Our weekend in Buena Vista Colorado for the CKS PaddleFest was filled with paddling and competing, and racing and tons of fun with family and friends. The freestyle event was held on the whitewater park in South Main as well as the annual Numbers race on the Numbers sections of the Arkansas. It was an epic couple days hanging out in South Main with friends and family, and I can’t wait to go back.
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) Freestyle World Championships happen every two years on either a wave or a hole feature. This year’s World Championships just finished in Sort, Spain and it was a fabulous experience.
The town of Sort is a small town in Catalonia on the edge of the Pyrenees Mountains with a population of around 2500 people. The town sits in a valley with the Noguera Pallaresa river running right through town, and the hills full of hiking trails with beautiful vistas.
The small and traditional nature of Sort made for a wonderful cultural experience for all of the competitors. Shops close from 2:00 – 5:00 pm for siesta, the mid-day meal is the main meal and restaurants don’t open for dinner until 8:00 pm. Stores are closed on Sunday’s and there is a weekly farmers market in the middle of town every Tuesday.
Sort held the Freestyle World Championships back in 2001 and the feature had a reputation for being a big burly hole even back then. At the 2018 World Cup events this experience was replicated with many athletes finding the hole challenging and flushy. Over the past 12 months Sort has invested over a million euro’s to upgrade the competition hole and surrounding area, creating an impressive facility that leaves a legacy for athletes for years to come.
After much work, even during the week just prior to the competition, the feature ended up being a burly hole peppered with shallow areas that made it challenging for athletes to consistently get big air, link tricks and execute on trophy moves. Unfortunately, the water levels fluctuated a fair bit during the team training week as the organizers worked to determine the best level for the actual competition. This, compounded by limited training hours, made for lower overall scores and an underlying stress level for athletes.
With all the issues over the water, it was pretty easy for athletes to get stressed out about what was, or wasn’t, happening out on the water. The best counsel that we heard given by many of the seasoned senior athletes was that competing at the World Championships is not about your score. This seemed a bit counter intuitive on the surface but when you sit and listen to the rest of the message it makes perfect sense.
Freestyle Kayaking is a non-traditional competitive environment on a good day. Athletes coach each other, even those that they are competing against. Even coaches from other teams will give athletes a pointer or two. Everyone celebrates the successes of others and everyone feels the disappointment when someone doesn’t paddle as well as they know they can.
Within that environment, participating at the World Championships is about so much more than your score. It is about coming together and paddling with your friends. It is about meeting new people and making new friends. It is about experiencing a new town, a new country and a new river. It is about experiencing new cultures and trying new foods. And more than anything, it is about having fun. Funnily enough, if you are having fun then you will paddle well. It’s like one big circular reference.
We watched our first squirt competition and were in awe of the amount of down-time that gold medalists Clay Wright and Rose Wall got. We marched in the opening ceremonies and felt so much pride representing our country. We hiked and explored the area. We participated in midnight paddle sessions with friends to try and get more time on the feature. We hosted a Canada Day party on July 1st and were thrilled to have so many other athletes join us. We met so many wonderful people – sitting in the eddy, sitting in the stands or just hanging out in town. We survived the 40c (110f) heatwave while staying in a wonderful old hotel that had no air conditioning. AND Hunter paddled in his first World Championships.
It was an honour for Hunter to compete for Canada at the World Championships and for Lee to support the team as Team Manager. It was a wonderful experience for our family and has left everyone looking forward to the 2021 World Championships in Nottingham, UK.
Canadian Freestyle Team Trials will take place late summer/early fall of 2020. Get involved and come join us!
The Vincent Family
www.instagram.com/chasingthesunyt
Every year we make our way through the Colorado mountains and end up in Vail for the GoPro Mountain Games. It is arguable the largest and most fun outdoor event of the year as it is filled with all types of sports, great spectating and vendor villages, and tons of family fun activities. It is always a family favorite of ours as we can do family events like the mud run, and check out some of the other top sports with the kids, all while Emily and I also get to compete in the top kayak events with my tandem kayak. The 4-day event was quite packed for us this year as both Emily and I also tried to take on the Ultimate Mountain Challenge with is a combination of six events consisting of biking, river, and running races.
