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17
Jul

Deerfield River Festival

Battling for third through Dragon's Tooth Rapid.  Photo: shannon Mercurio

Battling for third through Dragon’s Tooth Rapid. Photo: Shannon Mercurio

The Deerfield River Festival is always a highlight of my summer paddling season.  One of my first whitewater paddling experiences occurred on the Deerfield River back in 1995, and it is always a special place for me to return to.  The annual gathering of paddlers in Charlemont, Mass. each summer is a significant fundraiser for American Whitewater, which Pyranha supported this year with a donation of a kayak as the prize for the “Rock, Paper, Scissor, Showdown.”  Yes that’s right, someone walked away with a brand new Burn  for winning a rock, paper, scissor contest.  The Deerfield River Fesitval weekend is also host to the most hotly contested “Lozer Cup” races of the season.  The results of which go towards U.S. National Wildwater rankings.

Chattin it up at Deerfield River Fest.  Photo: Joe Scavo

Chattin it up at Deerfield River Fest. Photo: Joe Scavo

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16
Jul

The Bavarian Waters of Leavenworth, WA

1000758_10101775478773163_1317708141_nPhoto- Taken by Miguel Shield – Monkey Cage – Top Tye

With the rivers running low in the gorge and a couple of days off of work, I took the 3.5 hour trek north with Nick Murphy and Erik Johnson to check out the rivers in Leavenworth, WA.  There we met up with Demshitz (Dave Fusilli, Mike Patterson, Matt Anger, and Bren Orton) and other Gorge dwellers (Miguel Shields and LJ Groth).  So, after also finding a couple of local paddlers to boat with, we had, in typical Demshitz fashion, a stout crew for our laps on Tumwater, Icicle Creek, and the Top Tye.  Here are some photos that LJ and Miguel took of the trip.

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16
Jul

Skookumchuck Narrows surf session

This was certainly not my first Skook experience, but for sure the best yet!  We had a sweet crew up there, threw some sweet tricks , and got really tan.

demshitz surfing

Here is a photo of the boyz towards the end of the day.

The Sir Carbon Jed was INCREDIBLE!  I have been thinking about surfing this boat at Skook since the first day I picked it up and it did not disappoint!  Just an amazing freestyle kayak!

bren AS

Bren crushing another Airscrew

Dave PANAM

Myself flying around out there

 

15
Jul

The 6 weeks that were.. Part 1

I had long dreamed of getting my face wet on some classic Californian granite gems. May 2013 was going to be the chance to fulfil some of those fantasies.

Arriving in Portland on April 30th, I quickly went about collecting my Large Burn and other necessary pieces of paddling paraphernalia.

The plan was simple:

Get up early on the 1st, go for a lap on the Ldub with long time Kiwi buddy Michael and old Canadian slalom pal Chris.

Part ways with Michael, load Chris’s truck and drive our arses South into Cali.

Run the shit!

Throw Kyle Hull into the mix and suddenly the single cab Mazda B2300 isn’t so roomy, but the buzz is escalating exponentially.

Enjoying the drive a little more after Kyle has made his way into the tray behind.

Enjoying the drive a little more after Kyle has made his way into the tray behind.

CALI!

20 hours later we arrived in Three Rivers where we based ourselves for the following 4 days.

The Middle and East Fork’s of the Kaweah River were exactly what I was hoping to find to start my first Cali experience. We rolled a 9 pack into the East fork and proceeded to bomb out a sweet run without portages, and generally ,mint lines.

Dropping into a crack on the East Fork.

Dropping into a crack on the East Fork.

 

Chris, after taking a face shot on "Toxaway". East Kaweah.

Chris, after taking a face shot on “Toxaway”. East Kaweah.

 

Firing off the entry drop of "Triple Drop".

Firing off the entry drop of “Triple Drop”.

The “Hospital Rock” section of the Middle fork is an absolute stunner of a run. It’s not hard, but it sure packs in a lot of epic drops and rapids in a stretch of river that you can mob through in less than an hour.

Enjoying the Hospital Rock section of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River.

Enjoying the Hospital Rock section of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River.

 

A perfect lip to lay a crosbow on.

A perfect lip to lay a crossbow on.

