British Columba Love!!!

Currently I have been touring around British Columba, Canada. Its been 13 days now and I sure have travelled some miles! We left the small town of Bingen, Washingon State and headed far far North. After almost 30+ hours of non stop driving we made it to the put in of the Grand Canyon of the Stikine. It was a crazy feeling being back there and knowing I was in for the most epic 3 day paddling mission ever!

The classic put in shot. I was stoked to put on this amazing river with such a sick solid crew.

Louis Geltman running 3 Goats

Jared and Evan running a rather large rapid above pass fail. The scary thing about this is that if you miss the eddy on river right you will be running pass fail blind

Following Jared way to close on pass fail. I managed to pass but at the same time I pushed Jared into the fail zone, sorry bro. He did style the fail line though!!

Kyle and Louis cleaning the pass fail move

Making the pass and some where in there is jared. (Image Louis Geltman)

Jared running wasons!!

None of us want to have a bar of the left side of wasons hole so we all chose the easy option by running the hard right side what was still in play!!! 

Try spot the goat (site Zed camp day 1)

Looking down into site zed (day 1 camp)

Kyle running AFP. This one was dam scary! It was pretty hard to miss the two big holes on river left and right. Stoked we all made it through this one without any beat downs!

Jared and Johnson making it out the bottom of AFP

One of the most Glorious Sections of the run, Wall 1. Such an amazing horizon line

Yours truley running 'Garden of the Gods 1'. One of the many very stout section on the run. 

(Image Louis Geltman)

Getting a nice tail stall frew the Garden of the gods

Day 2 camp (wolf Track) The weather was on our side this trip and we had 25+ degress everyday! It was so hot that we all went for a dip at Wolf tracks

This is what you get for breakfast on day 3 (Garden of the Gods 2) Jared and Kyle make there way down the most continuas section of the Stikine

EG running wall 2. Evan got really beat down in this one and it sure was dam scary to watch. He made it out in his boat all okay. I was pretty fired up to run this one as I walked it last year. But after seeing EG get really beat down we all decided to take the easy Portage.

Jared sending 'scissors'. This one is really big but good to go!!!!

Myself and Evan sending the last big 'V drive'. The stoke is sooooooooo high once you get to the bottom of this one!

Jared and Lewis getting there V drive on

Well It was a pretty surreal feeling getting back in there and completing another successful decent of the Grand Canyon of the Stikine. Nothing could have gone any better for us hot warm weather, epic crew, epic level HIGH STOKE!!!!

After our epic Stikine trip we made our way back to Whistler Squamash area where we were greated with heavy rain what jumped the levels up. We were lucky enough to get a really high water lap on Fear Canyon section of the Elaho, there was 300+ cumecs flowing down that thing. The next day we enjoy 3 laps down the Callaghan at a good water level the stoke way high for sure

Screen grab looking down into the main section of Fear Canyon (Elaho) ,so huge!

Kyle Hull steeping his game up and running the pinch at 300+ cumec with style!!!

gopro sreen grab below the 20ft Callaghan

Running the 20ft on the callaghan. Such a nice drop

A shot I snapped yesterday of Aniol getting his lean on (Cheakamus)

I am now currently chiling around whistler Squamash area thinking of headinbg back north for some more stikine action

Back in the United States Of America!!!

Well I have made it back to the US, a little later than planned but stoked to be back here. I was lucky and the White Salmon is still at a sweet summer flow. In the first 7 days of my stay i had already logged 8 green truss laps.I am now Currently kicking it at the North Fork of the Payette. Managed to get a little lucky and catch a ride here With Rush Sturges and Kyle Hull.So stoked to make it back to the Payette.As much as this river scares the shit out of me I love it,Big continuous class 5 road side,warm water.It feels really good to be back running some pushy big water.

Chilling at the airport waiting for my flight to Portland what I missed

Stoked on my new Dagger Nomad

Kyle Hull running Big Brother on the Truss (White Salmon)

Lining big bro up

running BZ Falls

Running rock drop (jacob's ladder north fork payette)

So stoked to come back to the North Fork of the Payette. Here is a screen shot making my way down Jacob's ladder. Pretty intimidating section.This is the biggest water I have paddle since I injured my self in Mexico, feels so good! YEOWWWWW

Well going to be heading up to BC Canada in the next few weeks.Will try keep the updates coming

Mangakarengorengo, Wairoa at low flood stage (Edit)

Here is a little edit I put together, paddling the Mangakarengorengo and the Wairoa in low flood stage a few weeks back, Kaimai goods Enjoy!!!!




