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26
Oct

Park Jam 2023: Round One

By the Scottish Crew: Rowan Andrew, Taylor Stevenson, Kyle Rodger, and Niamh Shannon

Lee Valley Whitewater Centre

Driving from Glasgow to Lee Valley was a mission, but the crew were super stoked to arrive at the centre as it was all new to us, and we were impressed with the scale and scope of the place.

As it was our first time, we had to sit our competency assessment. We were introduced to George, our assessor, who quickly after the assessment joined us for our first laps on the Olympic course with the Palm and Pyranha Team.

It was a very busy session on the water with rafts and kayakers flooding the course and carnage at every corner. However, that did not stop everyone from laying down some awesome tricks. It added a certain level of adrenaline knowing if you fall off a wave or are not paying attention you would be slammed by a raft.

As always, Bren was smiling and giving out advice on the water as well as teasing future plastic Pyranha has to offer.

đŸ“·: Dolly Brown

We had an hour to shred on the Olympic course before we moved on to the well-anticipated Park Jam on the flood-lit Legacy course. There was a lot of hype for this session, and watching everyone make their way onto the water and up the conveyor belt only added to the stoke and excitement.

Everyone sessioned on the top hole, where there were many aerial tricks thrown, before making their way down the course, stopping at all the features for a play. Barra, Vitamin T (Niamh, Taylor, and Rowan), and the rest of the Pyranha Team would sit at the bottom of the course bringing the hype and allowing the participants to use the demo boats on offer.

The Pyranha Firecracker seemed to be a favourite of the night, and everyone was super stoked to see the new 2024 colourways, Rosella Red & Cotinga Blue. To finish off the night, Bren showed off his new, sick edit, and there was a prize-giving for those who shredded on the water that night.

Northampton Active Whitewater Centre

We kicked off the morning with a team paddle at Hurley. As we are Scottish and have primarily paddled in Scotland, this was a spot we had heard a lot about but never paddled, so we were pretty stoked to be able to fit it in this weekend. It did not disappoint.

We sessioned the wave for a couple of hours before receiving a phone call to say that sadly the water quality was too low to paddle at Nene, but even with the paddling being cancelled, there was still a keen group of local paddlers excited to meet up with Bren and catch a sneak peek of his latest edit, so the Pyranha and Palm team headed to the centre to deliver some talks, films, activities, and prizes.

Heidi Walsh started the party by telling us all about her inspiring and eventful trip down the Humla Karnali in Nepal. Joe Rea Dickins followed up with some beautiful surfing shots from our very own Scotland (whoop whoop), documenting the recent monster-sized Tay-bezi which highlights just how great Scotland is when Scotland does what it does best and RAINS.

We followed up with a little “Who can get kitted up the quickest?” competition, and brave young Marcus and Noah went head-to-head for the chance to win some prizes! Finally, to finish off the Park Jam, Bren told us all about the recent adventures and gave the group a preview of his soon-to-be-released shredit.

Cardiff International Whitewater Centre

Cardiff was one of the centres that we were most eager to visit. Although none of us had been before, our friends had, so we had heard quite a bit about it. Still, that didn’t prepare us for just how cool this place was.

Vitamin T does CIWW

The first thing that catches your attention about the centre is just how beautiful it is. The fact that it was based by the water is something that was quite special and made you forget for a bit that you were paddling somewhere artificial.

That thought was soon overtaken, and our lasting impression was one of the people we had met. This Park Jam was a really fun experience for us all and that was down to all the interactions we had with folk.

One memory that demonstrates the love they have for the sport and just how eager they were was a little boy who missed the first half of the event because he was at his friend’s birthday party. When he discovered that he could take part in the second half and had the opportunity to go in the Pyranha Duo with Bren, he jumped at the chance and wasted no time in finding his paddling kit and getting ready. This encouraged a lot of others to do the same.

As soon as one person hopped out of the kayak another person was lined up ready to get in. This stoke to be on the water was carried by everyone right up until the last second when the pumps were switched off and the only option was to get off. Overall, we left inspired by the dedication of the people and the willingness to get in amongst it and try something new. 

It was an absolute pleasure to join Bren, team Palm, and the other Pyranha paddlers on the first leg of the Park Jam, and we’re looking forward to heading back down to Wales to start the second half of the tour on the mighty river Dee, followed by Tees Barrage, and finishing off at our home run, Pinkston Watersports. Find more info on the event pages below, and come join us!

UK

Mile End Mill, Llangollen – 28th of October

Tees Barrage, Stockton-on-Tees – 29th of October

Pinkston Watersports, Glasgow – 30th of October

IRELAND

Parmhole, Dublin – 4th of November

Castleconnell, Limerick – 5th of November

See you there!
The Scots

05
Oct

Sal’s Firecracker 232 Review

(Also known as, ‘The Smiler’)

Photo: Turnip Towers

So, for anyone reading this who doesn’t know me too well, me and my life are basically chaos… but in a good way, most of the time! I’ve been working in a different country every couple of weeks, continually swapping between packing and unpacking, and trying to squeeze all the ‘normal’ life stuff (and UK paddling) in between. This summer has been particularly jam-packed and any time back in the UK has become way more valuable (and brief!)

You might wonder why I’m babbling on about this -isn’t this a boat review after all?! I’m getting there, I promise. 

