Last summer my buddy Palm’s junior ripper Bren Orton had the idea to shoot a little vid on Tryweryn, This was the first session we had on the Top Hole there.
For those who don’t know Tryweryn, it’s a fun dam released river, near Bala in North Wales. I started out kayaking on this river and did my 1st flat spins and cartwheels here.
It’s often over looked for play boating but is actually an awesome little river that’s fun to run down and has some sick little waves and holes surrounded by green lush, welsh countryside.
For those who don’t know Olly, he is a long time Palm paddler, but more than that he is a highly regarded sea coach, guide and expedition paddler…. as well as being a formidable mountaineer!
In other words when it comes to big trips and big adventures he knows what’s what.
From the trailer and the roll call of names he’s got involved it doesn’t look like you will have to look much further for something to inspire and also guide you in your schemes and plans.
He’s locked down editing at the moment, so hopefully it won’t be long before we can all get a copy in our hands.
Our GBR team selection to pick the team to compete at next years European champs in Vienna is a 3 competition format with the best 2 results out of the 3 counting.
This weekends event at Hpp, Nottingham was the first 2 comps of the 3. One on the Saturday in the inlet gate and one on the Sunday in the Twin waves. 3 rides best 2 count.
For me I am away for the last comp of the 3 the Hurley Rodeo so I needed to do well to secure my place.
I’m not going to go into that much detail on my runs but I managed pretty sweet rides hit a few of my combos both days (2400 on Sat, 1600 on Sunday) to take the double win and give me a guaranteed spot on the team to compete at the Euros
Palm’s Bren Orton got two 2nd place finishes in the Juniors to get his place guaranteed and Palm’s Lowri Davies also made the team
The main thing about the weekend was the incredibly high standard, the level of kayaking here is phenomenal. To make the mens top 10 on Saturday you needed to score something like 1200 or more!! The Juniors and the ex juniors who have just moved to senior are killing it! Its a credit to the awesome setup of events such as the Youth Freestyle series and the great freestyle spots we have allover the UK.
All summer me, Bren Orton, James Benn’s, James Weight, Ryan Liqourish & David Wild have been paddling a lot together working on our moves and trying to develop new moves or combinations of merged moves. This event our whole group put on a sick showing nailing sweet rides as well as pretty much all of our combo’s we’ve invented.
The point we wanted to make by getting our combos in a comp environment was to illustrate the need for some additions or some changes to the current scoring. For example if you merge a Lunar Orbit with a Tricky Whu with a Loop it only gets scored a Trophy 3 (200) but if you were to do them seperately you would get 380… For hole kayaking we need to encourage people to learn these moves and go for them in comps so they need to be scored much higher in order to reward the risk/ skill involved to hit them.
Anyhow I had a real fun weekend and was super proud watching the standard of kayaking in all categories here. This last 3 years the standard and depth of talent here continues to explode, its so good to see.
Here is a video Jonny Williams put up of some of the action from Saturday:-
Pringle
All the results will be up soon on GB Freestyle website for those who want to see exact scores.
Photos by:- Simon Thorne, Chris Throne & Bren Orton
The post production phase of any motion picture is thoroughly time consuming, frustrating and tedious. A process that initially seems creative, enjoyable and generally feasible, however inevitably leads to an overwhelming feeling of sadness and rage.
Luckily, myself and Nick just love all those wonderful things and are currently deeply engrossed in the editing of ‘Vaniljesaus – A Kayaking Adventure’; A short film we will be bringing to the internet for FREE – and boy will it be worth none of your money!
Anyway, whilst we continue editing, here’s the all important concept trailer. There is more kayaking in the actual film, we promise.
On Saturday morning myself and the GB Youth Rafting Team were guests on BBC2′s & CBBC’s Live’N’Deadly Tv show, a great show promoting Adventure, Nature & Wildlfie. Presented by Steve Backshall & Naomi Wilkinson.
