Wave Sport has partnered with Core77 to create a new generation of boat graphics for their Fuse 56 river running / freestyle kayak. The Top 5 designs will be displayed at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Show in Salt Lake City in July 2009. Winners will also receive a kayak with their own design.
Team Wave Sport member Tanya Faux has taken the coveted Adventurer of the Year for 2008 from Outer Edge Magazine, Australia’s leading adventure and outdoor title.
From the report-
Tanya Faux, an intrepid whitewater kayaker and Australian freestyle paddling World Champion who led two first descents down the Mitchell and Moran Rivers in a remote part of Western Australia’s Kimberley region.
A waterfall on the New River?!? Yes, and a pretty impressive one to say the least. Sandstone Falls is 8 mile downstream of the town of Hinton, WV. Hinton is tucked away in the New River valley, just upstream of where the official New River Gorge begins. It took us over an hour to reach Sandstone Falls from Fayetteville, WV; it really is an out-of-the-way park-n-huck destination.
Upon arriving at Sandstone Falls, you’ll be greeted with a nice boardwalk that takes you over a couple bridges and out to the middle of the river at the base of the main falls for a great view. On river right is a massive rapid that few have ever run. In the middle of the river is a wide 23′ falls that lands on a mixture of sharp sandstone chunks, shallow pools, and a few deep ones. You’d better scout real well to make sure you’re going over a horizon line that does in fact land in one of the deep spots. Approaching a wide waterfall like this is always a little scary just trying to line up with the exact spot you scouted, because it all looks pretty much the same from upstream. On the river-left section are some smaller, scrapier drops that would be fun a higher flows. We had about 7,500cfs and were thinking that we’d like to come back around 13,000cfs when some more col lines would open up.
Cooper Lambla, myself, and Luke Hopkins did laps on different parts of the falls, plus a lot of exploring since it was our first time there. This was Cooper’s first time in the new Diesel 80, but it looked like he’d been paddling it for years with how smooth his lines were. Cooper never missed a boof in all his runs over the falls, and he skimmed over the holes in the rapids with ease.
We all are looking forward to more rain this spring to check out Sandstone Falls with even more flow. This place is reminiscent of Great Falls on the Potomac in that there are a plethora of line to bomb down at all sorts of different levels. The quaint town of Hinton is a gem to drive through as well, and it just adds to the ‘lost-world’ feel of exploring Sandstone Falls.
Wave Sport Team member Tyler Curtis isn’t waiting around for Spring to get ready for the whitewater season. He sends us the note below.
Question - What are YOU doing to get ready? Drop us a comment.
Waiting for Water
It is the time of year when paddlers are starting to crave the melt and see water flowing in the rivers instead of ice. We are only a short few weeks away from paddle season in Canada and time is never to be wasted. In order to stay mentally sane and keep fit for the paddling season I have been spending a few days shredding the slopes before the snow turns to water!
I know it is not paddling but the fact we can use the snow before it slowly turns to water to give us play in the rivers is actually quite amazing.
Here are a few pics to check out.. guess where they are taken???
From April 1, 2009 through August 31, 2009, Wave Sport (a Confluence Watersports brand) will roll out a brand new program designed to support local organizations, introduce more people to paddling and establish a platform for a long-term sustainability initiative. The program is called “Paddle It Forward.”"Paddle It Forward” is a simple concept in which everyone gives a little, and receives a lot. Donate your used hard-shell kayak or canoe to any 501(c)(3), outdoor or environmental educational organization and bring the proof of donation to a participating Confluence dealer. With this proof of donation, you will receive nearly 20-percent off the cost of a new kayak or canoe.
Participating local retailers will give an immediate 10-percent discount off the price of a new Wilderness Systems, Dagger, Perception or Wave Sport kayak, or a Mad River Canoe. A mail-in rebate to Confluence will garner an additional, manufacturer-sponsored, 10-percent discount off the net purchase price.
“‘This program engages the whole paddling community in supporting local charities and schools that may otherwise be seeing a dip in donations right now,” said Sue Rechner, CEO of Confluence Watersports. “It offers us a unique opportunity to support the re-use of boats and directly influence the growth of the sport at the local level. We’re very excited for the community-wide charitable potential; and we also believe consumers and our dealer partners will benefit. It as a winning proposition for everyone.”
