Do It Now magazine is all about adventure, sport, lifestyle and doing it now!
I have been involved with the magazine for a while now and they have chosen me as one of their ambasadors which means I get a cool page on their website with links to all the past articles I have written for them as well as some others by friends, everything is obviously paddling related.
So go have a look and support the mag that is supporting our sport. They support pretty much all the paddling events in South Africa by giving space in the magazine for articles getting kayaking in people’s faces and helping where ever they can.
Updates from Freestyle Worlds and the 2011 MoustASH Festival coming soon.
Whitewater Training are starting the winter whitewater madness with a really cold bang on the Ash River.
This year it’ll be the MoustAsh Festival bonus prizes for the best “mouth merkin” and if you can’t grow one yet then you can buy a fake one, sort off like wearing a clip on tie to a black tie event.
This quick post is more just to introduce the sponsors for the 2011 event, if you would like to get some more detailed info on the MoustAsh check here or for FB gangs here.
The event is hosted by Whitewater Training one of SA’s leading kayak goodie and training suppliers. So obviously they will be there with gear to check out and toys to win! They are also the folks to contact for the accomodation.
This was our kayak schools kids’s first run on the river in their own brand new Fluid kayaks. For the full report and more photos CLICK
Thank you has to go to the kids becuase they kayak, the parents for helping the kids, Richard from Southern Cross School for the time/energy to get the kids to us and to Fluid for hooking the kids up with their new toys.
Keep checking in for updates on how the kids are doing and the various trips we have planned for them.
Here are some more party shots from 2011 festival’s Saturday night….
and so the party carried on till around 03h00… pro race results
At 07h00 it was time to start loading the gear for the Olifants river social paddle. Hang overs where the order of the day so everything happened a bit slower than it should have.
The Olifants paddle is for fun and hangover recovery unfortunately for me the guides who were supposed to help run the mission were nowhere to be seen, luckily some old guiding friends paddled with so big thanks to everybody who helped with the swimmers. We had 11 Croc Rafts and 30 something kayakers on the section…. Another big thank you to Robin Cock, Kate Walton and Nicola for most of the Olifants photos…
and that was that.
A huge thank you to all our sponsors, festival supporters and just everybody involved with making the Blyde Xfest what it is.
See you Friday 24 Feb 2012 for the 6th Blyde Xfest and once again we will make sure that it’s bigger and better just for you!
d
So while the Pro Race (Pro Race Results) paddlers were busy all day long in the canyon the action back at the Blyde Adventure Camp was just as crazy with more beginner and intermediate kayakers than ever before. Thanks to Jan from Fluid for bringing down a trailer full of demo boats for all the youngsters and fresh paddlers to test out.
Check out some of the action seen on the lower Blyde. The Intermediate paddlers raced a 3km gr1-2 section with a mass start. Most of the action is over the last 300m with Grand Prix and Big Deal. The beginners paddled only Grand Prix and Big Deal in heats of 4 paddlers and then a final on the same section.
With the Intermediate race over it was time for the largest beginner field ever to get their game faces on. Due to a recent knee injury local Southern Cross Schools junior paddler Zoe had to compete in an inflatable kayak with a 10m penalty start, but she dominated all her heats and the final. Check out the beginners.
After the kayaking events it was time for the super fun Croc Raft and Gecko race’s. For the non South African’s: Croc’s are 2 person inflatables made by Ark inflatables, probably the most used commercial raft in SA, Gecko’s are 1 person inflatable river tubes. Races are also held over Grand Prix and Big Deal, this event is for everybody and loads of fun.
So with the days racing over at the camp and the first batch of paddlers from the Pro race almost back at camp everybody got a quick break before the high flying action of our Big Air Kayak Ramp. This year is our 3 rd kayak ramp design and we think we have a winner, don’t worry we will still tweak things here and there for more of something in 2012. Ryan Peel took the gold with a super tidy air screw.
With the ramp event finished and all the Pro Race paddlers back at camp, it was finally time to sit down, relax, have a beer and enjoy some good food.
With people slowly recharging things were almost ready for the prize giving, auction and party.
The photo’s will do the talking!
To round of the prize giving it was mullet parade time! First some shots of the mullet wizzard Mirkava Mirka chop shop.
Check part 3 for the party pics and Olifants River Social paddle trips as well as full results….
The 2011 Blyde Xfest was our biggest yet, we finally broke the 100 competitor mark. I know to many of the non South African’s that might not sound like that much but for a whitewater festival (no mtb’s or trail running just paddling) hitting a 100 is a big deal. The 2011 Xfest might just have been the largest gathering of kayakers ever in SA. Biggest thanks has to go to everybody who made the journey and joined us on the banks of the Blyde River we had paddlers from all over SA and this year we had a total of 7 countries represented at the festival.
Friday morning saw some last minute running around getting everything sorted for the biggest white water festival in SA. The original plan was to have a freestyle session Friday afternoon but after getting the ramp sorted and chatting to the paddlers already at the festival we decided to rather just go have a “king of the hole” session in Gecko’s. In the end we had so much fun that we never got to the point of having a winner.
