Reverends of Rapids

Why the off season sucks

2012-01-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

Wouldn’t it be nice if we all lived somewhere we could paddle all of the time? I don’t know how many people live in the southeast that read this, but I don’t so this is for everyone else. We could all take trips to Chile or Mexico in the off season, but those trips are expensive and can be logistical nightmares (unless you know David Hughes, that man is some sort of logistics wizard). Anyways, I live have lived in Colorado most of my life, and now I am in Montana. As you are well aware we get tons of snow here, both Colorado and Montana, which means sick boating when it melts. When there is snow here boating options are a little slim. In Colorado there are options like paddling the Colorado River as it has a large flow and there a few dams which can mean pretty predictable flow. Other options are the other big ones like the Ark, or the South Platte. Bailey can be a great off season creek as it is regulated by how much water Denver needs. Other than that options are a little slim.
What is great about all the snow is skiing and the run off you can get stoked about. Getting stoked about the run off though is a bit of a double edged sword. You get stoked about the run off, but you get depressed as you can’t paddle it until the springs. It’s a viscous circle. What I do is go skiing.
My life is split between telemark skiing and kayaking, which means I always have something to do. When I am doing one though, I am always missing the other. Kayaking more so than skiing though. Every time I see something on Facebook about kayaking I get a little sad. Then I get jealous. Chase the other writer on this blog is always telling me about his sick runs down the Green and I come back at him telling him how sick the skiing is. This turns into an argument about which is better. I can only agree though that kayaking to me wins more than skiing. It is some sort of defence mechanism I guess. Jealousy and depression make the off season seem longer. I guess the only thing that I have to do is watch YouTube videos and go snow kayaking.

You can only run it blind once

2011-12-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

There is much wisdom in kayakers, but take heed as not all it should be thought of as wise.
I first heard it in my senior year of high school. I was going to a school that went around the world kayaking while having classes at the same time. When I was there we went to Chile during the winter. One of the places we went was a river called the Rio Claro. It was in one of Chile’s most famous parks known for seven waterfalls known as the Seven Teacups. One day, Dave Hughes, the president of the school said that he was going to take some kids to run a section of the river known as Veintedos Saltos, or Twenty two Waterfalls. The group consisted of two other kids named Haakon Samulson, and Stephen Forster, a teacher named Matt Smink and Dave himself. Dave asked a girl, Taylor, and I which one of us wanted to go. I could not decide so we flipped a coin and she said she wanted to do the Seven Teacups with everyone else. Earlier that morning Dave had driven the school’s SUV up to where he thought the trail to the put-in would be. This dictated the day so to speak. That afternoon he claimed he found the put-in and we set off. After about a half hour of hiking we lost the trail and then came upon a creek bed which we followed to the river, ending on a giant cliff overlooking a thirty foot waterfall. We climbed down a steep bank and found a place to slide into the water. This would be the only drop of the day that I got to look at. After a couple of waterfalls, some of which we ran blind and some someone got onto the bank to tell us where to go we came up to a great horizon line. The walls were completely vertical from the water so there was no way to look at the drop below. From the edge we could see it was one small waterfall with an eddy at the bottom leading into another larger drop. We had no way of knowing how big it was or how to run it. After we all ran the smaller drop we were all gathered in the eddy which was in a bit of a cave in the cliff side. Dave told us he would whistle directions to us from the bottom, 1 blast for left, 2 for middle, and 3 for right. After Dave and Mat go we start to hear whistle blast, but they seem to change randomly every so often confusing us all. Haakon decides he will just go for and paddles off on the left side. It is just Stephen and I sitting in the eddy and he looks at me. I’m sitting there shaking in my boat and he gives a quick smile and says “You can only run it blind once” and paddles off. Seeing how he was so calm on top of what could have been death I followed and paddled off the edge. It was amazing. I ended up having the sketchiest line riding the cliff wall on the right on the way down, but looking back up I had one of the best feelings ever. Now every time I come to a drop that I have never done or seen I think, “Well. I can only run it blind once, so let’s go”.
However it now goes beyond my kayaking. This summer I got news that Stephen Forster had passed away on the North Fork of the Payette and it made me rethink that saying. To Stephen it was not just how he kayaked, it was how he lived. He would always, no matter what it was try anything new. He was never scared to go out and do something. I have tried to take that to heart as well. I am constantly looking for something new to do. I like to go out and explore, look for new experiences. Even if it ends badly I will know what to expect next time, how to adapt to it and succeed.
It is about learning from your mistakes and successes. Sometimes it may not be the best of advice, but it does not stop me. When you do it blind you never know, it could be the best thing you have ever done.

