BIG WATER BANDIT

Christmas Day Todo Palguine

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, the kayakers were sleeping and dreaming of stouts.
Continuing my stay in Chile I had the pleasure of having an 80 degree Christmas. The lack of snow was made up in the amount of vertical feel there is to paddle. The group staying at Pucon Kayak Hostel and I did Todo Palguine on Christmas day witch means running the Palguine from top to bottom. The Palguine has three sections upper, middle, and lower. All of these sections done together add up to a quite full on run. The upper is the most run of the sections and is the section we race in the Palguine race. The section is between the end of the upper and middle is full on consisting of a crack to pool to 20 footer called portage drop separating that and boof to swim is a portage. Boof to swim a 15 footer that lands in a hole. The middle section is a sideways 10 foot boof into 30 feet of boils in a walled in section to a 70 footer. The lower is more continues with more technical moves and bolder gardens. I did everything except for walking one portage with wood in it and Brendans drop witch is named after the person who died in the cave at the end 10 years ago. We had an injury on portage drop and one of us took a hit to the shoulder while going over it upside down witch is a usual line on that drop. I ran stout 10 for the first time witch is the entrance into Middle Palguine. The run went real well other then our one injury and it was the best Christmas present I could have had.

Middle Palguine
Photo by: Seth Dow

Bridge Above Stout 10
Photo by: Seth Dow

Maipo River

Boof in the middle of french curve on the upper Maipo

Bottom of french curve on the upper Maipo

Getting an amazing shot of the river from zip line

View of Andes from hill side

I spent my first week in Chile at the Maipo River. It is an amazing pice of white water that creates the Maipo Vally. I mostly ran the upper witch a class IV run with a super fun V on it. It is steady rapids big rollers and brown water. I took out every day at Cascada De Las Animas a campground in the middle of the Maipo. It is a very beautiful place with warm weather, dusty grounds, and surrounded by mountains.

Finally Made It To Pucone!

Dropping in to the 30 - 35 footer

After a long flight and a week in the Maipo Valley I arrived in Pućon... The promise land. The weather is great, the town is beautiful, and the white water is amazing! We paddled the Nevados two days ago and it is my new favorite run. Yesterday we went to a 30 - 35 foot park and huck witch is not the highest drop but you have to run in between two rocks that can auto boof you. That made it fun except for the fact that I semi dislocated my shoulder. I am off for a couple of days but hope to be back on the brown soon.

Moose Fest Edit 2011

I got out of school on Friday and made a B line for Moose Fest. Well worth the drive got some great footy and paddling in. I paddled most of it in a play boat for lack of a creek boat however, I ran the dam in a creaker. Other paddlers featured are Devyn Scott and Justin Fraser.
Edited by Galen Volckhausen for Hood Rich Films

New shots for Cheribundi

Today we ran the Tygart River in WV. Easy class IV run with 2 good boots and a ton of great play hoels.

Boof @ Tygart

Scouting Niagara Gorge from a heli

Sweet Picture

Watching Clay boof at Colten Falls.

I found a picture of me and Clay on the Five2Nine picture of the Raquette Race. Picture from last year.

I Town Brown Edit

Hey everyone Edit is finally out. It Is 2 creeks from Ithaca Merry X-Mas Gorge and Cascadilla then one shot of the Raquette. Video is also at Hood Rich Films on Facebook.

I Town Brown

The day i got back to Ithaca everything was flooding and super brown!!
We ran as many creeks as possible and had a few encounters with the police.
Luckily for us Kayaking is not a crime and we did not get in any trouble.

Slide on Merry X-Mas Gorge

Second drop on Merry X-Mas Gorge

Getting Worked in first drop above the second drop

Styling it

Slide on Cas

Second half of slide on Cas

Dropping in to drop 7 on Merry X-Mas Gorge

Kress talking to the police

Hood Rich films presents...

Preview for whats to come..

Canada Cup

Last weekend I competed in the Canada Cup. It took place at Garberator on the Ottawa River. I got in to finals with a 2 ride combo of 600 and something points witch put me in 3rd place. My Final place in the competition was 5th. It was a great time and I was glad that it was on a bigger sized wave this year.

Back air blunt

Sick Picture!

Lefty Backstab

All pictures taken by Colin Klein

Big Joe

Flash back

Taking off the ridge

Soul surfing the pit.

Big Joe is an amazing 20ft wide wave with a great pit on surfers left. It is part of the Lachine rapids. We took a road trip to Montreal on thursday. The ST. Lawrence River has finally dropped enough for Big Joe to come in. We did not get much time to surf but made good of what time we had. I always forget how fake the water looks it is sweet.
Thank you Stephen Wright and Tino Spect for taking photos, and thank you Joel for dragging out the ladder.

Garb!

Every day should start with a jump.
I started mine with a airscrew to pan am.

Righty air blunt.

I enjoy a top view of garb while floating above it.

Airscrew

Flash backs all day

Garberator is finally in! I have got my airscrews and i'm super close to pistol flips. We had our competition there on friday witch was fun. It was great to be back on a good wave.
All photos taken by Stephen Wright, thank you very much.

Two Guys One Boat...

You know that time when you dont think of anything els except for that hole.

Brown all day

Window shade 1

Flying into right side and holding on

Soul surfing after my partner ditched

Got to claim it

Last Thursday Foxy and I took the Dynamic Duo out for a go. We got the crap beat out of us, It was awesome! We both ended up getting ripped out. I climbed in to the back seat after getting ripped out of the front. Great video footage of it. Coming out soon!

Chillen on the Block

Gone Fishing

Steezy Air Blunt @ Chopping block
Picture by Stephen Wright

Chopping Block on the Ottawa River is at an amazing level! Currently in my opinion it is the best feature on the river. Most days we spend a majority of our time there. It is a deep pit, fast water, and flushy on both sides. You can throw huge just stay straight. My best ride so far has been an Air Blunt, donkey flip, blunt to pistol flip.
Today we had a competition on Corner wave and Chopping block and I won. It was a great time and a great way to spend a 95 degree "or so" day!

My video for the search is now up on the Shred Ready facebook page. Please check it out and like it if you like it. You have to like Shred Ready on facebook to be able to like the video.
http://www.facebook.com/shredready

Competition Day

Browning with the hope that the river will turn brown.

Blunt @ Y-ki-ki

We had our regular Friday competition today. The level has been steadily riseing and it was moved to y-ki-ki. I won the competition with a spin, right blunt, and a left air blunt. It was a great time and fun wave!

Big Water Beat Down & Bacon Thursdays

Going in for more of Phills

Florian showing off his awesome life jacket tan

Finding a way out

Stylen the front surf

Every thursday at Keeners we have a big water beat down day. I dropped into phil hole and didn't get a good beat down but had a nice surf.

Pop

Tuck

Stick

Snake eating fish twice it's size

Took a trip down to Scudders Falls on the Delaware river in NJ. I caught it at a great level ad got 3 days of great play in!