|
|
2024
July
|
Lee Valley Olympic (28/07/2024)
|
I've made enough progress in the Antix 2.0 to justify another Olympic video. Honestly,
I have. This footage compresses three event-packed runs on a warm July afternoon into
ten minutes - can't say fairer than that.
Watch out for: several trashings, including two long capsizes; a couple of tailies;
two surfing episodes; and nearly colliding with another paddler. This paddler didn't
anticipate me trying to cross in such a stupid place, but that's the kind of crazy
guy I am.
In this session, I made every eddy on the course except for a couple of easy ones
near the top. I largely have the Antix 2.0 to thank for this - not sure I could do
it in my other boats.
The course was running on three pumps. Four-pump sessions are a rare luxury in these
austere times.
|
|
Olympic capsize-fest on four pumps (31/07/2024)
|
A very busy session on a warm weekday evening. The fourth pump was brought into action.
This was an opportunity to see if my recent increase in ambition would survive an
increase in volume.
I was satisfied with my paddling, despite nine capsizes (count 'em). I succeeded at
everything I attempted at least once, including a surf and the attainment of a small
eddy next to a sticky hole - my new favourite eddy, now I know I can make it.
These sessions can be pretty anarchic. The surf waves get crowded, and safety volunteers
have a hard time keeping order. A couple of my capsizes were due to sudden changes
of plan when I saw that an eddy I was aiming for was occupied. Not everybody shows
such consideration, and sometimes I wonder why I bother.
|
[Return to top] 2023
December
|
Lee Valley at night (06/12/2023)
|
Yet another run of the Olympic course featuring my standard moves. The novelty is
that this is on a winter evening, with the floodlights on. The temperature was about
freezing. That was some incentive not to capsize - though, as it turned out, not a
sufficient one.
Only three pumps were running, which in this weather and in this boat was plenty :0
The video shows my best run of this session (despite being the best it includes two
rolls), followed by bits and pieces from subsequent runs.
|
|
River Lune, Cumbria (31/12/2023)
|
A New Year's Eve paddle on a river that was new to me - the Lune, which runs between
the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales.
I'm not sure what the level was. It had been raining for many days, but it doesn't
look more than medium.
This was a nice winter's day out. The views of the surrounding Howgill Fells were
impressive (though they are not really visible in the video). There were plenty of
surf waves, wave trains and rapids. The grade fluctuated between 2 and 3. I found
the run similar in character to the middle section of the Tees.
It was the first real river I'd taken the Antix 2.0 on. The whirlpools tripped me
up a couple of times.
My GoPro's charge gave out just before I ran the biggest drop, the Strid.
|
November
|
Sea surfing in Norfolk (26/11/2023)
|
Playing in some passable surf on the Norfolk coast. The waves didn't break until near
the beach, so long surfs weren't possible, but on the plus side the paddle out was
short. I was the only thing on the water except for a pair of seals (0:45 and 3:00).
The repeated thudding noise I think is my nose clip knocking against my helmet.
|
July
|
At Lee Valley in the new Antix 2.0 (02/07/2023)
|
I bought the Antix 2.0 as a middle boat to replace my Dagger Mamba. I'd previously
demoed several half-slice boats, but they were either too long (i.e. not so very different
from my Jackson Nirvana) or too wobbly. The Antix 2.0 is short and wide and, like
most modern Jacksons, has hard rails that keep it to lines. In between the capsizes
during my demo of the boat, I liked its combination of nimbleness and predictability.
It took trial and error to get the seat position right. At first, I moved the backrest
forward for maximum stability. The boat tracked well, but the high stern wouldn't
engage with the water. So, when I reached eddylines, I'd either career into the bank
(if I had enough momentum) or stall and miss the eddy (if I didn't).
For this session, I moved the seat back a notch, and got better control. I had the
feeling of something in the water behind me to give me a shove and complete my moves.
There were unintended "tailies" - but not as many as I expected, and besides, they're
what this boat is all about. Since I made this video, I've been m getting comfortable
in the Antix 2.0.