Check out the show on the BBC I Player link below:-
It was actually really fun and so good to be able to get kayaking and rafting out there to one of the most popular kids Tv shows! I actually started kayaking after seeing it on TV so if it inspires some youngsters out there to give it a try i’ll be very very happy! Look put for the Palm Harlequin rocking it with the Crocs
Photos by:- Gavin Layton
Saturday Youth Freestyle
Straight after I was done with the Live’N'Deadly show I drove as quickly as i could back to Nottingham on Saturday afternoon to go help out at the finals of this years Youth Freestyle event and to compete in the League event on the Sunday.
The drive is meant to be about 3 hours from Lee Valley to HPP however after a very early morning to do two rehearsals before the show aired at 9 I had to stop for a little sleep…
I got their just in time to do a little filming for Bren, who’ll be putting together another event edit from the day and also to help out at the Prize Giving. The place was packed with young talented kayakers, the scene in the UK is growing so well!
The young paddlers were also lucky enough to have EJ there as well as the usual helpers he was their coaching and running an “impress Ej” contest along with dishing out the prizes with myself at the end of the day.
This was the last event of the series and its a real shame its come to an end for 2011. Each event i’ve been to this year has been bigger and better than the last and the real stars are all the young up and comers who keep coming along to each event! Come next year, spread the vids around to everyone and drag your friends too! Its a really fantastic series of coaching/ competitions so get involved!
Sunday Brit Champs/ League Event
The Sunday was the League Series Finale, the comp was divided into Novice, Open & Expert Categories. In the morning myself, Claire O’hara EJ & Palm’s Junior ripper Bren all ran a few little coaching sessions for the Novice classes and then went onto compete ourselves.
The hole used for the main event was ‘Twin Waves’ its such a sick little hole, I’ve spent the last few weeks sessioning the hole everyday till its got dark pretty much paddling with the next generation coming up to the top James Benn’s, Bren Orton, Ryan Liquorish, James Weight & David Wild. Their actually kicking ass! We’ve been getting a ton of new moves, not your little usual linked stuff but full on combo moves, we’ll be putting together a new Nottingham sessions vid later in the year to showcase some of what we’ve been working on James Benn’s was even hitting tricky whu’s, mc’nasties and Tricky Loops without his paddle just using his hands today…incredible!
Now back to the event, i can’t remember full results but they’ll be up soon enough on the GB Freestyle Page The standard was super high with scores right up there! I was mostly impressed by all the young one’s rides:- James Benn’s won the Juniors with Palm’s Bren in 2nd & Matt Rodgers 3rd.
In the men I had an absolutely terrible 1st run Thankfully I pulled together an alright 2nd & 3rd run to take the win, James Weight got 2nd with some very big mc’nasties and Alan Ward was 3rd.
In my eyes the the star of the show was Ryan Liquorish who has been ripping it this summer working on all our new moves that we’ve been playing with and was the only one in the event to nail one in the comp hitting a entry kickflip linked to “Trick Loop” into ends…Very sick!
Also was really great to see Sam Ward on the water competing, he really inspired me when i used to paddle with him in Uganda and was one of the main reasons I bought my 1st Guigui, he was so sick then but the last couple years he’s had some unlucky injuries and hasn’t been able to paddle too much himself and has devoted a lot of time to coaching and helping the GB team. So its about time and very nice to see him with a big grin hucking himself around in the hole, he had some pretty sweet rides so I can’t wait to see how he’s doing after a few months training in the top class holes in the UK…keep your eye on him!
Overall another good day on the water! with sick paddling, the standard is ridiculous here! as is the Cold wind…
Thanks to Bren for the Pics, if you’ve got any young paddlers in your area tell them all about the Youth Freestyle Series and bring them down next year! Check the videos on my video page for more…
Last weekend myself and Palm’s Bren Orton drove down to Broxbourne to the Lee Valley Whitewater Course to help out at the Youth Freestyle event. It was just a little one this time but great fun.
The Youth Freestyle Series actually started the year I was away living in Uganda and I remember that before I left it was noticeable that their were hardly any juniors moving up, then when I came back to the UK a year after the series first season I couldn’t believe the quantity and the quality of the many new freestyle kayakers that had come up. It has now produced some of the most talented Juniors the UK’s ever produced like Bren Orton, James Benn’s, James Weight and Matt Rodgers. Now there are many more new talented juniors coming up and following in their paths. Its really impressive to see, the organisers are doing a fantastic job.