Arriving home after 5 weeks in Europe, I excitedly packed for a few days in North Wales. With it being British summertime, the rivers were dry, however, the trusty dam-released river Tryweryn was due to be in flow. I had space for one kayak only. I’d not long had my new Firecracker 232, and I was desperate to get her on some moving water and have a proper play. However, I’d also agreed to coach river skills at the #ShePaddles Festival. Would it be irresponsible to try and teach river skills in a playboat? And what if I needed to carry out rescues? Would I manage them in this little boat? Fun-versus-sensible pulled me back and forth. I vented my predicament to Andy Butler (Product Manager at Pyranha Kayaks), who of course told me to take the new boat. I felt like a kid that had been given permission to go out and play! So, me and my new fun machine headed west.

And boyyyy was I glad that we did! 

I’d assumed the Firecracker was an all-out river-play boat, but it turns out that she also really loves river running! During the coaching weekend, I was surprised at how well she boofed, cut into micro-eddies, and basically made all the moves that I’d usually make in my bigger boat. And that included rescues too, whether I was chasing or towing a swamped boat, I never felt out of control or unable to get myself where I needed to be to deal with the situation. 

And of course, with the added fun factor of a boat that loves to surf, play and get vertical! 

Photo: Kay Powell

After the coaching weekend, I spent my remaining few days playing around with friends on the Tryweryn and the few local rivers with water in. I honestly don’t think I stopped grinning. Being away with work so much lately, I hadn’t had a lot of time to get to know my new boat, but I was already sure that we were going to get along well! Stable and smooth, I felt like I could surf waves for days. I’ve never been very good at tailees, but with the Firecracker I was getting way more success than in any other boat I’ve tried. I still fell on my face a good amount, but always rolled back up with a big smile, ready to go again.

Photo: Turnip Towers

Since the North Wales trip, I’ve been in and out of the country frequently (sometimes for several weeks at a time), however, it’s felt pretty easy each time to jump back in my boat and get stuck in again. I’ve also been rehabbing an injury, and having a smaller boat that I can move around easily has really helped, as well as meant an earlier return to the water. 

Being a smaller and shorter boat (232cm to be exact), has also meant that it’s way easier to travel with. She fits inside my vehicle, which works perfectly for any last-minute decisions to hit the river or head to the best paddling spots!

There have been many sessions at my nearest training ground, Holme Pierre Pont Whitewater Park. Here me and my Firecracker have been playing around in the more hole-like features, trying out mostly loops, cartwheels, and spins. There are also lots of great boiley eddilines for trying tailees!

We’ve returned to the Tryweryn a few times, each trip being as fun as the last. I haven’t even contemplated swapping the Firecracker out for a different boat -why would I when this one is so much fun? The Firecracker basically lives in my vehicle now (when I’m not paddling it, that is!).

Photo: Turnip Towers

And most recently, I travelled down to Lee Valley Whitewater Park, which is steeper, faster and more powerful than most of our whitewater courses here in the UK. Other than the odd wobble on a couple of eddilines when I first got on, I felt really good! The Firecracker loved the steepness and speed of the water, charging through breaking waves, boofing pour-overs, and gliding over boils into swirling eddies. The waves were faster than any others that I’d surfed recently, but it didn’t take long to learn to just relax and let the boat do her thing!

All in all, I love this boat -she’s fun, loves to both run the river and play around, her shorter tail means extra play and tailies galore, and you can literally surf all day long. Oh, and she’s super easy to travel with -I’m convinced that I could travel with her on the train, and no doubt flying with her internationally will be easier too. The perfect, year-round fun machine! Thanks for another awesome design, Pyranha!

Photo: Turnip Towers

24
Jul

Tryweryn Festival 2023

Location: National Whitewater Centre, Bala

Date: 21st – 23rd July 2023

The Tryweryn Festival is an exciting fun-filled event, located in Bala at The National Whitewater Centre. This awesome event is jam-packed full of events, from heart racing competitions to chilled events for everyone to have fun. The weather wasn’t the best for July, but even with river levels rising across Wales, there was still a great turnout!

On Saturday morning I was up and ready, heading down to the centre to sign up for the NRS Mass Start Race, where 40 men and 27 women battle their way down the river for 3-4 minutes through rapids until they reach the finish.

The first 27 men and 13 women continue onto the next round of extreme boater cross which is a shorter section starting from a ramp standing 15ft tall. Once they launch, they catch eddies and pass through rocks and holes whilst racing in threes to the finish line where the winner of each heat passes through to the final. It was amazing to see so many people with massive smiles on their faces, racing their friends and really pushing themselves.

In the afternoon, Radical Rider hosted their event Retro Rodeo, which is on the most popular wave on the river, right outside the cafe! This event is all about who can stay on the wave the longest while pulling off some cool moves and battling to stay on the wave the longest. The crowd’s favourite move must have been the “Banana Man”, where one of the young local shredders, Reece Marsden, pulled a banana out of his PFD and ate it whilst surfing on the wave the crowd went literally bananas! The atmosphere around the wave is something special, and there were all sorts of cool demo boats to try for this event!

The next event isn’t for the faint-hearted; the Palm Equipment enduro is a race from the top of ‘Graveyard’ where paddlers race to the bottom, jump out of their boat and run/walk back to the top. They have 30 minutes to get as many laps as they can whilst trying to conserve energy for the run back up. It was very impressive to watch.