 






I have moved back to Okere Falls now so I can paddle everyday before I leave.Try get the body back into shit running shape!!!

Stoked to be kicking it in the the Falls for the next few weeks!!!!!!

The Kaituna is flowing high at the moment.So good with a bunch more water flowing down it!!!

Well not to long now till I am out of here. Hoping to get some kaimai Creekin in before I leave, hopfully a lap on the Wainui!!!!

Getting back in the Groove

Well after almost 12 months of rib and shoulder problems I am finally getting better and feeling stronger in my boat. Injuries can really bring you down a level and for me this injury was a real challenge. It was a weird one as it didn't stop me from totally paddling all together. There was no real pain when paddling just a real lack of strength on my left side, I could barely pull on my left blade. It took at least 3 to 4 months for the Doctors and physio specialists to find out what was wrong with me as nothing was coming up in the scans (ultra sound, x ray, bone scan). In the end they put it down to a stress fractor in my ribs (hair line fractor along one of my ribs) Scaplar winging and nerve damage.

I am really stoked to be back on the water! I will be finishing up work at the end of next week and be back on the charge paddling everyday before I leave New Zealand. I am soo fired up to head back to the United States and get back on the charge with the boys, its sure been awhile.


Here is an edit from my local run here, the Kaituna River. The Kaituna river is one of the best runs in the North Island of New Zealand in terms of access, beauty and class 4 continuous whitewater. It takes around 4hours to paddle all the way down the lower gorges and the walls are tight and high making you feel enclosed within the gorges. Enjoy. Thanks Sean Curtis for helping me put this edit together!!




Here is also a few pics from our little kaimai mission last week. Stoked to get back in the kaimai's and hit some of the goods. Was on the low side but still had heeps of fun aahhhhhhhh so stoked to be back paddling!!!!

                                                       Dropping the ibis on the Mangas

                                                             Screen grab, dropping into the ibis

                                                       Making a boof over a nice size hole

                                          Nice sized hole at the bottom of mothers night mare.

                                                                          This one wanted me

                                                                   The Roller coaster

                                                     Greg getting soooo pitted bro!!!!

Substantial TV Episode "Viva La Agua Blanca"

 
Substantial TV EP. 3 "Viva La Agua Blanca" from Substantial Media House on Vimeo.

Check out the latest Substantial TV EP.3 "Viva Agua Blanca"
I was pretty gutted I hurt myself only 6 days into our Mexico mission, but stoked I still got to paddle some amazing White Water within those 6 days.Planning on making it back to Veracruz Mexico towards the end of the year!!!!!!

NZ Summer Time

Well I have once again been really slack at updating my blog. I am still battling with injuries, and having on and off problems with my ribs. So I have been laying pretty low trying to heal up. I am definitely looking forward to getting back on the water and back in the game.

Here are a a couple of random shots of the summer here in Okere Falls:

 Huckin the front flip into the lake. Its pretty sweet trying all sorts of tricks I would never do to dirt. Might have to sack up up one of theses days and pull the front flip to dirt mmmm maybe 

Younger brother Mitch going for the flat 3

Myself throwing a clean back-flip

Going for the back-flip 360

A sweet afternoon on the boat

Young Regan Carlyon ripping it up on the board

Back flip fail by Bradley Lauder

My youngest brother Cole Lucas has been totally killing it in the downhill race scene here in NZ and he's only 14, watch out for this kid, up and coming name in the sport for sure!!!

Life's pretty hard in Okere Falls, this is the view I look out at most days...

Little bro Cole ripping it

Well stand by for a paddling update sooner rather than later. Hoping I will be back on the water in the next week or so!!!!!!

PEACE

Substantial Media House "BC EH"

Evan Garcia, Fred Norquist have done it again with another epic episode from our time we had in BC which always delivers the goods.One of my big high lights this year was paddling the Grand Canyon of the Stikine,this episode shows the epic time we had down in thoughs deep Gorges.

  Substantial TV EP. 2 "BC,EH!" from Substantial Media House on Vimeo.


Well I am working on a little NZ summer up date I havent been up to much paddling wize due to my body still been a little broken. I have been laying low try to get my Ribs right, pretty over been broken and not been able to paddle.Cant wait to get back in the boat, get back on the shit running tour.

PEACE