Indholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2020 i Kayak Session Magazine

COVID changed the world in many ways. For us paddlers, the simple desire to travel beyond our borders became impossible. The dream of discovering new places, new cultures, and new runs would have to wait. First, we had to stay inside, which allowed us to appreciate the ability to just be out there on the water, regardless of where it was. Then (maybe because we are human), we started to want more. That is why we collectively - at our own pace – began to go re-explore and rediscover our backyards and realize just how lucky we are. In many ways, in many different forms, we found gold. Whatever our paddling skills and experience levels, this summer, we all found ourselves paddling our local runs more than usual or even…

THE ESCAPE Standing in a remote Guatemalan village in late March 2020, I realized everything was changing. Before I could grasp the larger-scale developments, I suddenly needed to escape the secluded, self-sufficient oasis where I was working. After racing through roadblocks and a tense border into the Mexican state of Chiapas, while driving the rim overlooking the turquoise gem of the famous Rio Santo Domingo, I couldn't help wondering when I would next be able to paddle other recondite waters around the globe. My plan for the summer and fall had been to return to British Columbia for the annual autumn harvest of expedition-style boating, and I was gutted when I heard the Canadian border had closed to Americans, even though I knew it was for a good reason. Where…

The efforts of motivated paddlers, non-profit organizations, and other community-led endeavors are a fundamental reason we can enjoy access to world-class whitewater paddling opportunities worldwide. Non-profits and grassroots groups play a particularly important role in conservation and recreation work and are often the driving force behind projects and initiatives that might otherwise be overlooked. Yet their success and existence depend on the broad support of the paddling community, as well as financial support from individual donors, paying members, and the philanthropy of businesses who make their work possible. BUSINESSES' ROLE IN ELEVATING THE WORK OF NON-PROFITS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Industry support, volunteerism, and private donors make all of this necessary work possible, and businesses play a significant role in conservation and recreation work through philanthropy. The much-needed financial support makes…

Rivers are dynamic systems, something we know intuitively as paddlers. We follow their flow gages, nearby weather patterns, and headwaters snowpack levels, all to determine when they will be flowing at the perfect level we've been waiting for. As their flows rise, our heart rates do too. It's a signal that one of, if not the, key ingredients for quality river time is the quantity of water flowing down a river at any given time. Yet that rise and fall of dynamic river flows also significantly affects river health, water quality, and fish and wildlife habitat. The timing and quantity of flows in a river are critical to both ecosystem health and paddle sports. Over the years, American Whitewater has frequently used this concept to further our stewardship work. In…

NEWS AND HAPPENINGS PADDLE SPORTS SHOW 2021, SEPT. 29TH - OCT. 1ST 2021, LYON (FRANCE) We are pleased announce a new Sports Show, which will take place in Lyon, France, in the first week of October 2021. Organized by the Kayak Session Publishing crew, the show will be more than just a trade show; the vision is to create an ecosystem of events and happenings, giving even more reasons to come and exhibit or visit for distributors, paddle enthusiasts, dealers, athletes, and manufacturers alike. The show will be held on the bank of the river Rhône, the perfect location to host an on-water demo day. A film festival, a trade show, a symposium, with talks and awards; the new annual international paddlesports industry rendezvous is waiting for you. thepaddlesportshow.com. THE…

Total distance: Around 800 km, with 9000 m of elevation The highest elevation in one day: 1824 meters in altitude The highest recorded bike speed: 80.4 km/h Rivers paddled: 10 Days on the road: 22 Route: From Rosenheim, Germany, up the Inntal Cycle Path and then east to Lofer. From there, head south over the Großglockner High Alpine Road into Mölltal Valley and on to Lienz in East Tyrol. Up the Isel Cycle Path and through Defereggental over Stallersattel Pass towards South Tyrol. Then down the Rienz River towards Bolzano and on to Merano. Then up the Passer Valley and over Timmlsjoch Pass (2509m) into Ötztal. Then, back home, be it Innsbruck, Rosenheim, or Augsburg. Rivers paddled: Saalach (Lofer Devil’s Gorge), Isel (lower and Virgen Canyon), Defereggenbach, Reinbach, Etsch, Passer…

How did it all start for you? Rumor has it, your parents were runners and climbers who made you wait until you could swim before joining the local paddle club. True? Yeah, that’s right. I grew up in the Lake District, a great place for outdoor activities. My dad took me fell running and orienteering, but I was not very good at it and found it really tough. I loved the lakes where we grew up and always had a yearning to get out on the water. To join the local canoe club, you had to swim 50 meters, two full lengths of our local pool. I was nine when I finally made it down and back. Why was kayaking so attractive at that early age? What was the club…

March 26th, 2000: Two years earlier, Eric Seymour had told me that a pink whitewater kayak proudly displayed in his dorm room on the "Outdoor Discovery" floor at Western State College would change my life. Now, as I watch Eric ride the pink "Devil" wide-eyed and backward over the most horrific looking horizon line I have ever seen, I finally realize what he meant. I’m going to watch him die! Scampering/stumbling down the bank, my mind swirls between horror, sadness, and anger. “What the fuck are we doing here? We have absolutely no business being on this river,” I say just as I hear the first "Hoot!" Cresting the granite bluff, I see Eric in the pool below, hovering over his pink vessel and waving his black paddle like an…

On a tour of this kind, it helps to be overly optimistic: 1) The mosquitoes are gone. 2) After the heat, it has cooled down. 3) There will be additional water for the waterfalls tomorrow, and levels have been low anyway. The reality I try to suppress: It is shortly after midnight, I lie huddled in my sleeping bag, and water runs down my face as if I am paddling whitewater. The thunderstorm is now passing over us for the third time. Like a drunkard, it staggers from valley to valley, vomiting its effusions over us. Hours ago, we were happy to have found a roof. Now we dream of walls because the rain lashes horizontally, soaking us as we all pretend to sleep. By bike, we’ve been pulling our…

With the competitive kayak season for 2020 mostly canceled, as for so many other sports, it has been an easy time to lose the motivation to stay fit, train for the specific endeavor you are interested in competing in, or even kayaking at all. When there are social distancing challenges, a lack of social gatherings that add a fun factor to the trip, and a lack of festivals, events, competitions, etc., is there still a sport to train for? What is the point, anyhow, when you can just go kayaking for fun and not worry about it? “IT ISN'T EASY TO "MAKE TIME" TO PADDLE IF YOU VIEW IT AS 100% RECREATIONAL, AND THERE ARE NO "GOALS" YOU ARE STRIVING FOR.” In case you haven’t already picked up on it,…

The Ganga (Ganges) River runs 2,704 kilometers southeast from the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Named after the Hindu goddess of purification, for Hindus, the Ganga River is pure and sacred. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganga River will offer forgiveness of their sins, bringing them closer to moksha, or enlightenment. Pilgrims travel from all over the world to bathe in the Ganga and to disperse the ashes of family members. Unfortunately, ashes are not the only thing disposed of in the Ganga River, says Naina Adhikari, India’s top female kayaker. “It has become habitual for people to dispose of waste into the rivers. They do not realize the impact it has on the ecosystem,” says Naina. It’s a problem…