I’ll be helping out coaching, judging and filming at all the events I’m around in the UK for including the Washburn one happening this Saturday!
Below is the video we shot of the Lee Valley event, Edit by Bren, Filming by me & Bren:-
The new whitewater course is incredible, you have two good freestyle spots on the Legacy Course and on the Olympic Course there are 2 or 3 really good spots and many good drops and features for river skills. The course is fast and steep, its really impressive what they’ve managed to create in an artificial environment!
Photos at Lee Valley below taken by:- Doug Blanks
If you’re a young kayaker wanting to get into freestyle, or even just wanting to get into whitewater check out the Youth Freestyle Series and if I’m around don’t hesitate to ask me for advice or help, I’m very happy to help you.
Hi all. We’re back in the UK and work has begun on the film we’re making of this summer’s Norwegian Odyssey.
It’s called Vaniljesaus (Pronounced Vanilla Jesus), and will be released online here on the Palm Blog within the next few weeks. For now here’s a sneak peek….
This marks the first summer I haven’t traveled out west in a long time. The west coast gets all the glory for summertime paddling in the US and rightly so as California, the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Montana and Colorado are all at their prime right now. However it doesn’t mean that you can fully overlook the right side of the country as there are plenty of quality options! Also as I’m still in the process of healing a herniated disc the East Coast offers me some great summertime paddling close to home and a chance to get to some places I haven’t been in a while.
The best part about kayaking in the East in the summer is the heat, and that means day after day in a shortie! It’s pretty good to be on a creek run without a dry suit and a bunch of fleece. Many folks think that the water goes away here with the end of spring, not so. Summer time thunder storms, some timely dam releases, and just plain big rivers lend themselves to great paddling all the way through the dog days of August.
This year with the start of the first heat wave I packed up the van and headed North for my first paddling trip since finding out I had a herniated disc. It’s been really good to be back on the water and traveling, two of my favorite things in life. Enjoy the pictures!
Wouldn’t be complete without a little Green River action in here. The Green is one of the best rivers ever in the summertime, lots of releases, good drops, and warm temperatures. Shane and I at the put-in on retro day.
Rolling over Gorilla on Retro Day, good to be back in a boat and stomping this rapid. A 90 degree offset….well that was a little more challenging!
The van outside Moutain Man Outdoor Supply Company in Old Forge, New York home to the Moose River. Due to a lucky lightening strike the power plant was releasing water into the Bottom Moose which allowed me to get my first ever run on this iconic Adirondack river. It didn’t disappoint!
Lining up a boof on the Bottom Moose, I can’t believe it took me 20 years to get on this run. Glad I got to it I felt like I’d been doing the East Coast an injustice:)
Following Will Crimmins down Sure Form one of the great slides on the Bottom Moose
Another takeout after another great day on the water!
The view from Grace Under Pressure on Great Falls, Potomac River. Great Falls and the Potomac are one of the great urban jewels of East Coast kayaking. 20 miles downstream of this boof is the Whitehouse. It’s pretty cool kayaking resource as it has something for all levels of paddling right outside of Washington DC.
My cousin Ben and I at the Center Lines on Great Falls.
Shredding the O-deck waves in my Axiom! Great waves and great boat!
I think two of my favorite parts of a good road trip are the people you get to see and the random things you end up doing. It’s good to have a plan sometimes but sometimes you just gotta go with the flow….
Stand up Paddle Boarding on an upper section of the Potomac
Evening on Lake Placid, New York. Can’t be afraid of some different craft, my friend Christian paddling home after drinks at the Lake Placid Lodge
Speaking of different craft to where am I going with this again?…..
Never be afraid to take advantage of croquet
And above all never go anywhere without your PFD
Catch you next time and happy paddling on whatever craft this summer!
All the results will be up soon on 
James Benn’s was even hitting tricky whu’s, mc’nasties and Tricky Loops without his paddle just using his hands today…incredible!
Thankfully I pulled together an alright 2nd & 3rd run to take the win, James Weight got 2nd with some very big mc’nasties and Alan Ward was 3rd.