Teva mountain games

2011-06-13T19:04:00.001-07:00

Arguably one of the biggest extreme sports competitions in the USA is located in Vail, Colorado. It is known as Teva Mountain Games. This year I competed in the Extreme Creek race and the playboating competition. The first was the creek and race and it definitely was one of the stiffest competitions I have ever seen. The best whitewater kayakers showed up from across the world to compete in a very challenging and high altitude race. there were 44 racers and 22 made it to the finals. I managed to sneak in the finals with Pyranha team member David Fusilli. My second lap was a couple seconds faster than the first and I ended up in 15th place.

Stephen Forster in the middle of Homestake Creek

The playboating competition did not end up as well for me though. Gore Creek play hole was difficult and flushy.

Jonny Meyers throwing a mcnasty

After the competition Chase headed home and we spent a few days at Glenwood Wave for some epic surf.

Dave Fusilli hucking a huge backstab

Steamboat Springs Pro Invitational

2011-05-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here we were, the night before the Steamboat Pro Invitational, praying that there will be a race and a descent playboating competition. We woke up early in the morning praying the weather forecast was wrong, considering it was predicting cold and freezing rain. Fish Creek was plummeting from its almost ideal race flow and the Yampa River was rising. Both of these outcomes were not ideal, but Chase and I were still excited for the competition. First was the race. chase and I finished decently, myself finishing seventh, two seconds behind Nick Troutman, and Chase one second behind me, in eighth. After, the competitors headed down to D-Hole to attempt to throw tricks on one of the most difficult playspots I have ever competed on. It was a tough day, but I ended up in eight place. Now I am at Vail ready for the next competition.

Dan Piano about to start his lap

Stephen Forster heading into the first rapid

Stephen Forster throwing a blunt

Chase Simmons shredding C-, Steamboat's new gem and one of the best waves in Co

Stephen Forster throwing the beginning of a clean blunt

Slater Creek

2011-05-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: Brad Mcmillan

Slater Creek has to be one of the more epic adventures in the Steamboat area. Don't bother trying to take any other route to this creek, in early spring, besides entering on the border of Wyoming and driving 30 miles on a dirt road, in arguably one of the most beautiful untouched gems in the USA. Luckily the 4 of us, including Brad Mcmillan, Chase Simmons, Joe Ravena, and I, decided to take a shortcut and got stuck in the snow for two hours. After we dug the Subaru out, we turned around, took the long, low elevation route, and made our way up to flood level Slater Creek. We put-in at the top of the gorge, not knowing much beta and we quickly found out that the this stout should not be messed with at this level due to a nasty tree. This led to roping boats out, a semi long hike, and a quick walk to a big water 20 foot slide into a 30 foot drop. At 5:45 at night I decided to charge this big mofo, which I would compare to a high water Big boy, on the Ravens Fork in NC, except with easier rapids after. The boys set up safety and cameras for me, I peeled out of the eddy and hit one of the biggest auto-boofs ever, soaring over the huge hole at the bottoms. We finally got out of this committing gorge and made our way home.

Stuck in the Snow

Joe Ravena scouting the entrance to the gorge

Large and in Charge

2011-05-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Chris Wing about to drop in two one of the bigger rapids

On Tuesday 5 of us, all from the Southeast ran Cross Mountain Canyon, on the Yampa River in CO, at extremely high flows. This river is full on. there is no flat water for five miles, few eddies, and some gigantic rapids. This has to be one of my favorite runs in the world. Besides the stout first rapid, every rapid is runnable to some extent. I definitely recommend this run to any paddler who is confident on big water class 5. here are some pictures of the day.

Chase Simmons scouting the second rapid

Brad Mcmillan in the runout to the second rapid

Joe Ravena running the 3rd rapid

Chase Simmons in the crux of the third rapid

by Stephen Forster

Oh Be Joyful

2010-06-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago I got onto a run that I had been wanting to do since i started to kayak, Oh Be Joyful in my all time favorite town Crested Butte. The run is soooooo sick. Clean slide and drops, with great hike and huck and lap characteristics. And the camping is not too bad either. If you want to run the last big slide though it looks a little sketchy. The Beaver Dam From Hell at the bottom was burned or washed out dropping the level of the pool and leaving a jumble of logs waiting at the bottom and one it the opening that aims straight for your head. And here are some pictures courtesy of Matt Sklar.