The video is of my last descent of the Lee Valley Olympic course on a rather gloomy
and cool July afternoon. There are a couple of minor trashings, but it was a good
session.
|
[Return to top] 2022
December
|
Surfing on the Yorkshire coast (28/12/2022)
|
I tried a new beach near Teesside. The weather was grim, but the surf good - smooth
and 3-4 feet high. The waves weren't barrelling, so paddling out didn't present too
many difficulties.
I managed some long surfs, but unfortunately the footage of the best of them is sideways
because I had the camera on a chest harness. Next time, it will be back to the helmet
mount.
|
October
|
Lee Valley Olympic: two runs (23/10/2022)
|
The weather's still mild, but the water is getting too cold for playboating, so it's
a return to the stable missile that is the Nirvana. The weeks in the playboat have
made the Olympic course seem tamer, and I enjoyed this session.
This video shows two runs, both of which include more eddy-hopping than I would once
have attempted. There is a volley of mishaps at 4:33, during which I get munched in
the stopper below Boom and, for once, escape in my boat.
|
September
|
Lee Valley Olympic in the playboat (25/09/2022)
|
I attempt more ambitious moves than in last month's video. Still haven't got the hang
of surfing - I go sideways or get flushed off the wave.
This was my most successful playboat-only Olympic session so far, with three full
descents and no swims. The video shows the final lap. My biorhythms must have been
peaking because the following week I swam twice.
|
August
|
Lee Valley Olympic in the playboat (28/08/2022)
|
My first full run of the Olympic course in the Rockstar for a few years. My previous
attempt had been disastrous and confidence-sapping, but there are now some regular
playboaters of a similar vintage to me who aren't ashamed to swim, and this has helped
me reshape my own attitude. So, after several months of gingerly poking about on the
bottom half of the course - and with the water still warm from the summer - it was
time to run the whole gauntlet.
There's a warm-up below Boom, the bottom big drop, followed by the full run. I didn't
attempt anything risky (I gave up on sliding into the eddy above Boom when I realised
it wasn't going to work), but it went well enough.
With just three minutes of the kayaks-only session left, I had another go. The fourth
pump was now switched on, ready for the rafts, and the waves grew by a few inches.
There was no time for playing, so I bombed straight down as far as the tongue above
Boom, where I capsized and descended the drop upside-down. I couldn't get my paddle
out of the water for a roll - I guess I was stuck in the hole - so it was off with
the deck and a bit of breast stroke practice.
Still, a satisfying session. It would be nice if I could do some proper surfing in
the playboat, but one thing at a time.
|
May
|
Lee Valley Olympic - one full run, and other moments (01/05/2022)
|
GoPro replaced my waterlogged camera under warranty so it's back to business! As usual,
my final run of the Olympic was the best, but I have tacked on footage of earlier
moments, good and bad.
|
|
Lee Valley Olympic in a Ripper 2 (21/05/2022)
|
I hired a Pyranha Ripper 2 from the on-site shop. It was pretty jumpy, with its slicey
stern, but fun. On high crosses over waves, it stayed pointing upstream much more
readily than the Nirvana. Given more time, I'd have tried some surfing.
I perform a couple of semi-accidental flat spins that would have been impossible in
the Nirvana. I got nice and vertical on a couple of occasions, though I couldn't see
much.
The only thing I wasn't sure about was the way the bow wobbled about - it reminded
me of the Machno, which I never got on with. Still, the Ripper 2 is on the list of
possible replacements for the Mamba as my "middle boat".
|
February
|
Lee Valley Olympic - one run (05/02/2022)
|
My GoPro got waterlogged and I could no longer turn it off, so it was pretty much
useless, but before I gave up on it I got this footage of an OK run of the LV Olympic.
|
[Return to top] 2021
December
|
River Dee: Horseshoe Falls to Llangollen (05/12/2021)
|
A standard run of this long-familiar stretch. I paddled in the Mamba, which hadn't
had an airing for two years. I can't say that I felt I'd missed it. Compared with
the Nirvana and even the Rockstar playboat, it seems to have a mind of its own.
