP, and 3rd in freestyle.
So after that, I thought I was done paddling for the year. I guess I was wrong.
I went to the Tellico River in Tellico Plains, Tennessee. Since it was my first creek run, I was a little scared, plus there was a 15 foot waterfall. Then I got on the water ran it and had a blast. My favorite rapid would probably be either the ledges or Baby Falls.
After that I went to run the South Saughty which is in Guntersville, AL. It was awesome, the river’s starting rapid was a little 5 foot ledge, which I thought would be a good starter for people who are learning to boof. The South Saughty had some really technical rapids though, there was one where you had to boof this big hole, paddle your butt off to river left to go halfway under a rock just to paddle back to the right and boof another rock, and paddle to the middle to avoid the undercuts on both sides of the river.
After that run it was Christmas, where it should be cold in Alabama. Nope, not this year. It was 73 degrees in Alabama, I think that’s crazy, but that’s Alabama. So since it had rained a lot the Mulberry River was up. I went and met up with friends there, the two biggest rapids on there are Lunch Stop and 5-0. Mostly because of the huge ten foot waves. At Lunch Stop there is a nice wave there, it was so fun. I got a couple blunts, pan-ams, and I got my first airscrew. I was super excited about that. Then I paddled down to 5-0, the rapid looked like a rapid on the Ottawa at high water. It was crazy, but the gauge was at 12 foot, so I expected that. There was a good wave-hole, it was fun I got a loop and couple blunts. So that is my end of the year wrap up, I had an amazing year paddling. I am so excited to see what 2016 holds.
A collection of short diary entries and photos from Mexico, December 2015.
Day 1
The trip started off with a bang as we headed straight to Truchas, a cool little 20fter into a perfect 50fter. Waterfalls don’t get much cleaner than this, the only downside is a 80ft rappel down the side of an un-runnable waterfall. This was my first time abseiling and I was utterly terrified, if I could have found any way to avoid having to dangle from a rather long way up off a glorified piece of string, I would have. Sadly there was no alternative and eventually after several (hundred) reassurances that as long as I kept hold of the rope all would be okay, I pushed off from the edge and made my way down. I can honestly say I have never been happier to have my feet back on the ground. I was however even happier to be greeted with the feeling of free fall once again!
Day 2
I got to run the famous Big Banana section of the Alseseca, set in amongst a beautiful gorge this river is full of fun moves and great drops. My favourite drop being Silencio, a 40fter with a tricky little move at the top and a cave on river left at the base of the falls. Thanks to some huge boils at the bottom, the hit is really soft and boofing it is the line of choice to stay away from the cave on the left. It also feels amazing to fly off something this size and not even get your head wet.
Day 3
The Lower Jahlacingo has been one of my dream runs for a long time, featuring three main drops, Twisted Pleasure (50ft), Dirty Sanchez (40ft) and Dungeon (30ft) and a whole load more of good rapids and smaller ledge boofs this river quickly became one of my new favourites,
Day 4
Back to Big Banana. More good lines with good people and thankfully as of yet no time in the cave at the base of Silencio. Staying at Adventurec is awesome, all I have to do every day is go kayaking, food is there when I wake up and when I get back from kayaking, shuttles are easy and the only real hardship is the daily struggle not to open a bar tab… Living the dream! Can’t wait to run the Tomatas.
Day 5
Packing up and heading to the Rio Oro, meant to be a really fun, chilled out river with two 20fters, I don’t want to go but the boys are making me. Would much rather stay and run Silencio more.
Day 6
My school teachers were right, I am an idiot, I can’t believe I didn’t want to come to the Oro!
This river is amazing, tonnes of good ledge boofs, two great 20fters and the takeout is on the beach! It’s just like the East Lynn back home, except better in every way.
Day 7
One more day in paradise on the Oro and then we are packing up and heading back to Veracruz. Nine people, one van… No air conditioning… Living the dream?
Day 8
One of the biggest draws to Mexico for me were the two Tomata waterfalls.
Tomata 1 is a perfect 60fter that is pretty low stress and good fun to fly off. However just down stream lurks her big, bad sister Tomata 2. 80ft tall with a hard lead in and a technical lip, some of the world’s best creek boaters have consumed faeces of this drop. Finally going to get the chance to run the two Tamata waterfalls, been dreaming of flying off these two for so many years! Hopefully it all goes well!
