Fluid Kayaks - Team Blog

Chasing the perfect session

David Arnaud — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:27:00 +0000

Chasing perfection

By definition outdoor sports involve a delicate conjunction of parameters. Weither you're a climber, alpinist, paraglider or kayaker it's not just about you, your gear and your technical and physical level. It's about having the chance to meet the ideal conditions that will make your experience a memorable one.

If you're a passionate kayaker, every second spent on the water is worth the time and effort. Still, we all have in memory a certain sessions, certain times that stand out. I'm talking here of these inspirational moments, these perfect sessions that fuel your imagination and your passion years after years.

Surfing my Fluid Element on the Lyon wave at perfect waterlevels has been one of these moments for me last year. Have a look at that. Memorable, I tell you !

If you're not familiar with it, the Element is an hybrid between a freestyle boat and a surf boat, in a class of its own. It has become one of my favourite boats of all time, the very first time I tried it. This is a pretty specific boat to be used in specific conditions, and living far from ocean waves, in the Alps, narrows down the occasions to use it. This makes these rare sessions are all the more precious and highly anticipated! So hopes were high a couple weeks ago when I saw the waterlevels on the rise in Lyon, France, and a beautiful sunny day forecasted.

On paper it felt like every ingredient was there for that « perfect session »: the right boat, the right wave, the right waterlevel and the right guy with some wave riding skills– me, that is. And indeed it was perfect... except for a slightly lower waterlevel than expected. As I arrived the level was dropping so I rushed to the wave to begin with the surfing madness. The wave was tricky, flushy, definetely so as good as I hoped, but still surfable. Even though it wasn't the dream session I was craving for, one cannot really complain on a day like that... It wasn't perfect, but it sure was good nonetheless. I had brought a second Element with me and everyone there gave it a try (yes, i have two of those – did i mention i love that design?). Lots of fun was had by everyone.

You have to think that the Element can sidesurf that wave at this level, that no playboat on the market can even frontsurf !!! this gives you an idea of the speed of that design.

The typical "surfed-in-the-Element" grin from Adrian Kiernan:

And now i'm back to looking at the Rhone waterlevels on the internet. There is just so much to be learnt and experienced there. I don't know if the future of kayaking lies on that wave, in that boat. But mine does for sure. I'll be back !

Spring in the Kootenays

Sven Perschmann — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:56:00 +0000

Okay, I guess to start it off… Not the Kootenays.

Cause before spring in the Kootenays there was actually winter in BC… Which besides world class snurfing on red mountain also meant a trip to Vancouver Island.

I had never been and was pretty stoked to spend a week and a half with family and friends while being able to get quite a few runs and surf sessions on Canada’s most popular beaches in. Now the Island is a great winter destination for boaters, beautiful remote creeks through lush rain forests when everywhere else snow dominates.

I am already planning to be back there next winter, hopefully for longer and with a keen crew.

Well, I guess the only downside to this kind of destination is that rain is great for rivers but not cameras. So this shot of Little Qualicum Falls is the only boating shot I got. Thanks to Alex Perrett and his crew for getting me out to this sick and comitting 20/35 combo on my last day on the island!

Definitely one of the sweetest moves I’ve done in a while.

Now. Back to the Kootenays.

We kinda moved here for the variety of things to do. True, the Ottawa was sick for the last summers, but as far as life after and beside the summer mayhem goes it is a little challenging.

Now the Kootenays, located in South Central British Columbia may not have the Ottawa but offer freestyle, creeking, biking, wicked skiing and as far as Rossland is concerned a great community.

And just recently I realized that they also offer solid waves, bigger and better than I expected.

Brilliant Wave is starting to form, getting bigger, faster and greener by the day.

So what’s weird with this picture?

There is nobody in it! How good are eddy access waves without line up!

And at least right now spectators are rare, though curious.

Oh. Right. Did I say it’s a good one?

Yes sir, it has some meat to it.

And apparently cold water paddling does not make either of us look smarter…

To finish it off I`ll leave you with an appetizer for the creeking potential in this area. Clean 60 twenty minutes from my house. Just a little more water and…

We’ll see.

Later,

Sven

The Latest and Greatest ZoneDogg article - The Pacific Northwest!

Bobby Miller — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:01:00 -0400

As the summer droughts began on the East Coast, I decided it was time to take a road trip. The early summer had been good to the West Coast and I was heading out there. I was making a tour across the country promoting my new book, “Doggystyle: The Legend of the ZoneDogg”, stopping by various paddling shops for “Meet the Dogg” opportunities and autograph sessions. Through the years, I have accumulated a large fan base and, even though I am a big star, I still like to take the time to meet some of my adoring fans. Some larger companies are taking notice too. I have several offers on the table from various sports drinks companies and shoe and apparel manufacturers pitching a “Be Like the Dogg” promotion. With all this hoopla, my hand was getting tired of signing thousands of autographs each day and I needed to escape the hustle and bustle of superstardom and go kayaking. After all, I didn’t become the Greatest Show on Earth by sitting around on my keyster! No sir! I built this city on rock n roll! What? What does that mean? My wife, Melissa, and I headed to Oregon where we met up with my good friends Bryon Dorr and Joe Stumpfel. I told them that I wanted to waste no time and go straight for the goods. Bryon was down and flashed me a brown claw to show his approval. We headed into Washington and to the North Fork of the Lewis River. With several cool drops and a hiking trail along the run, there is ample opportunity for video and pictures. We were testing out new camera equipment complete with a dual gyro stabilizer to ensure the highest quality shot. The trail also makes this run a friendly place for the thousands of fans who followed me across the country (known as the Dogg Pack) to view the show. The run starts off with a clean 20 footer with a nice boof and then a few small slides before dropping off the face of the Earth. Upper Lewis Falls is a two tiered 60 foot drop that has all sorts of danger associated with it. The first problem is that the river is wide and shallow above it so it is difficult to be sure that you are on line. The second danger would be catching your stern on one of the junky shelves on the first 30 foot falls and penciling straight in. A piton off this falls would really knock the honey off your stinger! Finally, the third danger is the massive hydraulic at the bottom of the second 30 footer that feeds into a terrible cave on the left. Bryon and Joe chose to walk it but I decided that I saw a line that I knew I could hit. After all, I have the Number 1 boof stroke in the world. Like Colt 45 malt liquor, it works every time! I headed to my boat and gave the signal that I was ready, a cry loosely resembling that of a bard owl. I floated through the shallow approach, lining up with a small boulder and a 6 inch curler wave to the right of it. Once past the curler, I knew I was golden and all that was left to do was to time the stroke. I waited until the lip came into view and..... For the rest of the story, check out Exploring Elements by clicking the link below.