West Branch on the deerfield

2010-05-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

So we sent last week up on the Deerfield river at Tino Specht's house. While there, there was a hefty amount of rain, but not like there was down south in places like Tennessee. The north east is the land of the micro stouts, and that being said, when it was raining we got to get on one of the area best creeks. it is a super sweet quite continuos creek with some nice boulder garden drops. i dont quite remember the names of the rapids, but there was one after tunnel vision, which was walked due to shifting rocks, that was super fun. I think it was also after hand plant too. While on the run there was this sweet hail storm that made us all hunch over in our boats to protect our hands. the things were like the size of peas. I have to say though that that run was one of my favorite creeks that i have done in a while. The north east is the land of the micro stouts.

NOC shootout weekend

2010-04-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

I like to take pictures. I like to kayak. I don't so much like to compete, but that is okay. I do like competitions though because that is a wonderful time to take tons of pictures and learn some sweet new moves from the pros hanging around. Last weekend was the Nantahala Outdoor Center Freestyle Shootout, on, as guessed, the Nantahala river, in, as guessed again, the Nantahala Gorge.
The, I guess, build team did a pretty good job of trying to keep building a semi consistent feature. I appreciated their effort, but things did not go as planned. The thing kind of declined though during competition. On the qualifying day I threw a lucky loop to get me into the next round, but the wave changed a little over night and the next day I could not throw anything. Well for that matter no one really wowed the crowd that day.
Over the weekend I took tons of photos. I think the final number was somewhere close to when America became a free country. Not a lot to some people, but a feat for me. It gave me a sense joy, like climbing a mountain or getting fifth in the competition. The following are just a few from the vast collection.

Progression: thy name is big waves

2010-04-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

Freestyle kayaking is going through a sort of revolution. We are moving away from the hole boating and cartwheels of the 90's and early 00's and into the age of the big wave. Before you get angry at me for thinking that I am going to bash NOC winning the World's bid read the rest of this article. The progression today is coming in waves, both themselves and what can be thrown on them. Paddlers are surfing bigger and more dangerous waves. They are getting more and more air, while throwing moves once thought impossible. Paddlers like Nick Troutman and Joel Kowalski are close to the double air screw. Guys like Ben Marr are are taking style to a whole new level throwing tricks that look smoother than the most celebrities faces. Boats are getting faster and bouncier allow these huge maneuvers, but some boat companies are still building boats that are friendly on both waves and in holes.

The waves that these guys are surfing these days are nothing like those 10-20 years ago. Gladiator almost reaches twenty feet on the low end and is backed up by a, the Ledge, that forms a gnarly recirculating hole at any level. Waves like Detonator and Bus Eater are also large beast that have been tamed, but still shiver a little in comparison to Gladiator. The waves are getting larger and with their size comes more inherent dangers. The water gets bigger making it harder to maneuver, and making holes and consequences, like flush drowning, larger as well. These inherent dangers do not frighten away top paddlers as they see it as more of a test of pure boating skills and not just their freestyle abilities.

The tricks that paddlers are throwing are getting, bigger, more complicated and the tricks that have already been perfected more styled out. Combos are being linked together that make people wonder “How is he able to do that without hurting himself?” Look at the Best Combo section at Tribe's Rider of The Year Awards, there are moves like Airscrew to Blunt or Clean Blunt to Pistol Flip. These are a far cry from the days of when a donkey flip was cutting edge. I am hoping to soon see a 540 helix to pistol flip. It will be done, and soon.

I feel like it is time for boat making companies to make a choice; either make a novice boat or make one for the more advanced. They can make both, but many companies try to make a top of the line boat, that they then dumb down so that appeals to a larger group of paddlers. They need to make the decision of whether they want to appeal to those looking to progress the sport along with their skills, or to master that eddy turn or spin. Right now the boats are the same across the board, to me, the only companies that made a boat for advanced paddlers only, and they are still popular, are Bliss-Stick, with their Rad and Necky, out of business I know, with their Orbit Fish. These boats are performance machines, and Necky's O Fish, because it was discontinued is in huge demand for those surfing big waves. A good quote that I saw was “you don't show up to a F1 race with a big wheel” (contact me if this was you) and to me that seems what the current state of big wave paddling is in right now. It is also that everyone is showing up with the big wheel and there is not much of an exciting race. Speed and crashes make for more exciting auto races, so the same should be true for freestyle kayaking. Boats are getting faster, and bounces are getting bigger, so it is like the big wheels are moving up to full bikes, but there is still tons of room to go.

