After arriving Monday night in the amazing little town 2445 m above sea level in the middle of Colorados Eagle County I had two awesome days getting ready for the steep creek competition at Homestake even higher up in the mountains. Having my first practice runs down the tricky steep section I quickly got an idea what it means to race in that altitude. Having nice practice runs I felt best prepared for the Steep Creek Championships on Thursday. My first run was pretty sweet till I entered the last pool, there I got turned around and went backwards over the last drop. Lucky me was able to roll and finish the first run at forth place. So the top five lady were supposed to do a second run – both counted. It was Adriene Levknecht (USA) in the lead with an incredible advance of seven seconds to the next placed Martina Wegman from the Netherlands and Nikki Kelly out of New Zealand. Trying to catch a place on the podium in the finals I didn´t really find into the race again and ended up forth. Adriene took home the 2000 dollars price money followed by Nikki and Martina. Lou Urwin from New Zealand was the only lady who did better in the second run than in the first but finally ended up fifth. Congrats to Adriene for her absolute superior time which would have placed her under the top 15 of the mens.
The first run of the mens class was dominated by Mike Dawson (NZL) beating the time of second placed Honza Lasko by three seconds followed by Jakub Nemec in third position, both from the Czech Republic.The mens kept fighting hard in the finals and the spectators got to see sweet lines as well as good carnage down the last drop “leap of faith”. In the end the top three didn´t give any chance to the following crowd and there was a almost unbelievable finish were both Honza and Mike ended up with exactly the same time after two runs. So they shared the first place at the podium and split the price money – Jakub stayed in third position and sent off Michele Ramazza (Italy) and Sam Sutton (NZL) to the places four and five.
Team Palm paddler James”Pringle” Bebbington had a hard time in the strong mens competitors field and ended up 31th.
Having a fun day out there yesterday, got to see smooth lines, hard crashes and carnage I´m excited about todays Freestyle competition in the heart of Vail.
With spring starting off well here in the southeast I figured now would be a good time to give you a little bit of East Coast paddling tour. These are some of my favorite areas to paddle on the East Coast and highlight some of the top destination rivers. If you’re thinking of taking a trip to the East Coast, these would be good places to think about going. I’m sure I’ve missed some so feel free to add your locale in the comments section.
Western North Carolina/Eastern Tennessee/North Georgia
Paddling into the light on the West Prong of the Little Pigeon, TN
Whether you spending your time around Asheville, Chattanooga, or Knoxville this area of the southeast has plenty to offer. While its become famous for its Class V paddling with runs like the Bear, Green, Toxaway, and Ravens Fork all within easy distance it also has plenty of quality Class III-IV options. Rivers like the Chattooga, the French Broad, Wilson’s Creek, Pigeon, the Obed, the Emory, and Nolichucky give the area something for every type of paddler.
Wouldn't be complete without a picture of the Green Race, held the first weekend of November every year!
When to go: The best times to plan a paddling trip to the southeast are in March/April and September/October. This gives you the best combination of weather (flowers in the spring, leaf color in the fall) and water.
What makes it tough: Rain. It’s as simple as that. The southeast is at its best when its raining which makes it really hard to plan a trip a long way in advance. If you have to make advance plans time your trip around the numerous dam releases in the region (rivers like the Tallulah, Cheoah, and the Green) as this will give you something fun to paddle in case its dry.
What to do if it falls apart: Bring your bike. There are hundreds of miles of single-track of all skill levels with areas like Pisgah and Dupont being world-class mountain biking spots. Several shops in Asheville offer rentals as well.
Getting ready to ride a long way down
The quick hit list: For the class V paddler set your sights on the Toxaway, Ravens Fork, Linville Gorge, the Bear, Horsepasture, West Prong of the Pigeon, and Overflow (if you get half of those you’ll be stoked). For the class IV paddler take a look at Wilson’s Creek, North Fork of the French Broad, Tellico, and Watauga. For the class III paddler go for the Nantahala, Section III of the Chattooga, Pigeon, the Ocoee, the Obed, and the Big South Fork of the Cumberland.
Big Boy on the Ravens Fork (photo credit: Fergus Coffey)
West Virginia
After protests from the state residents West Virginia is back to being Wild and Wonderful, and the center of that for kayaking is Fayetteville. There aren’t many towns with the concentration and variety of paddling as Fayetteville. The Gauley, the New, the Dries of the New, Mann’s Creek, Mill Creek, Lower Meadow, and Real Mann’s are all with 30 minutes and offer some of the best playboating and creeking the East Coast has to offer.
Airing it out on another perfect day on the New River Dries
When to go: Gauley season in September and October is a must. However a well kept secret is Fayetteville in the spring when the weather starts warming up (at least a little) and you often get the rains needed to bring in the world class waves of the New River Dries and all the creeks run. Think classic class V in the morning and the biggest air blunts of your life in the afternoon. Just be prepared for some cold weather.
Can't go wrong with Gauley season
What makes it hard: Again rain. Gauley season is easy as you’ve got the releases. If you’re trying to hit the dries or some of the creeks it can again be hard to plan way in advance. However no matter what you’ll always have the New River Gorge as an option.
Some WV creeking, bring your drysuit
What to do if it falls apart: Make sure you bring your climbing gear as an alternative option as the New River Gorge is home to some of the best routes in the country.
The quick hit list: Upper and Lower Gauley, New River Dries, Manns Creek, and Mill Creek. If you have time and the water’s good you can check out some of the lesser known runs up by Morgantown and around the Cranberry drainage.
New York/Vermont
For a little New England flavor head on up to the Adirondacks of New York and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Long known as a great paddling destination by those in the area its quickly gaining popularity thanks to natural runs like the Middlebury Gorge, the New Haven, and the Grass, the area also boasts great dam release options like the Moose, the Beaver, and the Raquete.
When to go: Spring for the natural flow, when it’s good its really good. Late summer for the dam releases of the Raquete and Beaver.
What makes it hard: Brrrrrr. If you’re shooting for the natural flow you’d better have a drysuit as it can be really cold.
Falls of the New Haven
What to do if falls apart: In the springtime bring your snow sliding equipment for a little spring skiing. In the summertime pack your hiking gear and get lost in the Adirondack Park.
The quick hit list: Middlebury Gorge, Big Branch, New Haven, Grass, and if you’re lucky John’s Brook for the spring. Later on just check AW for the scheduled dam releases.
Anyone of these destinations if you hit it right will give you some of the best paddling of your life. The cool thing about each of these areas is that they offer a wide variety of other options if the kayaking isn’t happening so bring your other toys. On top of it all each area has quality dam release options as well so you can guarantee some good kayaking action if you plan your trip during those times. Have fun out there and see you on the water!
The UK’s National Student Rodeo 2010 is only 2 weeks away, and each year Palm Equipment make a custom NSR Kayak as the prize for the winning uni’s Club.
This year’s boat is a beautiful and unique Dagger Axiom in one off lime green, with NSR decals to finish it off…
To find out more about NSR, the world’s biggest freestyle competition (no, reallly, 750 competitors), visit:
