Back from Slovenia, I met up with Matt Tidy in a well moisturized Glen Etive. Although the rest of the country was looking fairly dry, the Glen Etive micro climate was holding out on the upper side of medium, the most optimum level of the middle section. It seemed too good to be true and it was as the river level dropped slowly the day before and then plummeted over night.
Still, the low level allowed a pretty much carnage free event on the middle section and with little water to spare the level held consistent for a very fair event. Adding to this, the dry skies meant a happy day for spectators.
It was against the rules but we were adamant about using Green boats.
Red Bull provided the smallest pinnacle in Glencoe.
Tim ‘hovercraft’ Hamlet on right angle. Rumor has it he didn’t hit a single rock.
Matt and I coming into view at the rock slide. With no holes in low water, keeping on line was very easy…
… however, sprinting the flats and avoiding rocks was not.
Myself on the dog leg… slight change of plan from coming over the right hand ledge the day before.
Matt on the lip of right angle, definitely not about to boof!
All in all, it was an awesome event and thanks to James everything ran like clockwork. It was great to have a UK event up in the mountains! In the sponsored category Milton and Scutt won followed by Matt and Myself then Small boy and Bob. However it was revealed we had all been wooped by Team White Water Active, the non sponsored, overall winners! Good job guys!
Catch you on the water. Pictures from Slovenia coming soon!
Ed
Hello all
This weekend Matt Tidy and myself, along with a crowd of assorted heroes and villains of the padling world headed up to Fort William for the annual Wet West Paddlefest. Despite the dry weather, dam releases had been organized on both the Garry and Moriston Rivers, as well as a big saturday night party, and fter a truly epic drive up, we arrived in the small hours of saturday morning in time to get our heads down for a few hours before the fun began…
We awoke on Saturday to news that the Falls of Lora were running, so headed over to Loch Etive for a spot of playboating. The Falls of Lora is a tidal rapid that forms of on a falling tide as the water flows out to sea, creating a series of large and varied waves with potential for spectacular playboating. Having seen photos of the waves, but never been before, I was excited to find out if they lived up to their reputation, and I was not to be disappointed.
Loch Etive from the bridge.
Having come prepared for a weekend of river paddling Mat and I were not armed with playboats, however Mat’s new Axiom proved more than a match for the falls, and taking turns in this cartwheeling and surfing speed machine provided enough fun for both of us. There are some meaty whirlpools downstream of the main wave, and after seeing a few dizzy beatings, the extra volume of the Axiom over a full on playboat was secretly quite reassuring when negotiating them.
Matt tidy carving it p on the green…
And Cartwheelin’ in the foam.
As the tide began to drop and the waves slowly shrank, we decided that it was time to head over to the Garry for an afternoon blast, before grabbing a bite to eat and gearing up for the party. After a talk from Max Bilbow about his recent trip to Russia the party kicked off in earnest, with funky tunes laid down, and grooves being fully busted long into the Night. The Morning after arrived far too early as always, and brought with it the promise of a hearty release from the Moriston Dam.
As a Moriston virgin, I was excited to see what was in store, and despite having heard many stories of big downtime and the odd gnarly beatdown, I put my trust in Mat and Luke, blindly following their tails over the first horizon…
The first drop; Go left, then sit at the bottom and watch the wide eyes as those who went down the middle eventually resurface.
Charge left, and grind that shelf; Luke Farrington shows us how…
The upper sction of the Moriston is short and sweet, making it a classic spot for doing a few laps, and the huge number of people on the river made for crowded eddies and brilliant spectator sport…
The longest continuous section, with plenty of spots for potential carnage.
Matt Tidy brings the Axiom in for a perfect landing.
After several laps of the Moriston we headed back to the car for cake and medals, and to embark on the long drive south. This was my first trip up to Scotland for a few years now, and every time I go I tell myself that I should spend more time there. Matt’s staying up in the highlands for next weekend’s Etive race and I’m off back down south for some warm autumn weather and smooth dartmoor granite, but there are still many trips left to cross off on my Scotland list so watch this space…
I look forward to seeing the more southern bit of the paddling community in a week or two at the South West Canoe Show. If you’re interested go here: http://www.swcanoeshow.co.uk/
Cheers,
Nick
After a long day’s drive we’re back in the UK gearing up for the winter season (you can download our brand new 2010 Workbook from the Palm Website) . Our new range of whitewater PFDs (the Extrem, Amp and FX) will be available in the shops soon but until then here’s a few shots…
Extrem Vest (EV) New Product – A/W ’09
The Extrem Vest evolution continues, setting new standards in safety and useability. Our flaship front-opening PFD with masses of storage.