The winning number of laps this year was 7.5 which is super impressive and very hard-going, dodging rafts and kayaks on the way down and swerving spectators on the run back up.

Pyranha Kayaks’ event this year was “Play The River.” This was located at the top of the ‘Graveyard’ rapid where the river’s deepest eddy line is. There were demos including the Firecracker, Ozone, and Ripper 2 for anyone to use. We had a massive range of paddlers just enjoying themselves doing moves they were comfortable with, and some recklessly vertical shredders throwing some awesome combos, which was also great to see. There was a wide range of prizes for everyone involved if they did something cool or were keen to try new things. It was fantastic to see so many people with smiles on their faces cheering everyone on! Thank you to everyone involved.

After a long day’s paddling, the dam shut off, the river level dropped and everyone got party-ready. Food was served in the tent just before prize giving for each individual event! The night ended with a live band and a party!

Sunday started off with a few laps of the river with a great bunch of paddlers throwing fun moves and trying new ones! It was amazing to see so many people demoing boats over the weekend, I even managed to take a few out for a spin. My favourite had to be the Scorch X, the rocker and length of this boat is just something else, the initial skip off the ramp was insane there was no drag I just skimmed. It boofs so easily and high that I don’t think I got a drop of water on me!

Around lunch time we headed to the top site for the Beginners Boater X which was hosted by Pyranha. This event was for the paddlers who are just starting off or just in it for a bit of fun with a less competitive vibe. This race was from the chipper to the top eddy of ‘Graveyard’; it had eddies to catch and a tiki mask to throw your paddle through for more fun. We had twelve participants overall four in each heat all laughing their way down!

This was the last event I went to over the weekend but there were plenty more! It was fantastic to see so many faces, old and new on the water over this amazing weekend.

I just want to say a massive thank you to all involved! Hopefully see you all on the water soon.

Daniel Jones

17
Jul

California Dreaming 2

I grew up watching Demshitz shred in their Pyranha Kayaks. To be invited on tour with them was the biggest, best, luckiest break in my career. I grew up watching their videos and seeing the photos, and although just getting to kayak with them was incredible, I always dreamed of kayaking with them in California where I had watched so many videos of them shredding. Unfortunately, with the seasons, climate change, and poor snow packs, we never got the chance to go in my three summers on tour. We did do lots of kayaking in different places though, and I learned a lot; coming to the Royal Gorge for the first time this year I felt like I was putting together all of the things that I had learned from Demshitz over the years:

1) Just go.

So many times on tour, we would drive to a river late in the day and still make it happen. Obviously, you want to give yourself enough time out there, but don’t think that you can’t make it happen or that you can’t get it done in less time if you need to get it done in less time. Lots of people were sending me their predictions for water levels, but when Dane and Jared Seiler told me Royal was coming in, I turned and burned and got on the plane to try and catch it. For fear of the flows dropping, myself and Dane decided to do the Royal Gorge in one day; 45 miles and 5 sick waterfalls. 

2) You don’t have to be serious to do serious things.

I always loved that about Demshitz; always chilled out, always funny. It really transforms the situations, and I’m happy that myself and Dane cracked jokes at every opportunity. “Selfie of me above Scott’s Drop”. Stoked to be there!

3) Safety.

Demshitz were always on it with safety when I was on tour, and one time, Dave Fusilli saved my life. Obviously, there’s a lot to White Water Safety and Rescue, but one of the most important things I learned from Demshitz was to move fast, work as a team, and get hands on the person that needs help. Oh, and if you’re the person in trouble, ‘just stay calm yinz”.  With just myself and Dane running as a ‘gruesome-twosome’ crew, we would have to work together if anything happened, but I felt confident we could make it work if needs be. I also knew from an old DS / EG Creeking blog post which way to hike out from the first set of waterfalls if anything happened. 

4) Kayaking off waterfalls.

It’s a dark art to the sport; you have to do so much to do so little, and the only real way to learn is to go over the edge of one. Dave Fusilli especially spent so much time breaking down techniques and helping me to understand them. I felt like I utilised all of them down the five waterfalls of the Royal Gorge. 

5) Food is for rich people.

Often times on tour, we would be hungry, mostly because we were terrible at planning ahead for anything other than kayaking and occasional kayak dealer visits. Food shopping was never high on the list of things to do, it was more of a bonus thing that occasionally happened. Thankfully, there was always beer in the warm cooler without ice because DS had a beer sponsorship at the time
 Anyway, I really learned how to deal with being hungry on the water. Myself and Dane were pushing hard to get to the bottom of all the waterfalls before we stopped for lunch, and I was hungry as a “Manger”* by the third waterfall, but kept going.

*A “Manger” is a very stout, very hairy member of the Demshitz crew that is prone to getting “hangry”. 

6) Get the camera out.

Some people love it and some people hate it. There are definitely days where I can’t be bothered, but most of the time I love having a camera around in a sick location. I genuinely love using a camera, and creating memories from these moments we only get to live a few times in our lives. Jared Seiler sent me a bunch of photos from a Demshitz trip down the Royal Gorge and they are all so rad to me!

7) Be ridiculous and love everything.