Confluence has an unyielding commitment to encouraging a sustainable participation in all forms of paddling. “Paddle It Forward” can be a major proponent for this initiative, all while supporting the charitable efforts of local and regional not-for-profits.
To participate in the “Paddle It Forward” program, please contact your local specialty retailer.
Over at Team Potamac Paddlesports, there’s a great trip report with the new Diesel taking on the snowy Great Falls, and needless to say it was up to the task. Check out their review, and some amazing pics from the trip!
Check out the upcoming documentary on National Geographic TV - Monster Fish of the Congo, which follows a team of kayakers (some paddling Wave Sport kayaks) in death defying adventures. Check out the clip and description below.
Information on the film
What would more water than the Mississippi at flood, raging between cliffs only 1,000 feet apart look like? What would paddling huge whitewater in a country at war with only a few hundred miles of paved road feel like?
Could a team of kayakers handle bringing 150 pounds of scientific equipment on a five-day first descent? What discoveries could this team of kayakers make while collaborating with some of the world’s best hydrologists and biologists?
At 1.25 million cubic feet per second, the lower Congo rapids are the highest volume rapids in the world. During the summer of 2008, a team of kayakers from the Epicocity Project set out to answer these questions and more. They were successful in descending these rapids and learning much about the Congo River, the people that live on its banks and the breeding ground for species that exists beneath its surface.
The crew escaped an attempt to take them hostage at gunpoint and whirlpools the size of school buses. They emerged successfully with never before seen scientific data and footage of the epic adventure.
The National Geographic film “Monster Fish of the Congo” tells the tale of this adventure and their discoveries. It airs at 7pm and 10pm on the National Geographic Channel on Tuesday February 10th.
A third showing will happen on Saturday February 14th at 4pm
Check out this new website from USAFK, with how to pages and training videos for tons of freestyle kayak moves. Wave Sport team members will be participating in some upcoming videos to be posted on the site, so check back frequently.
USAFK Makes Learning Fun for Beginners and World Champions
Multimedia Moves Library Conceived to Train Judge Skills Brings All Moves to All Paddlers
(Takoma Park, MD) - USA Freestyle Kayaking has announced their commitment to promoting a broader understanding and appreciation for freestyle kayaking by creating a Multimedia Moves Definition Library, a resource for paddlers created by the community.
“What started as a competition judge training concept has evolved into being a versatile library of moves people are performing these days,” says USFKA Rules Subcommittee Chair and multiple-time US Team member Clay Wright. “We encourage paddlers to upload videos of themselves and their friends doing freestyle kayak moves and will match them to the moves recognized by the International Canoe Federation. The videos that do the best job illustrating moves will receive comments posted by members of a multi-national group of experts (including Peter Csonka (SL) Ingrid Schlott (DE) and Mathieu Demolin (FR) so that both the video producers and other viewers can gain a better understanding of how competitors are scored.”
“This is a training resource that, while it will not replace live training will be a good tool for many events around the world to help us grow the sport,” notes Simon Hirter, organizer of the 2009 Freestyle Kayaking World Championship in Thun, Switzerland.
“The Library should help us move away from relying on athletes to judge themselves because they are the only ones sufficiently familiar with the moves,” adds Jimmy Blakeney, former US Team athlete and USAFK Steering Committee member. “Best of all, kayakers will have a new way to learn and understand the moves and the rules regardless of their plans to compete.”
For more information about this project, contact Risa Shimoda 00+1+301-502-6548 risa@theshimodagroup.com.
Wave Sport Team Member Tyler Curtis has participated in the just-released Whitewater Chile - A Paddler’s Guide to Chile. It’s the ultimate resource for one of the greatest whitewater experiences in the world.
Synopsis
Chile has long been a talked about destination for whitewater enthusiasts but until now there has been little or no resources for paddlers looking to travel to Chile. After teaming together and compiling everything one needs to know about paddling in Chile and combining it with stunning photos…we present WHITEWATER CHILE. > Now Available…contact tyler@riverlay.ca
> Purchase a copy