I planned to break into the top river-right eddy on the Serpent's Tail, but as you
can see I get nowhere near it. I could have lugged the kayak up for another run, but
couldn't be bothered.
|
|
Filey Bay (31/12/2021)
|
A nice way to round off the year on a dry and mild New Year's Eve. The waves were
smooth 3-footers - too small for the surfers to make much of, but just right for a
playboat. I managed my longest surfs yet, getting right in to the shore on several
occasions - yeah.
|
November
|
Lee Valley: Olympic + Legacy (13/11/2021)
|
Two runs of the Olympic course, while it was still configured with tricky features
for the Olympic team to practice on. In the following weeks, it reverted to its old
symmetrical layout to accommodate the rafts more easily. It's still fab, but I enjoyed
this interlude.
There's an interesting capsize on the tongue above the bottom drop. I rolled up just
in time to avoid a proper beatering.
Ending the video is a short clip of me managing a flat spin in the playboat on the
Legacy course. It all goes Pete Tong afterwards, but it's something to build on :\
|
October
|
A run of the Lee Valley Olympic course (03/10/2021)
|
A run of the Olympic course, during the period in which it was configured for the
UK Olympic team to practise on for the Tokyo Games. The layout was twisty and exciting,
and it felt quite like a real river.
Here, I'm a bit more adventurous with the eddy-hopping than usual.
|
|
Go-karting - rear view (09/10/2021)
|
I wondered if strapping the GoPro to my back would yield more interesting footage
that the front. I think it is OK. The field of vision is cleaner, but obviously, it
doesn't convey the experience particularly well.
|
September
|
Filey Bay (05/09/2021)
|
Pleasant low-key surfing on 2-foot waves. It was warm enough for a shorty cag - a
late taste of summer.
|
|
A few laps of a go-kart track (25/09/2021)
|
Selection from a fun 30 minutes of karting. It's a shame that all you can really see
is the steering wheel.
|
August
|
Upper Tryweryn (01/08/2021)
|
My first white water river trip since the start of the first lockdown, over 16 months
ago. It was good to be back on the Tryweryn, and I acquitted myself reasonably well,
succeeding in a few challenging moves. There were plenty of cock-ups - see the next
video.
This footage is from the second day of the weekend. There's no footage from the first
day - that was a warm-up, with nothing challenging attempted!
|
|
Upper Tryweryn - outtakes (01/08/2021)
|
Mess-ups from the same day as the companion video. Includes the weekend's one swim,
for which I could make excuses, but won't.
|
|
Lee Valley Olympic course (14/08/2021)
|
A kayaks-only session without rafts. On these sessions, the course only runs at three
pumps these days, I assume to save money. This makes some of the drops bigger, but
apart from that it is less scary than on four pumps, and that makes me a tad more
adventurous in which eddies I go for.
On this occasion I was rebuilding my confidence after the multiple lockdown-enforced
layoffs during the previous year and a half, so I limited my ambitions to crossing
the flow in the big waves. It was a reasonable session, with two successful rolls,
although during one of them I knocked over a paddler taking her assessment. I trust
the assessors made allowances...
|
May
|
Lee Valley Legacy course, playboat (01/05/2021)
|
A playboater of limited technical resources survives an hour on the Legacy course
without swimming. This is an improvement on the situation immediately after the lockdown,
when my roll rate had dropped below 50%.
I don't attempt much of interest in this session. I would like to be good, but I have
fun being average.
|
|
Playing on the sea, Sheringham, Norfolk (15/05/2021)
|
I was meeting up with friends in the area later in the day, and the normally placid
Norfolk coast had some workable surf, so despite the wet and unseasonably cold weather
I spent an hour at Sheringham on the small waves. It was a fun afternoon, though I
think there were higher waves further east.
|
[Return to top] 2020
September
|
Sea surfing in Filey Bay, Yorkshire (06/09/2020)
|
An enjoyable 50 minutes on some 3-foot surf a few miles from Filey. The town of Filey
is sheltered by the promontory of Filey Brigg, but the south side of the bay can catch
some sizeable waves. Unlike most of the North Yorkshire coastline, this area has accessible
sandy beaches that don't involve a steep trek from clifftops.
The weather was miserable - but when when everything's wet, you might as well be in
the wet yourself. The rain stopped later in the afternoon, and I went a walk along
the 100-metre-high Bempton Cliffs. The views were good, and thousands of gannets were
breeding.
|
|
Lee Valley Olympic course (26/09/2020)
|
I was finding my paddling feet again after the long hiatus of the first lockdown,
and the summer-long closure of the Olympic course. I must have been feeling on fairly
good form on this day, as I went for some of the small eddies above the big drops.