Around 10 hours into our mission of a day, I thought the takeout was right around the corner. Dane then proceeded to tell me it was still over an hour to the takeout. I started joking that we had missed the takeout and were going to kayak the river into the ocean and be able to take a nap on the beach. I had the Beach Boys album in my head, and it really helped to take the edge off how sore and tired I was at this point. The “love everything” comes from Demshitz accepting anyone and everyone and being such an open, friendly crew; it took me a while, but I think I’m getting there and can proudly say that I am vaguely fond of hanging out with Dane Jackson, at times, a little bit, not really.

We finished that day 45-mile day in 11 hours and drank a beer at the takeout. A true Demshitz day out to lunch. Hoping to catch up with the DS crew either in California this season or at some point on the water soon! Cheers for everything team!

Bren

14
Jul

Firecracker vs. Ripper 2

I was given an amazing opportunity by Pyranha to compare the new Firecracker 232 to the incredible Pyranha Ripper 2. Usually, I don’t get used to a boat quickly, but I had no problem getting used to the small Firecracker, from being able to throw big loops in it on the Dee, to technical and bigger gradients on the Wnion.

I’m first going to compare their river running abilities and note I come from freestyle, so I love more playful kayaks.

The first thing I noticed between the two is how easy it is to lift the Firecracker’s nose up to boof over drops and holes. I could easily do side boofs and lean boofs to lift the front up in the Firecracker.

Although the Firecracker is a small half slice, there is plenty of volume in the front to go creeking in it, as I did on the Wnion – this also helps when going through holes on less committing runs, like the Tryweryn. One thing I noticed about how they were river running was that in the Firecracker, you had to go in with more speed, and as soon as the front was lifted over the hole, leaning forwards made it easily skip out so it didn’t go too vertical, whereas with Ripper 2, the extra length meant it could carry more speed in and out of the feature. The skip out in the two boats was just as good as each other but the Ripper 2 would carry the skip for longer.

Now let’s talk about the playfulness of the two kayaks, and neither will disappoint; they both bring lots of joy and smiles to your face on your local simple play runs to steep creeks.

Tailys – these two boats are incredible at this, and the Ripper 2 is already well known for this. The Firecracker paddles very similarly to a freestyle kayak, so when you go to taily it, you can just snap it up on a gentle eddy line as you would do in a freestyle kayak, whereas the Ripper 2 is more a slalom style of paddling and takes a different style to get up, where you don’t snap it up, you continuously lift it up gently. Once the Ripper 2 is up, it’s easy to get a bunch of pirouettes in a row before the boat drops, whereas the Firecracker is easier to balance statically on the stern.

Finally, I am going to talk about the freestyle capabilities of the Firecracker. I was lucky enough to do multiple Dee play runs in the Firecracker at great levels, and I saw Aaron Kendall loop a Firecracker on Instagram, so that gave me a great idea to try it. Luckily the Dee was on an 8, so it wasn’t high but was just deep enough to attempt them.

The Firecracker has a great amount of volume in the front, and if you slam it in to plug and keep it dead straight, it just goes under and pops your stern into the air with great height. I managed to throw for a loop and land it multiple times in Tombstones and the middle hole at Mile End Mill on the Dee.

Personally, I would go for the Firecracker as it’s great fun, and I love to challenge myself with river running. I also love how comfy it is for a playful kayak, with an amazing knee position; I can even wear creek shoes, which is a big plus for such a playful boat! I hope this has helped, and I 100% recommend demoing both of them as soon as you have the chance.

07
Jul

King of the Alps 2023

At the beginning of June every year, the quiet mountain village Moos in Passeier comes alive as the best kayakers from across to globe come to compete for King and Queen of the Alps. 

This year in the 11th annual year was particularly special for the organisers Caz, Thomas, Daniel, and Pia, with AWP awarding the event the title of Extreme Kayak World Championship. 

The Pyranha van arrived early in the week at our final stop of the tour with the fleet of demos for the event. With over 250 event participants from 25 nations, it was stacking up to be a highly competitive weekend of racing. From early on in the week athletes were training hard on both the qualification section which was lower down the valley in San Leonardo and the finals course situated in Moos featuring the famous Intimidator rapid, a steep class 5 with a waterfall entering from the right. 

đŸ“·: Josh Dias-Smith

Thursday night was the first official get-together with registration/ bib collection, boat check and safety briefing. Nerves were beginning to grow with anticipation for the qualification day so as to be expected it was a quiet night in camp. 

An early start on Friday, paddlers arrived for qualification from 8 am to begin warming up on the San Leonardo section. The 700m class 3+ would separate the top 60 men, top 10 women and 10 masters. This would also be the final standings for the junior category, OC1 and pack rafters. In the evening paddlers came together to tell stories and chat about their race runs. A race brief for finalists was given and those who were unfortunate not to make the highly competitive cut-off got the weekend going in style by competing in the fun king triathlon. 

Saturday is World Championship Finals Day! The most anticipated day of the year for extreme whitewater racers. 80 kayakers in total took to the water, Pyranha team paddlers Nicolas Caussanel, Jonas Le Morvan, and Lyndon Williams all made the cut in the first round to advance to the Semi-finals in the extremely competitive men’s category. From here 5 masters and 5 Women advanced to the finals and 15 men. The pressure was on to deliver 1 last run, at this point spectators and everyone watching the live stream was fully engrossed. The biggest stage was set. The commentary from Caz and Tim got the well-oiled crowd fired up and the final kayakers put on a fine showcase of our wonderful sport. 