Featuring: Flex Formed Foam front panel wraps around torso • Quad-buckle front entry • Large, zipped, padded front cargo pocket with internal divider • Chest mounted zipped knife pockets • Internal rear padded pocket for documents, safety gear or hydration bladder • Tough grip panels at shoulder for boat
carrying • 3D anti ride-up waistbelt • Easy Glide strap adjustment throughout • Continuous loop failsafe shoulder straps tested to 500kg with strap keeper pockets • Removable chest harness with quick release cam buckle and load spreader • Welded O-ring with Velcro retainer • Dual cowtail parks • Solas® reflective detail on shoulders, front and rear panels
Materials: Cordura® 550D/Ballistic Nylon/Vent Mesh liner, Gaia PVC-free foam
Colours: Midnight/Jet Grey, Red/Jet Grey
Sizes: XS/S (65N), M/L (70N), XL/XXL (75N)
Palm Extrem Vest (Red/Jet Gray)
Palm Extrem Vest (Midnight/Jet Gray)
Amp Vest (AV) New Product – A/W ’09
The next step in river PFDs, a pullover vest offering full floatation with
maximum articulation and dynamic safety features.
Flex Formed Foam front panel wraps around torso • Pullover entry • Large,
zipped, padded front cargo pocket with internal divider • Chest mounted
zipped knife pockets • Tough grip panels at shoulder for boat carrying • 3D
anti ride-up waistbelt • Easy Glide strap adjustment throughout • Continuous
loop failsafe shoulder straps tested to 500kg with strap keeper pockets
• Removable and reversible chest harness with quick release cam buckle
and load spreader • Welded O-ring with Velcro retainer • Dual cowtail parks •
Solas® reflective detail on shoulders, front and rear panels
Materials: Cordura® 550D/Ballistic Nylon/Vent Mesh liner, Gaia PVC-free foam
Colours: Saffron/Jet Grey
Sizes: XS/S (65N), M/L (70N), XL/XXL (75N)
Palm Amp Vest
FX New Product – A/W ’09
A new, simple, stylish pullover PFD which provides an unrestricted fit
for male or female paddlers.
Low profile foam panels • Slimline zipped front pocket with key ring clip-in
point • 3D anti ride-up waistbelt • Easy Glide strap adjustment throughout •
Continuous loop failsafe shoulder straps with strap keeper pockets • Stretch
Mesh side panels • Reflective detail on shoulders, front and rear panels
Materials: Nylon 420D ripstop/Ballistic Nylon
Colours: Deep Red/Black, Grey/Black
Sizes: XXXS/XXS (40N), XS/S (50N), M/L (60N), XL/XXL (65N)
Palm FX (Deep Red/Black)
Hi Guys,
We have replaced the old news page with an all new Blog page: http://benbrown.co.nz/blog/ This means I can now access the site from the field and keep you updated on news and adventures as they unfold. I will also keep you in the loop on anything else I think may be of interest. We will continue to keep the adventures and video pages updated with the more important projects but the blog provides a quick and easy way to keep you regularly informed. So keep checking back for the latest news and events. Of course I will also keep this blog regularly updated as well.
Thanks,
Ben
A very successful first day at Kanumesse yesterday… Here’s a sneaky peak of some of new gear we’re showing.
To start with, Palm’s new line of whitewater PFDs have been causing quite a stir!
The Amp Vest - New A/W '09
The evolution of our flagship whitewater PFDs continue with the Extrem Vest (EV) and Amp Vest (AV) series.
Horst Fursattel of Paddle People checking out the new Extrem Vest
The FX - New A/W
A development of the legendary Fusion, the FX is a simple, stylish PFD which provides an unrestrictive fit for male or female paddlers.
It’s that time of year again! After two days of stand building we’re all set for another cracking Kanumesse show in Nürburg, Germany.
