Indholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2020 i Kayak Session Magazine

Sharing new frontiers has been a passion of ours, an obsession, almost, since the very first issue of Kayak Session. We love to share new paddling destinations with our readers in the hopes of inspiring and inciting excitement about the sport, helping to keep things fresh because there is nothing worse than feeling stuck in a routine, even in kayaking. Sparking inspiration to add new rivers and events to your list starts with the news. While the news could be seen as obsolete in the age of social media, we feel it still has a place. By correlating what is happening around the world in one place, in one location, we see our sport’s impressive global span. In this issue alone, we see a festival organized at the bottom of…

Columbus, Georgia, was not a whitewater city when I was growing up. Yet, I now find myself speaking to the third world-champion this small town on the Alabama/Georgia border has produced or lured in with its irresistible combination of easy-access, year-round boating, and warm water. “The Wintering Grounds?” I repeat, immediately picturing my favorite Game of Thrones character. “Yes, it’s a spot the cities of Columbus, Ga, and Phenix City, Al, make available for the whitewater community so they can come live near the river and train during the winter?” Oh, right. The Wintering Grounds…… What is going on out there on the Chattahoochee River? Who is this new Junior World Champion? Meet 16-year-old Mason Hargrove from Phenix City, Alabama: your current Junior Freestyle World Champion, and one extraordinary human…

Depending on where you live and where you like to paddle, access to the river of your choosing may be something that is nearly guaranteed or something that is continuously under threat. Threats to rivers and access to them include dams, human water consumption, commercial development, private ownership, extractive activities such as dredging, mining, and logging - and much more. Like any activity intended to advocate or inspire social change, saving access to a river can involve a number of tactics and activities- and the right ones to use depends on several factors. Some of the most important factors being the type of closure, the ownership of the land where the access closure is, local, regional, and federal/national laws relating to river access, and liability/safety concerns. Though no single tactic…

In southern Montana, the clear waters of East Rosebud Creek tumble through the bedrock of a world etched by glaciers. In the spring, icy runoff from the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness creates miles of rapids that roar in an almost un-navigable tempest. At mid-flows, it piques the interest of every boater who has wondered if they’re ready for Class V. Low flows attract devout anglers hoping to outsmart trout or Montana whitefish. In the last twenty years, three different dam proposals have threatened this creek. The last time, in 2009, groups like American Rivers, Friends of East Rosebud, and many others dug deep and fought hard, and, on August 2, 2018, twenty miles of East Rosebud Creek received its Wild and Scenic designation. One of the advocates who helped to preserve this…

NEWS AND HAPPENINGS DURANCE FESTIVAL 2020 IS BACK! The 2020 edition of the Durance Festival Whitewater Sessions will take place this year on July 10, 11 and 12th. Bigger and better than ever, this year the menu features a creek race called the Guil Gorge Chrono on the Chateau Queyras Gorge, clinics (Waterfall Freeride, River Sup, Girl Power, Safety, Open Canoe), an exhibitor’s village with tons of gear to test, a Sup Race, an open air cinema in the evening, and a big stoke float on Sunday called La Grande Descente. New this year: a second-hand market and a canoe rally on Saturday on Lower Guil or the Upper Durance depending on the water levels! For more info, visit durancefestival.com. NRS PADDLE FACES 2020 IS ON! Kayak Session is excited…

Freestyle is magic. It is the ability to dance with the water, listen to it and use it for your purpose. Learning the freestyle fundamentals will not only let you do tricks but also bring you to a totally different level of kayaking by allowing you to gain confidence on the river and be more comfortable and controlled in challenging situations. First off, let’s start with one of the most key fundamental skills- a double pump. The double pump can be a ground-breaking move for freestyle adepts as it unlocks the gate to vertical moves. Whether you want to fly off waves, cartwheel and wave wheel your way downstream, or turn waterfalls into a playground, it all starts with the double pump. The Double Pump is a technique that allows…