Day 9
Had an okay line on Tomata 1 but I had the line of my life on Tomata 2! So stoked on it, didn’t even roll at the bottom!
One of the boys (Edward) had a great line off Tomata 1 but crashed off Tomato 2 and broke his back, took us forever to get him out of the gorge, but he’s in the hospital and is semi-alright, gonna work on getting him home tomorrow.
Day 10
Put Edward in the Heli to go to a bigger hospital to get checked out properly and then hopefully he’s gonna fly home. Sounds like he’ll make a full recovery in 6 months, phew. Scary stuff!
Day 11
Back on the water, went for a chilled lap on Big Banana. More (thankfully) good lines of Silencio. Also, gave in and opened a bar tab… Sigh.
Day 16
Had the hardest time finding this bloody book, it’s not in the last place you look, it’s in the place you could never have imagined it being in the first place. (Underneath some wet thermals) (Doh). Guess what I have been up to for the past few days? (Asides from looking for this book) Kayaking.
Day 17
Went back to the Jahlacingo, Had good lines off everything, Starting to feel more and more comfortable on this river. Maybe my favourite creek run ever.
Day 18
More Big Banana laps.
Day 19
Today I ate faeces of Twisted pleasure, can’t believe my deck didn’t blow and that it only sort of hurt. So much for feeling really comfortable on the Jahlacingo.
Day 22
Packing up and heading home. Feels like I have been in a car crash. So sore, So worth it. Mexico is so sick! Can’t wait to come back…
The details don’t matter so much about the series of events that led up to my injury. We were at a lake, there was a sandbank, I dove, and then for me, there was darkness. What does matter in this story is that I was 14, I was paralysed from the chest down, and I was face-down in the water.
The next bit of my life was painful, terrifying, and very confusing. After being pulled onto the beach, I was flown to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. I was brought into that bright white room with covered face and rushed actions. There were scans, x-rays, pinching and prodding. My mother arrived first, and then my father, and then the doctor came in. I don’t remember most of the conversation, what I do remember were the words “Your neck is badly broken and we need to operate right now.”
I was in complete denial. I’d been an athlete my entire life. Almost every spare moment of my childhood I had been on a field or on the water. I had taken a few knocks on the head before, and was convinced this was just a stinger, and the numbness would go away. I was quickly pulled back to reality as I moved toward surgery. The neurosurgeon explained I had suffered a burst fracture, and that there was barely anything left of my C7 vertebrae. That one moment of impact changed my life. Before ending up in that bed I was 14 and fearless. Now I’m 23 and fearless, but the difference now is I have eight rods, twelve screws and a cage holding my head onto the rest of my body, so I take a few more precautions nowadays.
What happened in the water that day nine years ago is on my mind every day. I will never forget hearing the words “It is unlikely you will ever walk again,” or the months of painful rehab where I had to learn how to walk again. I’ll certainly never forget lying in a hospital bed and talking about all the things I was going to do in my kayak when I was better. After two surgeries and fifteen days I accomplished what we light-heartedly call in our family “First Steps: Take Two.” I learned to walk all over again. I beat the overwhelming odds and it was nothing short of a miracle, but returning to kayaking was easier said than done.
Without sounding too confident, I was a very good kayaker at 14. I grew up on the water, I was raised by and around former river guides, and to this day I know the currents of a river better than the streets of a city. At the time there weren’t kids’ boats readily available. At 13 and 14, I was finally fitting into adult boats and I couldn’t get enough. Growing up, my best friend and I had shared a little, red fibreglass kayak. We took it down the Middle Yough and learned how to roll and progressed and had one epic childhood on the river. When we finally got bigger and fit into play boats we were going on runs with our families during the day and loop runs in the evening. I was addicted, confident, fearless, and had some monster dreams about what I’d paddle next. We watched kayaking videos almost every night and I was ready to paddle on every continent.
