The River Angels submitted a film to the 10th annual pdxkayaker film premiere on November 13th. This film featured:  “Meet the River Angels” followed by a short documentary of the 2010 River Angels Expedition to the Utla River– a river running through the deepest canyon in Norway.

With 16 submissions to the pdx film premiere, the River Angels documentary got a 4th place finish. So, sit back, enjoy our short film and get ready for Expedition 2011!

Heather Herbeck

Nouria hiking 6 km into the Utla

Fall 2010 has already started out with some amazing experiences . . .

Feather River Festival

Tobin section of the NF of Feather

The Feather River Festival is an annual event held on a dam released section on the North Fork of the Feather river. The event is put on by American Whitewater and Chico Paddleheads. This was my first experience paddling on this river and I was amazed at the huge boulders that filled the riverbed and the warm water that threaded its way down through the bus-sized granite rocks. After exhausting ourselves from multiple runs down the class IV & class V stretches of the river, we refueled and prepared for the entertainment of the night.

This was a great event and a spectacular river . . . looking forward to next year.

The ladies of the festival

Whitewater Symposium 2010

Event hosted by NOC in North Carolina

The Whitewater Symposium is an annual or bi-annual event that brings together manufacturers, instructors, paddlers and enthusiasts. The goal of this event is to share, discuss and educate about the paddle sport industry and its growth. I have been attending this event for the past four years and participating as a presenter for the last three symposiums on the topics of “The Kayaking Mindset” & “Kayaking Fitness.”

There were many great discussions and topics presented throughout the three-day event. Eric & Kristine Jackson, Anna Levesque & Andrew Holcombe, Worldkayak, ACA, American Whitewater and many other prominent figures in the paddling world attended this important event.

In my opinion, this is one of the most valuable, impact-filled weekends for the paddle sports industry. Unlike the OR show (which is mostly manufacturers) and other paddle symposiums held throughout the year (which are mostly for the consumer), the WW Symposium brings together BOTH the manufacturer and the consumer. The successful growth of the sport can only be reached if we can ALL unite, put our heads together and focus on the main goal–the growth of ALL paddle sports.

See you at the next Whitewater Symposium!  For more information, please visit the WW Symposium blog.

Surfing the local play wave on the whitewater course

Heather Herbeck

The team . . .

Mt. Hood is special to me, not only because it provides flowing rivers to paddle during the spring melt, but also because it provides entertainment in the winter as I carve my way down the slopes. I have recently grown to know and love Mt. Hood for yet another reason… climbing to the summit and taking in the view.

I teamed up with a group of four for my first mountaineering expedition to the top of Mt. Hood–my husband, Nate, Robin (our friend and guide), Kris, and Luke. Robin gave us a long list of the gear we needed to make this adventure successful, and with the help from “Next Adventure” in Portland, we were able to gather the gear at a reasonable price.

We pulled into the Timberline Resort around 8 p.m. and got some shut-eye until about 10:45 p.m. We then geared up, sipped on some hot coffee and started our trek up the mountain around 11 p.m. Our hope was to be at the summit no later than 6 a.m. so we would be heading down the mountain as the temperatures climbed and the likelihood of avalanches increased.

With our headlamps lit, crampons secured, ice pick in hand and frequent stops for food and water, we trekked our way up. Around 4:30 a.m. we reached ‘Hogsback’, which is about 600 feet from the summit. From this view we could see all of Portland, illuminated like a million stars in the sky. Here, we awaited the sun… as the sun rose, we were all in disbelief of the beauty around us. Craters, fumaroles, multi-colored rock and a pyramid shadow formed by the mountain all exposed themselves as the sun rose.

Once ready, we continued making our way to the summit. I made it about 100 more vertical feet before the feeling of nervousness and discomfort set in. About a week earlier, an avalanche had wiped out the pre-made steps up to the summit… making the trek icy and obviously super steep.

A few other teams attempted making the summit, but only two of the five teams we saw reached it.