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Pacific Northwest Huckfest 2011

Where There's a Will, There's a Way

Kate — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:42:00 +0200

Spring Break planning can be a bit tricky, never knowing which playground will have the best conditions. With the weather not cooperating this year, we decided it would be the perfect time to head to South Dakota to pick up 'Ol Blue Belle.

With a serious lack of snow in the Midwest and skiing not an option, we decided to bring our boats and see what kind of adventure we could come up with. After 20 hours in the truck I was determined to find some water.

We headed to the only creek we could find that we knew had enough water (barely), Spearfish Creek. We didn't find much whitewater, but we definitely had an entertaining trip of winding through neighborhoods and businesses, checking out the wildlife, ducking bridges, and giggling the whole way down.

After interrogating the locals, we headed up the canyon the next day. The upper canyon of Spearfish Creek was a little more exciting. It was fairly steep and continuous and had beautiful scenery.

Our little adventures left me intrigued...I may just have to return when there is some more water to see just what those Black Hills have to offer.

Team Anderson takes out the fleet

Natalie Kramer — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:04:00 -0600

Due to an unfortunate series of events, I did not end up going to Colombia in March as planned (Natalie goes to Colombia and paddles the Cal Salmon), but I did end up with a brand new and sexy looking Bazooka. The weather last week in Colorado was exceptionally warm, so we decided to take out the fleet (left to right in the photo above: M Solo, M Bazooka, L Detox, and Big Bang) with our good buddies Spencer and Nathan. We headed up our local Poudre Canyon for some low water splashy splash and had ourselves a good time. I realized that we had Fluid's entire creekboating line-up with us and so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to write about it and say a little something about each boat. I ended up paddling 7 laps and tried out all the boats. I even tried out the Big Bang after realizing that I could carry it without too much effort (I carried Leif's boat for him as he hobbled to and from the river for his two laps, and yes, Leif is still recovering from that ankle injury). Here is what I have to say about each one in almost one word.

SOLO-Forgiving

DETOX-Cutting Edge

BIG BANG- Damn!- In every sense

BAZOOKA-Fast

The water was low so the photos aren't especially exciting, but I included them here anyway. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

And here is my longer review for those of you who read.

The Solo I love this boat. I paddle both the medium and the large (I'm 5'8" and 142 lbs-ish). I like the medium because I can really boss it around but I also really like the large for the the buoyancy. For anyone just starting to creek boat or for the veteran paddler, this boat is extremely nice to paddle because it is so forgiving. Although not the fastest or lightest boat out there, you can get it to where you want and it exits features extremely well. By this, I mean that it stays on line and shoots you through the bottom of drops. Although some people claim that it is easier to boof the Jefe, I find that this boat boofs just fine.

Me super boofing first drop of Oh Be Joyful in the medium Solo. This shot made the 2012 AW Calendar.

The Detox There isn't another boat like this one out there. You have to drive this boat (there was a bit of a learning curve here), but when you do, it performs! When you really use those sharp edges and planing hull, this boat just slices through the water like nobody's business and can surf all those fun river waves, including, if you're Leif, the M-wave. I used this boat last year in the Gnarrows race and was able to keep up with the best dudes from our area. The race is about 3 miles long, so it is as much about endurance and coming through the flat sections fast as it is about clean lines through the rapids.

Me racing the Detox near the beginning of the 2011 Gnarrows race. The blue boat and I were neck and neck the whole time, but I ended up ahead and almost beat out Evan Stafford (half a boat length), who was in front of me.

The Big Bang Leif looks so sexy in this boat. and, when I paddle it: Wow, there is a lot of stern back there! This is the first boat that I've seen Leif paddle that really looks good on him (he's 6'7 and 215 pounds). In all other creek boats he just doesn't have the buoyancy that most of us take for granted. For any large guys out there, I highly recommend trying this boat out. I paddled the Big Bang for the first time on this outing and I think that on small technical rapids there is just too much boat for me. But it did paddle well, and for larger rivers and expedition paddling this boat would be awesome - even for small paddlers. I have used the Expedition Solo, now called the Bang, and my review for that is basically the same as the large Solo. The Bang will be my goto boat for any overnighters.

Leif lookin good on the South Silver in his Big Bang.

Me on the UMC, also lookin' good in my Expedition Solo (now the Bang).

The Bazooka I can't wait for the water to come up to really test this boat out. So far I've taken it out on the lake for some flatwater training and up to the Poudre on the aforementioned trip. My impression so far is that it is fast. Faster than the Solo and I also think that it is faster than the Detox. I can really accelerate this boat. The medium is larger than the medium Solo but a tad smaller than the large Solo - a pretty good size for me. I'm bound to get some awesome photos of this boat once the water comes up and the season kicks into gear.

Insert awesome future photo here.

Happy Paddling!

Natalie

Spring in Colorado

Dave Farkas — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 05:13:00 +0200

Finally, the weather has warmed up and the rivers and creeks are rising. I guess I say finally only because I've been really jonesin for some kayaking. Winter was mediocre this year because of the weird snowpack. I had some great powder days, but my kayaking instincts have been screaming for some action.

One of my favorite runs anywhere is just up the road from my house. It's called the Middle Box and Baker's Box sections of the Animas River. I like it for various reasons...committing, hard, steep, are a few words that come to mind. I've been running this section a lot over the years and it never loses it's allure, and it never ceases to make my stomach tighten. I've had some great runs and some not so great runs. I've also witnessed some of the best get destroyed in here. Together the 2 sections comprise some of the best paddling in the state...period. It's not for everyone though because some of the drops are blind with big penalties for not hitting the right line.