We kicked off the whole thing on Thursday with the Homestake Creek race. It was a good flow for the shallow and sharp race course. The Preliminary runs were two race runs with your times combined. The times were tight as the top 20 racers moved into the finals, with the single fastest run winning. I was having consistently good runs throughtout the day, though in my final run I had a slight bobble at the final “Leap of Faith” drop, it set me up on the left hand side of the river and I decided to try a new channel down the left to the finish. The entire race is under 2 minutes, and this mistake ended up costing me a couple crucial seconds which pushed me down into 6th place overall.
We followed up the creek race straight into the Freestyle Prelims. The hole is located in downtown Vail, right under the international bridge, which makes for a stadium feel as there are spectators cheering and surrounding the feature.
Friday was another busy day with several more events. I started off with the Short Track bike relay race, which was awesome. I got to partner up with fellow GoPro athlete and Pro biker, Brian Lopes, and race head to head against several other GoPro athletes like my buddy Chuck Patterson. Brian taught me several bike racing techniques and we ended up just missing the podium with our 4th place finish.
Following the Short Track Relay was the Freestyle Semi Finals which cut the field down from 15 to 5 competitors. The field of athletes were strong, with all the hardest tricks being thrown down. Luckily for me I had a couple solid rides that pushed me through onto the Finals.
My final event on Friday was the 5K mountain run. It was a hot, steep, and felt like there was very little oxygen as I sprinted through the course at 8000 ft of elevation. It was another tight finish for me as I gasped across the finish with another 4th place.
Saturday was one of the busiest days, both is number of athletes, spectators and events for me. I started off early with a 7:30am Down River sprint. Like all the events, the altitude and lack of oxygen was apparent during the 15-minute kayak sprint, as I sprinted through the course and under the finish bridge. I had to quickly get changed out of my kayak gear and into some biking gear for the grueling 3-hour Cross-Country bike race. This was in my mind the hardest event of the weekend, as we climbed up over 3,000 vertical feet. Although the climb was brutal, the single track downhill seemed worth it. Although my legs were killing me, I knew that the next event was one of the best, the family mud run. Emily, myself, Tucker, Parker, EJ, KC, and Phil all joined in for a fun time running through some mud, and up and over some obstacles. The kids were super into it at first, though by the end, both Tucker and Parker were ready to clean off and take a bath. Saturdays Finale was the Freestyle Finals. Both Emily and I had been racing all day, though we were ready to through down with everything we had left. The Women’s class was first and there were some incredible rides by all the women. Emily was in first place until the very last ride, were French paddler Marlene Devillez pulled off a couple massive moves to take over the thrown. In the Men’s class it was tight as we all jockeyed for the podium. In the end I had the ride I was looking for, though it still seemed not enough to put me on the podium. It was still quite an honor to paddle in finals and compete alongside my brother-in-law Dane Jackson and watch him take home another GoPro Mountain Games gold medal.
Our last day of the games was Sunday, and it was the finale of the Ultimate Mountain Challenge with the Pepis Face Off. This is another grueling running race as you climb (or for me crawl, literally on my hands) up one of the steepest faces of Vail Mountain. The race is 30 minutes and you see how many laps you can do within the time cap. I ended up completing 5 laps, which was the same as my record last year, and I lifted my arms in celebration as I crossed the finish line (I then went to the sidelines and had to throw up). This market the end of the overall Ultimate Mountain Challenge, which I also placed 4th in. Though the competing wasn’t over for me, as I had one last event, the all new Bosch e-Bike Boogaloo. Honestly, being that is was a new event, I had no idea what to expect. Though it ended up being arguable the most fun event of the weekend. It was a moto-cross style bike race, we electric powered bicycles. We all started head-to-head with 20+ races as we funneled into the first turn. There were jumps, ramps, obstacles, snow, mud, tunnels, uphills and steep downhills. Racers were rubbing, some tumbles, mud flying, and all smiles. I got to race again against Chuck Patterson which made it even more fun as we both were a bit out of out element and enjoying it to the max.