What a beauty… when I was ‘in the moment’ and climbing the mountain, I thought to myself, “What’s the fun in this? Climbing all night in the dark, being cold and hungry… just to get to the top and walk back down!” However, now that I’m back in the comfort of my home, I daydream about the beauty that only a few people see from the ‘top of the world’… looking down from Mt. Hood and being in its glory, makes all the ‘little stresses of life’ seem so small.

As we were hanging out at Hogsback, we looked up and saw a gentleman coming over the summit from the other side. Once he got down to where we were hanging out, I noticed he was a ‘weathered’, mountain man, obviously filled with years of climbing experience. I asked him how his climb was, “The best climb yet!” he said.

See you on the river… or, mountain top ~ Heather Herbeck

Heather Herbeck & Kris Litz . . . "Girl Power"

"What happens on the Mountain, stays on the Mountain!" Haha . . .

Fumaroles at Hogsback

The pyramid shadow of Mt. Hood

Glisading our way down . . .

Laughter, tears, joy, fears . . . emotions that are felt during a First Descent. First Descents are defined in kayaking terms as “the first person to paddle a certain river or rapid” or it can be a Personal First Descent (PFD) defined as “the first time YOU experience that particular river or rapid, even if it has been paddled before.”  It doesn’t matter if it’s a FD or PFD, the same emotions percolate through the body.

There have been a lot of first descents in the Columbia River Gorge over the last month. Over 25 individuals, over a two week time frame, participated in a kayaking camp called “First Descents.” This isn’t just any camp where adrenaline junkies learn a new extreme sport . . . this is a camp specifically for cancer survivors to join forces, learn a new sport and leave with a new family of supporters.

I have been fortunate enough to experience 3 FD camps as counselor/instructor. Each camp so different than the one prior, but each sharing the same support, challenges and encouragement. Each day we work on kayaking skills and close the evening with a ‘campfire’–reflecting on the day and handing out the ‘days awards’.  I learn so much about the bumpy road these individuals have been on–some of whom are still on a pretty bumpy ride. These campers share with us information about their cancer, treatment, recovery, and how it has changed their lives’–changed their lives’ for the good, as it brought us all together for five days. The support and love formed within the few days of camp is incredible–and the love continues afterwards . . . usually through Facebook!

First Descents creates experiences in Colorado, Montana, Idaho, and Washington . . . last year they held 9 camps and this year there 15 camps. Together, we can create these experiences for more young adults. To send one camper to experience what FD is all about is $1000. These campers fill out applications to attend the camp and if accepted, they get their entire camp paid for.  Let’s make this possible for more cancer survivors . . . let’s make this a dream for someone who at some point in their life, even for just a second . . . the thought of ‘death’ came sooner than expected. We are all going to be affected by cancer during our lifetime–whether it’s a family member, friend or ourselves. Let’s support an organization that helps give back that HOPE, that CONFIDENCE, to take on the world when the world (for a quick second) took it all away.

-Heather Herbeck

North Shore of Lake Superior

We packed out vehicle with this check list:

Touring kayaks . . . check

Touring paddles . . . check

Stocking hat (no helmet) . . . check

Pfd . . . check

and cameras to capture the true beauty of Lake Superior. Read about our adventure and see more photos on Liquid Kayak.

Until our next adventure . . .

Heather Herbeck

Vettisfossen

Journey to the Utla

The Utla river lies in the Utla Valley (or Utladalen), located in the West end of Jotunheimen National Park.  Jotunheimen is Norwegian for “home of the giants,” and got its name, due to the fact that the country’s tallest mountains can be found there.

Many of the waterways in Norway are no longer free-flowing rivers, as they use hydroelectric power as their main source of energy.  However, within the Utladalen, lies the greatest concentration of tall and wild unregulated waterfalls in Norway, the tallest waterfall being Vettisfossen (about 900 feet).

As the Utla River twists and turns through the tallest mountains in Norway, averaging over 8,000 feet, we will be navigating our way down a river where few have explored.  There is known to be a class V gorge lying deep inside the Utla River canyon walls.  This gorge will be the crux of our expedition, as we need the perfect water flows to safely descend or we are faced with a heinous portage up the steep canyon, past the gorge and back into the river below.

Stay tuned for more, as our journey shapes and unfolds to be one of our greatest adventures . . .

