Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, December 09, 2011
Palguin Sessions
The Palguin river runs off the flanks of Volcan Villarrica, there fore it almost always has a runnable flow. Being summer time rats here in the small town of Pucon this fits perfectly into out busy agenda. Only 20-30 minuets from downtown this river offers close reliable class IV-VI rapids for us to run whenever we want. 8am-9pm there is enough light to head to the Palguin and either run fun class IV boofs or go huge off 40-80 foot stouts! What more can you ask for?
This season the water was prime when we arrived, but has been on a steady decline from day one. This has made for a mad dash to get all the runs and levels opportunities we can in a short amount of time. Once we were warmed up with a few Nevado runs we went straight to the Middle Palguin for some test dummy action. Good lines through Stout 10 and varying lines off the big one...Aniol and I went back up for round 2! A good day of hucking for sure...a few days later Aniol was feeling Salto Palguin so we went back for a Todo Palguin! Aniol laced the stout and we went on to run the entire river with only 2 portages.
One being a very tight manky slide with a log jam, and second is Brendan Guth's drop on the Lower Palguin, which hasn't been run since that tragic day. Enjoy a few shots from the 2 runs!
Stout 10...coming in HOT!
Getting mad dirty off the curling lip of the middle!
Juanito Ugarte running the middle after an exciting stout 10 descent.
Head freeze of middle with the new GoPro 2...this thing shoots amazing footage!
Papa Garcia styling in the new Liquid Logic Stomper 90...the boat looks amazing out there on the big stuff!
Aniol running stout 10 with some style...he has been on fire coming hot off a big Mexico trip.
A sick sequence of me running Stout 10...this is the scariest move offered in Pucon!
Stern mount freeze off the middle.
It amazes me to come down here year after year and continually return to this river only to find more and different personal challenges as I grow as a kayaker. I still get scared looking down at the pool while scouting the Middle, I more scared than ever of the Exportacion, and Salto Palguin is a thing of my past after having a good line last year. This has been a cool transition for me to be a part of...every year I come back a better and more confident paddler, but I always have different goals and fears in mind. Some rapids with curtain consequences that appealed to me last year could be a total no go this year...while drops I didn't like in the past I can now see myself stomping.
Salute to the Palguin keep watching this blog as there is a ton more content to be put up and get ready for Bomb Flow TV's Episode 6 covering the first month of this Chile trip.
Later E.G.
This season the water was prime when we arrived, but has been on a steady decline from day one. This has made for a mad dash to get all the runs and levels opportunities we can in a short amount of time. Once we were warmed up with a few Nevado runs we went straight to the Middle Palguin for some test dummy action. Good lines through Stout 10 and varying lines off the big one...Aniol and I went back up for round 2! A good day of hucking for sure...a few days later Aniol was feeling Salto Palguin so we went back for a Todo Palguin! Aniol laced the stout and we went on to run the entire river with only 2 portages.
One being a very tight manky slide with a log jam, and second is Brendan Guth's drop on the Lower Palguin, which hasn't been run since that tragic day. Enjoy a few shots from the 2 runs!
Stout 10...coming in HOT!
Getting mad dirty off the curling lip of the middle!
Juanito Ugarte running the middle after an exciting stout 10 descent.
Head freeze of middle with the new GoPro 2...this thing shoots amazing footage!
Papa Garcia styling in the new Liquid Logic Stomper 90...the boat looks amazing out there on the big stuff!
Aniol running stout 10 with some style...he has been on fire coming hot off a big Mexico trip.
A sick sequence of me running Stout 10...this is the scariest move offered in Pucon!
Stern mount freeze off the middle.It amazes me to come down here year after year and continually return to this river only to find more and different personal challenges as I grow as a kayaker. I still get scared looking down at the pool while scouting the Middle, I more scared than ever of the Exportacion, and Salto Palguin is a thing of my past after having a good line last year. This has been a cool transition for me to be a part of...every year I come back a better and more confident paddler, but I always have different goals and fears in mind. Some rapids with curtain consequences that appealed to me last year could be a total no go this year...while drops I didn't like in the past I can now see myself stomping.
Salute to the Palguin keep watching this blog as there is a ton more content to be put up and get ready for Bomb Flow TV's Episode 6 covering the first month of this Chile trip.
Later E.G.
Friday, December 02, 2011
Chile Starts off with a BOOM!
This year Chile has been better and more sweet than ever before! Coming off a bad bad injury from a fall I took in Africa I was on the couch for a full month and a half. It's funny how time and your personal happiness can connect in curtain ways. When you are happy time flies! When you're not time can creep by! That's just how the human mind works at times. Therefore when I arrived fresh out of my walking boot, I was nervous to see how I would do and so excited to get back in my boat!
First day off the plane I was greeted by Anton, Ian, and my Dad in Santiago. We loaded up Ian's new truck and drove straight to the Rio Claro. Finding the level was still super high my nerves set in big time knowing we were gonna drop into the Garganta Del Diablo canyon and run the Twirly Bird at high flows. I felt a bit bobbly in my boat, but after the first few class V drops I was back in my element feeling good as ever.
It was only Ian, Anton, and I in the canyon and we couldn't even get out at the lip of Caracol to shoot, but with luck my pops was on the canyon rim and caught some of the action! Check the photos...
Ian running the TWIRLY BIRD!!!!!!
Myself tucking up and running the first stout of the trip...oh such a sweet moment.
The viking Anton bombing as always. Good to be back with the good boys running the real!
The rest of the canyon was a blur of pure beauty and high water scary action!!!!! It was a truly special day for me. Being back in my kayak healthy, with my older brother, good long time friend, and running the shit in my favorite country in the world! Like sands through the hour glass so are the days of our lives!!!!! Keep your eyes on egcreekin cuz we blowing shit up!!!!!!
Later E.G.
First day off the plane I was greeted by Anton, Ian, and my Dad in Santiago. We loaded up Ian's new truck and drove straight to the Rio Claro. Finding the level was still super high my nerves set in big time knowing we were gonna drop into the Garganta Del Diablo canyon and run the Twirly Bird at high flows. I felt a bit bobbly in my boat, but after the first few class V drops I was back in my element feeling good as ever.
It was only Ian, Anton, and I in the canyon and we couldn't even get out at the lip of Caracol to shoot, but with luck my pops was on the canyon rim and caught some of the action! Check the photos...
Ian running the TWIRLY BIRD!!!!!!
Myself tucking up and running the first stout of the trip...oh such a sweet moment.
The viking Anton bombing as always. Good to be back with the good boys running the real!The rest of the canyon was a blur of pure beauty and high water scary action!!!!! It was a truly special day for me. Being back in my kayak healthy, with my older brother, good long time friend, and running the shit in my favorite country in the world! Like sands through the hour glass so are the days of our lives!!!!! Keep your eyes on egcreekin cuz we blowing shit up!!!!!!
Later E.G.
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Chile all wrapped up in one...
Here is a little video of me talking and kayaking...its all filmed in Chile and features some of the biggest, best, and hardest drops I have ever nutted up to run...Chile is amazing! Come down and check it out for yourself there is anything from this kind of stoutness of beautiful endless class II in drinkable creeks and rivers. If you are looking to buy any gear for a trip to Chile check out Rivers Lakes and Oceans my family's company in Pucon...we sell everything from the best whitewater boats to fishing supplies. Enjoy the video y'all!
Later E.G.
Evan Garcia Chile Bomb Flow from BombFlowTV on Vimeo.
Later E.G.
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Box
Being a young kid growing up in the kayak scene I always looked to the top to find my inspiration. Being from the Gallatin valley there was a group of well known amazing paddlers living right here in my home town...often know as the NERPU boys!
They made films such as Nerpu, Valhalla, Weyakin, and One World. The Teton Gravity Research boys were locals in my home town! So this made it easy for a number of incredible legends and stories to come up around town. Matt Wilson, Ben Selznick, Brain Fletcher, Nick Turner, Seth Warren, Brett "Soup" Ferre, and many other good ole' boys ripped up the best rivers and creek around Montana and the Rockies. There were two rivers that really stood out in my mind...Big Timber Creek and The Box of the Clark's fork of the Yellowstone.
"The Box" for short, was a 2-3 day run in North Western Wyoming, only a few short hours from Bozeman. I had always heard terror stories about this canyon and what it was capable of doing to even the best of paddlers. In my head this was the far exterior of what was possible in a kayak and because kayaking was the center of my own little universe...it was the coolest most badass thing I could think about doing in life!
Fast forward 8 to 9 years...thousands of days on the river...and instead of the kid watching all the movies just dreaming of becoming a so called "pro kayaker"...here I am doing nothing but going kayaking and making movies of my own. This has been quite the transformation to be a part of and it wasn't all that easy int he end, but passion and staying true to what I really wanted to become have lead me to this point in life. There I was 22 years old finally at the Put-in of The Box with 6 of my close friends ready to go!
The Box starts off with a tight little canyon known as the Honeymooner! This is mostly made up of fun class IV drops getting you ready and warmed up for the first big portage of the Box. Once you reach the Green Monster you walk high river right for about 30-45 minuets before you reach the river and an hour of flat water before the river starts to drop again. The scenery is next best to none! An amazing wilderness setting reveals itself as you float deeper and deeper into the gorge.
The whitewater that is held within The Box is world class...for the most part the rapids are very clean and runnable. There are anywhere from 5-10 portages in the run depending on how hard you want to go, but for the most part the big stuff is all walkable/sneak-able. Some of the bigger marquee drops are Deep 6, Balls to the Wall, Snuliguster, Deliberation Corner, Dilly-wacker, and Leap of Faith. There are tons more amazing class IV-V drops in there to enjoy, but just remember keep your bow up and head dry!
Tyler about to do some subbing in Deep 6! This is a classic drop that looks easy to boof, but turns out to be quite difficult resulting in some downtime! Photo Eric Parker
Deliberation Corner...you make the line or die? Weird odds, but them move goes. Photo Eric Parker
The crew scouting out Balls to the Wall! Check out that sick canyon wall. Both times we ran The Box we saw climbers sending some huge cracks on river left. Photo Eric Parker
POV shot of dropping in to Balls!
Ryan Lucas styling out Deliberation Corner the crux of the entire run. Photo EG
If you look closely you will see a white Mountain Goat high on a cliff over the river. Photo Eric Parker
Lane Jacobs boofing the oh so classic ledge drop exiting a beautiful committing canyon. Photo EG
Ryan scouting the tight line of Deliberation Corner. Photo Eric Parker
Erik Johnson running a smooth line down B.T.T.W. Photo Eric Parker
Mr. Johnson keeping the fire burning so we can cook our dinner. Photo Eric Parker
We caught some very tasty trout right in front of our camp site and ate demshitz. Photo Eric Parker
Myself capturing the beauty of Northern Wyoming. Photo Eric Parker
Johnson running Leap of Faith the last major rapid of The Box. Photo EG
Myself dropping into Deep 6! Photo Eric Parker
We saw a wild Grizzy Bear while driving through Yellowstone national park on the way home. Photo Eric Parker
The Clark's fork canyon from the Chief Josep scenic highway. Photo EG
Camp Time. Photo Eric Parker
The full moon rising over our camp on night one. Photo EG
Ben Kinsella and Eric Parker running Balls! Photo EG
Myself in the middle of Balls going super fast towards the last slot of the rapid! Photo Eric Parker
One thing I loved about the box, other than the scenery, drops, camping, and fishing, is the fact that all the mandatory portages are 100% portages. There is no second guessing the run-ability of any of the big walks...they are absolutely massive and sieved out as a wife and kids. (just kidding)
It was a total trip dropping in to The Box, twice in one year, having two successful runs with great friends. If you would have walked up to me 8 years ago and told me i was going to be lapping The Box someday...I would have laughed and said "No Way". It's amazing how life changes and will lead you down different paths. I couldn't be more happy to declare that I am truly living my childhood dream...being the elusive "Pro Kayaker" making hundreds upon hundreds of dollars and traveling the world chasing down the best rivers it has to offer.
Look for our footage in Bomb Flow TV episode #5 coming soon....
Later E.G.
They made films such as Nerpu, Valhalla, Weyakin, and One World. The Teton Gravity Research boys were locals in my home town! So this made it easy for a number of incredible legends and stories to come up around town. Matt Wilson, Ben Selznick, Brain Fletcher, Nick Turner, Seth Warren, Brett "Soup" Ferre, and many other good ole' boys ripped up the best rivers and creek around Montana and the Rockies. There were two rivers that really stood out in my mind...Big Timber Creek and The Box of the Clark's fork of the Yellowstone.
"The Box" for short, was a 2-3 day run in North Western Wyoming, only a few short hours from Bozeman. I had always heard terror stories about this canyon and what it was capable of doing to even the best of paddlers. In my head this was the far exterior of what was possible in a kayak and because kayaking was the center of my own little universe...it was the coolest most badass thing I could think about doing in life!
Fast forward 8 to 9 years...thousands of days on the river...and instead of the kid watching all the movies just dreaming of becoming a so called "pro kayaker"...here I am doing nothing but going kayaking and making movies of my own. This has been quite the transformation to be a part of and it wasn't all that easy int he end, but passion and staying true to what I really wanted to become have lead me to this point in life. There I was 22 years old finally at the Put-in of The Box with 6 of my close friends ready to go!