Besides the paddling, the scenery is mind blowing. Tall cliffs, sculpted granite, and sections of the river so close together you can almost touch both sides of the river with your arms stretched out. I've been rallying my Solo ExP (now the Bang) down this baby the last few years and with it's hatch and safety storage capacity, I absolutely love it in here. To give you an idea of what the run is like, you hike down to the river 600ft vertical feet down a draw. Once on the river you drop into a slot canyon and paddle through 6 or so good drops then shoulder your boat and portage around a sieve. This portage take about 15 minutes and deposits you on the canyon rim again. From here, you lower your boat and rappel 150ft the river. Now you're in and when I mean in...I mean really in. Getting out is tough in most places. Get the idea about commitment? Make sure your team is solid and you're with someone who knows the run.

Here's a few pics to wet your appetite. Anytime you're in my area, give a call. I'd love to take you down.

The Large Bazooka: First Race, First Victory!

Bobby Miller — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:55:00 -0400

Here is a paraphrase of how some phone conversations between Marc Tohir of Fluid North America and I went in early March. Thursday, March 1 Me - "Hey man. The Paint Creek Race is coming up in just over a week. Do you think you can get me a large Bazooka for the race?" Marc - "No chance." Me - "Bummer." Monday, March 5 Marc - "I'm having a large Bazooka shipped in for you this week for the race. Hope it arrives." Me - "Sweet!" Wednesday, March 7 Marc - "You're boat arrived today." Me - "Sweet!" Marc - "Come get it!" Me- "Sweet!" So I picked up my Bazooka on Thursday evening, with the race less than 2 days away. I took a paddle on the Shenandoah River on Friday evening to get used to the boat somewhat. One thing I noticed initially is that the boat is about the same speed as the Big Bang but is way more maneuverable. I darted all over the river, hitting every boof and rocket move off the many standing waves that I could do. From the first time out, I could already pick out several things that I really liked about the boat. I have been paddling the prototype for months and am pleased with it but the production model is much better. The production model is very stable on edge, which allows it to carve really well. The new outfitting is extremely comfortable and is probably the best Fluid outfitting yet. I headed out early the next morning to the Paint Creek Race. This is the second event of the Pennsylvania Creek Race Series and featured a challenging race down a steep Class 4 race course. The water was on the low side but we were all stoked to be racing and it's always a good time to be on Paint Creek. We headed up and took a practice run of the course to get our lines down. WIth the race being only a half mile or so long, we carried our boats back up and waited for the start of the race. The race coordinator told us that we would get two laps and would combine the times to determine the winner. The first racers took off and the excitement was building. I was the sixth person to go so before I knew it, they were calling my name. I got into position and took off down the race course. I paddled hard trying to get down the shallow entrance slides as quickly as possible. Soon, I was at the first drop, Big Falls, a 6 foot drop onto a steep slide. I launched a big boof, landing smoothly on the slide and charging toward the next drop. Big Sluice is next and constricts the flow down a tight chute and over a 12 foot drop into a hole. The hole was relatively benign at this level but going deep could flip you or shove you into the recirculating eddies on either side. I took a stroke and launched over the hole. I started stroking hard through some easy boogy water. Soon, I was at Mama's Crack, a tight undercut slot with a 4 foot drop. I boofed high to the left and shot through the slot. More boogy water carried me to the Road Drop, a 5 footer within sight of the finish line. I ran right to stay in the current. A swirling eddy line stood between me and the finish line. I kept hammering ahead and crossed the finish happy with a time of 3:09. My second run was similar to my first, minus a drop of the paddle when i caught it on a rock overhang. I was pleased to come in with a consistent time of 3:11. My combined time of 6:20 was good for first place in the race. Fellow Fluid Team member Seth Chapelle came in 4th with a combined time of 6:45. I was stoked to start out my racing season with a victory and was glad to get a win in my first race in the large Bazooka. That boat is fast and performs like a champ. With the sweet carving edges, I could tilt my hips in the direction I wanted to go and all I needed to concentrate on was paddling hard. I think people are going to love this design, in my opinion it is the best creek boat on the market now. The race season has just begun! I can't wait for the next one! For full results, go to http://worldkayakblogs.com/throwdown/2012/03/11/paint-creek-race-low-water-but-big-fun/

The Full-Release Project from RLP (River Left Productions)

Seth Chapelle — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:40:00 -0500

Check out this free full-length paddling video from River Left Productions. I have several shots in the video throughout. Make sure you don't miss me and Craig Kleckner's freestyle segment starting at 28:06 and my intro at 01:08. Brenton did a nice job editing the video. I'm quite happy with how my freestyle segment turned out.

Hope you enjoy it! Getting stoked for spring paddling and for the Dope and Bazooka. Hopefully we start getting a lot of rain here on the east coast of the states.

-Seth

Pacific NW Exposure: Fly Creek WA

Luke — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 04:09:00 +0200

At the Put in for the classic Lower stretch of Canyon Crk. WA. lies the confluence of Canyon Crk and Fly Creek. Putting on Canyon Crk my curiosity often had me asking myself "I wonder whats on Fly Crk. I am sure many other boaters wondered the same. So to the Washington guide book I went. In the back of the book is the section on exploratory runs, in that section is the write up for Fly Creek. The description written wasn't inspiring to most. But with my curiosity getting the better of me it was all I needed to assemble a crew! The Washington Guide Book "A Guide to the Whitewater Rivers of Washington" called Fly Creek a "Masochist's Dream and described wood, large falls, and long arduous portages. But the guide book also mentioned that with less wood and more adventurous paddlers the run had the makings for a classic.

Unfortunately the run is own Warehouser land and the put-in road is locked all but 2 moths out of the year. Luckily for boaters hunting season is in the Fall and the NW often gets a few good storms during the late fall giving Fly Creek enough water for a descent.

Last Fall myself and four other kayakers decided to give it a go! The run has some tough challenges that include large portages, stout rapids, wood, lack of light that time of year, and a long complex shuttle.

Below our are findings!

Enjoy the pics!

Team paddler/Luke Spencer The Detox does it all!!

Portage on!

Death Jam!

A sweat lead-in to a fun ledge!

3 Bone Gorge

Me stoked to be in the eddy after running the two tallest drops in 3 Bone! Fist Pump!

Photographer: Logan Farrell standing at the end of 3 Bone excited for the long portage around the 90ft falls!