To learn more about our expedition, please see my prior post, “River Angels.”

Heather Herbeck

Without much water, our options were limited . . . A few waterfalls stood out in my mind, but the one that I was obsessed about (and wanted to check off of my waterfall list) was Money Drop on Rock Creek, near Stevenson, WA.  This waterfall is pretty unique, in that the banks of the river have been falling in over the last few years, and continue to fall in today.  The waterfall has gone from 70 feet to 30 feet, and now stands about 55-60 feet high.

I fired up this drop, as Nate and Ryan Scott shot video.  The day couldn’t have gone any better– warm sun, radiant rainbow in the pool below and the perfect line.

CAUTION:  Due to an injury a few weeks after I had run this drop, landowners have gotten more strict about trespassing into the area to scout the waterfall and run it.  The most current descent of the falls has brought policemen out and risks the chance of getting fined. Please be respectful of private land.

For a detailed write-up of Money Drop, visit www.liquidkayak.com.

A few weeks after the Money Drop ‘huck’, we talked ourselves into hiking up Eagle Creek, OR. After two miles of shouldering our kayaks up the narrow trail, we arrived at Punchbowl Falls.  After glancing at the falls for a short time, we agreed that the river was the lowest we had ever seen.  My husband, Nate, and Johnny Ott decided to fire up the waterfall anyhow.  I’d like to say that they had mixed results, but they didn’t.  Both came walking up the trail towards us holding their ribs, dragging their feet and moaning and groaning in pain.

We walked away with some pretty cool photos . . . But, needless to say, they didn’t convince the rest of the crew to run Punchbowl Falls.

Nate flying off Punchbowl and throwing his paddle

Johnny running Punchbowl

Well, we got a little satisfaction from our hucks, but still waiting on some rain to bring in more options.  Enjoy the photos!

Heather Herbeck

Utla River, Norway

I recently became part of River Angels (RA), a team that includes some of the most talented & empowering women in the kayaking realm. Not only are the women inspirational, but the reason the River Angels exist in the first place, is inspirational.

Our mission states:
“The River Angels are here to foster the growth and development of females in the sport of whitewater kayaking: whether you’re just getting started or looking to build on your foundation. Together we can make your dreams become a reality.”

The River Angels are made up of 5 women from 5 different countries. Each RA contributes their own strength to the group. We have Angels who huck the biggest drops you can think of; we have Angels whose finesse through slalom gates is artwork; we have Angels who have proven to be the best playboater’s in the world; we have Angels whose athleticism is beyond belief; and, we have Angels who make a living teaching and inspiring women each and every day. Together, we do it all!

This coming August, four of the RA’s will unite to explore the Utla River, which contains the deepest canyon in Norway. Upon completion, we will continue to plunge ourselves off of some of Norway’s most beautiful waterfalls, documenting our travels with video and photographs.

This expedition is more than the River Angels’ team paddling down rivers. From now (pre-trip planning) through the completion of the expedition, our goals are:
1.  To capture the beauty of some of Norway’s most unique rivers.
2.  To raise awareness on two important causes:
- Empowering women through outdoor activities
- Raising awareness on the effects of dams on Norway’s rivers & the benefits of keeping Norway’s rivers free-flowing.
3. To share experiences with local female paddlers in Norway by inviting them to paddle.

For our Norway expedition, we are working in conjunction with two organizations to help us reach our goals—Betties360 (www.Betties360.com) & Friends of the Earth Norway (www.foeeurope.org).

For more information about the River Angels and our 2010 Norway Project, please visit www.riverangels.com.

Heather Herbeck

Experience dropping 100 feet with me, using the Go Pro Head cam.

Enjoy . . .

Heather

This 100% Go Pro Head cam footage will take you over a couple waterfalls in Mexico.  To see more of our journey, look for the Sheer Madness Productions new release, “31 days of living”, due out this spring.

Enjoy . . .

Heather

Go-Pro head cam footage . . . enjoy!

Heather

Falling 70 feet off of Tomata Falls

Tomata Falls is a 70 foot waterfall on the Alseseca River. It is one of my most favorite waterfalls . . . EVER! I first ran it back in 2005, so I was eager to return and share this experience with Nate.

