Chris Gragtmans's Page

Well, the snow has been falling. And falling, and falling, and falling. To be honest, I'm over it!

Recently us Asheville-ians have been looking further south to get our paddling fix, and the Chattooga watershed has been a great destination.

The annual Chattooga Race occurred a while back, and it was a super fun event as always. That thing is nothing short of brutal, at around 25 minutes in length, but you can't beat lining up for a 30 person mass start! Absolutely awesome.

… Continue

I've always thought of kayaking as being a sport in which you try to achieve synchrony with the river, not fight against it. I think that the best paddlers are able to put in very little effort to get their boat where it needs to go. This is true even in the most massive, convoluted, class VI rapid.

One tool that I've always found very useful for my own paddling is learning how to interact with curlers. For the purpose of this discussion I'm going to include pillows as well, because they requir… Continue

Greetings all!

So before I start this little novella, I'm going to have to knock on some proverbial wood. I like to share my thoughts on these matters based on my experience, but whitewater is an inherently dangerous medium, and I hope I don't jinx myself by putting forward some guidelines to maximize your time on the water, and minimize your time in the hospital/on the injured list. I have learned a couple of things over the years though. The following are some tips that I tried to share with… Continue

So I was fortunate enough to do some work for Liquid Skills Kayak School this summer on the Ottawa River. The Ottawa has been a staple in my yearly schedule since I learned how to paddle there when I was 11, and it was awesome to work with the Skills this summer. Check them out if you're trying to get world class instruction on the Ottawa River...

Liquid Skills Website

Myself showing one of my clients, Daniella, through McCoy's Rapid.… Continue

Greetings All!

Just checking in from beautiful Asheville, NC. It's been a sick summer and I finally have the computer time to put up some updates. Included is the first of many. This summer I was able to hit the Taureau section of the Jacques Cartiere River with my buddy Adam Herzog. This region of the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec is nothing short of epic, and I don't seem to grow tired of visiting it.

This was my first time on the Taureau, and I've been wanting to get on "the Linville of th… Continue