Portage ON!

After the second waterfalll portage you are deep in Fly Creek Canyon and about 50% through the run. Hard class 4-6 continues below the second falls. There is at least one more portage below the falls depending on paddlers comfort level running hard rapids.

For us day light was getting low so we decided to focus on paddling and less on media. On the last portage the group of four got separated and as darkness crept in me and Chuck (the paddler featured in the yellow boat) had to make a choice stay and wait for the two others and paddle out in the dark or continue down stream and hope to re-unite with the others at the take out.

The others were no where to be seen so Me and Chuck chose to paddle out and headed down stream. We made it out as darkness engulfed the canyon but the other two were not so lucky. Still up in the canyon some where I hopped in my car and headed out to locate them. At a bridge over the creek I heard the two others portaging at river level in the dark. They saw the lights to the vehicle and we were reunited! Close call boys!

A cold beer greeted them upon reaching the car! They said it was one of the best beers they had ever tasted.

On a side note I put a rock through my tire driving shuttle!

Al's well that ends well!

Till next time

~luke

An Honest Detox Review

Scott Martin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:06:00 -0500

I really enjoy paddling different boats I think it can further my understanding of boat design and kayaking in general. It pushes my skills which is never a bad idea. In 2010 I managed to get in 8 different boats, some play boats, creekers and river runners. My ability was pushed further than ever before and I learnt a huge amount about my own skills from that experience.

When I got into the Detox at the start of 2011 I was excited about being in a different kayaks again and wanted to really see what this boat was capable of. Some of my friends would joke about me bringing my playboat to a creek. I fired up some personally challenging drops on the Moose and Oswegatchie rivers, I took a swim with it running the portage rapid on the Bottom Moose blind. I enjoyed surfing it and the sharp edges are mountain of fun to play with, but enough about my review. I wanted someone other than me to provide feedback. I managed to convince two friends of mine to paddle the boat and write a review. If you are looking for a truthful, unbiased review, here it is:

This is what Eric Adsit had to say about the boat while paddling Woodhull Creek, NY during the Spring 2011

If anything, this design is intriguing. With the hull, and edges of a playboat, and the rocker and length of a small creeker, this boat had everyone’s attention at the second annual Spring Moosefest in northern NY. I was fortunate enough to try it out a few days later, and at 6’ 3” tall and 200 lbs, I was surprised I could even fit in the Medium Detox. I did have to remove my shoes to fit comfortably, but once I was in, I felt very secure and comfortable.

Once in the water, I immediately noticed the edges and how quickly the boat resurfaced. Woodhull Creek is the perfect playground for testing creekboat design, and I put it to the test right away with a long low angle slide with some holes to punch. I could feel the sharp edges doing their job as I carved over the foam piles, but the shortened length and high rocker profile slowed me down and left me feeling like I was getting pushed around by the river.

As I got to know the boat among the long slides and steep pourovers I began to appreciate its carving ability and short length that allowed me to peel into and out of micro eddies. The boat was easy to roll, and busted through holes surprisingly well for its length. Due to the extra volume in the bow, recovery from subbing out of holes or plugging drops was immediate.

The Detox is a nimble, stable boat best suited for micro creeks where maneuverability is a top priority. The outfitting is great, and the plastic felt stiff, durable, and light. The edges are very noticeable and had me bracing a few times, and I had to work to get my speed up, but once I was paddling aggressively, the boat handled great!

The second review was done by Ryan Macall on the Dryway Section of the Deerfield River, MA during July 2011.

The Detox - I like the boat. From the minuite I slid in at the Dryway put-in, it inspired confidence. The initial stability is immediately felt. It also gives you some warning before you drop the edge and go to secondary stability...I felt that when I rolled it - which was about as easy as any boat I've been in to roll. I plugged it into several holes on that run to see how it would handle and it plowed them and when on edge, sliced them. I didn't get endered once (but I had the outfitting relatively far forward). I have been poking around in my old Topolino this summer when I have had a chance to get out on low flows, so I have had to use better than normal technique for peeling in and out of eddys since that thing has no edges what so-ever. Proper duffek stroke form is absolutely necessary for it to get where you want it to be when entering an eddy. In the Detox - that isn't the case - all you have to do is get the right orientation and proper angle of lean and it carves in....kind of lets your technique be sloppy or lazy but doesn't penalize you for it.

Anyways - overall, The Detox. A very easy boat to paddle. Maybe one of the easier ones I have been in. Good outfitting - easy to adjust and get a decent fit out of the box. Would definitely recommend it to a beginner boater for it's ease of use and from the way it handled I would say an advanced boater could make good use of its performance oriented features for use in big (heavy) water or on a steep, technical creek. It felt fast, but not "stupid fast". I also felt it was well balanced, proportion wise. It's width relative to it's length and volume, shape and sidewall height seemed to work well. Would I choose it as my dedicated creeker, probably not, definitely not for play either. But for an all-a-rounder to run a river in, catch some surf, make some creeky moves in a low consequnce river (I only call myself a class 4 boater), or even to teach in - it works well.

Everyone is different and has different ideas as to what’s a good boat for them. Hope this shed some light on the Detox.

2011 Season Wrap Up

Lachlan Carracher — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:56:00 +0000

2011 has been a great year for me Kicking my season off with a Solo journey down Australia's highest volume river the Fitzroy in the Kimberley Region. This was a standout life experience and something I will never forget. Thanks to Fluid for their gold level support and all the other sponsors that made the 450km 6 day mission possible.

I have had two interviews in 2011 with the Today Show. My first was regarding my Solo Fitzroy trip, the second Mexico huck fest

Watch Here

I then headed to Canada, worked for the season as a raft guide and then got on some world class rivers and creeks. A stand out multi day would have to the Homathko, 4 days BC wilderness, class 5 grizzly bears, and some of the most amazing scenery I have seen on the river ever

After my season in BC I headed to Veracruz State, Mexico. I had an amazing huck fest with a bunch of amazing paddlers and great friends.

I am super fired up about 2012, already training hard and ready to have a bigger better year then the year prior

The First Rio Chicamocha Kayak Course

Mark Hentze — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:09:00 +0200

Christana and Niamh practicing the roll on the Rio Chicamocha.

