Ashlu Box Canyon- May 2012

What's up guys, early season here in Whistler and Squamish has been a sick time. Everyone has turned up and the crews getting more and more fired up everyday. The Ashlu River was releasing every weekend throughout the month of may so we were loading up and making our way to Squamish every friday for some camping and kayaking good times.

 Pete Lodge looking into the depths of 50/50

 And sending it

 Me lining up the top

 Ric Moxon getting it done!

 View from below

 End of the first Canyon, one of my favourite places in there..

 Hector Dmcl finishing one of the best rapids on the run in style!

 Me landing out double drop. Spectacular scenery in there!

 The Whistler and Squamish crew chilling at the play wave after an epic day.

Ric and Hector sending the first rapid.

-50/50 shots taken by Paula Ansel
- All other shots taken by Pete Lodge


Quick edit from the past two weekends camping out in the valley, good times, good vibes. Fun in the sun!

BC Spring, Whis and Squamton..

Back in the big old BC again for 2012!!

I'm back, catching up with mates and setting myself up for another summer of guiding and kayaking here in southwest BC. This seasons gonna be bigger than ever with our crew of keen chargers slowly growing bigger an bigger!!! 

After a bit of partying and messing about with taxes, random bullshit we got our first day of boating in on the 23rd of April. Me, Moxon and Sandy Macewan opened up the Callaghan with a few feet of snow on the banks! Beautiful medium level, but a tad chilly. Scouting around corners with snow banks falling underneath us! Everything was clean, no new wood, and to make it more exciting than it already was Moxon took a swim on the big one. Good on ya mate. 

  Cold as cold could be! Me about to plop off the 15fter

 Moxon about to send the 20! Pretty spectacular in there that day.

 Me probing the middle.

 Moxon staring into the boil that's about to give him a solid trashing- Epic photos by Sandy!

The rest of the week the Hector, Franc, Sandy and Myself t'd up a couple really nice park n' hucks, Machitta falls and a sweet 40 footer on wedgemont creek, aswell as a pretty high water lap Down the Soo, super exciting an fun run with a bunch of chunky holes. Good times, come Friday I looked at the gauges on the Ashlu, and it was all on! Hector, Franc, Sandy, Oz and Myself all boosted for the box!!! woooeee...

We were all pretty fired up for the day! Me and Francois fired up 50/50 with good lines! We scouted out everything, takes some time in that place! Turns out everything is clean and good to go for the season!
A couple go pro stills from friday...

 Sending the beast!

One of the many sexy boofs on this wicked section!!!

Awesome first week of the season chur to the boys! Motivation is high! Water was up and swim count is up by two.. Awesome.

 Sandy taking a peak over Mamquam falls in squamish, pretty juicy flow.

Hmm...

Jumping the Seasons

Heres a short edit summing up our summer of kayaking here on the North Island, New Zealand 2012. Just a glimpse at the quality of whitewater, landscape and good times this place has to offer!! Enjoy. CHUR.

All shot on GoPro hero.

Huka Falls Summer Session

Yo!

I found a book of Poems of the New Zealand landscape's the other day at the back of a shelf, and have been slowly reading through them all and this one below has really stood out to me.   

The Issue of Water

A life could be simple, it could be gushing like a spring,

it could be surging and cascading, swirling and rippling

like a river sweeping down to the sea: it is an issue

of fluency, the mother tounge, the first murmurings,

it is and issue of gentleness, giving, yet never giving

up the task of smoothening hardness, it is an issue

of purity, and of reflection, it is the issue of pure silver

coming as a colour into a dark world and moving

with such force and such beauty that we, standing beside it,

love what is coming and go willingly where it's going.

         - DINAH HAWKEN

Huka Falls

When Sunday morning came along, there was no work to be done, no responsibilities on my shoulders, nothing but to urge to go kayaking so I set off to Huka to meet up with buddies Chris Madden and Johannes Warmbier (Flozzle Wozzle) for some summer time sessions.