We got some beta that told us we needed to check out “Chuck’s Slide” on the section of river above “Hospital Rock”. With a name that stems from a whitewater legend such as Chuck Kern, this was a slide that was bound to be awesome. And it was.

Rolling into "Chuck's". Roll in, hold on, get spat out the bottom.

Rolling into “Chuck’s”. Roll in, hold on, get spat out the bottom.

With the Kaweah’s starting to drop out, we headed North to run Upper Cherry Creek.

I knew nothing of Upper Cherry other than it was epic. The plan was to have an early start, charge the walk, put on and bomb out in a day. This all sounded pretty rad to me. Maybe that was because I had no idea that we were not only trying to sneak in on a cold snap in the hope for lower water, but also, that the run normally took 2-3 days.. So, we didn’t get our early start, but started up the path nevertheless. After a couple of miles, our team of 6 was down to just myself and Jake Greenbaum. It was at this point I realised just what we were getting ourselves into. It also dawned on me that we weren’t going to sneak in on a cold snap as the day was rapidly heating up. Minor details. We made the decision to hike into the base of Cherry Bomb Gorge and rally out from there instead of going the full length with no overnighting kit.

The look on Jake’s face when we got to river level said it all. He looked nervous. “Dude, the river’s huge. Water shouldn’t be flowing over those ledges.”

Upper Cherry at Flinstone

Upper Cherry at Flinstone

Putting on in the pool at Flinstone, I still didn’t quite understand the effects of the highwater, but I was super amped to go kayaking. I’d just had the last 2 days off the water and there was no way I wasn’t going boating today. Burly ledge holes, and powerful hydraulics soon slapped the focus back into me as we battled our way downstream through some of the sickest whitewater I’d ever run.

Suposedly this usually gets run down the groove on the left. We barely scraped granite straight down the guts.

Supposedly this usually gets run down the groove on the left. We barely scraped granite straight down the guts.

An early swim out of “Double pot hole” re-affirmed the power of the uniform ledges and holes this run was going to offer at high flow!

Upper Cherry Swim 1

Arriving at the lake and eventually the car, Jake and I were absolutely ruined. Stoked, but ruined. Shortly after departing the drainage, we discovered that the flow was 1160CFS as opposed to the recommended 600CFS.

Debriefing after a super rowdy day in Upper Cherry.

Debriefing after a super rowdy day in Upper Cherry. Photo Jared Seiler

Keeping the buzz on, we promptly headed to “Silver Fork” where we were lucky enough to catch a primo flow to enjoy the many slides and more technical rapids that the run had to offer.

“Fantasy Falls” was the run we had been waiting for, and was our next objective. Since arriving in Cali, I had been hanging out to scare myself. Rumour had it that “Fantasy Falls” was going to be the run where that would happen.

Our team consisted of myself, Chris McTaggart, Kyle Hull, Jared Seiler, Nick Murphy and Jake Greenbaum. Nick and Jake had been down the run a couple of weeks earlier, and Jake had claimed the 4th descent of “The Untouchables”.

The stoke was high as we bombed our way through an amazing day one and set camp at “Front Porch”. Something was lingering in the air at camp that night. Playing on everybody’s mind was day two and more specifically “The Untouchables”.

"Front Porch Camp"

“Front Porch Camp” Photo: Jared Seiler

Day 2 of Fantasy Falls is an unbelievably good day kayaking. After a couple hours on the water, it dawned on me that the chatter had slowed down completely from the only guys that knew the run. Could it be that Untouchables was nearing? I was on Jake’s tail when he turned to me and said “This is what you’ve been waiting for dude. We’re here.”

It looked good, and I was quick to jump on the opportunity to be the first in our group to drop in.

Immediately after punching the entry buffer, it's time to hold on, stay straight and wait to tranny out into the gorge.

“The Untouchables”. Immediately after punching the entry buffer, it’s time to hold on, stay straight and wait to tranny out into the gorge.

Pretty quickly, I was followed by Jake, Kyle and Jared. Every line was slightly different, but all were successful!

Laying tandem treats with Demshitz Jared Seiler. Photo Michael Peacher

Laying tandem treats with Demshitz Jared Seiler. Photo Michael Peacher

From here out, more epic kayaking continued until we made it down to the reservoir and cold beer.