Breaking my neck changed all of that. During my recovery I talked a big game about getting back into my boat and pushing on to go bigger than ever before. Physically, but most of all mentally, that has turned out to be a mountain I’m still climbing today. I was injured in June and was in rehab until February. For the first 6 months I wasn’t allowed to lift my arms above my head, I tripped constantly over nothing as my nerves misfired, and there were times during that winter that I doubted I would ever paddle again. When spring rolled around, I was still recovering but I was strong and very determined.
In May, almost a year after the injury, the day I had been working towards finally came. That morning I pulled on my spray skirt while sitting next to my best friend in his boat and his father and my father in their Shredder. We were sitting on the banks of my home run, my beloved Lower Yough, and I was among my most trusted paddling partners — and I was utterly and completely terrified. I paddled out in my playboat, got a sense of my edges again, took a few more strokes and we were off. I didn’t know if I could still roll, if I remembered how, or if my neck would bend to let my head stay down. Sandwiched between my best friend and our fathers I made my way down that river with short, terrified strokes and made every effort in the world not to flip over. I didn’t, and if I had I would’ve pulled my skirt and probably ended up in tears in the Shredder. That was the first day I ever paddled defensively. That was my home river, a run that I had made hundreds of times, and I had made my triumphant return, except it felt far from a victory for me.
Now we’re getting into the real down and dirty reason I’m telling this story. I had changed. I had to start over, and I was scared. I still am. I thought that once I hit the water it would all come back to me; not just my skills but the fire and passion too. Instead I was met with hesitation on my part and I hated myself for that. For months in the hospital and during my recovery I had imagined myself getting back on the water, kayaking with all the passion in the world and becoming the best female paddler in the world. That first run back on the Yough flipped my world upside down again. It was one of the first times I realized that I could never go back to the way things used to be, and that I would never become the best paddler in the world.
Here’s the big dirty secret: your injuries stick with you. Even if your surgery goes flawlessly, you work your butt off in rehab and finish sooner than projected, nothing can prepare you mentally for getting back out on the water that first time. As much as I wanted to get on the water and rip around and hit every move I imagined, I couldn’t do it. I have tried for years to throw myself into kayaking with the same daring attitude that I once did, but I simply can’t do it. But guess what? That’s perfectly ok! Every stroke I take on a river is an absolute blessing to me.
And I’m still a pretty damn good paddler. Don’t get me wrong, despite what happened to me and my pesky, worrying brain, I still charge hard on the water. I travelled and paddled all over the USA this summer as well as hitting up some hometown classic like the Upper Yough, Upper Gauley and The Big Sandy. I was confident in my lines and I made every one of them. I get to get out on the water, experience beautiful places, make new friends and spread the sport I love to people of all ages. Do I think that my injury affects the way that I kayak? Hell yeah it does. I may never paddle Gorilla on the Green or run an 80 foot waterfall. It’s not because I don’t want to, those are some of my biggest dreams, it’s because if I mess up that line, the consequences for me are monumentally huge, and I know what it feels like to lay in a hospital bed and be told I’m never going to walk again, and I will not let that happen again.
I’m calculated, I’m careful, and I may not go as huge as I’m capable of going but that’s because I’m shaped by my past. We all are. It’s ok to back down from a line if you have doubts about making it. It’s ok to back down from a line if you dislocated your shoulder last year or knocked out a few teeth a few months ago or scraped your knuckles to the bone 10 years ago. There is no shame in that. Kayaking is what you make of it and if you’re restricted by an injury, don’t make it a terrifying experience. It’s always been so important to push your limits, but it’s even more important to know them. It took me an incredibly long time to get comfortable in a boat again, and yes my accident changed the course of my kayaking life, but is knowing for certain you can smooth a line before you approach it such a bad thing? Know your skill, be confident in your line, and if you happen to miss it don’t let it wreck your day. Don’t necessarily kayak for a moment of adrenaline, but for lifetime of satisfaction and challenge. Coming from a bionic woman, don’t put your health at risk just to prove something and smile because you’re on the river and you love to be there. It’s the best place in the world.
The 9R is without a doubt the most fun and dynamic kayak I’ve ever paddled.
I am not great at looking at a kayak’s design and immediately understanding how it will behave in whitewater, so after seeing footage and hearing that the 9R was designed to be a fast boat, I assumed speed would come with a sacrifice to at least its maneuverability and boofability; how wrong I was, the 9R is an anomaly. It’s a high performance, zero compromise kayak with all the key features of a desirable creeker, race boat, and river runner.
