Myself (Ric Moxon), Maxi Kniewasser, Si Rutherford, Brian Fletcher and Steve Arns headed out to Nepal this fall to see what the land of the Himilayas had to offer. It did not fail to impress, endless read and run class 4+ with plenty of class 5 sprinkled on top! Perfect.

For the first 4 weeks we paddled all the classic ‘easy’ access rivers, Bhote Khosi, Modi Khola, Madi Khola, Upper/Main Marsyangdi, Upper Kaligandaki and the Upper Seti. For the majority of these rivers we based ourselves out of the little paradise of Pokhara. This town has it all, views of 8000 meter peaks, a lake front, amazing food, cheap accommodation and motorbikes to rent! What more can you ask for?

For the last 3 weeks we headed West to the Humla Karnali and the Thule Bheri. Two self-support 7 day trips back to back!

HUMLA/THULE

The Good!

The trips were a great success! Logistics were incredibly easy compared with Maxi’s experiences back in 2008 when rising prices and days and days of delays seemed the norm. Top tip, fly from Surkhet not Nepal Ganj! We paid $1500 total for each flight, after a lot of negotiating. But the guys there were great, they kept there word and it all worked out perfect!

For the Thule we could not fly into the usual airport right on the river due to construction, so we had to fly into an airstrip a 6 hour hike from the river. There was no porters available, so we had to embrace the hike ourselves. With 45kg’s of boat, gear and food and over a 1000 meter elevation drop you definitely felt the burn in the quads! Flying into this airstrip did turn out to be a blessing. The views from the ridge were unbelievable, top 3 views I have scene in my life! Plus there is no feeling like earning your boofs!

Both rivers offered phenomenal whitewater, the Thule is a little easier as there are less big class 5 land slide rapids. However, both are definitely class 5 expedition runs. Check out some of the photos, words can not really describe! The Thule, however, was the scene of one of the scariest situations I have ever been involved in …

The Bad

Sieves are a major problem on these rivers. There are countless locations where huge landslides have sent gigantic boulders into the river creating significant sieves. On one of the read and run rapids Si pulled in behind a large boulder into what he though was an eddy, it turned out that all the water was flowing straight under a second large boulder behind. Realizing last second he managed to point his kayak nose first into the sieve and sketchily brace himself as he got chocked up to his waist. Steve, who was closest to him, although could not see him quickly realized that something was not right. He jumped out of his boat and was able to stabilize the situation and hold onto him. Myself, Maxi and Brian also jumped out of our boats and ran upstream to help. We safely managed to get Si and his boat out. This was a very close call and an emotional experience for all. We all felt we learned a valuable experience. When there are large boulders on the banks be very, very careful!

Also, see if you can spot the photo where paddling blue angle into a wave train back fired!

The Ugly

If you want to go to Nepal go ASAP, in a few years there will be a lot less free flowing rivers. The damming situation is the worst I have ever encountered. Chinese and Indian corporations are behind the projects. The amount of devastation and the speed of the construction is unbelievable. In the space of one week on the Marsyangdi the river bed had completely changed and a new bridge had been put in!

This trip was everything I had hoped it would be. Stunning views, epic rivers, crazy culture, great food, big missions, strenuous hike-ins, ridiculous bus rides and great people!

The old faithful large burn was my weapon of choice! Paddles awesome in every situation, loaded, empty, steep or deep. I cant wait to try out the new Large Burn!!

Cheers team!

Photos by fellow team paddler Maxi Kniewasser and Steve Arns

There she is – Above = New 3rd Gen Burn….. Below = Well-loved 2nd Gen Burn

I paddled Pyranha’s 2nd edition Burn for years and loved it.  It was my go-to kayak and I didn’t ever want to try anything else.  So, when I heard Pyranha was re-vamping my beloved Burn, I was excited, curious, but mostly just scared.  Worrying was worthless because the 3rd edition is indeed better (FACT, not just my opinion) and here’s why I’m so stoked.

#1(#2)  – Immediately, first difference I noticed was it’s speed.  Noticeably faster, the 3rd edition Burn, is longer and has a different Rocker profile than it’s predecessor.  It has a fairly flat hull, with significant bow rocker,  and less stern rocker.  Not only helping to create a faster boat, this hull design makes the Burn exceptionally easy to boof, which was my second observable difference.  The nose of the new Burn wants to stay on the surface of the water; it cruises over holes, resurfaces quickly, and boofs effortlessly.  BAM!!

#3 – Burns are known for their edges and the 3rd generation’s have been tweaked.  I’m not a scientist and can’t tell you what Pyranha did to make the edges better (I noticed less in the stern).  But, the boat carves and I like that.  Catching eddies is snappy and easy.   And, the boat holds a line, which is real nice for getting exactly where you want to go!  These edges are particularly noticeable and appreciated in pushy or swirly whitewater.

#4 – The cockpit rim has been redesigned so spray skirts stay on better!  Nicer to carry as well.  Win!

#5 – The new Burn has a lower deck profile, which means I don’t have to make a booster seat.   Less volume directly in front of where you’re sitting is also nice for paddling, rolling, tucking, and all things which are done in a kayak.  This also brings your knees in a lower and more secure position, leading to greater control of your Burn.

The new Burn is your river running creek boat dream machine.  But, seriously, it is.