The Box starts off with a tight little canyon known as the Honeymooner! This is mostly made up of fun class IV drops getting you ready and warmed up for the first big portage of the Box. Once you reach the Green Monster you walk high river right for about 30-45 minuets before you reach the river and an hour of flat water before the river starts to drop again. The scenery is next best to none! An amazing wilderness setting reveals itself as you float deeper and deeper into the gorge.
The whitewater that is held within The Box is world class...for the most part the rapids are very clean and runnable. There are anywhere from 5-10 portages in the run depending on how hard you want to go, but for the most part the big stuff is all walkable/sneak-able. Some of the bigger marquee drops are Deep 6, Balls to the Wall, Snuliguster, Deliberation Corner, Dilly-wacker, and Leap of Faith. There are tons more amazing class IV-V drops in there to enjoy, but just remember keep your bow up and head dry!
Tyler about to do some subbing in Deep 6! This is a classic drop that looks easy to boof, but turns out to be quite difficult resulting in some downtime! Photo Eric Parker 
Deliberation Corner...you make the line or die? Weird odds, but them move goes. Photo Eric Parker
The crew scouting out Balls to the Wall! Check out that sick canyon wall. Both times we ran The Box we saw climbers sending some huge cracks on river left. Photo Eric Parker
POV shot of dropping in to Balls!
Ryan Lucas styling out Deliberation Corner the crux of the entire run. Photo EG
If you look closely you will see a white Mountain Goat high on a cliff over the river. Photo Eric Parker
Lane Jacobs boofing the oh so classic ledge drop exiting a beautiful committing canyon. Photo EG
Ryan scouting the tight line of Deliberation Corner. Photo Eric Parker
Erik Johnson running a smooth line down B.T.T.W. Photo Eric Parker
Mr. Johnson keeping the fire burning so we can cook our dinner. Photo Eric Parker
We caught some very tasty trout right in front of our camp site and ate demshitz. Photo Eric Parker
Myself capturing the beauty of Northern Wyoming. Photo Eric Parker
Johnson running Leap of Faith the last major rapid of The Box. Photo EG
Myself dropping into Deep 6! Photo Eric Parker
We saw a wild Grizzy Bear while driving through Yellowstone national park on the way home. Photo Eric Parker
The Clark's fork canyon from the Chief Josep scenic highway. Photo EG
Camp Time. Photo Eric Parker
The full moon rising over our camp on night one. Photo EG
Ben Kinsella and Eric Parker running Balls! Photo EG
Myself in the middle of Balls going super fast towards the last slot of the rapid! Photo Eric ParkerOne thing I loved about the box, other than the scenery, drops, camping, and fishing, is the fact that all the mandatory portages are 100% portages. There is no second guessing the run-ability of any of the big walks...they are absolutely massive and sieved out as a wife and kids. (just kidding)
It was a total trip dropping in to The Box, twice in one year, having two successful runs with great friends. If you would have walked up to me 8 years ago and told me i was going to be lapping The Box someday...I would have laughed and said "No Way". It's amazing how life changes and will lead you down different paths. I couldn't be more happy to declare that I am truly living my childhood dream...being the elusive "Pro Kayaker" making hundreds upon hundreds of dollars and traveling the world chasing down the best rivers it has to offer.
Look for our footage in Bomb Flow TV episode #5 coming soon....
Later E.G.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Bomb Flow TV #4 B.C.
British Columbia!!!! It's big, it's cold, it's canadian, it's dark, it's scary, it's BC!!!!!!!
Watch as the Bomb Flow crew drives from Montana up to Fernie to enjoy the Elk river with the local boys! Follow them north to the wonderlands of Revelstoke and off the lip of many of BC's most famous drops. Laugh, cry, bleed, and celebrate along side the boys in this 30 minuet adventure of BombFlow-ness! Enjoy!
Later E.G.
Watch as the Bomb Flow crew drives from Montana up to Fernie to enjoy the Elk river with the local boys! Follow them north to the wonderlands of Revelstoke and off the lip of many of BC's most famous drops. Laugh, cry, bleed, and celebrate along side the boys in this 30 minuet adventure of BombFlow-ness! Enjoy!
Later E.G.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Overnighters
There are so many rad parts of our sport, it's hard to say what's the best.
Surfing big smooth waves? Boofing the perfect 20 footer? Take out beers? Seeing new places? Making good friends?...Yeah all of those things do appeal to me as a long time boater, but there is still one thing that stands high above every other aspect of whitewater kayaking...Overnighters!
This summer I was blessed with the opportunity to return to California for the sixth summer in a row! It seems like just yesterday when I was driving up I-80 to Donner Summit for my first Royal Gorge run. I was terrified! I never would have guess that 6 years later I would have run this river 5 times and was the first person to complete the "Royal Flush". That's all history now...The point of the matter is that I fell in love with the whole deal!