I really would like to see a future where big wave competition push kayaking more mainstream, and worlds is on a feature for the elite, not one that appeals to Joe Everyman. I think Rush said something like this: “They don't hold the X-games on a small quarter pipe that every one can do. People want to see Shaun White getting twenty feet of air out of a huge super pipe.” He is right. Freestyle kayaking and competitions are moving, like they should, away from the the small features and onto huge behemoths that make even Evil Knievel shudder.
And that is my two cents! I will now get down off my soap box and see you on the water!

Hornopiren Update

2010-04-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

Chile Rivers Overview

2010-04-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Walking on new ground

2010-03-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks i have recently been dabbling in the art of video editing. This is my first video about the Liquid Logic Jefe.
Hope you like it.
Matt Hill

Futaleufu and Negro

2010-03-15T05:44:00.000-07:00

Rio Futalefu and the Rio Negro

I am currently in Chile, at one of the beautiful places in the world, the famous Rio Futalefu. it has some of the best big water in the world and it is surrounded by snowcapped mountains. I just ran the rapid, zeta and throne room on the inferno canyon, scared myself to death on an iffy line on zeta( which contains an eddy that could recerc a person for months, and just won a national raft race in Futa Fest, beating Team Peru and it was Tino and my first time in a raft. In all Futa Fest was a blast though. I got fifth in the 9k down river race which I was happy with, considering it was one of my first times running the section.

Before the Futalefu i was at the Rio Negro which is a class 4 waterfall run. Also surrounded by snowcapped mountains, the Rio Negro is about 1 mile from the ocean,which was amazing. It consists of three drops all being great boofs into clean pools. Definitely a must for all class 4 boaters planning a trip to Chile.

Stephen Forster

I want to know, have yo ever seen the rain?

2010-02-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

I like to paddle in the rain. It is the getting psyched to go out there part that is hard to get over. Here at the Fuy it has been raining non-stop for about the past 4 days. Its a little disheartening because it is supposed to be summer down here. What gives? But it's whatever.

Paddling in the rain is super sweet. I love the connection between the air and the water. They feel unified. Paddling in the rain is a sort of religious experience, I feel it gets you more connect with nature. The calmness of it just seems so settling and lets you open yourself up more to everything around you. Plus when you paddle in the rain you are paddling 'in the rain'!!! The only downside is...you get wet. Sorry I just had to say it.

2010-02-06T05:20:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas break, instead of going home and seeing the family, I decided to stay in chile, charge the stouts, and experience a foreign country outside of an educational environment. The kayaking was nothing but incredible. Because water levels were so high, nearly every river in Pucon was running, and sometimes at a sufficently higher than normal flow. An hour after the students left, Tino and I decided to fire up and start the vacation with the 70 footer on the Palguin. After that drop I had a case of Huck Fever. Soon after, Keegan Grady and I decided to run the ninety footer above the Upper Palguin section, and I decided to run the ten footer above the seventy footer, also on the Rio Palguin. We had a demshitz christmas on the lower Nevados, and later traveled down south to run the notorious Florine and Gol Gol. Overall it was a stout trip. Do not forget to look for the new trailer for the upcoming video by Airborn Athletics, Signs of life, featuring Chile and Canada.

.

As I walk through the valley of the River. The second reverend.

2010-02-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

All rise. Let us bow our heads in the rapid prayer: "We will flip. We will roll. We will huck the stouts and stomp the lines. We walk in the valley of the river and conquer all that is thrown at us." All sit.

Here I am. The co-founder of Reverends of Rapids and the in house photographer. I'm kinda of big deal too. I too, as with Father Stephen attend New River Acade

my. I am sponsored by Liquid Logic, Head Trip Helmets and Paddlinglife.net. Now bask in the glory of these

tasty glossies.

IR Update in Chile

2010-02-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Over my christmas break i started to paddle with Jake Greenbaum in Chile. Here is an IR update on my vactaion

IR Update in Chile from stephen forster on Vimeo.

Achibueno Update

2010-02-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

this video was made by Alex Anderson

Rio Claro Update

2010-02-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

Rio Maipo Update

2010-02-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

here is the first chilerivers.org video