As usual, we’ve got a plethora of new kit to show but first there’s some finishing touches to make to the stand. Check back later to see everything new from Palm!
Cheers,
Tim
I’ve just returned from a trip to Iceland, which as the name might have suggested to a more observant traveller, can, at times, be quite cold.
I
Iceland - not just a name...
Having spent the large part of my summer working in Norway, there was a large part of me that was questioning why I don’t go to warm places. Within 24 hours in the country however, we’d already paddled a truly incredible river in one of the most stunning gorges I’ve seen, been welcomed by the unrivalled icelandic hospitality, and scouted our first park ‘n huck…
Man of steel Adam Dumolo punches through a hole – Jokulsa river
Scouting Reykjafoss from the lip
Having in previous years spent more hours than I can count watching Valhalla (the best* kayaking movie ever made, in case you were wondering), my trip to Iceland was something of a pilgrimage, and a chance to follow in the footsteps of boating heroes. It was, therefore, with the footage of an unlucky Seth Warren breaking his ankles playing in my head, and Valhalla’s pounding metal soundtrack playing in my ears that we set off around Europe’s most volcanic** island.
A sweet 9m stomach-in-mouth boof.
The Adam and Nick show: perfectly synchronised, Small Gothafoss.
If you ask the right people very nicely, you might acquire directions to this crack, which can be found hiding in the middle of an ancient, featureless lava field. If you find it, and can then find a safe way down 12m or so of vertical polished walls into the depths, you will be rewarded.
The Norse gods know how to run a good bath.
Sara James drops the big line on the classic Gothafoss. Why not send a collection hat around the crowd of tourists? It’ll pay for a victory ice cream…
On one of our outings we were lucky enough to paddle the Barka, another mysterious yet rewarding gem uncovered earlier this summer by the guys on Ben Brown’s trip (see his earlier iceland post).
Adam D on a clean looking 8m drop, Barka.
Tom P on a sweet double drop, Barka.
The stunning Gorge of the East Glacial river, Adam, Sara, and Myself enjoy the evening sunshine
All in all an amazing trip in a country which culturally, geologically, and grammatically exceeds all expectations. There is still as of yet a huge supply of unrun waterfalls and rivers waiting to be found, as well as a huge list of classic and not so classic whitewater ready and waiting. I can’t wait to go back.
A huge thanks to Mark and all of the guys at the rafting center in Varmalith, who sorted us out a treat.
I’m back in the UK for the winter now, and hoping for a wet one. I’m off to the Wet West Paddle Fest this weekend so hope to see lots of people there…
Big love, and safe hucking
Nick
*In my opinion, which happens to be correct, in my opinion.
**I couldn’t find a scale for volcanic-ness, but I’m pretty sure it would be.
Photos from Sara James and Nick Horwood
Had a load of water through lately and felt like giving my Nomad a quick breather while I spent a day playing on the Orchy waves.
These waves are a little temperamental in terms of level as they need a lot of water and when that happens the road down the side of the river tends to flood, although it does drop very quickly once the rain stops so you shouldn’t be stuck for too long. The wave pictured below has no eddy service and is down stream of the main wave, walking up either bank is easy and worth it.
Not wanting to waste a load of energy, as the main wave is awesome, chilling in the car and munching some food while the river drops a bit is a good option. At the levels in the pics above you won’t get on the main wave in anything short of a surf boat, it’d be great fun if you have/could get your hands on one though!
Main wave being worth the wait and dishing out air! It has a nice little foam pile to catch you on some of the bigger moves but it isn’t the steepest thing around so having a boat with plenty of speed is a winner… if you have a crazy 88, it will rock your world here!
Helix’s and everything go on both sides once the foam gathers as the levels drops.
Beat that for a clean blunt gurn! I’ve mastered a new technique where I use my chin to lead moves 
All in all another wicked day on the water to add to summer 09. Bring on a wet autumn and winter!
Ed
Wall to wall blue bird sky, with searing early Autumn sunshine made for what is a change maker. The older generation finally fell to the youth, and like father handing on the baton to the son, its all change at the top of the World Freestyle arena with Jackson Kayaks and the Jackson family ringing the changes. American Emily Jackson won K1W, along with her husband Canadian Nick Troutman in K1M, younger brother Dane was 2nd in the Juniors and their Father, EJ was 2nd in the Mens.