Ever since I was a young ripper my parents had me out on the river. It all started with summer float trips down the Lower Salmon river in Idaho. I was either in the raft or a little rubber ducky inflatable kayak shredding the small class III waves! As I grew my father kept pushing me into kayaking and whitewater...following the foot steps of my brother Ian I was always behind in skill and scared of every horizon line. Not until I was 13-14 years old and after a life changing Grand Canyon trip did I truly knew that whitewater would be my life. Spending 18 days straight on the river pushing my limits every single day I knew that this was the good life!
Overnighters are the most simple form of living to me...Wake up on the river, cook breakfast, load your boat, gear up, hit the river all day until you find a worthy camp downstream. What can get better than that...the fact that you're normally with a group of awesome people way out in the wilderness far away from the fast pace of 21st century life! Yeah pretty much the greatest thing ever! So with all that in mind all you really have to worry about is what obstacles you face on the water. This lets you completely focus of boating, and this is where I personally progress the most. Day after day, rapid after rapid, just kayaking!
So this summer I was able to get to rally 6 overnight runs...
Royal Gorge of the North fork of the American - 3 days
Dinky Creek of the Kings - 2 days
Fantasy Falls of the North Mokelumne - 2 days
West fork of Cherry Creek - 2 days
The Box Canyon of the Clark Fork - 3 days & 2 days
That's 14 days or 2 weeks of being out on the river away from everything else, enjoying what I truly love to do...KAYAK! I have done most of these runs more than a few times, but the beauty and wild nature of all these rivers still keep me subtle and scared every time I visit. It's a funny feeling to be out there in the middle of nowhere, doing your thing for days on end, get to the take out, and return to "Real Life".
Out there on the river you are the king of the world and master of your destiny. Once you return to your fuel burning car you assume your roll as a pawn in the crazy game of human chess that's being played out everyday. A minion of society defined by wealth and possessions, weather you think you are or not! Spend more time on the river, be the master of your own happiness, and define your own world.
Enjoy some photos from Cali!!!!
EG lining up the massive blind lip of Wabena Falls, the last major drop of the Royal Gorge.
Camped out below some sick slides on Dinkey Creek!!! This is the only beach on the run and it's a bad ass place to spend the afternoon and night.
All sprawled out on the first night of Royal...Rattlesnake camp makes for some excellent scenery and good noise therapy listening to the stouts all night!
Fred Firing off a crazy line on Lower Heath Springs...he got his bow down good and stomped his line.
Fred on the classic Mushroom Boof of Fantasy Falls...I had these boys routing down some big stuff in there!
Scouting Heath Springs with Skippy!
Jared enjoying some Royal on Royal!!! He had a few sips before his first run!
Graham Seiler and Ryan Lucas tandem effort on the Rattler!
Nothing quite like a California sunset...its all the nasty pollution that makes it so pretty, but at least it has one pro.
Rush Wabena!
Ben Brown running what I like to call the steepest mank in Cali...this drops continues for another 500 meters!
Ian Garcia in some very nice granite slides on Fantasy Falls!
Our Crew on good juicy high Fantasy! We had a Eff'in blast...all the boyzzzzzz!
Jared leading off with a pretty descent of Fantasy Falls Proper! The cleanest easiest drop of the run.
Myself on the Fantasy Falls...the wide make the drop look small...it's not :)
The stout gorge above Rattlesnake falls is one of the most unique parts of any river in Cali.
Later E.G.
Surfing big smooth waves? Boofing the perfect 20 footer? Take out beers? Seeing new places? Making good friends?...Yeah all of those things do appeal to me as a long time boater, but there is still one thing that stands high above every other aspect of whitewater kayaking...Overnighters!
This summer I was blessed with the opportunity to return to California for the sixth summer in a row! It seems like just yesterday when I was driving up I-80 to Donner Summit for my first Royal Gorge run. I was terrified! I never would have guess that 6 years later I would have run this river 5 times and was the first person to complete the "Royal Flush". That's all history now...The point of the matter is that I fell in love with the whole deal!
Ever since I was a young ripper my parents had me out on the river. It all started with summer float trips down the Lower Salmon river in Idaho. I was either in the raft or a little rubber ducky inflatable kayak shredding the small class III waves! As I grew my father kept pushing me into kayaking and whitewater...following the foot steps of my brother Ian I was always behind in skill and scared of every horizon line. Not until I was 13-14 years old and after a life changing Grand Canyon trip did I truly knew that whitewater would be my life. Spending 18 days straight on the river pushing my limits every single day I knew that this was the good life!