Colombia Whitewater just finished the first “Rio Chicamocha Multi-Day Kayak Course” which is based out of San Gil, Colombia. The Rio Chicamocha is a multi-day kayak trip through a spectacular desert canyon of Colombia. At high water the upper Rio Chicamocha is a committing river with some difficult rapids. However, there are alternate put-ins below the most difficult rapids and at medium to low water the Chicamocha becomes much manageable. At low to medium water levels he lower Rio Chicamocha is perfect for learning to kayak. Most of the rapids are class III wave trains with big waves and pools at the bottom of the rapids where it is easy to gather swimmers, kayaks and paddles. The canyon of the Rio Chicamocha is one of the driest places in Colombia which makes the weather nice most of the year, but the Chicamocha has a huge watershed so it has water all year round. The Rio Chicamocha has plenty of sandy beaches for camping and the idea of the multi-day kayak course is to slowly eddy hop and ferry down the Rio Chicamocha, learning to kayak along the way and also learning expedition style kayaking in one of the most scenic canyons of Colombia.

Mark and Christina paddling into a typical rapid on the Rio Sogamosa.

The Fluid Solo Expedition is the perfect boat for the kayak school and for multi-day trips on the Rio Chicamocha, or any other multi-day trip in part of the world. The Fluid Solo Expedition has been one of the top expedition boats for years now and as of 2012 it will be known as the “Bang” the smaller version of the “Big Bang”. Colombia Whitewater has chosen the Fluid boats for the fleet because of the durability of the boats and the quality of the design. The first client to participate in the Rio Chicamocha Multi-day Kayak Course was a smaller woman named Christina. Christina had taken one short kayak course prior to her kayak course in Colombia, but she was basically new to kayaking. With a little outfitting the Solo Expediton fit Christina well. The Solo Expedition is the Large Solo, but slightly modified with a hatch in the back for carrying camping gear, camera gear or whatever needs to be carried down the river. However, the Solo Expedition fits even small paddlers well and is perfect for smaller paddlers with extra camping gear or camera gear. The primary stability and the secondary stability of the Solo Expedition are both excellent which makes it a great boat for beginner to learn edge control in flat water, ferrying and eddy turns. The Solo Expedition has the perfect ratio of deck to hull volume which makes it an easy to boat to roll and once again a great boat for beginner kayakers.

Mark and Christana scouting a big wave train on the Rio Sogamosa.

The kayak course began with three days of paddling in a natural pool not far from San Gil and the afternoons on the local Class II run, the Rio Fonce. After three days of paddling and learning near San Gil we continued the course on the Rio Chicamocha. The first day begins with some low to medium volume class II-III rapids and we stopped and scouted and slowly descended the river. Christana paddled all the rapids on the first day with ease. On the second day the Rio Chicamocha joins the larger Rio Suarez and changes names to the Rio Sogamosa, like many rivers in Latin America. The Rio Sogamosa has a lot of water even at lower water levels and rapids with big class III wave trains. Sometime, about half way through the second day, the river turned brown, the rapids changed from big class III wave trains with flat water in between, to huge class III-IV wave trains with an occasional monstrous hole and little flat water in between. Christana kept paddling the big wave trains with a big smile on her face. In one of the larger rapids Christana was knocked over by a big lateral wave, but she rolled in the big waves that followed like an experienced kayaker. The river continued big water Class III-IV style all the way to the take-out and Christina continued to paddle even the largest rapids with a big smile on her face, even after some mild encouragement to portage. The Fluid Solo Expedition proved to be the perfect boat for Christana, a smaller paddler, and the Rio Chicamocha Multi-day Kayak Course. Larger paddlers will be comfortable in the “Bang” formerly known as the Solo Expedition, or the “Big Bang”, Fluid’s new 2012line-up of expedition style kayaks for all sizes.

Mark and Christina running a big wave train on the Rio Sogamosa.

The reason I first started paddling Fluid kayaks is because of the design and performance, specifically of the Solo Expedition, and also because of the durability of the plastic and the outfitting. There are no new kayaks available in Colombia and it is difficult and expensive to ship boats to Colombia. Durability and lifespan of the kayaks are key factors when choosing boats for Colombia or any expedition in foreign parts of the world. There is nothing worst than being halfway into a several month trip to Colombia or some other foreign country and breaking a boat. The Fluid kayaks are constructed with durable plastic and they can take a beating on the river, in the back of a truck taxi or the storage space under the bus. In the rare event that a Fluid boat breaks, they are also easy to repair. The plastic can be welded and many of the parts and pieces can be found at the local hardware store. For those paddlers looking for expedition style kayaks to tackle the local overnight rivers or for traveling to far parts of the world, check out Fluid’s newest expedition boats the “Bang” and the “Big Bang”. They come with great recommendations from Colombia Whitewater.

-Mark Hentze

Ottawa Urban and a move into winter....

Sven Perschmann — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:30:00 +0000

As I'm settling in in British Columbia I am browsing through pictures of our trip here.

Well now you could say: Right, why BC right now, no boating there, eh?

And fair enough it's true. Pretty frozen up around here.

Unlike Hog's Back in Ottawa in December...

John Rathwell took this series of me running this downtown gem.

Makes visits to the big city for very official matters way more enjoyable!

There's a bunch more to be found right HERE on John's site. Check it out!

Thanks bud!

Sorry, distracted.

Back to the moving to BC.

In winter.

Well, we brought it all. The two of us, 6 boats, 8 paddles, snowboards, skis, bikes and everything else.

Quite the rig, isn't it?

So yep: We've come to stay!

It has been fun on the Ottawa for the last five years but sometimes a change is needed.

So we're setting up base in the Kootenays, Southern Interior BC.

And well, this is what the kayaking looks like right now.

But can you imagine that water flowing? Or rather dropping?

I am pretty stoked to be here!

And while I am waiting for the spring to come so I can check out all those amazing creeks around here I am pretty sure that I could be happy for a while with deep powder, freezing cold play boat sessions on the Columbia River, hot chocolates and saunas.

So there you go.

That's why.

Sven

Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia, Some of the Best Kayaking in Colombia

Mark Hentze — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:20:00 +0200

Kees Van Kuipers on the Rio Rumiyaco.

