22
Apr
We had an awesome weekend of racing on the LW. Sat was the down river portion of the event, and Sun was the first ever LVM Giant Slalom. I ended up finishing first place overall which was a great feeling on my home river. I feel like this type of racing is the way the sport should be heading and am stoked to do more of these events. Check out lvmtv for more full results and details.
18
Apr
Last weekend I hit up the first annual Nortwest Creeking Competiton. I took down first place in the Huckfest over Sunset Falls on the East Fork of the Lewis River. It was a good time, lots of freewheels and whatnot. I went for a seal launch into the base of the falls for the crowd pleaser. The race was also sweet with a 80 racer turnout. I finished the race in 3rd place… but only 1/5th of a second off second. Here are some shots of the action.
17
Apr
Cody and Mike here just back from Three Rivers, CA! We’ve got our burns in and what better a place to break ’em in than the Kaweahs. We had a great four days lapping the various forks and also ran into Josh B out there showing the World Class kids how to get it done. Hope all is well out there and enjoy the stills!
 – Huckin Huge
 Cody hitting the boof stomp on V Drop
 Lining up another one…
 
 More boofing
 Mike’s first rapid in the burn – Chuck’s drop
 Feeling like driftwood
17
Apr
A bunch of us are just back from a short trip to Morocco to sample some of the incredible scenery, famously hospitable people, amazing food, and of course the whitewater that the country has to offer. Just a short flight from the snow of the UK landed us in sun drenched Marrakesh and from there we hit the road looking for rivers…
15
Apr
14
Apr
I’m just back from a month long mission in Nepal and Morocco for which I got my hands on a brand new Pyranha Everest for some multiday action. My first reaction on seeing the the massive Everest was ‘I’m never going to be able to paddle this’. At 75 kilos, I thought the Everest would be simply too big for me to enjoy.
I was wrong. With a bit of practice, and some adjustment of technique, I can attest that the Everest must be the best multiday expedition boat or big volume creek boat on the market at the moment. Larger paddlers will love the volume behind the seat, but even lighter paddlers can really appreciate this boat.
The first thing to say about the Everest is that it is not the Burn. The Burn is a classic in its own right, super manoeuverable and responsive and incredible easy edge to edge for rolling flares and boofs. My first day in the Everest on the Upper Bhote Kosi was a disaster as I was trying to paddle the Everest as if it were a Burn and as a result missing eddies, messing up lines.
But about half way down the Bhote Kosi, I began to paddle the Everest like it should be paddled; fast, hard and in a straight line. Gone are the subtle adjustments and edge control of the Burn, in favour of speed and power. The speed was incredible, charging over and through sticky ledge holes as if they didn’t exist.
On the Marsyandi (2 days) and Karnali (5 days), loaded with self support gear the Everest handled beautifully, with no noticable loss of performance (unlike the vast majority of creek boats which start handling like pigs with more than two or three days gear in them). In fact the main issue I had with the Everest was coming to terms with its tremendous speed and not overcooking moves.
The Burn will remain my boat of choice for technical, low volume creeks. But for multiday expeditions, and for big volume creeks like in Norway, the Everest is unbeatable.
Phots by Rosie Cripps and Rob Coffey
For more info on recent missions check out liveoncemedia.com
14
Apr
14
Apr
I just got back from running around the West Coast premiering our new video “Pulse”. I was fortunate enough to hit some rivers in Cali, Colorado, and Idaho. Here are some photos of the action. This weekend I also competed in the Northwest Creeking Competition and will put up some photos when I get them, really looking forward to Little White Giant Slalom Race next weekend.
08
Apr
Swapping play boat for creek boat, 40 degrees C to -5, sun for snow, big volume for low, Africa for Scotland…
The River Nile, steaming at sunrise, Uganda
Snow capped Etive Valley, Glen Coe, Scotland
The now ritual, Easter, low water, trek to the west coast of Scotland. With Snow capped hills and daily flurries whilst on the water it was a shock to the system to say the least! However getting back to grips with the Burn and getting back out on the UK rivers was awesome…
Photos from the River Etive
Thanks to Birmingham University Kayak Club, for organising the trip and creating much amusement both on and off the river
Stay Warm
Ben