Overnighters are the most simple form of living to me...Wake up on the river, cook breakfast, load your boat, gear up, hit the river all day until you find a worthy camp downstream. What can get better than that...the fact that you're normally with a group of awesome people way out in the wilderness far away from the fast pace of 21st century life! Yeah pretty much the greatest thing ever! So with all that in mind all you really have to worry about is what obstacles you face on the water. This lets you completely focus of boating, and this is where I personally progress the most. Day after day, rapid after rapid, just kayaking!
So this summer I was able to get to rally 6 overnight runs...
Royal Gorge of the North fork of the American - 3 days
Dinky Creek of the Kings - 2 days
Fantasy Falls of the North Mokelumne - 2 days
West fork of Cherry Creek - 2 days
The Box Canyon of the Clark Fork - 3 days & 2 days
That's 14 days or 2 weeks of being out on the river away from everything else, enjoying what I truly love to do...KAYAK! I have done most of these runs more than a few times, but the beauty and wild nature of all these rivers still keep me subtle and scared every time I visit. It's a funny feeling to be out there in the middle of nowhere, doing your thing for days on end, get to the take out, and return to "Real Life".
Out there on the river you are the king of the world and master of your destiny. Once you return to your fuel burning car you assume your roll as a pawn in the crazy game of human chess that's being played out everyday. A minion of society defined by wealth and possessions, weather you think you are or not! Spend more time on the river, be the master of your own happiness, and define your own world.
Enjoy some photos from Cali!!!!
EG lining up the massive blind lip of Wabena Falls, the last major drop of the Royal Gorge.
Camped out below some sick slides on Dinkey Creek!!! This is the only beach on the run and it's a bad ass place to spend the afternoon and night.
All sprawled out on the first night of Royal...Rattlesnake camp makes for some excellent scenery and good noise therapy listening to the stouts all night! 
Fred Firing off a crazy line on Lower Heath Springs...he got his bow down good and stomped his line.
Fred on the classic Mushroom Boof of Fantasy Falls...I had these boys routing down some big stuff in there!
Scouting Heath Springs with Skippy!
Jared enjoying some Royal on Royal!!! He had a few sips before his first run!
Graham Seiler and Ryan Lucas tandem effort on the Rattler!
Nothing quite like a California sunset...its all the nasty pollution that makes it so pretty, but at least it has one pro.
Rush Wabena!
Ben Brown running what I like to call the steepest mank in Cali...this drops continues for another 500 meters!
Ian Garcia in some very nice granite slides on Fantasy Falls!
Our Crew on good juicy high Fantasy! We had a Eff'in blast...all the boyzzzzzz!
Jared leading off with a pretty descent of Fantasy Falls Proper! The cleanest easiest drop of the run.
Myself on the Fantasy Falls...the wide make the drop look small...it's not :)
The stout gorge above Rattlesnake falls is one of the most unique parts of any river in Cali.Can't wait till next time!!!!
Later E.G.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Surf Yellowstone!!!!!
I grew up only 30 minuets from the Yellowstone river. My first ever whitewater experience was me crying my way down the Yankee Jim canyon while following my brother and dad down the class III wave trains. I learned to surf, spin, and totally fell in love with kayaking on this river. It holds a special place in my icy cold heart!
I got the opportunity to return to some of my home town playspots this summer in June. First was the oh so classic Springdale wave. Its wide, retentive, and consistent! My kind of wave for sure. Here is a short I put together from a few sessions we had out there.
This next wave was a new find for the Bozeman boaters...it was only really discovered and surfed because the water finally got high enough to actually make this wave. When 23,000+ CFS is pumping through Yankee Jim canyon the beasty wave forms! A constriction in the canyon plus a big rock create the perfect combination for a BIG WAVE! We only got to surf this one for a few hours, but pulled a solid little video out of the sesh!!! Enjoy!
Playboating is a lot of fun when on waves like this...I'm not much of a hole boater, mostly because I suck at it and never really do it...but overall I do really enjoy surfing waves and trying new tricks. It's kind of relaxing after so many stouts! hahaha
Later E.G.
I got the opportunity to return to some of my home town playspots this summer in June. First was the oh so classic Springdale wave. Its wide, retentive, and consistent! My kind of wave for sure. Here is a short I put together from a few sessions we had out there.
This next wave was a new find for the Bozeman boaters...it was only really discovered and surfed because the water finally got high enough to actually make this wave. When 23,000+ CFS is pumping through Yankee Jim canyon the beasty wave forms! A constriction in the canyon plus a big rock create the perfect combination for a BIG WAVE! We only got to surf this one for a few hours, but pulled a solid little video out of the sesh!!! Enjoy!
