My Goal is simple.  It’s to stay motivated and passionate about my sport.  The best way for me to do that is by continuing to look for new and exciting challenges. 

When I started in the sport I was motivated by pushing the extreme limit of what could be kayaked.  After setting several world records and over 50 first descents I started losing interest because it didn’t present the same challenge that it once did for me.

My next challenge was freestyle…

The summer of 2011 has treated both coasts to epic storms and unheard of amounts of water. The Pacific Northwest hasn’t experienced any dramatic flooding, but any local paddler knows that it has been a great year for boating. My favorite local runs including the White Salmon, Cispus, and Lewis River have all kept stable flows late into the summer and still have healthy amounts of water. 

The highlight of my summer has undoubtedly been the significant amount of time I’ve been able to…

I just partnered with Zozi.  Our goal is to create custom kayaking experiences with me that anyone can sign up for.  We will have custom experiences that cater to kayakers of all skill levels. 

Within the next month you will see these custom trips at Zozi.com.

Hope to see you on one of these trips!

Tao

Tatlow Creek is 100% classic BC class V.  There's a brutal 4x4 road, heinous bushwacking, huge mandatory drops, and giant trees that you need to boof next to.  You will also find crystal clear water that you can drink right out of the river, two 20 footers, two 30 footers, a 40 footer, and an absolutely spectacular gorge that you would be hard-pressed to beat for scenery.  If you are up to the challenge, it will deliver and then some!

The hike-in is up a mountain, and then a…

As a tall person (6'3") I have had a few encounters with the front of my cockpit while running larger drops.  After breaking my nose on one of these a few years ago I have sought a way to remedy this issue.  What I have done is implemented a simple solution.  I applied foam to the front of my cockpit rim.  If done right, it is not intrusive and has saved me from some large hits.

I first put a layer of adhesive on the rim and add the first piece of foam.  What I have right now…

In California, once all the snow has melted and the high sierra runs are finished for the year, we struggle for a few months to find fun rivers to paddle until the rain starts again. Fortunately, there are several reliable dam released river to keep us occupied. One of these is the Burnt Ranch section of the Trinity River. This awesome run is a class IV-IV+ and is filled with fun boofs and rapids in a gorgeous canyon. Check out the video created by Daniel Brasuell from one of the times we…

Labrador Air Safari: It might not be legal to strap a boat to the pontoon and have James sit on a milkcrate in the cargo area, but it saved us 500 dollars.

Tripp, James and I are back from Quebec! Well, we’ve been back for a few weeks now, but between the Labor Day releases in New York and sneaking food from the Middlebury Dining Hall, it’s been hard to pull together a blog post. I went to the Romaine last year, full of idealism about the "Last Descent."…

What a summer in Cali! The goods just never stopped. I was blessed with the opportunity to get on the Middle San Joaquin again this year and what an amazing place this is. Day one of the trip there's this awesome drop that has a sticky hole in the beginning and then a rolling falls that requires a good boof stroke. Well I blew the line up top and paid the price at the bottom. It seems that most of the footage out there is people stylin'…

The world's largest dam removal project began yesterday on Washington's Elwha River.  The removal two dams--210 foot tall Glines Canyon Dam and 108 foot tall Elwha Dam--will restore whitewater and salmon spawning habitat that's been cut off for 100 years.  The project will take about 3 years to complete and, once…

Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of the Fall boating season in New England. There's boating all summer, but as the leaves start to change and 'peeping' season begins in earnest, the rain starts to actually bring rivers up for more than a few hours at a time. I've been to the Labor Day Beaver/Raquette releases for a few years now, and they're always a blast. This year, we rallied up Friday night straight to Colton. After a healthy breakfast at the local diner, we spent all day lapping…

Big wave trains are good for the soul.  They induce smiles, giggles and fun!  I’ve been fortunate enough to paddle some of the bigger rivers in the world including the White Nile in Africa, the Slave River in the Northwest Territories, the Ottawa, the Grand Canyon, the Salmon and I highly recommend the big water experience.  To paddlers who learn to kayak on low volume rivers big…

This year, as in most, there's been some quality online media shared of the paddling in the Pacific Northwest. 

Both "Currents" and "Bomb Flow Video…

I put this blog post up few weeks back about an intense run in Southwestern BC, Fear Canyon of the Elaho.  Here is the video of my first run down the river...

I have to say that the Nomad 8.5 is definitely my happy place for large volume…