In the end, the weekend came to an end too quick. There was so much fun, some many rad athletes and friends to catch up with. I was exhausted but filled with stoked and adrenaline, and I can’t wait to go back again next year. Here is a little video recap from our weekend.
Like most Canadian towns established in the late 1800’s, Golden is the product of the famed fur trade. David Thompson, “renowned fur trader, surveyor and map-maker (was) tasked by the North West Company to open up a trading route to the lucrative trading territories of the Pacific Northwest. (Thompson) first cross over the Rocky Mountains and travelled along the Blaeberry River to the future site of Golden. In search of the Columbia River and, ultimately, a passage to the Pacific Ocean, Thompson’s travels took him to the junction of the legendary Columbia and Kicking Horse Rivers”. As Canadian Pacific Rail (CP) dominated the trans-Canada rail route it began to set up rail yards to deal with the operational needs of the company. Golden became one of the major yards in western Canada.
Golden is home to the glacially fed Kicking Horse river. As winter releases its grips on the glaciated peaks of the Rockies, it lets go of the water needed to fill the kicking horse canyon. Depending on the season we can see melts as early as May continuing into late September. Despite how rapidly Canada seems to warm up in the summer we see a gradual snow melt which usually peaks in June, then mellows out to a trickle by the end of September. The governments water gauges measure flow in number of cubic meters per second. In full flood the Kicking horse can flow at rates up to 300 M3/s, its regular water levels are in the 100-130 ranges. We consider low water to begin anywhere below 80m3/s.
So what does the kicking horse have to offer. Most rivers range from class one to five. Five being rated based on the consequence of ones mistakes resulting in grave bodily harm or even death, while class one is considered a lake with little to no risk. The kicking horse can provide all at various times throughout the season. Each section provides its own personality and class. The upper section which starts almost 30km out of town provides class 2-3.5 white water throughout the season with easy access and incredible views. The middle, located at the rest stop just east of Golden is the crux of this section of river and is where you will find class four and five white water flowing from the rest stop to the top of the lower canyon section 2km downstream. The lower canyon is the most famed section of the kicking horse canyon, offering fun bouncy wave trains all the way to the White tooth brewery in town.
Depending on what you want from the kicking horse river you can choose a time of year to best suit what you want to get out of your river experience. In the spring and early summer, you can expect to find fun, big water rafting and kayaking, not for the faint of heart but most definitely worth the trip. It is some of the best Canadian white water you can paddle. This high-water season makes way for a slightly tamer, but not without its thrills, medium water season through July and into August. August is definitely the time to come if it’s to kayak class three, or hang out with the family on a rafting trip.
For the past couple of seasons there has been a kayak festival in early June. Run by Edward Harry, a helicopter pilot from town. This festival brings together over 100 people ever year. Although aptly named a kayak festival, Ed puts on an incredible show that trhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCy3NzFvqWo&feature=youtu.beies to incorporate anyone who wants to enjoy the kicking horse. There is stand up paddle boarding, rafting and kayaking throughout the weekend with music and festivities to entertain late into the night. The event is coordinated through its Facebook events page.
Despite the incredible beauty and excitement that the river provides for the town of Golden, it does not come without its issues. Over the years the federal government has upgraded the highways that feed golden. With those upgrades come both positive and negatives. In some spots is has increased the accessibility to the river, while in others it has created conflict with CP which has ultimately resulted in their permeant closure of the most exciting part of our river. While CP cannot stop you from running the river, they can stop you accessing due to their land rights established alongside the establishment of Canada as a nation. There is an ongoing debate that has been brought all the way to Ottawa that continues to try reinstate aces to the entire river for anyone who wants to enjoy it. LINK TO SAVE THE LOWER
Author:
Dave Crerar
Insta: @davecrerar
Links:
Save the lower
Kicking horse fest:
When I first moved to Canada a group of buddies from the Ottawa river put me in their station wagon and carted me across the country to see what it had to offer. This is one of the main reasons I decided to call this country home. We made this trek across the country in fall and so we didn’t get all the rivers we wanted too as it was rolling into fall. Whistler still showed us a good time, but, ten years later I have had the chance to return.