Men’s Open

1st – Zach Mutton

2nd – George Snook

3rd – Mattias Weger

4th – Andi Brunner

5th – Nico Caussanel

Women’s

1st – Nouria Newman

2nd – River Mutton

3rd – Marlene Devillez

4th – Laura Hofberger

5th – Flurina Fischer

The only thing left to do is what whitewater kayakers do best and throw the best parties and delicately pack up the following day. We will 100% see you next year King of the Alps. Thanks for making one of the most inclusive and special race events of the year!  

05
Jul

Valsesia River Festival 2023

Following the MisoXperience festival in Switzerland, the Pyranha van moved south to the Italian Alps to the region of Valsesia.

Valsesia has been a staple spring location for British kayakers for ages. However, the number of Brits making the pilgrimage south has been dwindling in recent years. Whether this is due to the small snowpack or the inability of British coaches to take groups out there following Covid, it is a shame not to be sharing the river with big groups of Brits anymore. 

Those who did take a gamble on the water levels this year were definitely rewarded. Strong sunshine and humidity caused heavy thunderstorms to roll through the valley every afternoon, which kept the rivers at great flows. The kayaking in the valley really is incredible when levels are good. 

The team took full advantage of the flows and jumped straight on the water. Lyndon was lucky to smash out laps on classic sections of the Sermenza, Egua, and Sesia in the 2 days before he headed back to the UK for a wedding. He was replaced by Pyranha’s UK Sales Manager, Liam Jay, who arrived fresh-faced and stoked to be on his first whitewater kayaking trip outside of the UK. He wasted no time and made sure to sample everything Valsesia has to offer – from the big volume feel of the “Little Canada” rapid to the Sorba Slides, which is the kayaking equivalent of a skate park and never fails to bring a smile to your face!

The Valsesia River Festival was a success, as ever. This year there were a few additions to the programme, and it was great to see the festival progress and bring in some of the local businesses. Alpin Rider Centre, run by Jacques Gilardone, hosted a party paddle to practice the course on Friday night. This was followed by food, drinks, and music at their bar, which is perfectly situated at the take-out for the race section (called the Alpine Sprint). 

On Saturday, it was business as usual, with teams of 3 heading up to the put-in for the Alpine Sprint, ready for the team race in the morning. After lunch, everyone headed back up to the put-in for the individual race. The water level was medium/high for the section, which sadly reduced the number of participants this year, but made the course pretty exciting. The long race takes around 10-12 minutes on a super continuous, alpine-style grade 3/4 section, so pacing is important to make sure you can complete the race safely and efficiently! The higher water levels also made it more difficult to stay high and dry throughout the whole course, and if you took a wave to the chest, it killed your speed and meant a battle to regain your flow. It was certainly challenging to go fast the whole time. 

I found fellow Brits Tamsyn and Dave on Saturday morning. They had arrived in Valsesia in the early hours of the morning following a hell journey to get there. However, Tamsyn seemed keen to celebrate her birthday by racing down a section of river she had never seen before. She dragged Dave out of bed, and the three of us formed a team. We used the team race as an opportunity to see the river and learn the lines, so we didn’t go particularly fast, but it gave Tamsyn the opportunity to see the course and race in the individual category in the afternoon. I felt like I took a lot of waves to the chest in the individual race, and constantly had to fight to get my speed back. At the end of the race, the participants unanimously voted not to hold a final, given that the number of participants was low, the water levels were primo, and everyone would rather spend the afternoon kayaking with their friends. I headed off to the Sermenza to kayak on a couple of my favourite sections. 

Despite my misgivings, I still managed to put down a good time and take the win in the women’s category. As always, the party went hard, and everyone danced their way through to the early hours of the morning. 

On Sunday, River Soul hosted a Pyranha Kayaks demo event with live music, great food on the grill, and a raffle with plenty of prizes to give away. Hosts Max and Silvia were enthusiastic and friendly and helped encourage many local paddlers to try out our favourite designs. The Scorch X was a particular hit with several kayakers who had originally written it off as being “too big”. After being convinced that it paddled similarly to a medium boat, they gave it a shot and came back raving about how much fun they had. The day was a great success and, luckily, had just wrapped up before the heavens opened and a big hail storm passed through the valley! 

Overall, it was a great week in the Valsesia Valley. With good water levels, this area really is world-class!

Lead image by Lyndon Williams, all others by Frederica Fritz.

04
Jul

Hulls and Hatches: Saltwater and Whitewater Multi-Days in Corsica

.: words – Carmen Kuntz

.: photos – Rok Rozman

Hiking trips are great – you have all you need on your back. Bike trips are cool too – with everything neatly tucked into panniers. But when it comes to comfort, carry capacity and the ability to cover some solid kilometers
 nothing beats the kayak. Regardless of whether you are a lover of saltwater or whitewater, the kayak is a vessel that allows you to pack all your gear inside your mode of transportation. And this opens up a world of multi-day adventure possibilities.

This spring we had a thirst for on-water exploration, but couldn’t decide between rivers or the sea. So, we brought boats for both. We loaded two Scorches and two Leos onto our truck and rumbled our way to Corsica to dip our paddle in two types of paddling styles, enjoying the simplicity of paddle-powered multi-days.

Sea kayaking is best done in the sun.