In the south of Colombia, just north of the Ecuador border, on the Amazon side of the Andes Mountains is the department of Putumayo. Putumayo is still considered “El Corazón” or the heart of the guerrilla territory, but in recent years security has improved around Mocoa, the capital city of the department of Putumayo. To the south and east of Mocoa, in “Los Llanos” or the plains which are part of the Amazon Basin, many areas are still controlled by the guerrillas and are not considered safe for traveling. Mocoa receives rainfall from storms that make there way over the Andes mountains from the Pacific Ocean and from storms from the Atlantic Ocean which cross the Amazon Basin making it one of the wettest places in Colombia. Where there is a lot of rain there are many rivers. The Andes Mountains abruptly rise to over 4000 meters just behind Mocoa, and they are covered by thick cloud forest and jungle vegetation. Mocoa is surrounded by rivers which are perfect for kayaking. Near Mocoa there are small technical creeks, such as the Rio Pepino and big volume rivers, such as the Rio Caquetá. In recent years a few kayakers have explored the rivers near Mocoa and have found some of the nicest rivers in Colombia, many of them within an hour or less of Mocoa which makes Mocoa one of the best places in Colombia to spend some time kayaking.

The Canyon of the Rio Caquetá. One of the most beautiful rivers in the world.

During January of 2011, Mark Hentze, Maud Verboven and David Kashinski spent about a week exploring some of the rivers near Mocoa. The Rio Caquetá is perhaps one of the most beautiful rivers in the world. Mark Hentze, Maud Verboven and David Kashinski did the first kayak descent in January of 2011. The only beta we had was a quick look at Google Earth and stories, or the legends, from the locals. The Rio Caquetá goes under a bridge on the main highway from Bogotá to Mocoa just 30 minutes from Mocoa and then flattens out in “Los Llanos” near the small pueblo of Puerto Límon. There is a police check point in Mocoa where they search for contraband such as the essential liquids necessary for the cocaine laboratories which are further south and east of Puerto Límon. To bypass the police check point the guerrillas fill 5 gallon cans with kerosene, hydrochloric acid, and other essential liquids, and float the cans through the canyon of the Rio Caquetá. The guerrillas accompany the cans by swimming and portaging the cans around the biggest rapids. The canyon of the Rio Caquetá is steep, dropping 300 meters in 50 kilometers, and a big volume river with many big class IV-V+ rapids. legend has it that some of the guerrillas drowned while accompanying the cans full of the essential liquids through the canyon of the Rio Caquetá. The canyon is sheer walled in many places and numerous waterfalls plummet from the walls directly into the river. Where the sheer walls give way to steep hillsides there is thick jungle vegetation, many colorful flowers and there are many white sandy beaches which are perfect for camping. Everything is massive in the canyon, the rapids are huge, the rocks are huge which makes portaging and scouting difficult. The Rio Caquetá will hopefully one day be a world class kayak trip. For now it may be a trip to avoid because of security. Some of the locals say it is safe and the guerrillas no longer use the Rio Caquetá as a liquid highway, and others say the guerrillas still use the river to bypass the police check point in Mocoa. During our January 2012 trip to Mocoa we did not paddle the Rio Caquetá because of high water and concerns about the safety with a big group of foreign kayakers.

Kees Van Kuipers on the Rio Pepino.

During January of 2012, Mark Hentze, Kees Van Kuipers, Charlie Watts and Julian Schafer, and a few others spent a couple of weeks in Mocoa and explored some other rivers. We found some great rivers and made a couple first descents, at least kayak first descents. About 20 minutes from Mocoa is the Rio Pepino, a steep and continuous class IV creek. The Rio Pepino is low volume, but almost always has enough water to paddle, and at low water it is crystal clear. The Rio Pepino is continuous class IV, but with a few pools in between the rapids. There are no portages, many nice class IV drops which are not too intimidating and easy logistics which makes the Rio Pepino a great afternoon run or warm-up run.

Maud Verboven enjoying the Rio Pepino with some Colombian children.

The city of Mocoa is located in the open valley of the Rio Mocoa and near Mocoa the river is mostly class II-III, but just above Mocoa and just below Mocoa the river passes through some steeper canyons which have many nice Class IV rapids. The Rio Mocoa also has easy logistics and the put-ins and take-outs are all less than an hour from Mocoa. Below the city of Mocoa, the Rio Mocoa passes through one more steep walled canyon and with medium to high water levels there are some big class IV rapids and many waterfalls which drop from the canyon walls into the river. At the bottom of the run the canyon walls abruptly open and give way to the “Los Llanos” and the river flattens out just above the take-out.

Kees Van Kuipers on the upper Rio Villalobos.

The most memorable river of our January 2012 trip to Mocoa was the first descent of the upper Rio Villalobos. The upper Rio Villalobos drops 600 meters in 30 kilometers so we packed our boats for an overnight trip and departed early one morning. On the way to the put-in our taxi driver told us that the guerrillas had burned a bus a week earlier on the highway to the Rio Villalobos, which is also the main highway from Mocoa to Bogotá. At least the guerrillas were kind enough to take the passengers and luggage out of the bus before they set it on fire. There is no bridge over the Rio Villalobos, but near the top of the run the highway is not far from the river, so we asked the taxi driver to take us to the closest and easiest access to the river. We found a field where we could easily drag our boats down to the river. As we pulled over the taxi driver told us that just around the next corner is where the guerrillas burned the bus which made us a little nervous, but we decided to go anyway.

Kees Van Kuipers in a typical boulder garden of the Rio Villalobos.

The upper Rio Villalobos is a medium sized creek and at the top the canyon was open and the river was not to steep, but we found a few nice class IV rapids on the first day of the two day descent. Because of a typical late Colombian taxi driver and a two hour drive to the put-in we only had a few hours to paddle on the first day and a couple hours before dark we found a nice beach to camp on. The next morning we did not get an early start either, most everybody slept in Colombian style, and it was about 11:00 am before the boats where loaded and we started paddling down the river again. We started the morning off with another stretch of flat water interspersed with a few bony class III rapids, but then then the canyon walls tightened up and the river bed steepened. The last few hours of the second day was full of great class IV+ whitewater, no portages, and most everything was boat scoutable. The upper Rio Villalobos drops through a beautiful canyon with steep walls covered by cloud forest and we saw parrots and two “Cocks of the Rock”, a rare jungle bird with a bright red head, and a black lower body and tail. The upper Rio Villalobos is another Colombian classic river.

