Indholdsfortegnelse for KS#56 (winter 2015) i Kayak Session Magazine

Three of the major African whitewater treasures may soon be lost to hydropower development: a first dam on the White Nile has already flooded half the whitewater and a second is imminent; a dam that would inundate the Batoka Gorge of the Zambezi is slated to begin construction soon; and a mega dam is proposed on the Inga Rapids of the Congo (see News in this issue). If these dams go through they will be significant losses to the global whitewater community, not to mention the widespread impacts on local communities and ecosystems. In the quest to fuel economic growth, which one could not deny is necessary for bringing millions on the continent out of poverty, rivers throughout Africa will undoubtedly be targets for hydropower development. As rampant as hydroelectric…

Exiting the Delhi airport is an assault on the senses. Amidst a cacophohy of horns, cars, and human voices, we are swarmed by aggressive cabbies trying to herd us to their vehicles. We opt for a crowded public bus ride through the city center, en route to the domestic airport. Accompanied by the pungent aroma of spices, food and fruit mingled with the stench of dead dogs, urine and decomposing garbage, we witness desperate lives in the poorest sections of the city while engaging the lovely, cordial smiles and friendly queries of the locals sitting next to us on the bus. It is this contrast that draws us to India again and again. Out of our team of five from the Czech Republic (Martin Bouzek, Petr Snizek, Martin Kadrle, Jakub…

The Ottawa River is legendary in the competitive freestyle scene. Packing a variety of great summer surf options, it was the site of the 1997 World Championships at McCoy’s Rapid AND the notorious 2007 Buseater Worlds, where the massive wave overshadowed everything else about the competition. Ask a paddler who was at either competition and you’ll hear all about the waves, the players and the drama; but for everyone else in the world a few photos are the only proof they happened. To address this fact, in recent years the ICF has focused on making sure the bi-annual World’s site can pack in a crowd and also attract enough media to broadcast the show far beyond the riverbank. We’ve seen this ‘event experience’ bar raised time and time again: the…

A QUEST FOR PERFECTION Sofi Reinoso (Mex) and Sage Viselli Donnelly (USA) are two of the latest additions to a special class of kayaker: the kind striving for perfection by doing it all. In this column I will catch up with them to find out about the drawbacks and advantages to such an approach to paddling. One thing is for sure – it is not always easy. Crossing between competitive disciplines is not a new concept –Evan Garcia (US) was the junior freestyle World Champion in 2007 and Nouria Newman (FRA) was junior freestyle World Champion in 2009. Other whitewater legends such as Juanito de Ugarte (Peru) and Louise Emma Jull (NZ) started their kayaking careers on the slalom courses around the world. At a young age of 19, Sofi…

NEWS AND HAPPENINGS Buyers Guide 2016 Once again Kayak Session and PaddleExpo have teamed up to bring you the ultimate guide to gear and equipment for all your paddling desires. Showcasing the latest and greatest and the tried and true, there is no better place to see what the world of paddlesports has to offer. Available with KS 56 and free online, there is no reason not to check it out!! www.kayaksession.com sHOrT FiLM OF THe yeAr Once again we have received an amazing collection of short film submissions, and now comes the challenging work of picking the winners! The top six finalists will be announced in early December and the top three will be selected before the turn of the New Year. Check out the exciting entries, all less…

KS: You are from Northern England where football (soccer) is an institution. How did you end up in a kayak? bo: i grew up just outside of liverpool in a little town called warrington.we went on a school trip to the lake district and got to try a bunch of different sports – hiking, climbing and kayaking. i had tried a lot of sports growing up and had never found anything that really fit me. kayaking fits me and i was completely hooked on it from day one. KS: Did you, like many Europeans, start in a club that was focused on slalom paddling? How did that go? bo: the first club i joined was pretty much all slalom. i did okay at it until i learnt how to stern…

The main focus of the trip is the northern Norwegian county of Finnmark, and our goal is to run about a dozen auspicious looking rivers, a number of which will only be accessible by foot. We also intend to paddle several rivers close to Sarek National Park in Sweden. It has taken nearly two years of scouring Google Earth and pouring over detailed hiking maps to work out a list of must-run rivers, but finally plans are laid and in July 2015 Ulrich (Kitt) Kittelberger, Jens Reinhold, Peter Luppa, and myself (Sebbi Gründler) abandon our 9-5 jobs for a trip to the far north. Heading first for Sweden, we leave Nuremberg in Kitt’s mothership and begin our mission to Sarek National Park. Stopping only for gas and snacks, we crank…

With so many rivers buried under lakes or dried by irrigation and power demands, our whitewater resources are usually limited to “what’s left over.” Thankfully, places are starting to remove decommissioned dams that are past their prime, resurrecting whitewater not seen by modern eyes, not to mention plastic kayaks. The town of Columbus, Georgia took down two cement safety hazards to reveal the existing rapids beneath, then put some civic money towards enhancing them. The result is a new, deep South paddling hotspot where fun, bouncy whitewater draws kayakers, rafters, and tourists year round. THOSE WHO CAN’T MANAGE TO SQUEEZE BOATING INTO THEIR DAYLIGHT HOURS CAN STILL GET THEIR FIX SINCE THE ISLAND AND GOOD WAVE ARE LIT UNTIL 11 PM EACH EVENING. Kayaking is a fringe adventure sport and…

TWO-YEAR BLOCKADE STALLS BARAM DAM, BORNEO The great majority of us have seen and experienced the impacts of hydroelectric development, either in our home watersheds or while traveling. In threatened watersheds far from home, it’s easy to get caught up in our paddling agenda, only pausing momentarily to consider the local’s situation. But stopping to learn what’s going on, showing our support, and getting a message out to the wider world can all be helpful – for the local people and for the river itself. Imagine life in an isolated village near a river where daily survival depends on what the currents bring. One day, people you never heard of announce that they are going to flood the valley, or dry out the river. There is nothing more normal than…

PRIJON | CURVE 2.5 Smaller and lighter paddlers will immediately feel comfortable in the Curve 2.5 thanks to its dynamics and agility.Its light weight and optimized measurements simplify its handling. The cockpit rim, which has been widened towards the back, improves the mobility of the paddler. The broad bent-up tip provides safety, its pronounced edges high initial stability and maximum agility. The Curve 2.5 PRO is equipped with an aluminum shock-absorber plate as a standard feature. An excellent contact to the boat is provided by the new 2016 PRO-fitting which transfers every move of the paddler directly to the boat. LENGTH: 258 CM - WIDTH: 66 CM - VOLUME: 250 L - WEIGHT: 19 KG - PADDLER WEIGHT RANGE: 60 - 85 KG - LEVEL: HIGH END - DIFFERENT SIZE…