With the light fading and hippo movement’s on the up it was time to get out and start the evenings fun and games.
With the festival grounds filling up with people and kayaks everything was looking good for the weekend. Friday evening’s big thing was the South African premiere of Halo Effect from local brothers Steve and Dave Fisher, we also had Shane Raw (the oke who broke his arm) here to introduce the film and give us that little bit of extra info on the broken arm. Shane has been dominating the Blyde Xfest Pro Race, so with his arm still not perfect 2011 would be the year to go for gold.
Halo Effect is truly one of the best kayaking adventure films we have ever had at the Blyde Xfest, big thanks to the Fisher brothers for allowing us to premiere it and to Shane for managing to download it over Swazi internet.
With the films finished it was time to for one of my least favorite activities; loading 40+ kayaks onto 2 trailers that will survive the gravel roads over the highest part of the Northern Drakensburg into the canyon. 3 hours later it was time for a last quick beer before hitting the sack.
Pro Race paddlers had a super early start with coffee and rusks at 05h00 in an attempt to hit the road by 05h30 eventually by 06h00 we were on the road ready for action.
To our amazement only 1 trailer died on the way in but due to our supreme rope skills the kayaks held everything together and they made it to the start. The drive in is always one of our major hurdles but for a change all went smoothly. The other concern was the water level on Thursday I do a last scout run of the canyon and we paddled on 30+ cumecs (double our commercial cut-off level) but luckily for us the levels dropped down to around the 20 mark and the water was running clear again.
- put in, with some more twitchy than others
Our first race rapid is roughly half way down the canyon, the section starts with some easy grade 2 stuff for about the first km and then it’s basically gr 3 3+ to the 1st race rapid. We had a couple of swims on the way down to Alley’s but nothing major.
The above shots are from a rapid called Poachers Corner, then it’s Amphi and Amphi Extension. Amphi Extension will become the 1st race rapid at the 2012 Blyde Xfest. Here are some shots of Amphi Extension, nice long rapid and the major siphon undercut combo is easy to protect.
The next section heads down to Log Waterfall. This year to safe time most of the paddlers portaged Log Waterfall a short tight rapid with a super dodgy siphon and then a undercut rock right in the middel of the current. Some paddlers where allowed to run the far shoot which gets you away from the siphon but you still have to avoid the under cut. Luckily this year nobody tempted fate with the undercut, Adam did how ever stuff up the entry but due to his weir surfing/survival skills (he has spent a vast amount of time practicing this skill, mostly not by choice) he managed to safely escape the pour over that feeds the siphon.
The next little challenge was Island extension a long fun rapid also sporting a nice siphon and undercut. Luckily for us everybody made it through in a mostly upright position.
So after Island we only had Throwbag left and then it would be race time.
We had now arrived at Alley’s Staircase. Here every body gets a break of about 20 min and then we start racing. The race is paddler vs clock, from 2012 onwards due to the increase in numbers we will race this 2 paddlers at a time. The top paddlers finish in just under or over 40 sec then at the other end of the range is 147 sec. The trick in Alley’s is to make it through the 2 holes at the bottom and also to approach them in an upright position. As always the safety paddlers race first so they can show the line and set up safety for the rest, unfortunately Shaun’s run didn’t do well for the more nervous paddlers’s confidence levels.
I really enjoy handpaddling, to make it even more interesting we decided that we should have a head to head session, rather than racing the clock.
Next up was Terminator/Marks Drop and the Weir. This is an optional rapid for those that want to paddle. Just before it there is Gutter 1, nothing to funny but with a deceptively sticky little pour over just to make sure you stay awake.
Luckily most paddlers who ran Terminator had good runs. Capetonian paddler Stefano was back again this year hoping to have a clean run, unfortunately he decided to spend a bit of time upside down which resulted in a “early bag” which caused him to swim, better luck next year.
After spending several minutes collecting gear and getting a float bag out the weir it was time to head down to Gutter2 and Jenny’s Drop our second race stretch. The top times on Alley’s were really close so a good run here could get you to the top.Once again the safety boys ran first to show the line and once again Shuan’s run did nothing for the more nervous racers confidence. The big trick to this section is avoiding getting broached in Gutter 2 and making sure you boof on Jenny’s.
With the normal paddlers done it was hand paddling time again. We decided that we would once again all go at the same time. Some were a bit nervous about going upside down and getting ridden over in the shallow and fast Gutter 2. The decision was made that we would all sprint for the entry of Gutter 2 then as soon as we are in we would fall in behind each other until we are out of the Gutter. As with most things amongst friends on the river nobody was willing to fall in behind anybody else, man it was fun! I was lucky to roll out from underneath Daniel or Luke ending up at the front of the group and held the lead all the way to the finish.
With the 2nd race finished it was to head down to the last race rapid, Camels Humps. This is a long rapid with various lines so paddlers paddled in batches of 2 or 3.
