Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2021 i Kayak Session Magazine

“THE CENTER OF OUR UNIVERSE” After almost two years, the world seemed to slowly creep towards "normal” this past summer. Borders opened, events took place, and we were finally allowed back to some of our favorite places. It's difficult to put into words what, exactly, makes a place special. And, while we all have our own rivers or regions that speak to our heart, some serve as pivotal centers—a kind of true north—that shape our sport and our community; places that inspire and connect generations of paddlers. Take Banks, Idaho, for example. For the denizens of Banks, the irony of calling this small town the "center of the universe" is not lost. Like many small river communities around the world, Banks might not be much to look at, but looking…

OLYMPIC PENINSULA HIKING EXTRAVAGANZA, WASHINGTON, USA, JULY 2021 Chris Korbulic had been dreaming of paddling all 19 rivers of the Olympic Peninsula's Magic Mountain Range System from source to sea for years. However, to put the final piece of the puzzle together, he needed to find partners willing to join him in those ambitious plans. Last July, when world-renowned expedition kayaker Ben Stookesberry and young Argentinian Valentin Gutierrez heard about it, they jumped right in, surrendering into whatever challenge Chris came up with. But even for this strong team, the expectations set were beyond the limits. The numbers speak for themselves: back-to-back expeditions for a total of 100 miles hiked with fully loaded kayaks in 14 days, 1 First Descent, 6 rivers, and a hike-out of a hike-in. Carrying heavy…

A STORIED HISTORY Thousands of years before the Europeans arrived in North America, the Algonquin people used birch bark canoes to navigate the Ottawa River and its tributaries. The river served as a vital transportation and trade route for indigenous peoples and Europeans who later settled there. Despite its storied legacy, the earliest recorded descent of the rapids on the Ottawa would not happen until 1974, when Herman Kerckhoff and his 14-year-old daughter Claudia became the first known paddlers to descend the whitewater on what is now known as the Main Channel. Two years later, the Kerckhoff's founded the Madawaska Kanu Center, Canada's first whitewater paddling school. It didn't take long for others to see the potential of the Ottawa. In 1975, an American rafting company owner flew over the…

Nothing is as good or bad as it seems at the moment. Most whitewater kayakers reading Kayak Session Magazine enjoy the freedom of the sport and the ease with which they can participate in events, hang out and kayak with anyone at any level, without dealing with any red tape. Some of you have enjoyed watching or racing in boater cross events that have been going on for many years at local and national events. This article is for those of you who are interested in the head-to-head racing event known as boater cross that has recently been adopted by the International Canoe Federation and thrust into a new spotlight. BOATER CROSS HISTORY First, a bit of history— boater cross aka boatercross or Boater-X, races have been run by local…

If any place in this country encapsulates wilderness and the values we associate with Wild and Scenic rivers, it’s the Gila River watershed and its numerous tributaries in southern New Mexico. Aldo Leopold, considered by many to be the father of the Wilderness concept, first proposed that the Gila River be preserved by the Forest Service in 1922. Leopold was intimately familiar with the headwaters of the Gila, a vast maze of canyons that invokes a classic vision of the American Southwest, in his post as supervisor of the Carson National Forest. This proposition led to the area becoming the United States' first Wilderness area in 1924. Todd Schulke, the co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, who has spent the better part of his life working to protect the…

THE PADDLE SPORTS SHOW, LYON, FRANCE, SEPTEMBER 29TH-OCT 1ST 2021 The first-ever Paddle Sports Show, aka P2S2021, went off in Lyon the last weekend of September. Over 80 different companies in the paddle sports industry came together to share ideas, showcase new products and innovations, plan for the future, and of course, party. Three days of business meetings and exhibitions were supplemented with conferences on the impact of Brexit on the European Paddle Sports Market, the Future of Paddle Sports, and on Access Development—Broadening the Audience. Day two finished with the highly anticipated Paddle Sports Show Product of the Year Awards, designed to reward innovation and quality. New this year was the Sustainability Award, won by Peak PS (formerly Peak UK). The Whitewater Product of the Year went to Lettmann…

"YET, THERE ARE ALSO THE DREAM WATERFALLS: THOSE THAT INSPIRE YOU TO TRAVEL THE ENTIRE PLANET JUST FOR THE CHANCE OF PADDLING DOWN THROUGH THAT SHEET OF WATER, EVEN IF ONLY ONCE." A waterfall is the most aesthetic formation that can be found on a river. All over the world, wherever there is a waterfall, there is usually a viewpoint. The inexplicable pleasure we have contemplating waterfalls and their power makes even a few hours walk worthwhile just to see how the water descends. For most onlookers, the waterfall is nothing more than a hypnotic and spectacular hydraulic curtain creating a terrifying—as well as relaxing—noise. Kayakers, however, look at the waterfalls with different eyes. Whenever we see a waterfall, we look beyond its beauty to imagine ourselves immersed in its…