And sunshine is what greeted us when our ferry landed in Bastia, Corsica’s primary port town. Mid-April in Corsica can mean that either snowmelt or rain storms fill up the rivers. We were a little late for the former, and a bit too early for the latter, so we sipped some Cap du Corse liquor and poured over the paper map to plan a 6-day sea kayak trip. What better way to wait for the rain than to build up some paddle muscles on the sea!

We drove to the small west coast town of GalĂ©ria, which is located approximately on the forehead of the almost-face-shaped island. Parked just meters from the sea, gear was spread out in the parking lot like a yard sale. This was my first multiday-day sea kayak trip, and I was shocked by the amount of gear I could tuck into the hatches and hull of my lime-green Leo. As my boat was swallowing gear, I realized I would have space for my book, paints, a camp chair and some cans of beer. All the luxuries that often get left behind when we go hiking in the mountains of Slovenia. For this holiday-style trip weight wasn’t a concern as we would be floating, paddling (or sailing) our way some 150 km to the Liamone River Delta, and taking our time to do so.

I felt like a pirate as I walked into town to buy provisions – bread, rice, wine, and some local wild boar salami. Rok, on the other hand, was enjoying the puzzle of tucking fishing rods under the elastic hull straps and securing lures and line in the cockpit for easy access. The plan was to catch the protein that would power our paddles.

Once on the water, we glided over the turquoise water, and popped our sails up as soon as we rounded the first point, red rock cliffs and a tailwind greeting us. We used paddles and the power of the wind to trace the coastline, relishing in the details of the rock formations and the scents of the flowering macchia.

As the sun dipped low, we found a beach to camp on and dragged our boats onto the pebble shore, appreciating the sturdy nature of our CoreLite X hulls, which felt stiff and responsive in the water, yet were light enough (and tough enough) to easily move on land. These boats perfectly matched the carefree yet efficient vibe of our trip. On the pebble beach, shoes came off immediately and gear came out, one hatch at a time.

Again, I was surprised – this time by how easy it was to be organized in a long sea kayak. Each hatch had a purpose. Water and other ‘hydration’ liquids in one hatch. Sleeping gear in another. Placing my trust in the watertight hatches meant I didn’t have to wrestle with bulky drybags. Navigation implements (map and phone) were within reach in the small front portal. And the final hatch was home to food – veggies and spices, cookies and coffee.

Rok’s preference for camp spots was based on fishing possibilities, while every beach looked like a piece of paradise to me. He wasted no time in casting a line, and we ate from the sea each day of the trip. From barracuda, to conger eel, amber jack and even a massive snapper! Add rice, garlic, salt and wine, and we ate like kings!

Each day we were treated to sunshine, blue skies and often a tailwind – a real treat on the exposed west coast of the island. We had easy morning coffees, packed and paddled, some days not before noon! We stopped at a couple of seaside villages for ice cream and sightseeing, castles on rocky outcrops drawing us in. We played the lottery daily, gambling on choosing the perfect beach right in front of us, or daring to check the next. Fish over a savory driftwood fire and sipping beer until the stars made their late arrival, our heads hit the pillow each night without worries. We were drunk on the simplicity of having all the gear to be comfortable, while having a vessel that allowed us to explore a coastline that was otherwise completely inaccessible by foot. And doing it all in the season before the crowds and yachts pepper the bays.

We almost lost track of time, enjoying the daily routine of the nomadic life on the sea. But on our sixth day, the weather made the call for us, and we half sailed, half surfed our way onto the kilometres-long Liamone beach, with high winds and waves building and the forecast calling for rain. It was a perfect way to end a trip rich in flavours of the sea, coastal exploration and pure enjoyment of moving over water with all the camping luxuries stowed below deck. Because no matter how much gear and treats you have with you, the weather and the sea provide the real indulgences.

* * *

Whitewater kayaking, on the other hand, is a sport often enjoyed in the rain. But a multiday trip spent dodging raindrops and hiding out under tarps isn’t much fun. So, we let the rain build the rivers up, and when the sunshine returned we packed up and paddled off for an overnight on one of the mellow sections of the Taravo River.

With its source in the mountains near the small village of Cozzano, the river flows mostly southwest meeting the Mediterranean near the town of Propriano, just two big bays down from where our sea kayaking trip ended.  We washed the saltwater from our gear on the grade 5 section, but were keen to see more of the river. A night sleeping on the granite banks was one way to satisfy that hunger.

After an hour of mostly floating and sightseeing, we found a flat granite slab with a little eddy tucked behind, and stopped to enjoy the afternoon sun. Packing for a whitewater kayak overnighter (not to be confused with an expedition), is much simpler, as the limited space in your boat ultimately dictates what you can bring. Unpacking my kit, I realized how our luxurious sea kayaking kit was slimmed down for a river trip. Small and simple. Sleeping gear in one back quadrant, safe inside a big drybag. Clothes and cooking gear in separate drybags in the other. And a third drybag in my lap – holding my notebook, snacks, headtorch, toothbrush and other necessities. (Rok’s fishing rod also made the cut, a small tenkara suited for some catch-and-release fishing for the native Corsican trout).

