Walk on Water is a very inspirational whitewater kayaking film that you need to watch.

Here is the description on the Youtube:

When a skiing accident left Greg Mallory paralyzed from the waist down, he turned to whitewater kayaking to help him escape his wheelchair. Now he's an accomplished Class V whitewater paddler who finds strength, challenge and meaning in paddling rivers. This is his story.

Walk on Water was directed by Andy Maser who has shot several other whitewater films for both PBS and National Geographic. Check out his website where he has a very good documentary he put together about the largest dam removal project in the US. It’s called Oregon Field Guide Special: The White Salmon River Runs Free. If you are into exploding dams and huge flood water it will be right up your alley.

Thanks for Bryan for the heads-up.

Flicking through a fabulous collection of our supreme leader, Kim Jong-un looking at stuff, I discovered that North Korea is using the latest and greatest in outdoor safety technology.

What do we see below on these fine-young sky divers heads? Yep, those are Pro-Tec helmets circa 1994? It goes to show that a well-designed product that is basically just moulded plastic will last forever. In fact if you go to any good white water paddling school and you are bound to see a bucket full of these bad-boys ready to be rented out to students for $5 a day.

If you are keen at keeping with the latest North Koran trends you can still get one of those classic designs if you know where to look (ahem, Ebay).

Interested in seeing what else our leader approved of or at least stared at? Here is the full collection below.

Top photo credit: Reno_Whitewater_Kayak_0179 | Flickr - RenoTahoe http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en_CA / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

 

Kokatat is proud to announce that professional whitewater kayaker and  2012 Canoe and Kayak Male Paddler of the Year, Isaac Levinson, has officially joined its team of elite athletes.

The twenty-three year-old Atlanta native began his paddling career as a whitewater slalom racer.  Levinson’s strong foundation of slalom skills has brought success on the extreme racing circuit, where he has been a fixture on podiums over the last several years.

“Everyday on the river is an adventure for me; I’ve been able to kayak in some amazing places and push my personal limits on challenging whitewater,” Levinson said. “I’ve always been a big fan of Kokatat gear, and I’m excited to be joining their team and representing the company.”

Most recently, Levinson was given the coveted Canoe and Kayak Male Paddler of the Year Award at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2012.

He was the 2011 Green Race champion and North America’s top finisher in the inaugural AWP Whitewater World Series.  Keeping close to his slalom roots, Levinson competed in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and finished ninth in the highly competitive K-1 class.

Levinson will be wearing and providing feedback on various Kokatat products including the new Kokatat Maximus Prime.  The Prime is the Type 5 rescue version of Kokatat’s latest and most advance PFD platform.

Levinson joins Kokatat’s distinguished group of paddle sport athlete ambassadors that includes among others such luminaries in the sport as Dane and Eric Jackson, Jesse Coombs, Paul Kuthe, and Adriene Levknecht the Canoe and Kayak Female Paddler of the Year.

For the full roster of Kokatat athletes and ambassador team members visit http://www.kokatat.com/team.

Jackson Kayak will formally unveil two new whitewater kayaks and a Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jackson Kayak’s new Star series, now production ready, the groundbreaking Karma creek boats alongside the new SUPerCHARGER Stand Up Paddleboard were designed and manufactured at the company’s factory in Sparta, Tenn., and will be on full display throughout the expo.

The two new kayaks are an addition to Jackson Kayak’s highly successful line of freestyle, river running, creek and all water lines that have kept Jackson Kayak at the lead in market share and units sold. The SUP is a new direction for Jackson.

For the latest line of kayaks, Jackson Kayak returned to the successful partnership in design of David Knight and Eric “EJ” Jackson to produce a full upgrade to their leading freestyle Star series as well as adding depth to the creek/river running line leaning on the success of the 2012 Zen hull design with added creek-savvy innovation. Leading designer Tony Lee teamed with whitewater industry veteran Ken “Hobie”Hoeve to bring Jackson Kayak to a new stage in river craft with his introduction of the SUPerCHARGER, a SUP designed for running rivers and whitewater play. 

Kayak: Star Series
Ready for World Championships Freestyle Kayak- Three sizes, like our past Star series, Star, All-Star, Super Star. Going for more user friendly than the Rock Stars but super high performance. Main differences from past 2010 All-Star, or 2012 Rock Star will be having a longer boat, again, with some of the benefits being slicier smoother feel, but still huge loops and aerial moves. Visual will be a very sexy boat, less stubby. The Stars will focus on lighter weight, fast, smooth, balanced and easy to paddle.
MSRP: $1199
STAR Length: 67” Width: 25-3/8” Volume: 51-1/8 gal
ALL STAR Length: 70-1/2” Width: 26-5/8” Volume: 59-3/8 gal
SUPER STAR Length: 73-5/8” Width: 27-3/4” Volume: 67-5/8 gal

"Star Quote - EJ"

Karma
Jackson Kayak’s Fourth Generation Creek Boat in the past 9 years takes a big leap forwards. The Karma takes a turn towards speed, stability, and carving. Following up from the success of the 2012 Zen hull design, the Karma takes the speed and performance of it’s sister craft and is built for the tight lines and drops of the creek. Fast, stable, and forgiving, with predictable turning, boofing, and a bow that rises over anything in its way. The Karma will be released in October, 2012 in two sizes.
MSRP: $$1199
KARMA M Length: 8’6” Width: 26” Volume: 83 gal
KARMA L Length: 8’11” Width: 27” Volume: 96 gal

"Karma Quote - EJ"

 

SUP: SUPerCHARGER
This board is by far the most stable, stiff, durable and versatile river running SUP ever made. Constructed out of the same material as our whitewater kayaks it gives riders the ability to surf standing waves and paddle the most difficult rapids with ease. Its channel bottom hull and removable fins allow it to track yet spin quickly. It’s the board that will outlast and outperform in the river environment.