On this particular day, Todd Wells, Nate and myself decided to fire this one up!  Everyone had pretty good lines:  Todd landed the falls and hand rolled up (after throwing his paddle); I plugged the falls as good as I wanted too, but landed in a little pocket of violent boils, which imploded my skirt, broke my paddle and tore the bracket – with my head cam attached at the time – off my head; and, Nate pretty much landed flat off of it, but coming out with only a tender rib and an imploded skirt.

We were all super fired up after this descent . . . we continued downstream and took out above 2nd Tomata.

Both Todd and Iker were determined to run 2nd Tomata. This drop consists of a class V lead in, into a slide, into a 40 foot waterfall. This particular series of drops have been ran by only a few paddlers. A clean line through this rapid is very, very difficult. Iker fired it up first, followed by one of the cleanest lines I have ever seen by Todd.  Another awesome day . . .

Video footage available February 2010 in the whitewater DVD by Sheer Madness Productions – “31 Days of Living”.  Photos courtesy of SMP.

Heather Herbeck

Todd Wells running the 60-footer

One of the most memorable days of our Mexico Huckfest was the day we ran the Truchas section of the Alseseca. Truchas in Spanish means ‘Trout’. Located at the take-out to this stretch is a trout farm, a perfect finish to a long days paddle . . . Trout!

This was a very short stretch of river, but it took us the entire day to complete. It started with clearing a trail to our put-in with a machete and dragging our kayaks through thick vegetation and down steep cliffs. Once we arrived at our access point – about 100 feet above the river – we unloaded the necessary gear to set up our repel. Before dropping over the edge, we all took a glimpse of the river through a tiny opening in the trees. Due to the heavy rainfall the night before, the river was muddy brown and raging. The high water was a good & bad thing: Good – because it made the 60 footer so much better. Bad – because it made maneuvering ourselves, and our kayaks, much more dangerous once we got down to the river.

We repelled one at a time below a 70 foot waterfall (landing on rock) and stationed ourselves on the muddy banks and slippery rocks below. Once the entire team had descended, we were on to our next task: Portaging one of the most heinous rapids I have ever seen. The rock below our repel was slick – each step required serious concentration. Our team of four stationed at four points and lowered each boat one at a time. One slip and you would be sliding down a class V+ rapid.

Once past this rapid, our next task was a ‘hairy ferry’ to the opposite side of the river . . . then, finally we arrived at the drop we specifically came to run.

This 60 foot waterfall followed directly downstream from a 20 foot ramping drop, which at this flow was my deciding factor NOT to run this waterfall. So, the boys fired up the drop, plunged over the waterfall and plopped up at the bottom – beautiful lines. I opted for the walk around the 20 foot ramp and jumping off of a 65 foot cliff into the boils of the waterfall below.

Fun adventure for me that day was not all about the kayaking . . . what excited me was everything that was added – a 100 foot repel, working as a team to safely navigate around a stout rapid and the 65 foot cliff jump. What an awesome day . . .

Heather

San Pedro waterfall, 50 feet

Scout, visualize, get in my kayak, proceed towards the lip, drop over the horizon line, close my eyes once I spot my landing and prepare for impact in my ‘crash position’ – this is the process I go through each time I run a significant sized waterfall.

We return to Mexico on a regular basis, because we have found this area to be high on the “huck” o’meter. You can find beautiful, clean waterfalls everywhere you go. As a warm-up at the beginning of the trip, we headed to a clean 30 foot waterfall and ran laps on it. This was followed by the second descent of San Pedro falls – a 50 foot sliding waterfall. Nate was the first one to run the falls and had a pretty hard hit with his paddle. So, the rest of the team decided to throw their paddle as they went over the falls.