The fact that the 9R is a sick kayak isn’t ground-breaking news, but I polled some ladies and here’s why we friggen love the 9R:
Jo Kemper surfing the Upper Wind after she finally got her hands on one! (Photo – Cat Looke)
SPEED – As advertised, this kayak is not a slug. The 9R has incredible hull speed, which allows it to not only cruise quickly downstream, but also accelerate out of drops and upstream after catching an eddy. With significant bow rocker, the 9R easily skims over river features and therefore maintains downstream momentum. If the nose does bury, it resurfaces quickly.
9R profile shot- Take a look at that bow rocker (Paddler – Jackie Selevan, Photo – Jeff Clewell)
BOOFABILITY – The 9R’s hull speed and rocker combine to make this kayak ridiculously easy and satisfying to boof. The nose stays up and you find yourself skipping out of the drop. As a consequence, it’s also forgiving when your timing is off.
Things that are difficult to capture…the skipping motion of the 9R out of a drop… (I swear that’s what’s happening here at the Cheakamus put-in waterfall)
“What I love the most about the 9R is its rocker and speed. I find it easier to charge through features and be where I want to be. The boof-tasticness of the rocker makes you feel like a boss. Keeping the nose up is almost automatic.” Meg Smith
AGILITY & CONTROL – Boofing and speed are great, but it’s also essential to be able to get where you want (and sometimes need) to go. I don’t have to fight the 9R; it tracks excellently, but can also be turned with ease. Compared to other kayaks of its size, the 9R is fairly narrow; this permits easy edge to edge transitions, better control, and consequently super-fun eddy S-turns. Also, narrow does not mean tippy because as Jackie Selevan reminded me, “the 9R has great secondary stability.”
BAM… Jackie using that secondary stability (Photo – Jeff Clewell)
EDGE – The 9R has the perfect amount of edge to satisfy all whitewater needs. In the center to rear of the boat there’s a good edge for carving in and out of eddies and jetting around big volume water. This edge transitions to a minimal amount in the nose, which allows the kayak to easily smear off rocks in low volume and steep creeks.
Sliding off rocks on the Jonachi River (Photo – Niko Peha)
Chasing after Regan Byrd & her 9R on the deep and wavy Elaho
CON – There are a handful of kayaks whose performance I appreciate or even prefer when fully loaded with overnight gear, the 9R is not one of them. It does just fine in the overnight department, but I gotta admit it’s not my favourite loaded kayak – maybe this is where the 9R L comes in though!
Also, although the 9R has many advantages, they can only be fully appreciated when paddling aggressively. It’s not super forgiving on the days I find myself floating downstream casually ruttering about (but what kayak really is?), but this is a benefit and not necessarily a disadvantage, as Jo Kemper attests in her 3 A’s of why she thinks the 9R is badass, “Aggression, Acceleration, and Agility.”
Jo Kemper roosting off Kalama Falls (Photo – Dave Fusilli)
Versatile, rewarding and fun, the 9R is a high performance kayak suitable for all types of whitewater whether it be class 2 or 5.
Another year has gone by and I’ve been fortunate enough to experience another set of amazing adventures on the water with friends. I am blessed to be able to travel and kayak as much as I do.
I enjoy paddling for Pyranha because every model is designed to best fit a certain style of paddling. This year I had the pleasure to spend a significant amount of time in three of my favorite designs.
In May, the Thursday before Memorial Day, I met up with my good buddy Adam to catch a Mini Bus session before the level dropped out and the wave disappeared for the year. After camping out somewhere in New York and sleeping Friday morning away, we finally arrived at the Ottawa Friday afternoon for evening ripping.
I have to admit, the wave was intimidating at first and the real trick is learning how to actually get on the wave using the rope. I think most of Friday’s session was spent just figuring out the right angle to pull myself across the eddy line into the current.
Adam Johnson going huge!
Fortunately, we were able to have ourselves a second session on Saturday morning before we peeled out for Quebec City. I felt much more comfortable surfing Mini Bus for the second session. This wave is glorious and if you ever have the chance to catch it, well, just do it!