I had a swim towards the end of the session (not shown).
I think the Olympic was still consistently running on four pumps at the time of this
video. There are remnants of the pre-Tokyo-Olympics layout in the initial 50 metres.
|
March
|
River Tees: Salmon Leap Falls (Dog Leg) (07/03/2020)
|
I must have forgotten my GoPro on this trip, as the only footage is of some runs of
the "Dog Leg" from my waterproof camera. They show me and a couple of companions.
For my own run, I rested the camera on a rock and hoped it would stay upright, which
it did.
A week after this weekend came the first lockdown. I was glad to have got a final
paddle in just in time, not that it made the lockdown any easier.
|
[Return to top] 2019
December
|
River Tees: Middleton to Cotherstone (07/12/2019)
|
The middle stretch of the Tees. There is a lot of flat stuff to slog through early
on, but after a few miles it gets more lively. There was enough water, but this stretch
of the river is more fun at higher levels than this.
|
|
River Tees: High Force to Low Force (07/12/2019)
|
At any level above "Scrape", this short stretch is always a blast. I have mixed feelings
about my roll at the top of the "Dog Leg". I shouldn't have capsized, but I was pleased
to recover under pressure.
|
|
River Tees: Barnard Castle to Winston (08/12/2019)
|
I wasn't sure whether to run this section in the Nirvana or the Rockstar. The decision
was made for me when a companion gouged a hole in the front of his boat, and I lent
him the Nirvana.
The trip was successful, but staying upright in a boat I was now considerably too
heavy for was pretty tiring.
|
November
|
Lee Valley Olympic course - reconfigured for next year's Tokyo Olympics (17/11/2019)
|
Lee Valley had begun reconfiguring the course for the Olympic slalom team to practise
on for the 2020 Tokyo Games, which in the event were postponed to 2021 owing to COVID.
In fact, these were just the first alterations, and for a while the middle part of
the course changed beyond recognition.
There's lots of action in this video, much of it unintentional. At 3:05 I collide
with another paddler - the overdubbed music is to silence my cursing. At 4:35 a paddler
does some impressive improvisation in the stopper below Boom.
|
|
Upper Dart, Part 1 (24/11/2019)
|
It's always a gamble whether it will be worth the six-hour trip from East Anglia to
Dartmoor, but on this occasion the water gods favoured us. The Upper Dart was between
low and medium - a good level for intermediate paddlers, with lots of technical challenges,
no scraping, and friendly eddies.
This was my first full run of the Upper Dart - I ran Pandora's Box, and unlike on
my first trip I stayed upright the whole time. My concentration gave out on the subsequent
run of the Dart Loop, during which I swam. I didn't really mind - an ambition of many
years' standing had been fulfilled.
|
|
Upper Dart, Part 2 (24/11/2019)
|
For a classic trip like this, it's worth a double bill of footage. On Euthanasia Falls,
I opted for the technically easier drop on river right, rather than the diagonal chute,
but at least I stayed upright this time.
|
October
|
Lee Valley Olympic course (12/10/2019)
|
An average session on the LV Olympic on a grey autumn day. I get a brief trashing
on Boom, the bottom big drop, at 8:24.
|
August
|
Loisach, Bavaria (26/08/2019)
|
Third time in the Alps. We were based near Landeck in Austria, but for our first day
we drove over the border into Germany.
The Loisach is a twisting, low-volume Grade 3 run, with lots of rocks to avoid, but
none that come upon you too fast. It was a good warm-up for the week, although we
could have used a little more water.
|
|
Rissbach, Bavaria; Schuls Gorge, Inn, Switzerland; Toesens Gorge, Inn, Austria (26/08/2019 - 27/08/2019)
|
A compilation from the first two days of this Alps trip. First up is the Rissbach
in Germany, a mostly straightforward Grade 2 run that feels quite remote compared
to many rivers in the area. The banks are clear for some stretches, providing good
views.
There are two Grade 4 rapids. On the first, the S-Bend, I misinterpreted an instruction
to flare a drop, entered the slot diagonally, and tipped over. I avoided a swim with
a clumsy lever against the riverbed.