The boys ran the falls first, as I was stuck on the bridge shooting photos . . . “You gonna fire it up?” Nate asked through the walkie-talkie. “Well, you guys made it look so good, I’m gonna give it a go!” So, I got my gear together, headed down to the river, got into my boat and took a few deep breathes. As the rest of the team waited below the falls, I took a few strokes to warm up and boofed the little ledge above the entrance. “Okay, here goes,” I said to myself. I felt myself pick up speed as I slid down the narrow shoot into my freefall. As I felt myself accelerate and approach the lip, I threw my paddle into the huge pool below. I’m not a huge fan of throwing my paddle, but with this particular waterfall, the other option was a super hard hit and/or possibly a broken paddle.

Good lines for everyone . . . . The entire team fired up this waterfall and continued downstream for the first descent into the short gorge.

On our Mexico trip, I have been using the Go Pro Head Cam . . . footage is coming shortly.

Heather Herbeck

This is my 3rd year visiting the beautiful Alseseca River in Veracruz Mexico, near the city of Tlapacoyan.  One of my favorite stretches of this river is the classic ‘roadside’ section.  This stretch of river is best described as a class IV amusement park of whitewater, full of boofs, slides and waterfalls.  I was so excited to have a pretty chill day and just get out and play.

While we continued to wait for the last two members of our team, Nate, Iker and myself headed for a fun, warm-up stretch on the roadside.  We took our time paddling down, as Nate took tons of photos and I played around with my new Go-Pro head cam (footage coming soon).  All was going well until . . .

A hospital visit on our first day of boating . . . not the best start to 30 days in Mexico!

As with most kayakers, we tend to be more graceful on the river (in our kayaks), then off the river.  Just as I was slowly shuffling my way back to my kayak, after a scout, I slipped on some rocks.  The rocks on the Alseseca tend to be very slippery, as a thin layer of mucky moss grows over the wet rock.  As I felt my feet slip from under me, I tried to brace my fall with my hands.  Before my hands made contact, my left knee cap made contact with one sharp, pointy rock.  I came up with a deep puncture wound in my kneecap and an immediate bruising.  ”I think that needs stitches”, Iker said.  After cleaning my wound (as the Alseseca contains a lot of garbage and pollution – see photo), I got back in my boat, ran the drop and hurried to the take-out in order to clean the wound thoroughly.  After visiting the hospital, seeing the doctor and getting an x-ray (all for a total of $12), I was relieved everything was A-OK, and I was given the ‘thumbs up’ to go huck.

More photos after the jump:

Polluted Rivers

A lot of the rivers near Tlapacoyan are taken for granted.  ”Throw your garbage in the river, and it goes away” – this is the mentality.  Each year I come back to the Alseseca river, I am surprised by the amounts of garbage – bottles, shoes, plastic, dead animal carcases, clothing, etc – floating around.  The good news is that local paddlers are hoping to educate and influence the local community in caring more for their rivers.  In January, the 2nd annual Roadside race will be held.  This event brings paddlers from all over Mexico and other countries to participate in a fun race and best of all, a river clean-up.

It’s important that we remember:  The rivers are the worlds’ life-blood . . . being that the Alseseca is such a special river to me, I hope to become involved, help educate the locals and see this river become even more beautiful through its’ lifetime.

I hope you enjoy the photos attached in this write-up . . . “Pictures are worth a thousand words”.  So, check out the fun action shots of one of my favorite rivers in Veracruz, Mexico.  All photos are courtesy of Sheer Madness Productions.

Thanks for letting me share my journey with you

Heather Herbeck

Nate and I arrived in Tlapacoyan late on a Tuesday night (or should I say early on a Wednesday morning). Rolling into the bus station and seeing the friendly smile of our driver, Israel, was such a great feeling. We had been traveling for over 20 hours and ready to arrive at our destination.

Being that we were the first to arrive out of the team of 5, we took advantage of sleeping in and using the rest of the day to check out the local ruins – the filobobo’s.

The ruins of the filobobo’s are smaller in size, compared to some of the other ruins we have visited in the past, but just as beautiful. These ruins are tucked away in the jungle, quiet and not often visited. We were the only ones there, besides about a dozen or so workers.

There isn’t much information about these particular ruins, but what we did noticed was that this particular culture was big on fertility . . . they had many buildings and areas, where they performed sacrifices for fertility.

It was a nice, relaxing day with the hubby . . . had a lot of fun!

