Here is some highlight footage from my 2011 season including some amazing first d’s and international exploration. Some of this footage was shown in the Slippery When Wet trailers but there is a lot of footage from Japan that hasn’t been released anywhere else. About 90% of this footage is from the GoPro Hero shot in Japan and California.

Check out a little “Cave You” Adventure Club Remix by Flight Facilities and lets look forward to what 2012 has to offer.

For more check out the Slippery When Wet DVD here shastaboyz.com/store/dvds/

Shon Bollock 2011 from Shon Bollock on Vimeo.

My husband leaves me for Veracruz, Mexico about 4 times a year. I have been a couple times, but only to play the kayaker’s wife who has food and beer for him at the take out and a back massage because he landed too flat off a big waterfall. Not this time. I went down to hold my own and although I didn’t run a 70 footer, or launch off the biggest rapids in the biggest rivers. I did get my own adrenaline thrill and enjoyed doing so!

Because we were helping to promote all levels of boating in the Veracruz region I got to paddle many jaw dropping class 2, 3, 4 rivers. These rivers were not only amazing because of the fun whitewater they had to offer but because the scenery was indescribable.  I ran three class 5 runs, the Upper Jalacingo, the ORO, and the Road Side Section of the Alseseca and each had me slightly nervous but excited at the same time.  I am that person that screams the whole way down and then cries afterwards when I get forced onto Disney’s Tower of Terror. I am also the girl that throws up looking at intimidating horizon lines. I also don’t get too worked up until right after I run something. It’s pretty funny actually, the timing in most videos where you see a kayaker fist pump after nailing a line, you see me hugging my boat and trying not to let everyone around me know I am sniffling back tears. Normally muttering something like “why did I just do that, that was scary.” But it’s the little stuff in between that reminds of cool it is to be in such a unique canyon in another country, with my family and friends and doing what Eleanor Roosevelt said to be necessary in every day. “Do one thing a day that scares you.”  One thing that tends to keep me off the class 5 creeks is that thinking of that one rapid that I absolutely don’t want to do. The one rapid defines the whole run because it’s all I can think about, even if that rapid is easier than the one I just did. But I was very excited as this trip was one of the first times I managed to take each ripple at a time and I realized how much of it I truly enjoyed the river and felt I was in my comfort zone.  I also realized that as much as I can trust the boys to tell me what I would and wouldn’t like for a majority of the runs, that sometimes I can surprise them, and myself. After doing some sketchy seal launches and big slides, I looked at the famous log drop on the Jalacingo and decided out of all the things I have done in the day that it looked nowhere near as bad! My line wasn’t epic but I was proud in myself for looking and deciding based on me and not what people tell me. I also walked certain rapids on the Road Side section but overall was amazed at how much fun and accessible all the drops were.  If I didn’t want to run something, the walk was as simple as portaging could be!

The easier runs that I enjoyed paddling and really soaked in the landscape were the Pescados, Phillabobos and Octopan. We did multiple sections of the Pecados and the Phillabobos and each had their own unique feeling. From the rock formations, elephant ear size ferns to the rapids themselves the rivers will always be remembered as a fantastic life experience.

If anyone is every wondering where to go to eat fantastic and I mean truly fantastic food, drink good cheap beer, paddle down some insanely beautiful rivers, and enjoy the adventure that a personally new location has to offer, Veracruz, Mexico has it all…..

Happy Paddling to All!

Emily Jackson-Troutman

I paddled Mill Creek for the 1st time around the age of 8.  Mill Creek is about 2 miles over the hill from my parents house in Clarion PA. It’s pretty much a class 2 with a few class 3 rapids. The real nice thing about this run is you can get off the river and be in the hot tub in like 5 minutes!  I always enjoy paddling with the family and local friends from my hometown here.  I have a funny story about it.  This must have been one of my first times down the creek and I was with my Mother.  It was high water in there, rain, lightning, just a real shit storm.  Myself, at the time being a very young timid paddler was quite scared, actually I think I was crying.  I didn’t want to continue down the creek.  At this point my Mother got out of her boat, took off her sock, and with the sock tied my boat to her’s and pulled me down there creek.  I’m not sure if she would remember this, but I will never forget it.  I guess that’s what family is for!!!  Thanks Mom!

All images courtesy of Nicole Mansfiled and Demshitz.

After years of trying to make this trip happen, I was super stoked to finally make it to Uganda to surf the Nile Special and paddle the White Nile’s big water rapids.  Our first few days were spent at the Kayak the Nile compound in Jinja paddling what were to be Bujagali Falls and the other rapids last days before submersion.  I felt fortunate to experience these rapids before they disappeared below the Nile Reservoir created by Bujagali dam.  But, it was a powerful, bittersweet experience,  witnessing first-hand the disappearance of a playground for kayakers and a tourist attraction for this Ugandan community that will not benefit from the power produced by the dam.   This photo is of Dave running Bujagali 2 days before the dam started to hold back water and Bujagali halfway through its drowning process.

The rest of our time in Uganda we spent at the Hairy Lemon, which proved to be an amazing, relaxing kayaker’s paradise.  The days were spent eating delicious food, watching monkeys and birds, and surfing the Nile Special which was only a 15 minute paddle away.

I thought 3 weeks would be plenty of time to surf a wave.  But, I can’t wait to go back.