After Asian noodle soup with tuna and veggies, (followed by whiskey and chocolate cookies), we were ready for bed. We taco-ed ourselves in the small tarp and hoped for a dry night, but the steady drizzle that started in the early morning hours eventually forced us out of bed and into drysuits. Like on our sea kayak trip, we left each camp spot without a trace of our presence. The sun broke through after about an hour of paddling, and the trees overhanging the river lit up, in sections forming a disco-green tunnel over the water.

Leaning back and letting the current take us at the river’s pace was much like letting the wind push us along the sea. Going at the pace of nature – with the help of a paddle stroke here and there – we were able to appreciate spring in a way that can’t be done by day trips. These days and nights spent by the water ultimately reminded us that a kayak is more than the sum of all its parts; it allows you the ultimate luxury – being a part of the aquatic environs for a moment or two.

03
Jul

MisoXperience 2023

Standing on top of the podium, I tried to ready myself for the inevitable Sambi shower. I flicked up the hood of my rain jacket, thinking it would protect me from the worst of the spray. Elena, however, had other ideas and aimed her shaken-up bottle straight at my face. Spluttering, eyes stinging, and unable to see a thing, I screamed and tried to defend myself as best as possible, whilst staying on the podium. Given that I was left with half a bottle of Sambi at the end, I clearly didn’t do a very good job!

But how did I get here? Let’s rewind a little bit


The Pyranha tour bus headed south from Germany to the Oetz Valley for a quick kayaking pit-stop. We then headed through stunning Alpine passes with cold rain finally giving way to blue skies, creating shining rainbows over the vibrant green forests. We emerged from every tunnel amazed by the beauty surrounding us, until we eventually arrived at our destination just outside of the town of Cama in Ticino, Switzerland. This is the location of MisoXperience – a multisport festival in its 3rd year of existence. I loved this event last year and was excited to be able to return. 

Arriving at the start of the week gave us the opportunity to paddle some of the local classics before the festival fully kicked off. We jumped at the opportunity to go to the Verzasca and Tresa rivers and run laps on the festival river – the Moesa. The MisoX campground is right at the break between the upper class 3/4 section and the lower class 2/3 section, which makes it a perfect location for all abilities of kayaker. The river is dam release and the levels are generally best first thing in the morning, or towards the end of the day, which leaves plenty of time during the day to chill out, socialise with friends, or get involved in the bouldering, paragliding, and other festival activities. It is an unbelievably fun river in a half-slice, and soon enough all of the Ripper and Firecracker demos were out and about on the river, filling their occupants with joy on every splat rock and eddy line. 

The festival itself kicks off on Thursday, the start of the long holiday weekend in Switzerland for ascension day. The number of campers quadrupled overnight and even the rain couldn’t dampen everyone’s spirits as they readied themselves for the weekend ahead. The main kayaking activities include beginner and technique clinics, a river clean up, the “friendly race” time trail, a pinball race, and a boater x. There was also a hike to fly paragliding race and bouldering competitions, both on the nearby natural boulders and on a covered bouldering wall built especially for the event (which was great this year given there was quite a bit of rain!). As well as all this, there was an assault course built around the site, a volleyball court and a croquet pitch. However, my favourite activity had to be beer yoga. Before dinner each evening we all gathered together, beer in hand, to stretch out the day’s aches and pains whilst trying to avoid spilling beer all over ourselves. The Swiss know how to throw a party, with bands and DJs providing evening entertainment while the beer flowed at the bar.

The river clean-up was a great success this year, with the participants once again amazed by how much trash can be collected from such a clean-looking river! We filled the trailer with a whole variety of metal, plastic, broken fishing nets, beer cans, buckets and other items of rubbish. It was a great opportunity to do something good for the river, which gives us so much joy.

To make the friendly race inclusive for a wide range of abilities, it starts down a ramp built at the campsite and races for around 3.5 minutes downstream. The top 32 men and 8 women qualify for the Boater X final on Saturday. Not ones to let the name “friendly” kill our competitiveness, Lyndon and I both went all out in the race. We were stoked to put down the fastest times in both categories. Lyndon finished with a time of 3 minutes 14, a whole 7 seconds ahead of 2nd place. I managed 3 minutes 24, the 6th fastest time of the day and 8 seconds ahead of the 2nd fastest woman. However, the most exciting thing for me this year was to see the number of female participants in the race more than double from the previous year – up to 18 racers!

Saturday afternoon saw the return of the ever-popular pinball race. Teams of 3 were drawn out of a hat and given a big yoga ball. The only aim – get both your ball and team down the river (in one piece) as fast as possible. This may sound easy, but once you add in the other 30 competitors who are all out to get you, absolute chaos ensues. The low water levels made things extra spicy this year with boats and balls pinned left, right and centre. It seemed impossible to make a break, but Lyndon’s team managed it somehow and they charged ahead to take the win. My race was slightly less successful when I flipped over on a rock with my arm outstretched. Worried about my shoulder, I chose to end my race there and head back to camp, where I was checked over by Josephine. Despite the pain, I had a reasonable range of movement, which was a massive relief.

Saturday morning, I taped up my shoulder and headed up the river with the rest of the crew for the boater x finals. The course included a start ramp and two upstream gates – one on either side of the slot boof – before a touch banner finish line. The racing was tight, with changes in the leader in the two up gates causing some upsets early on. In the end, Lyndon and I emerged victorious, with Fabian Tandler and Fluorine Fischer in 2nd place, and Tim Redling and Elena Fischer in 3rd.  