Stay tuned for our whitewater adventure . . .  all photos courtesy of Sheer Madness Productions – www.sheermadnessproductions.com

Heather Herbeck

There’s nothing like heading to a new river and exploring the “unknown” . . . With the river levels coming up from the rainfall, we decided to head out of the Columbia River Gorge and paddle a river that had been on our list for quite some time – The Grays River. This river is described as a class IV/IV+ river, depending on levels, perfect for experienced paddlers living in Northern Oregon/Southern Washington.

We were lucky to hit The Grays at about 950 cfs on the Naselle River gauge, which seemed to make this river a nice medium flow.Our crew consisted of the Portland “dream team” – Chuck Taylor, Josh Armagost, Johnny Ott and Bryan Youngs. With the addition of some hood river locals – Todd Wells, Nate and myself and another recent Minnesota transplant, Justin Japps. I love being on the river with these guys . . . It’s always a heck of a good time.

The Grays river exceeded my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality whitewater it possessed. The river started out right away with a “hole” dodge (which I heard on one past trip that 5 people swam out of all in the same group) into a winding, narrow gorge. This gorge consisted of some fun class IV ledge boofs, boulder gardens and hole dodging.

The last three rapids – Superbowl, Picnic and Broken Paddle – were significant.  Most of the team ran Superbowl and Broken Paddle and styled them. Only two of the paddlers in our crew fired up Picnic. This is definitely a stout drop and safety should be set on river right at the bottom. I recommend the 20-foot seal launch below Picnic on river right if you choose to portage . . . Super fun

I didn’t get the best of pictures this day due to the rainy weather, but these should give you some idea of scenery, rapids and the fun we had . . . See you on the river.

Here is a short video of our Halloween Paddle on Saturday . . . don’t get too scared!

http://vimeo.com/7424740 – video courtesy of Sheer Madness Productions

(www.sheermadnessproductions.com)

Heather Herbeck

Halloween Paddle Crew

The Halloween Paddle is a traditional event, originally put on by a local paddler from Husum, WA – Steve Morgan. Over the last 4-6 years, the tradition was put on hold so we thought we’d get it back up and running again. Class V river, high water, capes hanging off our back, masks on our faces, good idea, right? I heard so many comments at the put-in of our run that sounded something like, “This SHOULD work!”

We had 14 people on the water yesterday, most of whom joined the Halloween Spirit and dressed in costume. We had costumes ranging from the grim reaper, to Wonderwoman, to Elvis, to a Powder Puff, and even a sweet little Bumble-Bee. Props go out to Nate Herbeck for wearing his mask the entire time on the river – through the big rapids and even filming!

The paddle wrapped up with some delicious cupcakes, awards for the best costume & a preview of the video that was shot for the day.

So much fun . . . That’s what kayaking is all about, having fun! Happy Halloween from the quirky paddlers from the Columbia River Gorge   Video of this fun day will be coming soon . . .

Delicious Take-Out Cupcakes Skeleton on the Truss - Nate Herbeck

Lil Devil - Heather HerbeckThe "King Elvis" of the White SalmonGoblin of the White Salmon

Last Halloween, we had a special event on the White Salmon River, the Halloween Howl. This event consisted of chasing ‘floating’ pumpkins down a class IV rapid. Whoever ended up with the most pumpkins, won raffle prizes at the end of the day. We had over 50 participants in about a ¼ mile stretch of whitewater . . . Carnage you ask? Of course . . . With 50 people in one congested area, there had to be at least a few swims!

This year, we are planning a Halloween Day paddle with friends . . . It will be a little more low key, but just as fun. Stay tuned for photos of our paddle on October 31st.  Have a Happy Halloween everyone

I’ve been a certified personal trainer for over 10 years, and have been asked by clients to give them a challenging workout in a short period of time.  This is one I recommend and can be done by any fitness level (by using exercise modifications).

Fall Workout – hanging out at the park!

Grab your sweatpants, your running shoes, your beanie, a watch, and your kids . . . get ready for a quick, intense, energizing and fun workout for Fall.  Get yourself out of your regular routine of the gym and revive your mental & physical self with a quick workout in the fresh air.  You will finish this workout saying, “Aaaah!”