I arrived around 11am, the flow was 100 cumecs and by the time Chris and Flozzle turned up I was feeling the fire! Chris, having run two laps on the falls the night before at 75 cumecs was already on my level of stokedness!

Here are some go pro stills of the day,  

 Sadly Flozzle Wozzles boat had been destroyed by another unfortunate paddler on the Kaituna earlier on in the month so he was out of the game this weekend.

 Phil Mac's paddles are still treating me better than ever, Obey is the shit!

 Me and Chris keeping our heads down.

Opening drop in the gorge.

 Pretty Large Audiences, about to drop into the Pencil Sharpener

 Midst of Pencil Sharpener

 Chris adding to his airmiles off the main falls

'Lots of stoked noise' 

Lunch break chilling in carpark. Back to front, Flozzy, Chris

We ran 3 laps in the morning and all went super smooth! This gorge has a big range of moves to make, from a clean creeky boof, into a pushy river-running style drop, a big water ramp ending in big laterals and waves then to top it off a 5 metre+ ramping boof over the falls that just sends you flying!! I love this place. Crystal blue and warm water, choice.

After lunch and a quick hot pools trip out of town, we ran one more lap and were done.

 Me sending my final lap

Headcam shot from earlier on. Chris watching from below.

We camped out the night in Reids Farm just down the road, I was super excited to find out that it was free camping up to 7 days! Right by the river just up stream from Huka Falls gorge, sounds like the ideal spot for those traveling shit runners out there...

Anyways, back to work. CHUR boys for another sick weekend.

Long weekend in Tongariro national park, Pura Vida!

This weekend was all about improvisation. Pointed in a rough direction with one goal, run some nice clean drops and hang out in the sun with the crew...

  Ladislav Švarc lookin' for the sweet spot. P- Sam R.

Tongariro National park is such an amazing place for its vast variety of scenery and landscape, and the quality of its whitewater. As you can see the Tongariro river is a stunning place, crystal blue water and its crazy carved ignimbrite canyons. We started the mission off with a lap on this sexy boof.

 Palo and Zuzana (Slovakia).

Saturday night was a sweet fiesta at the boys house in Okere Falls, we woke in the morning feeling a little jaded, but that didn't damper our motivation to get up and go sunday morning! Good times.

 Chris Madden at Poutu Falls

 Lovin' it!

 Chris Madden Stompin' Ferociously 

Sami Fuchs eating it up! (Last 7 Pictures- Greg Clark)

Next up Poutu Falls, Super nice clean 20 footer to have some fun on! We all ran several laps, stoked on life. Good times, good lines and an awesome bunch of friends. Johannes Warmbier however... Decided to fall backwards 4 metres off the side of the creek while walking up to the waterfall! we were all freaked out, and suprised he didn't injure himself. turns out a tree saved him from falling another 3 metres onto rocks!! Rude Boys chur Flozzy

Greg Clark getting creative with his photography! P- Chris Madden

Sequence- Chris Madden.

 Mr. Sean (Young Jedi) Curtis styling the falls. P- Sam R

P- Greg Clark

We all camped out at lake Otamangakau, lite a fire and watched the sun set into a clear night accompanied by a few Gin an Tonic's. Sounds pretty romantic.. Because it was! Good times with the crew, Sami Fuchs, Chris Madden, Johannes Warmbier (Flozzy Wozzy), Greg clark and Ladislav (Lady Slayer), Palo and Zuzana from Slovakia and Young Jedi (Sean Curtis).

Next on the list was Tree Trunk, after a good 2 hours of scouting and contemplating we decided it was too high, 1-2 more weeks and its on. BOOYA!

 Tawhai falls. P- Greg Clark

Palo getting a face full of it.

Such a sweet weekend, couldn't of asked for better weather and good vibes all around!

Lifes good, after falling, drinking and talking copious amounts of shit its time to leave and go back to work!

I've demoted myself to a weekend warrior for the next 3 months. Saving coin for the next mission, Quebec!

Pura Vida