Here are some pictures Adam got of me from our second session:
This wave certainly put Jed the test and it definitely lives up to the hype that surrounds it. The edges allow you to transition the edge with ease and the volume in the stern and bow are both proportioned to perfection!
After our second session we left the Ottawa to meet up with our good friend David Carey for a run on the Neilson before we had to head back home. I was stoked to be in my Burn especially for a run of this caliber. I have always been a fan of the Burn since the first generation. The planing hull and edges allowed me to turn on a dime. This was crucial for navigating through the Neilson’s continuous rapids and huge slides.
Below are some photos Adam shot from our run:
Backwards boof!
The final rapid on the Neilson.
Only about a month after my trip to Quebec, I left for a three week trip down the Colorado River of the Grand Canyon. If I had to pick the trip of a lifetime then this would be it. A little over a year ago I had applied for a permit with a friend who won the slot for a private trip beginning the end of June. He ended up not being able to go so I took the permit as the alternate.
My crew was made up of some of the most memorable boaters I’ve ever had a pleasure to paddle with. There were five rafts for storage which was great for us kayakers because it didn’t limit us to a long boat. My weapon of choice was the Varun. The Varun is now a discontinued model but I felt it was the right boat for this adventure.
Here is why:
You can spend the whole day in the boat and without getting uncomfortable. The boat also tracks surprisingly well for its design which had a lot of added value for helping me keep up with the other crew members using long boats.
Paddling through Havasu. Photo by Art Barket.
Because of the abnormally high water, I was able to really test the on rapids that required technical moves.
Paddling through Bedrock Rapid. Photo by Art Barket.
The boat is designed to be a river runner with a touch of play. Throughout the trip I was able to surf holes and waves on the fly.
Photo by Art Barket.
Getting my surf on at House Rock Rapid. Photo by Chrissy Zeltner.
If your dealer still has this boat available it is definitely worth a try on your local river. I won’t even try to describe the Grand in this post. The experiences you will have in this place are magical and unlike any other. It is truly a life changing experience and if you know a buddy with a permit who has the room … hop on that trip!
My final trip of the year was in Costa Rica with Adam Johnson, Art Barket and John Moore for two weeks of some of the most epic kayaking I’ve ever done. I brought my Burn as my weaponry of choice because I knew it would handle whatever Costa Rica had in store for me.
Adam, John, and I flew into Liberia with our boats the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It was Adam’s third time in Costa Rica and he was able to leverage the connections he had made from his past visits to get us beta on what was running in the area.
One of Adam’s connections, Wider, was a local to the area and was able to show us down one of his local runs the Rio Tenorio. The Tenorio had some great boofs and really fun moves but what made this river unforgettable was the beautiful fifty foot drop right at the beginning.
Here was Wider’s line. He entered from the right at the entrance and the curler set him up nicely to fall off the right side:
Photo by Adam Johnson.
Here I am dropping straight off the middle. The landing was a hard hit but it felt so good roosting off of this stout:
Photo by Adam Johnson.
After our run on the Tenorio we decided to travel East towards La Virgen and met Oscar who was kind enough to show us down his home town run, the Pozo Azul. This is Costa Rica’s very own North Fork of the Blackwater because of the variety of rapids that are on it. The first rapid is a twenty five foot drop with a tricky lead that requires a late boof stroke which gives you an idea of what is to come.
Here is Oscar showing us the line on one of the more technical rapids at the beginning:
Photo by Adam Johnson.
The run ends with the cleanest thirty foot drop I’ve ever seen! Adam got a sweet shot of me throwing a sweet switch wheel:
We moved south from La Virgen to Rivas near San Isidro for the final leg of our trip which included the Chirripo Pacifico. Everything that we had paddled up to this point on our trip was only a warm up for this river. Fortunately for us we had Costa Rica’s very own Ferdinand Steinvorth to guide us down the top and upper section! We spent about four days altogether in Rivas boating the lower, upper, and top section.
Manky drop on the top section. Photo by Adam Johnson.
Each section had different style rapids and characteristics but the upper section was a little longer and in my own opinion, the most difficult out of the three sections. I was able to able to hold my lines when I needed to with the Burn’s aggressive edge which came in handy with the technical boulder drops on the Chirripo Pacifico.