With a last-minute buddy pass, I flew to Vancouver to meet a friend and go on a week-long vacation to the promised land. With our bikes, tents and boats in tow we headed north up the seas to sky to revisit a place that in recent years I have only seen in winter. With medium water throughout the area we began tackling both the kayaking and cross country biking classics. What a great time.
I could bore you with the various rivers and trails that we rode, however, I would rather touch on the differences a place like this has for a person a decade later. The fact that I am slowly creeping into my thirties has started to create a certain level of inquisitiveness as to how ones continues to live the traveling lifestyle while also successfully working towards those things that people in their thirties work towards. Dog, wife, kid, house, in no particular order. Usually the “M.O.” is to pack up ones car, drive across the country and try find camping in any possible place as long as it doesn’t cost money. I’m 32, I want to kayak, then bike, eat healthy and maybe go to bed before 10 so I can do it for six days straight, then hop back on a plane. All while needing to be in shape to turn up to work ready to deal with whatever comes our way.
So, this time we paid for camping, didn’t cheap out on our groceries and even had a few beers… at a bar!! In the grand scheme of things not much has changed, well, except for the fact that we can’t take a whole summer off anymore. Whistler is still awesome, there are still a whole bunch of homies living in vans up logging roads and an awesome vibe every time you turn p to the river. There are even still a group of early twenty something’s rallying multiple laps of a river on any given day… Whistler hasn’t changed a bit!
Montreal Eau Vive (https://www.mtleauvive.com) takes place in early August on the Lachine rapids on the St. Lawrence River. It is one of the most fun events of the year and should definitely be put on everyone’s calendar! The Pro category is a two day event, with the first day being big wave freestyle and the second day being big water boater cross. The intermediate category is a one day event on Sunday, starting with boater cross and then following that up with big wave freestyle in the afternoon.
To help build the stoke there are freestyle training rides on the Friday afternoon, usually from 4-8pm, with Jet Ski shuttle support.
PRO CATEGORY:
Freestyle:
The pro category competes on 2 different waves on the Saturday – “Big Joe” and “Mavericks”. They are out in the middle of the St. Lawrence River and the only way to get from below the wave to the top to surf again is with a jet-ski shuttle. This is definitely one of the best parts of the event! The judges are out in the middle of the river sitting in a temporary judging hut made of scaffolding – I was out there both days helping with the judging and it was definitely a bit concerning as the weather blew in on Saturday.
Athletes receive 3 rides on Mavericks (the bigger of the 2 waves) and 2 rides on Big Joe. They get 2.5 minutes to do as many tricks as they can. The best 8 tricks per ride count and the top scoring ride per athlete is kept. The athletes top score from Big Joe and Mavericks are then added together to get their overall freestyle score.
The freestyle tricks that the athletes do on waves are completely different than the ones that they do in holes. It’s like you have 2 baskets of tricks that you need to develop depending on if you are paddling on waves or holes in this sport.
Boatercross:
The pro category boatercross takes place off a jet boat in the middle of the St. Lawrence River. 6-8 athletes per heat launch off the boat and race head to head downstream to be the first to touch the boat, which has travelled downstream after dropping the athletes off. The top 3 per heat go to semi-finals and then continue on to finals. One of the most challenging parts is the fact that the jet boat finish line is fluid – the boat is moving in the current so you have to time your moves and anticipate the currents, while also worrying about being banged around by your fellow competitors.
INTERMEDIATE CATEGORY:
The intermediate athletes start Sunday with boatercross from the KSF inlet and race down through the Lachine rapids to the judges stand above Big Joe. Racers can take either the fast line straight through the meat of the rapids (and risk landing in a big hole) or the more conservative line that follows the flow of the river and makes an S-turn above the judges stand to avoid the holes. There is less banging around between athletes and this is more like a fun downriver race.
The athletes then paddle all the way back to shore, about a 30 minute ferry, swap out their creek boats for play boats and head back down the rapids to the judges stand for their big wave session. The intermediate athletes only compete on Big Joe and have 3 two minute rides to collect as many points as possible.