On the second harder rapid, the "Schraege Rippen" ("Diagonal Flutings"), most of the
group went river left and tried for the eddy half way up. Like an idiot, I decided
I'd ferry from right to left along one of the flutings. However, I misjudged the force
of the water, my boat's manoeuvrability, or my skill, and slid straight down the right
of the river. The plus is that it all happens so quickly, you can't tell I got it
wrong.
The second excerpt is from the Schuls Gorge in Switzerland, a short Grade 4 stretch.
While you're running it, you have no real idea what's going on, but there aren't many
rocks so it's mostly a matter of staying upright.
Last comes the Toesens Gorge, in Austria downstream from the Schuls. I'd run this
two years previously, but this time the dam was releasing, and the waves were full-on.
It's not as hard as it looks though, being largely clear of rocks and holes. Unfortunately,
my GoPro, held in place by gaffer tape, slipped down my buouyancy aid, so that some
of the best bits went unrecorded.
|
|
Sanna, Austria (28/08/2019)
|
The Sanna is a tributary of the Inn and offers standard Grade 3 paddling without many
particularly memorable features. Things step up a grade for the Pianser Cataract,
which I found hard to remember the route through without anyone to follow, hence there's
some rock-bashing.
|
|
Giarsun Gorge, Inn, Switzerland (29/08/2019)
|
This was the most enjoyable technical run of the week. The Giarsun Gorge is supposedly
Grade 4, though at this level it seemed at the easy end of the grade, apart from the
"Prussian Spinner", which is hard to come out of with your boat pointing the right
way.
This section is twisting and fun, with plenty to keep you on your toes, but nothing
to scare the bejeezus out of you.
|
|
Ardez Gorge, Inn, Switzerland (29/08/2019)
|
I so wanted this run to go well. It would have been, on paper, the most difficult
section of river I'd tackled. Alas, I was to be disappointed.
It started well enough - there were lots of rocks, but the late-summer flow was quite
low, and the water wasn't particularly pushy.
The pain started with the portage. Walking a couple of hundred metres across huge
boulders with a 25-kg kayak on your shoulder when a single false step could have your
boat, and if you're unlucky, yourself, swept down the Grade 6 rapid a couple of metres
to your right towards a certain mashing is not relaxing.
By the end of the portage, the whole group was knackered and out of sorts, but for
whatever reason me more than most. Most of us fouled up within a few dozen metres
of getting back on the water. Some of us managed technical exits, others swam - I
don't know how many, because I was focussed on the fact that I was one of them. The
swim itself wasn't scary, but it shows just how exhausting the portage had been that
it was on such an easy feature - why did I try to roll up on the same side as the
drop? I couldn't tell you. I can tell you that the rest of the afternoon was miserable,
as on this of all occasions I'd packed my car and house keys in the kayak rather than
my buoyancy aid.
It was a long trek up the steep bank to the road. The path came out next to a chapel,
and something in me was praying that my boat would be found, otherwise the rest of
the holiday would be hosed and my first day back in the UK very stressful.
Two hours later the tour leader's van drew up and although they milked the suspense,
I could tell from their faces that my boat had been found.
As I say, a disappointing afternoon. To have run the whole of the Grade 4+ Ardez Gorge
would have given me (in my own eyes) river cred. But it ended as well as it could
have done.
|
|
Oetztaler Ache, Austria (1) (30/08/2019)
|
We finished the week with a run of the lower Oetztaler Ache ("Oetz" for short, though
Oetz is actually a village, not the river).
I'd run this river on my first trip to Austria, so was familiar with what was coming
up. Basically it's kilometer after kilometer of bouncy fun. If you have somebody to
follow who knows where the holes are, you can relax and enjoy the ride - there are
no difficult moves required. You have to portage the huge weir halfway down: the skull
and crossbones on a bridge 800 metres upstream give you fair warning.
|
|
Oetztaler Ache, Austria (2) (30/08/2019)
|
Continuation of the previous video, from the get-on below the weir.
|
[Return to top] 2018
December
|
River Rawthey, Cumbria (12/11/2018)
|
A weekend in Teesdale saw some heavy overnight rain, so we had a rare opportunity
to paddle the ditch-like River Rawthey, in south-east Cumbria. This river has many
sections of continuous Grade 3, and a complicated Grade 4 drop. The water levels were
falling, but we counted our blessings - most of the time this river is unpaddleable.