Fantasy Falls Swim 2

We took a couple rest days and got a leisurely lap on South Silver before we headed right back in for round 2 on “Fantasy Falls”.

Taking some time out on South Silver.

Taking some time out on South Silver.

Levels were lower on the Mokelumne, but stoke was equally as high. We were joined this time by Evan Garcia and Louis Geltman who had just driven the mammoth distance from Hood River to get amongst.

Round 2 saw 7 descents on “Jedi Mind Meld”, 7 descents on “Untouchables” (including 1 accidental switch run by myself and a hike up second lap), 7 descents on “Island”, and 8 descents on “Show me Your Tits” (4 swims out of the “Thing”)

"The Untouchables" - Round 2. First switch descent..

“The Untouchables” – Round 2. First switch descent.. Photo Michael Peacher

 

"The Untouchables" - round 3. Making amens for my previous run.

“The Untouchables” – round 3. Making amens for my previous run. Photo Jake Greenbaum

Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the take out, the level at the reservoir had come up so much that our beers were never to be seen.

The conclusion of our second lap on Fantasy Falls meant our time in Cali was over. Part two of the trip was about to start, as we prepared ourselves to head back North to Washington..

Part Two. Washington and beyond  coming soon.

 

 

12
Jul

Checking in from the Northeastern U.S.

2013-7-13-midd

Matt Young enters the Middlebury Gorge (Photo: Justin Beckwith)

It would be too easy to simply say the last few weeks of paddling in the Northeastern U.S. (as well as the entire East Coast) has been awesome!!  To say that it has been special, or unique would be a good start, but still far from doing justice to the absolutely incredible summertime paddling conditions we have recently experienced.  Flows seemed to be on the rise right after my teaching job in Lake Placid finished up for the year and only now, 3-weeks later our options for paddling seem to be dwindling.  I have been fortunate enough spend in both New York and Vermont this summer season logging runs on both sides of Lake Champlain with great friends.

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12
Jul

Callaghan Creek Race 2013!!!

Fellow Paddlers,

Greg Daspher on Race day. Callaghan Creek

Greg Daspher on Race day. Callaghan Creek

The undisputed highlight of the Whistler, BC kayaking season is coming near with the annual Callaghan Creek Race. It is set for Saturday, July 20th. It will be a team race with groups of two trying to descent this classic creek as quickly and safely as possible. It is truly one of the most amazing race courses anywhere, on one of the world’s most awesome rivers. Levels should be a bit lower this year, making the race accessible to more people. So if you are a solid class 4+ boater and want a challenge, come try yourself BC style. Or hike in to check out the awesome waterfall section and appreciate the show from the comforts of the dry shore. A trail will be marked.

This year’s race is especially important as the Callaghan is facing an acute risk of hydro development, which would all but destroy the  recreational value of one of the most highly used creeks in the country. So come to challenge yourself, and even more importantly, come to show your support for this amazing river and help safe this gem from being another casualty to hydro development.

There will be lots going on all weekend, with group paddles down the Callaghan and other creeks and the post race party at “the Cabin”.

See you all there!

Maxi

 

Race info is here: http://www.liquidlore.com/callaghan/

Safe the Callaghan: https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheCallaghan

Callaghan Creek beta: http://www.liquidlore.com/bc/callaghan/

 

 

11
Jul

Another Nano Review

I want to write up my review of the Nano and keep it short and sweet, just like the boat.

Living in the South East, we have been getting hammered with rain. It was a great time to get out and put this boat to the test. First, a bit of background; I am a small female paddler (5’3″) and that is the perspective of this review. The creeks I have taken this out on include North Fork (a run we do laps on that include one larger drop and the rest being fairly technical making it a solid class IV run) and West Fork of the French Broad (big slides and one long technical rapid, again class IV), Davidson at various levels and the lower Rocky Broad (technical, class IV-V-).