Playboating is a lot of fun when on waves like this...I'm not much of a hole boater, mostly because I suck at it and never really do it...but overall I do really enjoy surfing waves and trying new tricks. It's kind of relaxing after so many stouts! hahaha
Later E.G.
Racehorse Creek Falls, WA
Ok I know this is kinda old news...but no one ever got the real story of what happened the day myself and Ryan Lucas decided to run Racehorse Creek Falls. We were on our way back to Montana from a good old Hood River Trip and I got a text from Fred! He sent a cell phone photo of Racehorse falls and said it was perfect level! I have been interested in this drop ever since Erik Boomer ran it in 2009, which you can see here Erik's First Descent!. So without much thought we turned the car around and rallied from Yakima all the way to the Canadian border and the city of Bellingham.
After about 5 hours of sleep we awoke to a nice cloudy day and some serious amount of shit talking going around the crew. Fred called up a photog buddy from school who had been wanting to take some kayaking shots. His name is Rhys Logan and this would be the perfect opportunity to capture some brown running! After a Nancy breakfast at some local fine cafe that was way too pricey we were on our way towards Mt. Baker and Racehorse Creek.
Our little crew eating some grub and talking about the brown to come!
Gnarcar and Brownbox mobbing out to the Nooksack drainage.
Once we got there a short trail run brought us to the scouting point. At first sight the drop looked good...but they always do :) After scouting and thinking a bit, I knew we were in for something crazy! The first 2 drops looked good and fun...but the big boy had some serious rock action and a very very tight line. Maybe an hour or so passed after running up and down and clearing some rocks off the shore for a clean landing sight, I decided to give it a go...Ryan was going to come with me.
So it took us awhile to decide to go, but we made the call and geared up!
The face I have going on here was kind of my feeling about the entire day...fired up and scared!
Taking our sweet time to get our boats into the canyon and finally getting in Ryan and I were both very nervous about this choice to drop in the gorge. The place was very powerful and beautiful! The tall sandstone like rocks covered in moss set the scene. Not being able to scout the 1st drop at river level I dropped in blind! It was an amazing drop...big ramp into a hole and off a 20-30 foot curtain falls. Treats were laid!!!!!! Ryan followed with a good line. We both be-bopped down the next slide and got out for one last scout!
Running this amazing drop...check the scenery!!!!
Tight shot of the first drop, I liked my red boat!
Ryan a bit more berried but having a good line.
This was the second of the 3 drops in the set. A pretty easy slide, but having a good line was necessary because the big drop was RIGHT THERE!
After a good scout and saying "ok I can't look at this thing anymore." I got in my boat said a quick prayer and peeled out into the channel. The line was tight and technical! Over a very scrapey rock staying left, but not too left, duck under the overhanging wall, sit up, stroke and stay left!!!! Freefall....Bang!!! on the reconnect, going very fast I tapped a flake sending me sideways and I went mock 5 into the pool totally sideways plaining out and doing a hockey stop like move! It was over!!!! I was almost heading downstream into the sievey pill of shot that laid down there until I hopped out of my kayak on to shore...I was stoked to be at the bottom and unscathed! Ryan was next!
Freefalling!!!!
Landing about to tap my stern on the flake...
Sideways going very very fast...this was an intense moment!
I don't even want to know how nervous Ryan was after watching me go, but I have a feeling that he was shitting his pants. He rallied up quick! Watching Ryan come over the 60+ foot waterfall was SICK...I thought he was right on line and all of the sudden he was airborne and sideways! Connecting hard on his edge he kickflipped and just missed his helmet on some rocks ripping his GoPro off...another connection sent his into his second kickflip into the small shallow pool. He was out of his boat quick and standing up in waist deep water. A quick tap on the head signaling he was good to go and we rescued his boat and gear. His only injury was some bloody knuckles and a hurt ego :) Walking back to the car was tiring and long, but I was satisfied about the huck session and overall success. At least we were all healthy and walking right! Ryan's crash he took 3rd place in the Rider of the Year "Carnage"!
Ryan dropping in and looking good...
A bit too far right made for a bad reconnection bucking Ry over...
Kickflipping on to his face and barely missing his head!
In the pool luck to be walking and not really hurt.
Ryan Lucas, Evan Garcia, Fred Norquist!!!!!!!
Sammy Freihofer looking very good while running safety!!!!! This was the whole crew - Rhys!
