Story So Far…..

Having had a great summer so far, I thought it was time to look back on some of the highlights. Starting in France, with some great fun runs in relatively high flows.

Whilst there, I attended the annual Student Boater X and Slope Jam. Despite no longer being a student, there is still good competition to be had in the old boys or “bloater X” event along with the super fun Slope Jam.

With sun, rivers and great food & drink it’s easy to see why the French Alps draw so many boaters from the UK every year. However, after a couple of weeks the road north beckoned and we set off for the distant shores of Norway.

The Ekstremsport veko festival in Voss is one of the world’s largest extreme sports festivals. It brings in athletes of all disciplines, from long-boarding to BASE jumping. The kayaking events consist of an extreme downriver time trial, and a boater X. I joined Palm team riders Nick Horwood and Tim Trew to compete. With low levels the Extreme downriver was moved from it’s usual section to something a bit more sporty on the Raundeselva.

With Voss Extreme week over we said goodbye to Tim and headed north to the Valdal Summer games, a much smaller festival with a more relaxed feel. A few good days boating on the local runs and a 4th place in the strong man contest were a great relax after a hectic week in Voss.

From Valdal we headed to Sjoa, (a “home from home” for many UK boaters in Norway) in preparation for the infamous Sjoa River Festival. Stay tuned to the Palm blog for a full report of the week.

Luke.

Photos: Tim Hamlet, Andy Jaunzems and Luke Farrington