MSRP – $799
Length – 9’ 8” Width – 36” Weight –45 lbs

"I have paddled every type of SUP in whitewater and the SUPercharger is BY FAR the most stable and river worthy board I have ever used. It has it all. Superior stability, incredibly durable and versatile and it punches thru holes and waves yet allows the paddler to turn quickly. It makes any section of river more fun and instills confidence in it's paddler. This is the one board that anyone can hop on and immediately feel the stability and charge the river." – Ken Hoeve, JK SUP Guru

About Jackson Kayak: Jackson Kayak was founded in 2003 by Eric Jackson. Currently located in Sparta, Tenn., near the Caney Fork River, Jackson Kayak designs, builds, and manufactures a multitude of models. Their products are all made in the USA. Their line of high quality kayaks includes whitewater, creeking, touring, environmental, and fishing. Converting an old Levi’s Jeans factory into their manufacturing headquarters, Jackson Kayak has assisted not only in furthering the kayak industry but also promoting the economy of Sparta.

There is Olympic pressure then Olympic pressure knowing that your mother is a judge...

From stuff.co.nz:

Kiwi kayaker Mike Dawson has to contend with mother Kay being one of the judges at his K1 slalom event - and yesterday she pinged him for touching a gate.

He still made it through to the semifinals at the Lee Valley White Water Centre in northeast London, despite the 2-second penalty, and was able to laugh off his mum's intervention.

“Mum is super into it," Dawson, from Tauranga, said. "In fact I don't think she even knows when I'm coming through.

“I hit it [gate 5] and she gave me my touch. I wasn't sure it was a touch, so we'll sort that one out later.

“I am stoked she is here judging, and the sport is set up in a way that it has no impact on the result.”

Photo credit: IAIN McGREGOR/ Fairfax NZ

Not sure who picked this photo for the newspaper advertisement but I’m glad they did. It totally made my night.

The photo caption says: "Kayaking doesn't have to be all adrenaline all the time. On Virginia's Eastern Shore you can combine wine tasting with a gentle kayak excursion."

Image Credit: criggo.com

The Eddyline Restaurant and Brewing Company in Buena Vista, Colorado is looking the official photo for their new boater beer can. If you want to get in, post the low resolution photo to their Facebook wall and they will get in touch if they like it.

$200 REWARD!!! We need a perfect picture for our boater beer can! We need a picture of a crashing wave where the water is clear, the tongue leading into the wave is glassy and the top of wave is white and frothy! This needs to be a head on shot where the crashing foam pile takes up the top third of the picture. This pic will be the background of the Can'O'whitewater! In addition to the $200 we will let the winner help with the initial canning run, get two free cases of beer and will be famous to the Eddyline community! We would keep all rights to the picture. Post a low res version here, email us, or drop by and show us.

I would say 90% of this video are bang-on for whitewater paddlers so I want to know when somebody is going to put together one for sea kayakers?

Here is my working list so far but feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.

“You can only roll 3 different ways?!”
“Pungo’s are not real kayaks.”
“I don’t care what colour my new drysuit and PFD are as long as they are black.”
“How do you like my beard?”
“The waves on the lake were at least 10 feet high.”
“Hold on, I left my Tilley hat in the car.”
To the store clerk, “Does this come in black?”

I could hardly finish watching this video of whitewater kayakers paddling a flood swollen river and I lost count after the 4^th near drowning. The really scary thing is that the whole video seems to be shot on the same day with the same 4-5 guys.

Looks like they would do well to invest in some swift water rescue training to save them from being nominated for future a Darwin Award.

If you are at work, stop at the 5:30 mark as it gets NSFW at the end.

Plattling, Germany – Freestyle kayaking is alive and well and growing.

Every two years when the World Championships are held, the spotlight shines on the relatively new paddlesports discipline, providing an excellent opportunity to reflect on the progress of the sport.

All signs from this year’s event, about to start here this week, are that freestyle is on a healthy trajectory. From internal affairs and infrastructure to outward participation and attention to the sport, freestyle kayaking shows all the signs of maturing on the global stage.

This year alone, three new countries are making their debut on the freestyle kayaking global stage as canoe and kayak federations in Slovenia, India and Argentina send their first athletes to this World Championships. In all, some 250 athletes representing 30 countries will participate in the event.

ICF Freestyle Kayak Committee Chair Luis Rabaneda of Spain touted a number of other milestones for the sport since the last World Championship in Thun, Switzerland two years ago.