Racehorse was a cool day of this season for me...it kind of symbolized the next level of hucking to me...I have been running big drops and pushing my limits for a long time now...but I feel like there is a curtain class of big drops where I know I can stick it 99% of the time. I love running those kind of drops it builds confidence and lets you gain air control. This drop however lays in that "Next Level" category. You know the line is there, but running it is risking some big consequences. I also love these drops because when you are at the bottom that feeling of success, winning, and reaching a goal is what it's all about!
Check out the video here in Bomb Flow TV's Episode 2 Pacific Northwest!
Later E.G.
After about 5 hours of sleep we awoke to a nice cloudy day and some serious amount of shit talking going around the crew. Fred called up a photog buddy from school who had been wanting to take some kayaking shots. His name is Rhys Logan and this would be the perfect opportunity to capture some brown running! After a Nancy breakfast at some local fine cafe that was way too pricey we were on our way towards Mt. Baker and Racehorse Creek.
Our little crew eating some grub and talking about the brown to come!
Gnarcar and Brownbox mobbing out to the Nooksack drainage.Once we got there a short trail run brought us to the scouting point. At first sight the drop looked good...but they always do :) After scouting and thinking a bit, I knew we were in for something crazy! The first 2 drops looked good and fun...but the big boy had some serious rock action and a very very tight line. Maybe an hour or so passed after running up and down and clearing some rocks off the shore for a clean landing sight, I decided to give it a go...Ryan was going to come with me.
So it took us awhile to decide to go, but we made the call and geared up!
The face I have going on here was kind of my feeling about the entire day...fired up and scared!Taking our sweet time to get our boats into the canyon and finally getting in Ryan and I were both very nervous about this choice to drop in the gorge. The place was very powerful and beautiful! The tall sandstone like rocks covered in moss set the scene. Not being able to scout the 1st drop at river level I dropped in blind! It was an amazing drop...big ramp into a hole and off a 20-30 foot curtain falls. Treats were laid!!!!!! Ryan followed with a good line. We both be-bopped down the next slide and got out for one last scout!
Running this amazing drop...check the scenery!!!!
Tight shot of the first drop, I liked my red boat!
Ryan a bit more berried but having a good line.
This was the second of the 3 drops in the set. A pretty easy slide, but having a good line was necessary because the big drop was RIGHT THERE!After a good scout and saying "ok I can't look at this thing anymore." I got in my boat said a quick prayer and peeled out into the channel. The line was tight and technical! Over a very scrapey rock staying left, but not too left, duck under the overhanging wall, sit up, stroke and stay left!!!! Freefall....Bang!!! on the reconnect, going very fast I tapped a flake sending me sideways and I went mock 5 into the pool totally sideways plaining out and doing a hockey stop like move! It was over!!!! I was almost heading downstream into the sievey pill of shot that laid down there until I hopped out of my kayak on to shore...I was stoked to be at the bottom and unscathed! Ryan was next!
Freefalling!!!!
Landing about to tap my stern on the flake...
Sideways going very very fast...this was an intense moment!I don't even want to know how nervous Ryan was after watching me go, but I have a feeling that he was shitting his pants. He rallied up quick! Watching Ryan come over the 60+ foot waterfall was SICK...I thought he was right on line and all of the sudden he was airborne and sideways! Connecting hard on his edge he kickflipped and just missed his helmet on some rocks ripping his GoPro off...another connection sent his into his second kickflip into the small shallow pool. He was out of his boat quick and standing up in waist deep water. A quick tap on the head signaling he was good to go and we rescued his boat and gear. His only injury was some bloody knuckles and a hurt ego :) Walking back to the car was tiring and long, but I was satisfied about the huck session and overall success. At least we were all healthy and walking right! Ryan's crash he took 3rd place in the Rider of the Year "Carnage"!
Ryan dropping in and looking good...
A bit too far right made for a bad reconnection bucking Ry over...
Kickflipping on to his face and barely missing his head!
In the pool luck to be walking and not really hurt.
Ryan Lucas, Evan Garcia, Fred Norquist!!!!!!!
Sammy Freihofer looking very good while running safety!!!!! This was the whole crew - Rhys!Racehorse was a cool day of this season for me...it kind of symbolized the next level of hucking to me...I have been running big drops and pushing my limits for a long time now...but I feel like there is a curtain class of big drops where I know I can stick it 99% of the time. I love running those kind of drops it builds confidence and lets you gain air control. This drop however lays in that "Next Level" category. You know the line is there, but running it is risking some big consequences. I also love these drops because when you are at the bottom that feeling of success, winning, and reaching a goal is what it's all about!
Check out the video here in Bomb Flow TV's Episode 2 Pacific Northwest!
Later E.G.
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