PADDLER 40
Interview : Peter Tranter Photos : Huw Butterworth , Halvor Heggem , Lachie Carracher , Andy Kettlewell , Kalob Grady & John Haines
PADDLER 40
A chat with … ‘ Lord ’ Huw
BUTTERWORTH
Interview : Peter Tranter Photos : Huw Butterworth , Halvor Heggem , Lachie Carracher , Andy Kettlewell , Kalob Grady & John Haines
My name is Huw Butterworth , and I ’ m a Whitewater kayaker from South Wales . I started kayaking when I was eight years old , and I quickly got into a slalom boat . I trained and competed for the Welsh team until I was 17 years old , and then I transitioned to the world of Whitewater kayaking . I am now 23 years old and live in Ötztal , Austria , where I have lived for five years . Over the last few years , I have been lucky enough to go on multiple trips around the world , kayaking on some of the world ’ s best rivers , and I am stoked to get the opportunity to share my experience with the Paddler Magazine !
SO WHEN DID YOU FIRST START KAYAKING , AND WHAT SPECIFICALLY GOT YOU HOOKED ON WW KAYAKING ?
I started kayaking when I was eight years old , and around 11 or 12 , I started my journey in slalom . I was always interested in WW kayaking and would always be motivated to get on new rivers and paddle waterfalls . I made a move to fully pursue whitewater when I moved to Ötztal , Austria .
THROUGH YOUR VIDEO PRODUCTION COMPANY , YOU MOTIVATE SO MANY PADDLERS , BUT WHO MOTIVATES YOU ?
Ahah , I ’ m glad to hear that our videos motivate people to get out kayaking ! Many people have motivated me through my journey at different stages . For example , my coaches , Tommy Power and Geoff Forster motivated me during my slalom days , and in more recent times , it ’ s all my friends who I get to spend time with on the water , who are always keen to get out on the water and have some fun .
IF YOU COULD HEAD ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD TO PADDLE , WHERE WOULD IT BE , AND WHAT WOULD APPEAL ABOUT THAT LOCATION ?
There are loads of places on my list that I want to visit or visit again . But if I had to choose one to go to this year , it would be Chile because it has so many sick runs and waterfalls that I saw in videos growing up .
Photo : Andy Kettlewell