The exception to the Jackson kayak whitewash was the Junior ladies, where Nouria Newman from France true to form stole the show. After her winning ride she gave us a glimpse of her potential, we saw an air screw and helix, both with big air. In the OC1 Jeremy Laucks from the US continued his dominance of this event by sweeping the gold medal. Stephan Pätsch from Germany gave Jeremy some late pressure, however the American managed to stay on the wave and perform even when his boat was swamped.
In the Junior Mens, favourite and smooth styler Jason Craig produced the goods on his first run, to ensure it was plain sailing. Although Jason’s score was not so high, the big occasion got to fellow American Dane Jackson and Sebastien Devred from France, who not until the final round managed to bring the medals to their door. Still the consistence of Jason Craig, who trains in Reno on the new white water course, made him the one to beat, and alas with such a strong opening ride, the competition was placed in the shade.
The ladies saw a lot tighter race, with Mariann in the Semi’s finalling breaking into the one two duel of Emily Jackson and Ruth Gordon. From the off this contest was a twist and turn affair, where none of the paddlers were getting the rides of the earlier rounds, and the all too big scoring moves, when attempted were not executed well. Tanya Faux, Ruth Gordon and Mariann Sæther kept us on the edge of our seats, with patchy performances. Not until the second round did Emily lay claim to the title with a solid aerial blunt filled ride, whilst Tanya managed some big air moves to secure second place. Both Ruth and Mariann left it to the last, Ruth pulled a big ride out of the hat, and pushed Tanya into thrid, and Mariann, under all the pressure of having to delivery in one ride, fell short. Mariann’s last ride was all guns a blazing, a wonderful donkey flip and aerial blunt combo, then another blunt, and a huge surge from the wave came. With the surge, a big pop from the boat, a huge air screw seamed likely, and Mariann paused, then went, and that pause was slightly too late, a flaw in the move. Deep the boat went and then out of the wave, there was no medal for Mariann in Thun.
In the C1′s, the hot shot of the class Guillaume LaRue from Canada was having a bad day, his rides fell well short of the sort we’d seen earlier in the week, and as a result, the title was up for anyone. The UK’s Dave Bainbridge, took the finals by the neck and delivered a wonderful display of off side air blunts, both front and back, and his willingness to go for the big air secured him the Championship. Alexandre Besseau with huge and loud crowd support, brought France yet another medal, this time a Bronze. Guillaume LaRue did manage a reasonably solid ride, but without his normal air screw move, and the big points this move bring to place him ahead of the pack, it was silver for the Canadian.
The blue ribbon event, the mens final proved to be a pivotal moment for freestyle, with the eyes of the ICF and President of the IOC looking on, the coming of age for this sport was very apparent. In the first round, Nick Troutman ran through his two air screws to the right then to the left routine, a helix here, flip turn there, huge air back blunts, and then the pistol flips, to hit a score of in excess of 1500 in one ride. A score of this order is seldom seen, especially in competition and very rarely ever matched, the gold was for certain after this one ride, always going to Canada. Nick’s Father in law, Eric EJ Jackson, Four times World Champion fired up all the competition expertise and precision he could and managed his highest score of the event, a 900 to take silver. American Stephen Wright, threw everything at his rides and grabbed the bronze.
This was the style of competition the event organisers could have hoped for, massive high end performances, set in a world class wave and a great host town in the heart of the mountain’s, the place for white water kayaking. Thun 2009 was by far the best kayak event I have ever been too, excellently managed, all the side shows inclusive and the vibe through the two weeks truly wonderful, well done Thun, well done Simon Hirter the organiser.
PS, I got to paddle in the Legends Session with Olli Grau, Clay Wright, Arnd Schäftlein and Richard Fox, what a great morning paddle on the Thun wave, happy days indeed.
Drained expressions and blank stares covered the faces of many a paddler this morning, the morning after the night before, told tales of party revellers and high octane music at the World Championship Loser Party in Thun. Yet for the selection few, well 60 paddlers who had made it to Semi Finals, there was no party, just an appointment with the wave, twice shots, one high scoring run for Sunday’s Grand Final.