 Brevard, NC

Davidson River

I’ve been paddling a small burn for years now. To test out other Pyranha boats, I’ve also put myself in the medium Burn and the Shiva. Then came the Nano (M). I absolutely love the burn, but the Nano is so much fun it is all I have been paddling. Being that it is shorter than the burn, I was concerned that I might be hole bait because let’s face it, I pretty much am no matter what thanks to my size. Rest assured, this boat plows right through holes. It resurfaces better than any boat I have paddled and this is the number one reason why I like it so much. Not to mention, it boofs like a champ. The hull is a bit of a different design than any boat I have seen. It has your common hard edge that the burn has until about 3/4th of the way to the stern and the edge drops and it becomes rounded. Because of this, the back is loose and spinning is a very easy task.

stal_slide3

Big Slides

stal_slide2_02

WFFB

The only thing that I had to adjust was getting in and out of eddies. After a handful of runs I’m getting this boat into smaller eddies than I have in other boats. It is not as quick as the burn, but that is to be expected being that it is shorter. But with the added volume, I’ll take a bit of a slower boat being that it resurfaces so well. This boat will remind a smaller boater how much fun you can have out there on a creek and try out new moves with confidence. Nicely done Pyranha. Nicely done.

All fun in the Nano

All fun in the Nano

 

10
Jul

Mexico 2012 Part IV: The Upper Jalacingo

If you’re wondering if there are still new rivers out there waiting to be discovered, consider the fact that paddlers only started exploring sections of the Rio Jalacingo in 2008 and a full top to bottom descent wasn’t done until 2010.  This is even more telling when you consider that the Jalacingo flows into the popular Pezma Section of the Rio Alseseca, a short distance upstream of the famous Cascada Tomata.  Despite the Rio Jalacingo hiding in plain site, like a lot of runs in Mexico, it was the lack of access that kept it unknown for so long.  Unlike the Rio Alseseca there are no major roads crisscrossing the Rio Jalacingo and figuring out access points in rural Mexico is no easy task.
Blow: Matt Beauchamp boofing into the heart of the canyon, photo by Adam Goshorn
By the time we had a chance to run it in late 2012 the necessary access points were all known… just not by us.  Once again Julian was the only one in our group who had done the run before, but only once and he had ridden there with others and wasn’t entirely sure of the route.  Never the less, he figured out the logistics with a combination of what he remembered, a few notes from Vicente at Aventurec, and asking a few helpful locals along the way.  As is typical in Mexico it took us several wrong turns to eventually find the correct turns to find put-in and take-out.
Blow: Matt Beauchamp on the entrance slide into the last drop, photos by Adam Goshorn
At the put-in, the Upper Rio Jalacingo is a small creek that is about 20 feet wide and looks way to low to possibly be a quality kayaking run.  Throughout the day this would prove to be the nature of some sections of the creek.The width of the creek varies greatly and in wider spots paddlers are scooting over almost dry rocks, while in other places very narrow basalt canyons channelize the water so well that there are actually a number of strong holes to watch out for.  We all agreed that if the water was high enough that the widest spots had a nice boatable flow, the canyon sections would be out of control.
The canyon sections were the main attraction of the run anyway, so wheelchairing through the wider spots is simply the price of admission to the magical basalt underworld that is the Upper Rio Jalacingo.
Below: Deep in the Upper Jalacingo, photo by Matt Beauchamp

09
Jul

The Boise River Park

The Boise River Park is located right in downtown Boise. The Boise river flows through town next to a big park where people goes surfing, running, kayaking… It’s really cool to have something like this in a big city like Boise. 

 

There are two features that can be totally adjusted regarding the flow and the style of spot they want to paddle on, wave or hole.  

 

We did a couple sessions together with some surfers and body boarders and was a lot of fun. The wave is small but has some green and nice shoulders where you can throw many moves. It’s a small feature but great for learning. 

Idaho River Sports is located just across the pond and they’ve been a Pyranha dealer since the beginning of times! Check out their website  at www.idahoriversports.com or even better stop by for a surf and check out the shop and great deals!

The Jed felt really fast and loose on such a small wave, making moves a lot easier and snappier, super stoked to have this boat right now!!

 

The weather was great and we had a great time, hope to make it back some day!

Pics by Ali Casas

09
Jul

High Water Gilgit

Its just over a year now since we put on our first section of the Gilgit river, and this got me reminiscing. Whilst it is conventionally run in spring or autumn when it is blue and has a boulder garden feel, at high water it takes on a completely different style. Its massive, swolen and silty, with big waves and rapids are often backed up one after another.

I had a look over the GoPro footage and realized there was tonnes of unused video so I put this together (a word of warning, if you don’t like naughty language skip to 15 seconds in):

 

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