And so that is how I found myself on top of the podium, Sambi dripping out of my eyes, ready for a shower and a beer. 

But first was the MisoX auction, to raise money for the future of the event. Lyndon and I donated the Level Six and NRS dry tops that we won back to the auction. However, the main event was a Ripper 2 in the MisoX colours, donated by Pyranha to help support the event. The bidding began, led by Reini from Profiwelt, and quickly two buyers were battling it out to win the boat. In the end, it was sold for 1700 CHF – a great result for the event.

Thanks so much to the organisers for an amazing weekend and for inviting us along again. We hope we can return next year to defend our titles, both on the river and at the party!

Photos by Reini Riedener, XXX, and Claas Pospiech

26
Jun

Meet the Ambassadors, Part Two

This series of introductions begins with one of my favorite paddling days- it was about 10 months into Covid, I had been at home for all of it, and I was closing in on a year without whitewater. I was surely not going to let that happen. I built a sleeping platform for my Subaru with storage below and headed out for a couple of weeks. While chasing the rivers, I had 2 bucket list items to check off on this trip as well- to hike into the Green River Narrows and to take a lesson with H2o Dreams. They have been offering top-notch instruction since 2012, and their values parallel the passion of the Pyranha Ambassador family- you can read more about it here.

I reached out to Lydia Cardinal of H2o Dreams and asked if we could do a private lesson on the upper stretch of the Green River. Lydia was amazing- she sent me an extensive questionnaire and then planned the day accordingly. We even got 200% water that day too! We worked on skills, talked about river experiences, and just shared life. It was something that had been missing for so long, and for those 3.7 miles, it was heaven. Lydia puts so much heart, soul, and dedication into all that she does. She creates an experience that stays with you well past the takeout.

Lydia always speaks about how the common thread throughout the Pyranha brand- designs, people, culture- is fun. The boat designs inspire play and curiosity, asking paddlers to know and understand more of themselves and the river. It goes past the river for Lydia as well, and she says it best in her own words- “The people that are a part of the Pyranha family echo that virtue, bringing a lot of joy and zest to the paddling world. Down to earth, passionate, and curious, I have loved getting to know folks through the Ambassador family as well as those that work with Pyranha directly. Pyranha feels like a group of folks eager not to rest on laurels of how things have always been done in the whitewater world, but instead, to lead with curiosity and joy in how we connect to the river, and- in turn, to know more about ourselves and each other.”

I will close this introduction with a favorite memory that Lydia shared with me as well, because it is so fitting of her dedication to others:

“Recently, I got to watch a student I’d worked with since they started paddling take their first ride on Good Wave in Columbus, GA. It’s a big but friendly wave that can be intimidating for folks new to playboating and higher-volume paddling. Getting to watch this paddler drop in for the first time, feeling the size of the wave behind them and the speed of the water underneath them… after watching their progression over the years culminate to this moment, this is a career highlight for me. They had a few passes, flipped and flushed, and hit a beautiful combat roll in the runout. It was awesome, and getting to see that in person was better than any ride I’ve ever had myself.”

Pyranha Ambassador Andria Davis, with her husband Leland Davis

Another long-time member of the Ambassador family who also calls the Southeast home is Andria Davis. In 1996, Andria started out as a raft guide in the Southeast. Not long after that, she discovered that she could have even more fun in a kayak. After trying out a variety of kayaks, she found ”love at first stern squirt” with the Pyranha InaZone. That was the kayak that allowed her paddling to take off, and she has never looked back. Andria has been with Pyranha ever since then; as she says, “Pyranha kayak designs have a way of allowing the paddler to have an intimate relationship with the river, which is the goal! Play the River!”

Sharing the joy of paddling goes past the river for Andria, she has co-written the well-known “The River Gypsies’ Guide to North America”, which features travel guides, river beta, and photos of almost 300 rivers. Definitely an amazing book to keep close at hand. You can also find Andria featured on NRS’s Duct Tape Diaries, which highlights more of her adventures and paddling stories. Recently, they featured Andria on a series of paddlers and their home runs. It is a beautiful tribute to her home river, The Rocky Broad, you can read all about it here.

Moving up north to Canada, you will find another one of our Ambassadors- Matt Hamilton.  For over 39 years, Matt has paddled all over the world, but calls the Ottawa his home river, the Gauley his favorite river, and Crowe Bridge Wave his favorite play spot. Joining Pyranha as a Team Member and Ambassador in 2004, Matt distinctly remembers being welcomed with open arms into an amazing family of paddlers. He led the North American team for 2 years, and was the first captain of the infamous Pyranha van “Orange B*tch”.

Matt speaks about how “living on the Ottawa River makes you a freestyler”, and he has certainly demonstrated that by being on the Canadian freestyle team since 2000. As Matt speaks to his experience on the team, the common thread that ties all of the Ambassadors together shines through- “I still enjoy competing, but not as much as I enjoy passing that passion on to others. Currently, I sit on the Canoe Kayak Canada Freestyle committee and the International Canoe Federation Freestyle committee. I have been teaching and coaching whitewater since I was in my teens, and I truly love passing the passion of paddling on to others. It has been amazing to be able to represent the best brand of whitewater kayaks on the planet. The Pyranha family has been amazing to work with on and off the water. They make amazing boats to keep the stoke going year after year.”

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