John Moore enjoying one of the many boulder slides on Chirripo Pacifico.
Here is Ferdinand crushing a boof on the Upper.
Coming through the first part of Ron Jeremy.
Here I am exiting the second part of Ron Jeremy.
So that was my year. I’m stoked to see where the coming year will take me and I am looking forward to using my favorite designs by Pyranha to get me out on the water. I have a new 9R that I am hoping to test soon on some of my favorite East Coast classics.
Through our relationship with Pyranha it really shows how much they care about the grassroots of the sport and not just the big names out there winning races and pushing boundaries.
Over the weekend a few universities from the southwest met up on Dartmoor for a 4* course going through river leadership, safety, and group management as well as personal skills in the class 2 and 3 environments ran by Gene17Kayaking’s Andrew Bonney and Deb Pinniger.
With most having already done a whitewater safety and rescue course, these two courses combined allow the club’s river leaders to have a strong grounding and allow trips to run smoothly and enjoyably for all involved.
Lucy loving the Burn III in the new colourways! #BurnBabyBurn
Alex on the River Walkham, Devon!
With quite a bit of theory involved there was some sitting around, day 1 meeting at a cafe and day 2 sat on the boats. With the recent additions to the fleet everyone was keen to jump on and see what they were all about!
Gene17’s Deb Pinniger sharing some knowledge on safe river guiding.
Luke getting to grip’s with the 9R! #9RLove #FastIsFun
Nice and dry, the 9R’s wave deflectors doing their job well!
One drop down, two more to go! Patrick’s #InTheZone
Throughout the day we reconvened to share what had been learnt and pick up a few more tips on what to look for in certain situations. Having two world class coaches with us gave a great insight in to what worked and what didn’t!
Gene17’s Andrew Bonney chatting to the guys about group management.
Jon keeping the Burn III’s nose nice and dry.
Lucy practicing active strokes for a better river running experience!
Luke and Lucy engaging in peer review , working in pairs allows a second perspective on the situation
Luke enjoyed this move enough in the 9R to run it several times! #9RLove
Bonney getting #InTheZone
Enders, pirouettes, and squirts made super easy with the ZOne.
With lots of chances to paddle different boat’s (Burn’s, ZOne’s, the 9R) it’s sometimes hard to pick a favorite, each being subtly different and adding another dimension to the down river experience.
We just love them all! #FastIsFun #InTheZone #BurnBabyBurn #9RLove
This summer I got a Small Generation 3 Burn, it’s a great boat I love it, it is so easy to manoeuvre and catch eddies!
My statistics: I am 10 years old, I weigh 94 pounds and I am 59 inches tall.
The reason it is so great: The Burn is super easy to boof. It is small and I find it easy to control on creeks and rivers. I feel that I can go thru big and small holes with out getting stuck in them; I just put my boat on edge and go.
All I needed to do to outfit my boat was move the seat all the way forward and put a lot of foam under the seat and add extra hip padding. To put seat padding you have to unscrew the bolts and put the foam under the seat pad. I had to have help with that.
I also found a great use for the fish sponge that comes with the boat; for longer portages I put it under my lifejacket shoulder strap.
When I booked my flights to Meghalaya 6 months ago the Kynshi seemed like a thing of legends. Tales of an amazing river with hard white water, which had previously handed out a few beat-downs to some pretty good paddlers, made me both excited and apprehensive for the trip. Despite booking so far in advance, in true fashion I left everything else to the last minute and after a hectic week I set my out-of-office for three weeks time and was on my way.
After a quick warm-up day lap on the Umtrew, we set off for a mass trip to the Kynshi – 15 people with only Jamie having run it before! A day of impressive driving down some pretty bumpy “roads” (understatement of the century) brought us as close to the put-in as the cars could take us, so we set up camp ready to start our adventure the next day. I am not sure if it was anticipation, nerves or jet lag but I spent most of the night lying awake wondering about what was to come.
The river starts off with a mellow lead in, giving time to appreciate the scenery and get used to paddling a loaded boat. Fairly soon we were in the thick of the white water, with world class rapids followed by beautiful flat pools to give you time to catch your breath.
