{"id":18390,"date":"2015-12-29T02:06:28","date_gmt":"2015-12-29T02:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pyranha.com\/blog\/?p=18390"},"modified":"2015-12-29T02:29:06","modified_gmt":"2015-12-29T02:29:06","slug":"a-year-in-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pyranha.com\/blog\/a-year-in-review\/","title":{"rendered":"A Year in Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another year has gone by and I\u2019ve been fortunate enough to experience another set of amazing adventures on the water with friends. I am blessed to be able to travel and kayak as much as I do.<\/p>\n

I enjoy paddling for Pyranha because every model is designed to best fit a certain style of paddling. This year I had the pleasure to spend a significant amount of time in three of my favorite designs.<\/p>\n

In May, the Thursday before Memorial Day, I met up with my good buddy Adam to catch a Mini Bus session before the level dropped out and the wave disappeared for the year. After camping out somewhere in New York\u00a0and\u00a0sleeping Friday morning away, we finally arrived at the Ottawa Friday afternoon for evening ripping.<\/p>\n

I have to admit, the wave was intimidating at first and the real trick is learning how to actually get on the wave using the rope. I think most of Friday\u2019s session was spent just figuring out the right angle to pull myself across the eddy line into the current.<\/p>\n

\"Adam<\/p>\n

Adam Johnson going huge!<\/p>\n

Fortunately, we were able to have ourselves a second session on Saturday morning before we peeled out for Quebec City. I felt much more comfortable surfing Mini Bus for the second session. This wave is glorious and if you ever have the chance to catch it, well, just do it!<\/p>\n

Here are some pictures Adam got of me from our second session:<\/p>\n

\"Kick\"Kick \"Sick<\/p>\n

This wave certainly put Jed the test and it definitely lives up to the hype that surrounds it. The edges allow you to transition the edge with ease and the volume in the stern and bow are both proportioned to perfection!<\/p>\n

After our second session we left the Ottawa to meet up with our good friend David Carey for a run on the Neilson before we had to head back home. I was stoked to be in my Burn especially for a run of this caliber. I have always been a fan of the Burn since the first generation. The planing hull and edges allowed me to turn on a dime. This was crucial for navigating through the Neilson\u2019s continuous rapids and huge slides.<\/p>\n

Below are some photos Adam shot from our run:<\/p>\n

\"Backwards\"<\/p>\n

Backwards boof!<\/p>\n

\"Neilson\"<\/p>\n

The final rapid on the Neilson.<\/p>\n

Only about a month after my trip to Quebec, I left for a three week trip down the Colorado River of the Grand Canyon. If I had to pick the trip of a lifetime then this would be it. A little over a year ago I had applied for a permit with a friend who won the slot for a private trip beginning the end of June. He ended up not being able to go so I took the permit as the alternate.<\/p>\n

My crew was made up of some of the most memorable boaters I\u2019ve ever had a pleasure to paddle with. There were five rafts for storage which was great for us kayakers because it didn\u2019t limit us to a long boat. My weapon of choice was the Varun. The Varun is now a discontinued model but I felt it was the right boat for this adventure.<\/p>\n

Here is why:<\/p>\n