The open boaters started us off just after lunch, where catching the wave is difficult with most of those kayak conversions to OC1. The rules that governed this class, are that the boat must be able to carry 40 litres of water with the paddler in the boat. Thus the kayak conversions are often too small once the additional water gets in, plus the paddler sits a little higher resulting in a higher centre of gravity. Needless to say, it can be a painful class to watch. The runs are quick but the scores are low, occasionally there are a few near amazing moves. Jeremy Laucks of the USA pulled ahead of current champ Pätsch Stephan from Germany to win the round, plus two other Germans made the cut Toby Hüther and Fabian Krumreich with Spain’s Areta Odei on 8 points getting 5th place! These boys are under pressure from the ICF to up participation or be cut from Future Worlds, this is the reality of potential IOC inclusion. On finals day Jacques Rogge the IOC President comes to see what Freestyle Kayaking is all about!!!!
Next up were the Juniors, for the girls Nouria killed it again, with a score three times that of the rest of the field. Nouria, in addition to her blunts, attempted both a donkey flip and helix, not bad for a slight figure of a girl, strong is this one. Local girl Leoni placed 2nd, to ensure we’re have a noisy crowd on Sunday afternoon. With the boys, Jason Craig again continued to dominate the rounds, its all smiles and thumbs up for this lad, the cup is in sight. Yet his domination is being cut into, as both Sebastien from France and Joaquim from Spain step their performances up today with air screws, aerial blunts and big air pan-ams to ensure some minor doubt, although the outcome is far from certain, this title is Jason Craig’s for the taking.
Next up were the ladies, and again the top 5 fired up the heat, by paddling at a level well out of sight from the next 5. There were a few nerves should as the initial surf’s were established, yet once a few moves we hit, there was only one outcome. The top five in their first runs of semi’s secured the place in the finals. Mariann Sæther found all her moves in one run to win the semi’s, a surprise that unseated Emily Jackson and Ruth Gordon’s duelling domination of the top 2 spots thus far. In Finals here will be 3 runs, where one the single highest score will count, so the favourites can relax a little into their paddling, knowing that there are at least 3 chances to win.
In the C1, Guillaume LaRue dominated, not unlike earlier semi’s where the favourite was under pressure, fell a little short in performance, yet managed to stay a head of the pack, the UK’s David Bainbridge and Odei Areta of Spain raised their game. The off side blunts and pan-ams are amazing to watch, especially with the higher sitting position gives more leverage for bigger air. Its ace stuff to watch, especially under the lights. Note another French paddler made Finals, the army of “le Blu” supporters has certainly livened up the 750 capacity grand stand that is nearly always full. The event organisers have put on a great show, and as I type this blog late on Saturday night, yet another party of great music is underway, and again the French are leading the charge for maximum action.
Squeezed in between the C1 and K1 mens, was the VW Big Air event, prelims were earlier in the day. Under flood lights the 10 or so paddlers in the Big Air Final, the capacity crowd with the big screen playing back the action, cheered for more, and more big moves were attempted, and a few landed. Anton of Sweden was the master of flight, and although the results are unknown, Anton stole the show.
Next up and last in order were the Mens. On all big occasions, the high flyers can fall and those struggling earlier on can find their form, and this is nearly always the case, and today was no exception. Current World Champ, first up EJ finally found form to blow away his heat, and stamp his name on the Finals, and this style tactical move played its part to lessen the certainty of the previously mighty. Peter Csonka and Miku Lantto, both 3rd and 2nd yesterday, fell away with minor mistakes amidst high scoring rides. Surprise addition for tomorrow Jules Gallais from France, cranked it up, so an amazing aerial ride to claim 3rd place in semi’s, along with Jonny Meyers, both had just made it through the quarterfinals. Nick Troutman the firm favourite, wobbled in his first ride, and needed to wait until the second attempt to claim his ticket to final, where Stephen Wright in the earlier heat had less pressure to delivery from the other paddlers, and so fired up another ride that included his fast action pistol flip. Competition is such a cruel arena for great paddlers, its do or die, and today we saw several of the top paddler’s fall short, that is the nature of the beast, so get ready to raw on Sunday for World Champions will be made.