I remember this trip fondly. The north Pennines are one of my favourite areas, and
there was a good esprit de corps. Note how despite the decent flow, the sun is shining - a rare combination.
The features were fun to negotiate, and the views of the Howgill Fells were fab. As
the river approached Sedbergh, it descended into an atmospheric mossy gorge.
Unfortunately I suffered from intermittent GoPro amnesia, thinking the camera was
off when it was on, and vice versa. Consequently, some of the best moments went unrecorded.
What should have been a good moment - the descent of the Grade 4 Loup Falls - was
a fiasco, after my attempt to join another paddler in an eddy failed, and I went down
backwards.
Musical snippets are inserted to cover vocalisations in moments of stress.
|
August
|
Dora Baltea, Italy: Gorge section (12/08/2018)
|
A trip to the mid-Alps: four days in Italy and two in France. The scenery, around
the highest peaks of western Europe, is spectacular. Except for one day, the weather
was hot.
The Dora Baltea river in Italy runs down the Aosta Valley from the foot of Mont Blanc.
This section is Grade 3, with a shallow gradient but fast flow and big waves. As long
as one could stay upright, it didn't call for great technical skills, but it was really
fun.
|
|
Dora Baltea, Italy: middle section (12/08/2018)
|
This section is upriver from the one in the previous video, and slightly more narrow
and technical, but similar in character. Much of the valley bottom is quite built-up,
and you don't exactly feel out in the wilds.
At one point we got a strong whiff of sewage, and during the rest of the week, one
by one we all got sick.
|
|
Grand Eyvia, Italy (13/08/2018)
|
Complacent from keeping my head dry the previous day, and slightly hungover, I made
a hash of most of this run. In the intervals between being pinned against rocks, my
downriver moves were either backwards or barely in control. People were shouting at
me to eddy out, but I couldn't see any eddies.
This river is fast and steep (you get no sense of how steep from the GoPro footage),
and also shallow - but not shallow enough to be safe from drowning, as I discovered
during a swim that wasn't captured on camera. It was certainly the most frightening
out-of-boat experience I've had - the only one when an intimation of finality momentarily
closed in. All my energy was going into keeping my head out of the water while my
limbs were bashed against rocks; turning downstream or swimming to an eddy were out
of the question, but somehow I finally made it to the bank, dispirited and assuming
my boat was lost.
My breath recovered and my boat found, the worst was over. Sheer relief helped me
relax for the rest of the descent. I capsized again but managed a roll.
I'm surprised that most of this stretch is classed as Grade 3+ rather than Grade 4,
but it could just be that I was having a bad day.
|
|
Rutor, Italy (15/08/2018)
|
On the route between Aosta and Bourg-Saint-Maurice, where we were staying for the
rest of the week, we stopped off to paddle this short run high up in the mountains.
It's straightforward Grade 3 in nice countryside that retains a feeling of remoteness.
|
June
|
River Washburn (17/06/2018)
|
A run of the Grade 3 drop and a balls-up below it when I came out of my boat. I'm
not sure why I made a video of this but here it is.
|
February
|
Sea surfing in Norfolk (03/02/2018)
|
This was my first express sea-surfing trip. I was apprehensive about playing on sizeable
waves on my own in winter, but I didn't swim and I managed to surf slightly, so I
decided I was going to do it again.
|
[Return to top] 2017
December
|
River Tees, Dog Leg (03/12/2017)
|
Three paddlers descend Salmon Leap Falls (aka the Dog Leg): two really good ones and
me. I aimed too far left at the bottom and brushed the bank, but basically it went
OK.
|
|
River Tees, Low Force (03/12/2017)
|
Club paddlers and hangers-on boofing away on this forgiving waterfall on two consecutive
days. Note the paddler who does it without his spraydeck. I chanced a descent of the
"horseshoe" above the waterfall proper, which can be dicey in higher water as the
harmless-looking stopper is quite retentive, and there is the risk of being pushed
the wrong way round the rock outcrop down the "Jacuzzi Chute".
