After quitting my career as an Olympic athlete in rowing, I got enough free time to embrace all the activities I adore so much; fly fishing, bird watching, mountaineering, climbing, cycling, ski touring, biology / ecology, and the most important one to me, kayaking.
Kayaking has an exceptional place in my heart because it is a sport that demands a special lifestyle; being dependent on nature's cycles when waiting for the perfect flow after rain or snow melt is something brilliant to me, as it is as true and as nature-connected as it gets.
Kayaking also brought seemingly unreachable places and perspectives to me, not only about surroundings but also about myself; amongst those special places, the Soča, as my home river remains my favorite run and is always there, offering me the opportunity to clear my mind and simply enjoy life.
// KIT REVIEW
My #1 Pyranha boat is the Machno, for sure; it's all I need from a kayak, packed in one design!
The Machno goes fast when I need it to, holds a line, boofs like crazy, has enough space in the back for multi-days, and allows me to try new lines and drops with confidence as it gets me out of the mess when I push too far, and kayaking is all about that; searching for new rivers, lines, and limits.
When people ask me how I would describe the Machno, or compare it to other kayaks, I can't find a better way to put it than to say that the Machno happened when the 9R had a night out with the Shiva; go give it a try!
Even though I'm not in to kayak races, I still keep a 9R L to hand for when I feel like carving eddies and going fast, whilst still being able to pull off big boofs, and even though I'm 190cm tall and weigh 95kg, I can go playboating with ease in the Jed L, and that allows me to try and learn some new tricks each summer.
// PADDLER LINKS
Find out more about Rok's kayaking adventures with Leeway Collective, as well as their projects, such as the Balkan Rivers Tour; or better still, join them on their actions!
