Team Riot: Greetings All

A big and friendly Hello to the Riot World. My name is Andy Lichtenheld and I am a recent and stoked addition to the Riot squadron. I currently make my home in Portland, OR where I have recently mo

ved after a short safety boating stint in Costa Rica and a much longer stint in the Midwest of this fine country. I am an ACA certified instructor of both whitewater and coastal kayaking and I currently work as a wilderness guide for a therapeutic wilderness program.

Husum Falls on the White Salmon, WA

I am loving life on the northwest creeks in my Riot Magnum. Since coming out here I have had a chance to get to know the class V classics on the Little White Salmon and the Green Truss section of the White Salmon, got in some great ocean surf out at the coast, been a part of an amazing second descent on the magical Siouxon Creek in Washington, met an awesome paddling community, taken a multi-day wilderness trip on the Rogue River, finished 2nd in the Wind River extreme race, witnessed the birth of a brand new class IV-V classic Portland after-work run and had some incredible days on the river with new friends.

Midwest Style - Rainbow Falls Black River, MI

Here in Portland we are just wrapping up one of the driest Januaries on record. The amazing thing about this place is that in spite of the lack of recent rain and the time of year there are still classic class III, IV, and V runs all within an hour and a half drive. It's a pretty amazing place to be a boater.

On the lip in the Wind River race

I am looking forward to being out on the water and livin' the dream this summer and spring. I'm working on scheduling a trip to film some creek boating in the midwest this April with the folks of www.liquidkayak.com and over the summer am planning some touring out west with the PBR tour (www.pbrkayaktour.com). So, exciting things are in the works. I am happy to be here and glad to be a part of the Riot team.