El Fin Del Mundo.

Putumayo is still considered dangerous by some, but many foreigners travel through Mocoa and venture into the surrounding mountains and the guerrillas seem to leave the foreigners alone, or maybe we are all just lucky....Our experiences have been that the people of Putumayo are warm, welcoming and friendly like all the Colombian people. There are still many guerrillas in Putumayo, probably some not far from Mocoa and random attacks still occur, but sometimes the risk is worth the beauty that can be found in places such as Putumayo.

To see more photos check out the Facebook page:

-Mark Hentze

JAUNT whitewater kayaking feature film

Adrian Kiernan — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:41:00 -1100

JAUNT - Showcases some of the worlds best kayakers doing what they do best, dropping waterfalls, exploring deep canyons and surfing big waves in the most epic kayaking destinations around the globe... all while living a uniquely southern, paddlers lifestyle.

Exotic locations include: Laos, Uganda, Kenya, Norway, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Paddlers: Kelsey Thompson, Adrian Kiernan, Anthony Yap, Sean Boz, James Thorp, Sam Tregenza, Colin Furmston, Ben Earle, Lachie Carracher, Jimmy Lohrey, Weka, Sean Mac and many more!

Filmed and edited by Adrian Kiernan with additional footage from Sean Boz and Kelsey Thompson

Produced by Go Boating Austalia and Skippy Films back in 2010.

A big big thank you to: www.fluidkayaks.com

www.kayak4play.com.au

www.immersionresearch.com

Finally the White Nile Video is here

Craig Rivett — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:06:00 +0000

Here is the video that goes with the White Nile article found here is up. Check it out

Craig

www.lifebywater.com

Colombia Rivers, Travel and People

Mark Hentze — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:28:00 +0200

Colombia. Rivers, travel and people from Andy Atkins on Vimeo.

Check out the video by Andy Atkins, shot in Colombia featuring Fluid kayaks.

Colombia, The First Month

Mark Hentze — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:03:00 +0200

I arrived in Colombia in mid November with intentions of doing some paddling, but mostly with intentions going to see my my very attractive dentist and organizing my business visa, transportation, lodging, equipment and so on for the first kayak school and guided kayak trips by “Colombia Whitewater” in Colombia.

The put-in to the Rio Chicamocha at high water.

The first mission was to do some paddling. I met up with Kees Van Kuipers and a couple of Canadian kayakers in Bogota and then we traveled to San Gil, the kayaking capital of Colombia. As we left Bogota in a heavy rainstorm we drove by some huge lakes that are normally fields. It had been raining heavily in Colombia and most of the rivers were flooded, landslides were washing away the roads and small towns. When we arrived in San Gil many of the best rivers had to much water to paddle so we headed for a multi day Colombian classic, the Rio Chicamocha. The Rio Chicamocha at normal water levels has a couple sections of nice class III-IV whitewater and passes through a dramatic semi desert canyon. The Rio Chicamocha was also flooded, but we were not that concerned because it can hold a lot of water. We arrived a little late, Colombian style, and did not get on the water until early afternoon. We paddled down the first stretch of warm up rapids and then we arrived at the top of one of the biggest rapids in the canyon. Everybody else wisely decided to eddy out and scout, but I was feeling comfortable in my boat and I had paddled the rapid a few times before. I saw a line, at least through the entrance, so I bypassed the eddy and the scout. I paddled past a couple massive holes guarding the entrance and around the corner and I thought there would at least be a short pool or another eddy, but the rapid just kept going and going. After about a mile of dodging massive holes I finally found an eddy. It may have been one of the biggest and longest rapids I have ever paddled. I eddied out and waited for the rest of the group. They all thought I was dead for sure. After a while I gave them a call on the cell phone to let them know I was okay and a couple hours later they caught up with me. One of the other paddlers was in a playboat which was not the right boat for big water class V. Another paddler had hurt his shoulder while they were eddy hopping down the side of the river. It was almost dark and we still had not reached our intended destination for the night, and there was no good camping were we all met up. So we shouldered our boats up the hill and found a barn to camp in.

The pueblo Jordan in the canyon of the Rio Chicamocha.

About an hour later one of the locals found us in the barn and insisted that we come and spend the night in his house with his family. He led us to the house and generously gave us some space to sleep under the roof and the use of their kitchen so we could cook our dinner. The family lived in a rustic house and survived by subsistence farming. They were kind and generous like most people in Colombia and what could have been a rough night in a barn turned into another memorable experience. Colombia has the reputation of being dangerous, but most everywhere I travel and paddle the people are warm and extend random acts of kindness. The next day we decided to exit the canyon and we went to the nearby pueblo of Jordan and found transportation back to San Gil. The road from Jordan to San Gil is steep and rough and we somehow managed to fit six boats, six kayakers and the driver into a small pick up truck, the only transportation available in the small town of Jordan. Just before we arrived in San Gil the wheel fell off the truck and rolled past us as we skidded to a stop. The wheel bounced over the shoulder and rolled through a vacant tennis court and finally came to rest after it crashed into the fence surrounding the tennis court. We were able to find most of the lug nuts along the road and we jacked up the truck and put the wheel back on. We safely arrived back in San Gil after a typical Colombian paddling mission.

Putting the wheel back on the shuttle vehicle.

Soon thereafter Kees cut his leg while he was pulling my boat off a rock and the Canadians returned home. Kees’s leg was infected and walking was difficult and painful and paddling was out of the question. Kees traveled to Ecuador to recover with his girlfriend and I spent the next couple of weeks taking care of some errands for my Colombian business “Colombia Whitewater”.

Kees Van Kuipers, Mark Hentze, Andy Atkins and the rest of the crew on the Rio Fonce.