Dropping into Big Joe is daunting all by itself as it towers above the paddler (at least twice your height) but it sure is a fun ride. Mavericks is even bigger and faster, which is why it is left for the Pro paddlers to tackle.
For many people the attraction to the event is the chance to get a jet ski shuttle to surf big waves, and to launch yourself off a jet boat – who wouldn’t want to do that??? Check out Seth Ashworth’s latest video to get a close up view of both those experiences.
This was Hunter’s second year attending the event and he came in 3rd in the Pro Junior Men’s category. Having one year under his belt to understand how it all works really helped. It was our first year attending as a family and we’ll definitely be back next year to compete and volunteer – may be it’s even time for the adults to participate in the intermediate event while Hunter continues as a pro… We hope to see you there!
The Vincent Family
www.instagram.com/chasingthesunyt
www.facebook.com/chasingthesunyt
Photos by Eric Friedenson & Lee Vincent
Join Seth Ashworth as he attempts to journey to the Betiamites river in Northern Quebec.
As as parent there has been nothing more rewarding than sharing my love for the river with my kids. Our children are the future of our sport and planet, and getting my kids into the outdoors and aware of the responsibility we all share to enjoy and take care of our wilderness is paramount to me.
So in my push to help get my children and kids kids out into the the outdoors and on the water I have started a 5-piece mini series about Teaching kids to kayak.
Check it out and share with a parent, friend or child that needs to see this. Let’s get more kids into the sport of kayaking and the outdoors in general.
It’s fall on the east coast of the US. Leaves are starting to turn, there’s a briskness in the air, and all sorts of fall river releases are happening. Now is the classic time to break out the creek boat and get a few runs on those couple-weekend-a-year rivers, adding more and more layers as fall progresses. But there’s something else too, often overlooked- some of the best wave boating in the world.
From the northeast US, the city of Montreal is a short drive (under 7 hours from New York City). From anywhere else, flights are often cheap, as the Montreal airport (YUL) is a major hub in Canada. If you’re driving into the city from any direction you’ll cross over one of the biggest rivers in the world, the Saint Lawrence. Here, at the low water that comes in August until late October, are a few of the most fun waves you could hope for.
Habitat 67 is a classic feature, often frequented by both river surfers and kayakers. This wave is an incredible spot for both intermediate and advanced paddlers. With nothing above or below the risk factor is pretty low, and even the wave itself is wide (around 20 feet), and has a constant smooth foam pile and perfect shoulder on the surfer’s left to throw tricks off of. Wether you’re looking for endless soul surfs or to throw big-wave combos, this wave can provide. Park along a road next to the Habitat 67 Apartments, where you’ll undoubtedly see other kayakers or surfers, and the follow a trail upstream to the main staging eddy for the wave. Although there is a huge eddy to set up for the wave and a huge one below, you do have to walk up every surf.
The Lachine Rapids, named after an early French explorer thought they’d found China (la Chine), provide an impressive grouping of waves, albeit for more advanced paddlers, as a swim here would be a long one. Putting in at the Parc des Rapides, you paddle up a man made cove then out the point, dropping into a long and epic wave train. Soon the river drops, and you find yourself in a staging eddy for two waves. The one closest to the eddy on river left, Pyramid, provides long surfs for carving, spins, and occasionally steepening up for some big tricks. Pyramids big brother, however, is Big Joe, the main attraction of Lachine. About 15 feet wide, the left bowl of the wave provides consistent huge passes for both giant aerial tricks and epic combos. This is the stage for the Montreal Eau Vive freestyle competition, along with Mavericks, which is only accessible with a jetski. Every trick and two-trick combo in the book can and has been done on this epic feature. After a session here, which also involves hiking for each surf, you just ferry back to the left shore and walk back to the car.
For anyone who likes to spend some time in a freestyle kayak and surf some big waves, put Montreal at the top of your fall destination list for some of the best wave boating in the world.
Here is the second of the 5-piece mini series about teaching your kids to kayak. In this episode we talk about the gear that is need to get your kids out on the water and having a great day. We hope this helps get you and your kids out on the water together and having a ton of fun.
Cheers to the good times,
Nick