Oh yeah, and there are also some other slightly tweaked improvements; such as metal grab loops and a self-draining recessed drain plug.  (I’m trying to say that water doesn’t pool up in the recession for the drain plug)… New logo.. cool colors

She be LOVIN IT BRO

Ty Caldwell Rio Gol Gol Photo: Bernie Engleman 

 

 

Ty Boof to Swim Photo: Jon Clark

It is coming up on two months that I have been traveling around Chile and what an unbelievable experience to say the least.  Since watching the first Demshitz videos of Chile, it has always been a dream of mine to visit this magnificent land of waterfalls and Chile is just that… magnificent.

Ty on La Princesa Photo: Eric Mount

While the whitewater is amazing, the culture of the Chilean people is what truly blew me away.  My first few weeks in Chile were occupied by homesteading just outside of Futaleufu. While I lived with a few Gringos, my only outside contact was that of rural Chileans.  Viewing their lifestyles was similar to traveling back in time 100 years.   It is truly amazing to see people living off of the land and tending to their livestock.  After chopping wood to cook breakfast on the on the wood stove, most of my days were filled with climbing over cattle fences to reach the Rio Futaleufu.  Oh man, what a river.  With strong winds, whirlpools, and waves/holes the size of cars this river is fierce, but oh so fun.  Kayaking can only get better with good places to fly fish on the trek downstream.  The Futa is home to some beautiful trout and gorgeous mountains.  Make sure not to only get views of the bottom of the river but also from the tops of the surrounding peaks.

Ty on top of the world Photo: Theresia Hinton

After spending a few weeks in Futaleufu, I headed North to help assist in showing the NOC Youth Paddling Team around the Country.  Three very experienced paddlers from the Team made the flight down and spent their winter break in a warmer environment.  Upon their arrival we met up in San Fabian to set off on an overnighter on the Rio Nuble.  The overnighter ended on Christmas Eve where we were able to experience a traditional Chileans Christmas.  With the festivities over we headed south to Pucon.  David Hughes hosted us at the Pucon Kayak Hostel and we centralized ourselves for some amazing rivers.  Near Pucon we paddled the Rio Trancura, Palguin, Llancahue, Fuy, San Pedro, and even made it a bit further south to the Rio Gol Gol.  Each river is phenomenal in its own way.  After two weeks of paddling the guys headed home and I found my self back on a bus to Futaleufu.  Chile continues to amaze me each day and I now prepare to the next adventure of paddling from the Argentina border to the Pacific Ocean, crossing Chile in less than 24 hours.

Taylor and Bernie Brotraining Photo: Ty Caldwell

Bernie on the Palguin Photo: Ty Caldwell

Overnighter on the Rio Nuble Photo: Ty Caldwell

Waking up Photo: Ty Caldwell

Taylor Cofer on Rio Llancahue Photo: Ty Caldwell

Bernie checking out the cave Photo: Ty Caldwell

Theresia at the Pacific Photo: Ty Caldwell

Do yourself a favor and visit Chile, the adventures never end.

Hi friends,

2013 has come and gone. With the new year here, it is always fun to look back at the past 12 months and remember the good times on the river.

This past season was once again a great sone. It was less quantity, but more quality. The spring and summer saw me mostly in my backyard of BC. Just enjoying the classics and exploring some new stuff. BC, it just never disappoints.

In early fall, together with Kiwi Simon Rutherford and Frenchmen Jules Domine and Mathieu Coldebella, we headed to the Alsek way north in Canada’s Yukon. It was my second time down this gem. It truly is one of the most spectacular places I have experienced. Huge glaciers calving in the river, massive mountains, and very unpredictable weather. Again it turned into an eventful trip. During our time on the river, the river went to full flood stage. We watched flash-floods coming down tributaries, turning the river into a muddy monster. Turnback was out of the question (the french boys tried and paddled the first rapid, but quickly abandoned). The portage around the canyon was an absolute suffer fest. We Finally arrived at the ocean in Dry Bay after eight days and 180 miles of paddling through the spectacular St. Elias Mountains. Unforgettable.

Jules Domine on the Alsek

Read the rest of this entry »

For my first blog I figured this would be a good start, thanks for the best kayaks on the planet!!!
WHITEWATER!!!!!!

Now that the evenings are getting darker, and there is a chill in the air in the UK, kayaking becomes a bit less “comfortable”, and we Brits start dreaming of warmer waters and sunnier skies. Ecuador is the perfect winter destination. Offering warm climates with fairly regular tropical rainstorms which keep the river levels nicely topped up.

Although the geology is volcanic, like Chile and other countries known for their impressive waterfalls, the character of the rivers we paddled around Baeza/ the Quijos valley and Tena (a little warmer and about three hours from the Quijos valley) in Ecuador are of a completely different character. The rivers we paddled were consistent and very continuous boulder garden rapids boasting a paddler’s paradise of S-turns, eddy moves, rock spin opportunities and beautiful boofs! All the time you are surrounded by very dense jungle with incredible plants and butterflies and other wildlife! DO  watch out for the monkeys though, as a friend was bitten by a (possibly rabid) monkey and spent the rest of the trip having to visit the hospital daily for rabies vaccine injections!

Given the rapidly changing water levels and sheer number of rivers and river-sections, there is something here to be had whether you are a class 3 (I highly recommend the Rio Piachua grade 3+ with lots of eddy moves and boofs!)  intermediate or if you fancy something more exhilarating around the class 4/5 mark (e.g. Upper Jonchachi, grade 4 boof city) It is very accessible as a holiday destination and it is very easy to get from Europe over to Ecuador and then across from Quito the capital to the kayaking centres. Get hold of a guide book or employ a local guide to show you the lines. There are a number of independent guides and all-inclusive outfits providing accommodation, logistics and guiding if you fancy more of a relaxing break !

(Photos: Dan MacFarlane and Dave Gardner)