Scouting one of the first rapids. Photo by Jamie Conn
The first day I had a few ups and downs with my paddling. I was quite nervous at the start and was feeling quite tired from the jet lag and lack of sleep. I made the mistake of not looking at the sloping waterfall rapid, going down too far right, missing my boof, swimming and losing my gopro (an expensive mistake!). However, the quality of the river makes it hard to stay grumpy for long and by the end of the next rapid I was back to grinning from ear to ear. A bit later, I flipped on one of the smaller rapids, hit my head and ended up feeling mildly concussed. Thankfully it was almost the end of day one but it did mean I walked around the last big rapid before our camp spot, and it took a little while to feel better in the evening.
After another night of limited sleep, I was not feeling overly confident in the morning and was wondering if this trip had been a step too far. A pep talk from Beth over our porridge quashed some of these feelings, but not quite enough for me to fancy my chances on Triple Step – the first rapid of the second day which features some pretty sizeable holes. Watching some of the carnage unfold did not make me regret my decision to walk.
The 9R easily skips over one of the holes near the start of the river. Photo by Nick Bennett.
After that the river just kept on giving. The rapids were incredible; with each one I felt myself relax further, my confidence building and my smile growing. The river often splits into different channels, which means that the character of each rapid is different, providing amazing variety and feeling like you’re on two different rivers. One of my favourite rapids started with a low volume slide / drop into the main flow where the rest of the channels have rejoined, giving a big volume feel to the rest of the rapid. After powering over some big waves you’re at the eddy at the bottom, buzzing. Another fun rapid has a boulder at the top splitting the flow, before the river turns a corner and you have to charge to the left. You scout this one from quite high above the river, leading to a classic case of “shrinko-vision”. Dropping in, you realise just how impressive the force of the water is!
I wanted the river to keep going forever, but all too soon we reached our camp spot for the night. This marked the end of the main rapids, but did provide the opportunity to cliff jump and swim in a warm lagoon. In the evening we were joined by some friends who had paddled up from the take out and we lay out underneath the stars and enjoyed a few bottles of celebratory rum. A few laps of the last rapids in the morning followed by the mostly flat paddle out saw us back on the road on the Shillong that afternoon, knackered but buzzing from the adventure.
If the white water wasn’t enough to tempt you, the stunning scenery and amazing camping makes this trip an all-rounder. Photo by Nick Bennett.
So is the Kynshi the best river in the world? It certainly must be a contender with its beautiful scenery, amazing camping and, let’s not forget, the phenomenal white water. For me, it will always hold a special place in my heart because I experienced it with Beth Hume, who tragically passed away on our first descent of the Umngi river later in the trip.
Beth has been my partner in crime for the past few years and has taught me what it really means to go on adventures. Whether lost in remote jungle in Indonesia, trying to find rivers to paddle in Norway by driving to blue lines in an atlas, or partying hard in a cold bunkhouse in Wales, we would re-live the stories with a giggle when we next saw each other.
Beth always knew how to make the most of her life and was never one to do things by halves. She has played a massive part in my kayaking progression and, although it may sound clichéd, Beth has helped make me who I am today. I will always be grateful for the awesome times we had together and I will treasure those memories forever. I always think of Beth, with a massive smile on her face, proclaiming “hashtag love my life”, and if I can live the rest of my life half as well as Beth did, I know it will be a happy one.
Beth Hume on “Super Happy Fun Slide” on day 2. Photo by Nick Bennett
This new white water kayak from Pyranha has just dominated the un-official Whitewater World Championships, Sickline! It truly is fast, it plains well but tracks like a dream, holding its line when driven. The 9R L carves across laterals like they’re not there. Turning whilst paddling, it also performs when cranked right over.
The 9R L is a fast boat! Its narrow bow and plaining fatter stern, accelerates out of the drop with speed and boofs like a dream, punching through the steep holes and carrying on going.
I weigh 92kg and I found myself under water in places getting a wet ride, but the boat just kept going and driving. Staying on the high water is key I found myself having to catch up with the boat as it just keeps going.
The 9R L takes time to get used to, but when you do it’s the fastest and most responsive kayak I have paddled. Might even make me lazy!