In mid December I made a quick trip home to the states for Christmas and spent some time doing more business errands and spent Christmas with friends and family. I returned to Colombia just a few days ago and tomorrow I travel to Putumayo in the South of Colombia. Some of the best rivers in Colombia are in Putumayo, Kees will be in Putumayo with some other kayakers that he brought from Ecuador. Summer, or the dry season, has finally arrived in Colombia and the floods have receded. I have finished most of my business errands and I have a few weeks to paddle for myself before my first kayak school and guided trip. More reports to come shortly.

Creeking up a storm in North America

Adrian Kiernan — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:13:00 -1100

An exert from the upcoming full online release of Skippy Films first feature, "Downunder The Horizonline" Stay tuned to www.whiteboxmag.com for more. .............................................

Skippy Films represents a collective of 3 australian based kayakers as they travel and work with kayak, paddle and camera in hand.

A film By Colin Furmston Adrian Kiernan Jez Blanchard

"Downunder the Horizonline" is the first collective film by Skippy Films

Watch in this section as Australian kayaker Adrian Kiernan joins forces with the likes of Sean Boz, Jimmey Lohrey, Ben Earle and Canadian, Kelsey Thompson, to bring you a whitewater travel film, made in one season and with no sponsors, with a true australian twist.

Featuring BC and USA

"reminiscent us of australian cult classic, the castle" CUMEC MAGAZINE

Filmed By: Kelsey Thompson Adrian Kiernan Sean Boz

Edited By: Adrian Kiernan

Produced By: Skippy Films 2007

Out With The Old And In With The New - Making the Transition From The Solo To The Bazooka

Bobby Miller — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:57:00 -0500

With 2012 having arrived, there are some new and exciting developments coming with Fluid kayaks. The Bazooka is the new creek boat and will replace the long time proven creek boat (and in my opinion one of the best creek boat designs of all time), the Solo. So, after exclusively creeking in the Solo since 2005, I must admit that a replacement made me a little nervous. Like Mary Poppins, the Solo is practically perfect in every way. In early September, I had the fortune of getting to paddle the Bazooka prototype full time. So, after logging many miles in the boat, I am pleased to say that Celliers has fixed any minor imperfections the Solo may have had. He has eliminated the word, "practically," and has gone straight to perfect. So, at this point in time, reader, you may ask yourself, "Did Bobby just make the claim that I think he did? DId he just say that the Bazooka is the perfect creekboat? Oh no, he didn't! Don't go there!" Well, I just did it! I WENT THERE! Fluid Kayaks has created the perfect creekboat and it is called the Bazooka! The day after I got the boat, I headed to the Delaware Water Gap, an area know for SIK creekboating and big waterfalls. On this day, we decided to run Adams Creek, the most difficult and dangerous of the creeks in the area. The run features awesome slides and drops throughout but the final gorge is where the real SIK drops are. There are four major waterfall drops in a quarter mile, dropping over 100 feet total. The first one goes into a hole, pinches through a tight boat width slot and goes off a 10-12 drop onto a slide next to the wall. I punched right through the approach hole and was surprised at the speed I carried through the hole. Being used to the slower Solo, I didn't expect to shoot through the hole as quickly as I did. I ended up hitting the right wall and had to scramble to get back through the slot without getting pulled into the hole. Once through the slot, I launched a nice boof off the falls and landed cleanly on the slide. The next drop featured a steep 8-10 foot cascade that led directly into a 20 foot waterfall. There was a tree sticking out from the right bank so it was imperative to be in the middle and it was also important to keep your bow up due to the uncertain depth of the pool. I came flying down the slide and took a light stroke to avoid getting launched way out and l entered the pool smoothly at a 45 degree angle. A simple 10 foot sloping ledge carried us to the last drop of the gorge. Here the creek goes over a 6 foot ledge that lands directly on the lip of a 20 foot waterfall. I was worried about my stern catching the lip of the falls if I launched off the top ledge so I floated off the 6 footer. This allowed my bow to skip off the lip of the falls, which launched me out. I landed flat at the bottom and it was definitely a solid hit. I was also really excited by the performance of the Bazooka. The initial impressions of the boat were that it is definitely faster than a Solo, is more stable, and boofs nicely. The boat overall would take some getting used to since the boat has a different feel than the Solo. The deck is higher than the Solo so the paddle strokes need to be higher and this creates a slightly different launch point with your propelling stroke. Over the passing months, I really put the boat through its paces, testing it on all of the Mid-Atlantic area classic runs. I tried it in a variety of situations, I launched huge boofs off the waterfalls at Great Falls of the Potomac and on the Big Sandy. I took it down bouldery runs with tight slots and precise boofs such as the Upper Blackwater. I ran cascades such as Swallow Falls on the Top Yough and punched through big holes in rapids like Railroad Cut Falls on Wills Creek. Initially, I found the stern especially tricky to get used to. I found my unfamiliarity with the stern edge would occasionally catch me off guard. The Solo has a very forgiving stern and the edge of the Bazooka is definitely less forgiving. However, I could tell right away that the stern gave me a great ability to carve my turns in a way that the Solo can't. As I started to get used to carving with the stern, I really started to like the boat, a lot. My lines got cleaner and I noticed that, with a tilt of the edge, the boat shoots in the direction you want to go. I feel like I get to know the boat a little better each time I get out and my paddling has climbed to new heights. This boat has really impressed me and I can't imagine creeking in anything else. The boat and I now have become one and I know that the sky is the limit for what I can accomplish in this boat. I can't say enough good things about the Bazooka! I am very excited for the production model to be available! The boat is fast for its size and boofs extremely well. The stability allows you to feel confident when cranking into a boof stroke or even just while running tight rapids. The edge in the stern allows the boat to carve extremely well when put on edge. This boat is a performer and really will rocket in the direction that you tilt the edge. The edge is rounded off near the bow so you don't get tripped up in shallow water or when going for a boof. For fans of the Solo (or similar soft edge creek boat desgns), the boat will instantly be faster and more responsive but the stern edge will take a little time to get used to. For fans of the Detox (or similar hard edge designs), you will instantly notice that the boat is more forgiving but still is very high performance. I think that Fluid has hit the mark of creating a spectacular creek boat that is forgiving yet is great at carving a turn with the Bazooka and this design will make any creek boater who tries it a believer. Thanks, Celliers, for designing this new and exciting boat, which I know will be a leader in the creek boat world!