|
|
River Tees, Barnard Castle to Abbey Rapids (27/12/2017)
|
With a different group of paddlers from normal during the Christmas holidays. This
was my first descent in the playboat. I can't remember what level the river was at
- looks about medium.
|
|
River Tees, Abbey Rapids to Whorlton (27/12/2017)
|
Continuation of the previous video. Not a great deal of action on this stretch, except
for the simple drop of Whorlton Falls.
|
|
River Tees, Whorlton to Winston (27/12/2017)
|
Continuation of the previous video. This stretch is Grade 2 to 2+. There's a bit of
wave surfing but this is mostly a straightforward mellow run.
|
|
River Wharfe (31/12/2017)
|
This is not one of the most popular white water runs, being pretty flat for much of
its length, but it is very scenic, with the clear banks offering nice views of the
broad valley, quite green even here in the middle of winter.
The main features are, in order, the constriction at the limestone outcrop of Loup
Scar (supposedly Grade 3 but at this level surely Grade 2), and Appletreewick Falls
(Grade 3).
|
November
|
Upper Dart (12/11/2017)
|
I experienced a confidence boost after my trip to Austria, and in the following months
my paddling stepped up a notch. I felt ready for the Upper Dart, which was running
at a medium level on this weekend.
I ran everything except for Pandora's Box, which the group leader - a cautious chap
- advised me to portage. Perhaps his confidence in me was dented by my upside-down
descent of Euthanasia Falls, though I did roll at the bottom.
|
September
|
Washburn (20/09/2017)
|
A short comedy clip of me getting pulled out of an eddy by a paddler who thought my
boat was a good thing to grab hold of. I'm not sure why I apologised. I didn't quite
know what was going on.
|
August
|
Inn, Toesens Gorge, II (23/08/2017)
|
My first Alps trip. I decided cautiously only to spend four days on the water. Unfortunately
I forgot my kit one day, and had to sit out the paddling. Still, after this visit
I knew I wanted to return. The combination of cool water, hot sun, mountain scenery
and endorphin rush is hard to beat.
The dam up the river wasn't releasing on this day, so this normally full-on stretch
was lower than ideal, but still, it wasn't exactly boring.
I stayed on in Austria a couple of days to get some walking in, so despite losing
a day's white water action, it was a satisfying holiday.
|
|
Inn, Toesens Gorge, II (23/08/2017)
|
Continuation of the previous video.
|
|
Oetztaler Ache I (25/08/2017)
|
This is a rollercoaster run of continuous rapids that is nominally Grade 4. It's very
fast and there are big waves, but most of it is read-and-run, and boats are more forgiving
than they ysed to be. Therefore, most paddlers now rate it as Grade 3+ - at least
earlier in the day before the glacier melt reaches its peak.
The tour leader said to me afterwards, "You can't still tell me the Lee Valley Olympic
is anything like as good as that!", but actually I felt the Olympic course had been
excellent practice.
|
|
Oetztaler Ache II (25/08/2017)
|
Continuation of previous video.
|
|
Oetztaler Ache III (25/08/2017)
|
Continuation of previous video.
|
|
Oetztaler Ache IV (25/08/2017)
|
Continuation of previous video.
|
March
|
Bottom of the Upper Tryweryn, top of the Lower (11/03/2017)
|
A rare winter paddle of the dam-released Tryweryn. I assume other rivers were too
low, which is why we fell back on this one.
This video features lots of playing on the NRA Wave, Chapel Falls, then the start
of the Lower Tryweryn proper.
|
|
Upper Tryweryn I (11/03/2017)
|
My first video of the Upper Tryweryn, which I had run several times before in summer.
A companion gave me tips on "hero eddies" to try for - here I manage the "ledge eddy",
which isn't actually that difficult to get into, though getting out of it can be interesting.
The river looks quite different from normal, with the trees bare. The video ends near
the bottom of the Graveyard.
|
|
Upper Tryweryn II (11/03/2017)
|
Continuation of the previous video, from the bottom of the Graveyard to Fedw'r Gog
Falls.
|
January
|
A run of the Lee Valley Olympic course (21/01/2017)
|
My first GoPro, my first kayaking video. I had passed the Olympic assessment the previous
summer, but my paddling is still a bit hesitant and awkward.
|
[Return to top]
(c) Copyright 2002-2022
|
|
|