Anterior shoulder dislocations are common kayaking injuries. The longer you paddle, the more likely that you or someone in your paddling posse will dislocate their shoulder. This injury often happens in remote locations. Hence, it’s important to know how to recognize this injury and help reduce the dislocation if you can! Currently, the general medical body of thinking is that it’s better to relocate or reduce the shoulder as soon as possible. If you have dislocated your shoulder or been around anyone who has dislocated their shoulder, you know how extremely painful the experience is! But, pain aside, any dislocated shoulder is considered a medical emergency because if blood flow to the limb is cut off due to the dislocation, there is a risk of the limb dying. HOW DO…

JACKSON ADVENTURES | ZEN 3 M The Zen 3.0 takes the attributes of prior generations of Zens and makes them even better.The Zen 3.0 stays on top of the water better than any previous design. It is a dry, confidence-inspiring ride, especially when the river gets steep.The hull combines an amazingly fun zippy feel, with carving, gliding, and surfing, while adding a new level of stability.The ease of staying right side up is incredible, while the confidence it provides is welcome on any river. It boofs, surfs, and plugs…. versatility doesn’t mean compromise! Your new favorite river runner will also be your new favorite creek boat. LENGTH: 254 CM/8’4’’ | WIDTH: 68 CM/26.75’’ | HEIGHT: 38 CM/15’’ | VOLUME: 337 L/89 G | WEIGHT: 20 KG/45 LB |…

It's the dream of every outdoor enthusiast, especially kayakers, to visit the Himalayas at least once in their lifetime. Why? Think of the highest mountain range in the world. Combine this with massive rainfalls in monsoon season, and it stands to reason that at the right time and place, there must be enormous whitewater. Last summer, Olaf Obsommer and I decided to find out just how big. We gathered a team of paddlers, luring them with our dream of exploring the wildest waters in east Tibet at the height of monsoon season. You don't head into the world's highest mountains, at an altitude of 4000 meters, without being ready for adventure. While we knew going in this wasn't a mission where we could measure our success by the number of…

Southern Siberia is a magical place. Venture into the Altai mountains, and you'll soon find yourself in deep in the wilderness, lost (or found) in uninhabited places, surrounded by endless coniferous forests, alpine meadows, and big water rivers. The rivers of the Altai form the basis of legends for the Russian whitewater community; legends and rivers whose reputations spread beyond the Iron Curtain to inspire generations of paddlers. Nestled among the towering mountains of the Altai republic are the vertical walls of the Bashkaus River’s lower gorge. Here, through silence and wild nature, the magic of the Altai is revealed as nowhere else. BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN The world was a different place in the 1960s and 70s. The Cold War was in full force, with the majority of the…

Thales of Miletus, widely regarded as a kind of ‘founding philosopher ’ in the Greek tradition, was one of the first to break with the use of mythology to explain the natural world, and instead turned to theories and hypotheses, an essential precursor to the modern scientific method. He observed how vital water was to the world around him and believed that ultimately, all matter consists of water. Turns out, he wasn’t that far off. All matter is made up of the same stuff as water (atoms), and humans, at least, are made up of over half water. He theorized a little too broadly, but the importance of water to the world and life as we know it cannot really be overstated. Thales was also a believer in hylozoism, the…

Paddler: Koby Trinker Location: Gold Stream River, BC, Canada Photography: Daniel Stewart Paddler: Benny Marr Location: The Rib, Ottawa River, Canada Photography: Daniel Stewart Paddler: Nick Troutman Location: Detain Falls, China Photography: Dane Jackson Paddler: James Huser Location: Adams River, BC, Canada Photography: Daniel Stewart Paddler: Ottilie Robinson-Shaw Location: Hurley Weir, United Kingdom Photography: Peter Holcombe Paddler: Aniol Serrasolses Location: Grand Canyon of the Stikine, Canada Photography: Chris Korbulic…