Enjoy these images from the trip:

GoPro asked me to put together a 100% Hero Reel from Slippery When Wet to promote the original GoPro Hero. This segment boast footage from all over the world including California, Pacific Northwest, Mexico, and relief work in Japan. If you enjoy what you see PLEASE order the film (you can order HERE) and support the project. Be sure to check out the NEW GoPro HERO 2 with not only 1080 HD filming capabilities, but 11 megapixel photos as well. BIG shout out to all the boyz involved with this project especially those featured: Ben Stookesberry, Chris Korbulic, Evan Garcia, Cody Howard, Ryan Knight, Devin Knight, and Drew Duval, there wouldn’t have been a film without yall, thanks for your contribution! More content to look forward to with a part 2 photo update from Japan dropping early Jan. 2012.

Slippery When Wet: GoPro Reel from Shon Bollock on Vimeo.

It’s been a terrible fall for kayaking up in New England. All the rain the normally falls over the course of a few months decided to fall over a few hours, devastating Vermont and NH and making for a horrible kayaking season.

“The Dewey Mills dam on the Ottaquechee during Irene.“

Moosefest was fun as always. The high water dished out some serious carnage on the Bottom, and I got to run the whole Independence for the first time. Pretty cool river…it’s no Moose though. Some nice, cold rain kept us hoping that the Oswegatchie would come up, but no dice, it just made us cold and miserable instead.

“Greg Sokol coming down the Independence slide.”

“Ellen Ludlow snapped a photo of one of my many laps off Agers.”

Over Thanksgiving, we finally got a rainstorm, except in Vermont it was a snowstorm…So I packed up my car with boat, skis, and dog and drove south for the holiday. I skied a quick lap at Pico in Vermont on the way home and spent the next two days boating in Southern New England. On Thanksgiving Day, Jeff Sharpe, Greg Sokol, Alden Bird, and I rallied to the Popolopen Creek, a little-known class V gem that is genuinely only 45 minutes from New York City. Rumor has it Eric Nies used to come up here and solo this while in med school years ago. Water was on the lower side, but as always, the run was great and we all made it back home in time for traditional Thanksgiving dinners…at 1pm

“Greg Sokol paddling down the Popolopen gorge. Every now and then you hear explosions from the military training base upstream.”

Thankfully, despite there being no water in New England this fall, I live in Lebanon, NH just a six minute walk from the Mascoma River and a short stretch called “Downtown Hair.” Some people don’t like this run: “There are too many shopping carts to dodge,” or “I just don’t feel like being stabbed with rebar today.” But those people don’t know the smooth lines down it…really, Downtown Hair is a class IV/V quarter mile that keeps me sharp through Falls like this one. And, when I’m walking 6 minutes from my house to go kayaking, I can’t complain.

“Me, boofing the big hole of the run around 800cfs. Photo Brian Seitz.”

“Alex Toth getting a huge stern ender in our miniature, rebar filled Golf Course. Photo Seitz.”

Anyway, while I wouldn’t say no to another rain storm or two, I’m really hoping winter begins in earnest up here soon. Till next year…

-Nick Gottlieb

This last year is becoming the most incredible adventure ever, It has been a few few months out of home, living out of my backpack and travelling from one place to another. I arrived in Chile a few weeks ago, we haven’t lost anytime and we haved kayaked everyday. The water levels are pretty low for the month of December but we still getting to do all the best stuff. If you wanna learn how to stomp waterfalls and run some sick rivers come to Chile! One true paradise!! Enjoy the pictures!

photos by Mathias Fossum

A number of people have inquired about the rapid on the cover of the 2012 Astral catalogue. Here’s a short account from that day…

One event that I was honoured to be a part of this year was the Whitewater Grand Prix.  You’ve probably seen alot of the competition media from this event, but the paddling that we did in between the competitions was every bit as incredible.  One of the highlights for me was certainly running the giant rapid on the Mistassini River in Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec.

I dropped into this thing with young Aniol Serrasolses, and was stoked to pioneer the middle line of the rapid.  Check out this edit of Tyler Curtis, who took the first D of the group, along with the Bomb Flow team running the rapid.

When it was our turn to go, I was excited to try boosting off of the giant exploding tongue in the middle of the rapid.  I studied my line-up for a long time because it was a 60,000+ cfs river, and then when the helicopter was in place, Aniol and I went for it.  He went right, I went middle, and we both came out about as fired up as you could possibly imagine!

Here is the result.  Photo by Bryan Kirk.

And here is a preview of Astral’s 2012 catalogue cover… submitting to the chaos.  This one is shot by Patrick Camblin.

And here is the headcam of the run.

Thanks for making the best PFDs in the industry Astral!

Good Lines,

Chris Gragtmans

So I finally made it to my favourite place of the earth for stout creeking, cheap beers, amazing food,  welcoming people…. MEXICO!!

I am here together the Sauvage crew, consisting on Tino Specht from America, Lachie Carracher from Australia, the peruans daniel and Juanito, Mathias Fossum and the frenchie Jules dominic we are having a blast of a time, paddling everyday amazing waterfalls, sections and enjoying the pleasure of be travelling with a group of good friends just doing what we like: KAYAK EVERYDAY!

Tno Specht is recording the next Unknown episode on me, 15 minutes of great footage travelling from Canada to Mexico, teaser coming up really soon!

The Sea Wolf.  A new PFD coming from Astral in 2012.

Thanks,
Spencer Cooke, Effort Inc.