Enjoy the Beautiful Fall Air!

Warm-up
Walk to your neighborhood park (if it’s closer than a 5 minute walk, find a squirrel to chase around the park for a few laps).

Workout
5 pull-ups (find modifications because these are challenging, but you can do it!)
10 push-ups
15 squats
*** performing all three exercises = 1 set. See how many sets you can do in 10 minutes.

Cool-down
Walk home

Benefit of this Fall workout:

1. You get the enjoyment of the fresh air of fall in your lungs. Getting fresh air, helps fight getting sick.
2. The 3 exercises in the workout segment will raise your heart rate, so not only will you get the benefit of strengthening your muscles, but you will get the benefit of a cardiovascular workout, too!
3. Twenty minute workout and you’re done!!!!  Who has time these days to spend hours in the gym?   You will feel the benefits right away and see the results (if you do this consistently) in 4-6 weeks!

Squat

Important information about this workout:
1. Perform this workout 2-3 times per week with a rest day in between each day.
2. Please see a fitness ’know-it-all’  if you have questions about how to perform these
exercises . . . Proper form is essential to avoiding injuries.
3. Use modifications if needed (ask your fitness professional for examples of modifying each exercise to your needs.)
4. ANY level of fitness will be capable of performing this workout, just MODIFY.
5. Have FUN! It is fun to feel fit and healthy . . . Just commit to it and DO IT!
6. Record the number of “sets” you do for a month, watch and reward your improvements and say, “I’m awesome!”

The Whitewater Symposium is a 3-day event, in which individuals passionate about the paddling industry and the growth of the sport, come together to exchange and learn the ‘latest and greatest’ – the ‘latest and greatest’ freestyle moves from Emily Jackson; the ‘latest and greatest’ ways to design, present and deliver your instructional curriculum; the ‘latest and greatest’ of how social media is affecting the industry, and much more.

Not only are you there to share and absorb information from lectures and presentations, but during lunch and evening activities, you find yourself sharing ideas over unexpected conversation. One of the coolest contacts this year was Mykhung and her husband who came all the way to the symposium from Korea.

Eric Jackson

This year, Zoar Outdoors in Charlemont, MA hosted this event. It was exciting for me to finally get the opportunity to visit Zoar, especially during the time of year that the leaves are changing – absolutely beautiful.

This is my 3rd year attending this event and each year there are more and more presentation topics to choose from. This was my second year covering the topic of “The Kayaking Mindset” – How to improve your mental strength and stamina. The mindset of kayakers is definitely an intriguing one, and sometimes the “fear” or “nervousness” is the reason many people drop out of this sport. So, my hope was to open this topic up and teach instructors/students ways to not only work on their kayaking skills, but to work on their mental focus and confidence.  With more understanding of  how we can provide our students with the necessary tools to improve mental strength,  our hope is to be able to retain more individuals in the sport of whitewater kayaking.

The other topic I introduced this year was “Physical Conditioning & Skill Building.” I led a group of individuals through a physical conditioning program (30 minutes cardiovascular, 20 minutes strength and 10 minutes flexibility) to give them an example of a good, balanced fitness program that is specific to paddling. Plus, the workout gave many individuals a well-needed “energy release.” It was exciting for me to put Eric Jackson and Anna Levesque through a pretty intense workout program . . . by the end everyone was soaking wet and we hadn’t even touched the water yet!

Every kayaker shares one thing in common – the love of the water! Whether you’re a “hucker,” an instructor, or a student . . . we participate in this sport because we LOVE being connected to the flow of water. The growth of the sport is our responsibility, but how do we do it? What is our part in the growth? Well, the first part is learning from top individuals in this sport who have already succeeded, and second, to network with these individuals and come up with ways to continue this growth and recruit new paddlers to this fantastic sport. You can do these both at the whitewater symposium . . . so, hope to see you in 2010. Bring your ideas and enthusiasm and let’s make things happen.

*** Become a fan of the whitewater symposium on Facebook and check out more pictures from this fun event!

Heather Herbeck – www.wwsymposium.com