That was the end of the day’s paddling in the canyon. We made the last little bit down to the dam without any hassles. Paddlers competing in the Kayak Ramp got the first boat ride out and the others were left behind with loads of ice cold beer. Ant took control of things and started Big Bang jenga to keep the beers flowing and the humor running high.
….Part 2 is up next….
The Blyde Xfest has grown over the years and each year has been bigger and better. This growth would not have been possible with out our loyal sponsors and for that we say a BIG thank you!
Some of them have been with us since day 1 and some are new friends. So lets have a look at who helps us make it happen for you!
Fluid Kayaks have been part of the Blyde Xfest from day 1. This year there are 2 half price vouchers up for grabs. Then we have a Big Bang up for auction the bidding will start at R2000 and obviously the highest bidder gets a brand new Big Bang. Fluid Kayaks was started and is still run by Celliers Kruger with the main factory in the small town of Parys on the banks of the Vaal River. Since the first Flirt popped out the mould things have only gotten better. They now have something for everybody from 6-60+ if you want to float they have your boat. My new favourite is the Detox and I go for very regular Detox ing sessions just to make sure I am happ and healthy.
Do It Now magazine started as small little rag mag and has grown over the years to a top end magazine with something for everybody. Visit the website for a free 2 year subscription and if you can’t get it in the post then you can read it online. They support many people doing various things helping us to Do It Now!
First Ascent started out in 1989 and has grown over the years to become one of the strongest, highest performing and most trusted brands for outdoor goodies. With the new range of backpacks you can truly kit yourself out from head to do in some of the hardest working and best looking gear there is. I have been using FA gear since 1997 and have never looked back. Come and check out some of their toys at the Blyde Xfest at awesome prices and then test it out during one of the events.
Ark Inflatables have also been part of the Blyde Xfest from the start supplying awesome goodies for the winners of the Croc and Gecko races. They have been producing industry leading inflatables for maningy years. They have something for everybody and after 15 years of using their products I have not had a single bad experience. They use the best of everything and always try to improve designs but that has become more difficult over the years as because the designs are so good.
Whitewater Training is owned by one of SA’s biggest whitewater legends Hugh du Preez. Located on the banks of the Vaal River in the small town of Parys. They have all the gear you could possibly need to get your paddling adventure started and if you can’t paddle then join in on one of their courses. Everything from beginner clinics, freestyle, creeking, guide training and swiftwater rescue can be done through them. Pop in at the shop in Boom Str for expert help and a wide variety of awesome gear. If they don’t have what you need they will make a plan and get it for you.
Vibram have been making soles for top footwear brands since 1937 and every year they just got better at what they do. Then a couple of years ago they broke the mould for what the world thought footwear should be when they produced the first fivefingers . I got my first pair to test out about 4 years ago and have never looked back. Since the first fivefingers appeared they kept on making them better their is now a wide variety of models to choose from ensuring that there is a fivefinger outthere no matter what you wanna go and do. My favourite’s the Sprint and KSO Trek Sport.
Thanks to our good friends at PaddleZone in Capetown for the past couple of Xfests there has been a very happy and extremely lucky paddler heading home with a brand new Werner paddle. To win this piece of ultimate paddle performance you will need to impress in all events as it goes to the hardest trying most deserving young paddler at the Blyde Xfest.
Our friendly local Spar has always been happy to lend a helping hand at the Blyde Xfest. Need something to eat, drink, wash yourself, sit on, braai in, pack in well they got loads of everything with helpfull friendly staff always at the ready.
A couple of shots from a Lefty Wave session on the Lower Blyde.
The lefty wave is a rather small but sweet little wave on our home section of the Blyde River. The light was a bit low making photo’s difficult, we also didn’t make the whole trip down back to camp as we encountered one of our more seen but least liked hippos Moomin on the way home and had to abbort the rest of the section.
The 5th annual Blyde Xfest is on the way again and set to be one of our biggest and wettest festivals. Headline sponsors for 2011 are as always our good friends Fluid Kayaks, Do It Now Magazine and a big warm welcome to our new friends First Ascent
As always we try and make each year better for everybody involved. So we will have everything you could need available right here at the festival grounds: food, drinks, gear sales at special discount Xfest prices from First Ascent, demo’s from Fluid kayaks and free subscirptions from Do It Now magazine. Camping or dorms available.
2011 will see 3 categories in the Pro Race: Pro Race, Wannabe Pro Race (for those who can make it down the canyon but can’t stick it at the same pace as the Pro’s) and the Handi Race (hand paddles).
For the Intermediate kayakers we have made 2 races a long race +-5km, then the sprint race through Grand Prix& Big Deal on the lower Blyde. Beginner kayakers still race the same section thtrough Grand Prix&Big Deal.
Our Big Air ramp took some knocks during the recent floods but it’ll be up and ready come end of Feb with a new slide surface and lip for more speed and air.
Sunday we will still head out for the social paddle on the Olifants Gorge, we should be back around mid day so there is ample time to hit the road home.
To book your spot or for more info drop me a mail on deon@extremelimpopo.com