The first thing people will ask when you say that you do freestyle kayaking is whether you can loop. Put simply, a loop is a front flip in a kayak. It is one of the bigger breakthroughs and a dream trick for all kayakers. Trust me, there is nothing more crowd pleasing than a big aerial loop and the feeling of flying high is irreplaceable! THE FIRST STEP - GETTING INTO THE BOW STALL To learn big loops, it is beneficial to practice on the flat water: the easiest place to access for everybody. However, before we learn to loop, it is helpful to first understand and master the bow stall. The bow stall is the ability to hold your boat vertical for at least three seconds. It shows control,…

We are well into our second year of the pandemic, and while we are making progress towards ending the pandemic, some critical things need to happen to resume a “normal” life and paddling life. Reaching herd immunity remains an essential component. At the current rate of vaccination and the development of variants, some scientists are skeptical that we will ever get there! Booster shots are being discussed in the US and Europe, while most of the African continent and the rest of the developing world have yet to receive their first doses of any vaccine. This column is devoted to explaining how we get to and why we need herd immunity on a local and global scale. And yes, you guessed it, why vaccination is an essential step in that…

NRS DURANCE FEST, DURANCE VALLEY, FRANCE, AUGUST 2021 Despite this year’s situation, the 2021 Durance Festival in St Clément sur Durance was a success. 120 paddlers turned up for three days of events. The weekend started off with the lower Guil Rally, animated with on water games and contests for a wide audience, from beginners to more experienced paddlers, followed by the Guil Gorge Chrono by NRS, which attracted racers from all over Europe to compete in the picturesque and deep gorges of Chateau Queyras. The weekend ended with the “Grande Descente,” the ultimate stoke float inviting all paddle sports lovers, from kayakers to rafters and whitewater SUP fanatics to float down the Sunshine section of the Durance. The evenings were also some to remember. With torrential rain falling for…

Banks, Idaho: A small but mighty dot on the map of Idaho. Very few people outside of the paddling community think twice about Banks, as it literally passes by you in a glance while traveling on Highway 55. Yet, Banks, population 7, has always been known as one of the best places to paddle in the country— if not the world. Home to the Payette River system, this expansive area can test any one of any skill set. Legends have been tested—and bested—by the all-knowing North Fork of the Payette. Beginners hone their newly formed skills on the Main Payette. The aspiring or comfortable class IV paddler can enjoy high spring flows on the South Fork Payette. And then there are the Steeps of the elusive Middle Fork Payette, but…

Kayaking is a sport with a large imagination. Rivers and people become legends, while spectacular athletic and exploratory accomplishments become burned into our minds. It leaves us craving that same experience. We, too, want to conquer what we see conquered by others. It is the nature of the kayaker. For 16-year-old Gavin Jostad, growing up in the Columbia River Gorge gave him plenty to dream about. His dreams quickly focused on one accomplishment: running the Little White Salmon. His journey to run the Little White Salmon began as a 12-year-old, and, three years later, he accomplished that goal. I caught up with Gavin in White Salmon, WA, and spoke to him about what it takes to run the LW as a junior kayaker. I have heard the buzz from the…

The Olympic Peninsula of Washington state has been on my mind since I left for college in the Northwest more than 20 years ago. When I should have been studying, I spent countless hours of topographic noodling and mental drooling over the whitewater possibilities of this third largest roadless area; far and away, the most hydrologically endowed chunk of wilderness in the lower 48. Like most kayakers, I mostly turned my vehicle and focused on the better-known and closer to home rivers like the Little White Salmon, Cispus, Cowlitz, Snoqualmie, and Skykomish. But the single trip I did make to the OP way back in December 2000 left an indelible impression on me. That impression was the juxtaposition between truly monstrous trees and pristine river up to where we put…

How do we, as women, prioritize joy, make it our life’s work, and even make a good living at it? If you’re Anna Levesque, you ask the naysayers to keep their voices down. You get comfortable being one of the few girls in the room, on the river, in the truck. You hone your skillset. You put in your time and give thanks to support systems. You learn to greet barriers with the new day and then break them down. And when you have clarity in the value these tools bring to women, on and off the river, you help other women do the same. Once, Anna might have told you she had plans to follow her father into the field of law. In knowing her, I can see how…