ThePADDLER 38
IT ' S A TOUGH CALL WITH ALL THE EXPEDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD YOU HAVE UNDERTAKEN , BUT DOES ONE POP UP AS YOUR FAVOURITE ? It ' s super hard to say since every expedition has its own unique thing about it ; if I had to name one , it would be my trip to the Sary-Jaz in Kyrgyzstan back in October . The combination of remote multi-day kayaking with savage mountaineering in a super crazy place made it a memorable trip ! I will not mention how much I suffered during the ten days of the trip , but once you reach the car again , it is all worth it and makes it so special .
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When preparing for an expedition in remote locations , what qualities do you look for in a fellow teammate kayaker ? I learned my lessons over the years when it comes to expedition kayaking . That kind of trip you need to be with a team you know very well , and you have 100 % trust in . It can get quickly challenging during an expedition in the middle of nowhere , and the last thing you want is your team to fall apart . So basically , I think factors like : 1 ) reliability 2 ) nerves of steel and 3 ) willingness to suffer make a great team !
My friend Olaf Obsommer said that “ Never have someone in your team with a bigger ego than yours ,” and I also think it couldn ’ t be more true ( that ’ s to be understood with a wink ). Absolutely no need for ego trips and stuff like that out there !
You ’ re one of the paddlers of this generation . Which paddlers from the past would you have loved to have paddled with ? So many ! It ’ s hard to name them all , but I ’ d love to share a lap with all the local legends who opened new sections that now became classics .
Any fellow paddler you would like to interview ? I would love to see an interview with Andi Brunner , one of the most promising extreme racers and a person with an unmatched training / working attitude – and always with the biggest smile out there ! That ’ s what it ’ s all about , and Andi is doing a great job with that . ( Read the Paddler ’ s interview with Andi @:
https :// paddlerezine . com / andi-brunner )
Can you talk about your training ? What keeps you motivated ? I put a lot of time and effort into my training on and off the water . My primary motivation , my ‘ end goal ’, is to become the best possible kayaker I can be . I learned that I need more specific goals such as certain expeditions or descents to keep my training motivated and to have something I can measure myself with . I do four days in the gym , then 4-5 days on the water and 2-3 days doing cardio / HIT . Is there anyone in particular in the sporting world that has influenced you ? I grew up with BombFlow , so Evan Garcia , Fred Norquist , and their crew for sure . Besides them , Olaf Obsommer , since he was the one who figured out a way to make a living from kayaking and making movies about it in the german speaking realm , which inspired me and made me want to chase that too .
Any issues that stop you from sleeping at night ? Many , many issues in the world give me trouble , but I am blessed to say that I sleep very well ( kayaking and training all day might make you do that J )
What ’ s your most embarrassing moment ? Of course ! Without embarrassing moments life would only be half the fun , especially when you can laugh about it afterwards . So many embarrassing moments ; I ’ m usually the guy who ends up in weird situations for whatever reason .
What do you do to relax ? I like to watch UFC , listen to music ( heavy into HipHop ), and care a lot about spending time with my friends from outside the kayaking world .
Where do you see yourself in 20 years ? Still kayaking , hopefully having figured out a way to open up doors for future generations who want to make a living from kayaking and other fringe sports , maybe a sports agency or something like that ? I also realized that I do enjoy the process of planning projects such as an expedition or so , so maybe that ’ s something I ’ d like to chase in the future .