PADDLER 16
PADDLER 16
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WHAT KAYAK AND EQUIPMENT ARE YOU CURRENTLY USING?
Small Pyranha Elite Firecracker( the best boat out there), Palm gear( in particular the Zenith shorty cag, FXr BA and Orbit spraydeck) and Dewerstone Lifeshorts.
WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED?
I just love kayaking. It drives me to be a better, stronger, more skilled paddler, and provides infinite opportunities to challenge yourself, as well as have fun, in incredible places all over the world, with great people.
DO YOU HAVE AN ECO-MESSAGE FOR FELLOW PADDLERS?
To keep enjoying this epic playground, we need to leave it better than we found it.
WE’ VE ALL WATCHED YOU RESCUE STEVE BACKSHALL AND SHEEP FROM SITUATIONS – HAVE YOU CONTRIBUTED TO SAVING ANYTHING OR ANYONE ELSE?
Well the number of sheep rescues has definitely increased since I moved to North Wales haha! We all know that kayaking comes with risks, and I’ ve experienced quite a few near-misses, both personally and with teammates. As a team, they have your back and you have theirs. Sometimes you’ re the one throwing the throwbag or towing the swimmer to the bank. And sometimes you’ re the one being rescued. Safety and rescue training is an integral part of the sport, and if we want our teammates to have our backs, then we should do what we can to ensure that we have theirs.
STEVE BACKSHALL AND YOU HAVE BECOME GREAT FRIENDS – HOW DID THAT BEGIN?
It began with the expedition in Bhutan( paddling Bhutan ' s last unexplored river). Your teammates mean absolutely everything to you on an expedition. You go through so much together during that time, and you emerge as friends for life.
YOU’ RE CLEARLY ONE OF THE PADDLERS OF THIS GENERATION. WHICH PADDLERS FROM THE PAST WOULD YOU HAVE LOVED TO HAVE PADDLED WITH?
Henri Coetzee( I’ m currently re-reading his book‘ Living the Best Day Ever’ for the fourth time). He was incredibly driven by adventure and challenging himself, and had two main philosophies that he lived by-’ find the best day ever’ and‘ make it harder’, both of which I try to incorporate into my everyday life.
YOU SAID YOU ENJOY EXPLORING LESSER-KNOWN LOCATIONS – HAVE YOU UNCOVERED ANY HIDDEN GEMS?
There have been a few! Perhaps the most spectacular was the first descent of the Kronotsky River in Kamchatka, on the Eastern peninsula of Russia. We paddled from the source at the base of the Kronotsky volcano, right down to the Pacific Ocean. The whitewater was excellent, featuring steep, technical rapids in the upper sections, a 5km boxed-in gorge in the middle, and then transitioning into big volume, read-and-run sections. All within one of the world’ s densest populations of grizzly bears- one of the most epic experiences for sure!
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