Black River NY

Draught+Cruncher+Voodoo=Lots of Fun!!!!

Well it’s been a crazy summer up here in the Northeast, with the lack of rain we’ve had compared to the water we’ve had the last couple of summers. Nevertheless we have been holding things down up here. During the weekdays in Rochester, NY we paddle Lock 32 whitewater course after work which gives us dependable whitewater 6 months out of the year. On the weekends we head up to Watertown, NY where we paddle a northeast classic called the Black River.

The Black has everything you could ever want during a summer draught. It offers class three and four rapids with a couple of class five lines thrown in here and there. Also it has a stout little waterfall with a huge re-circ that gets the heart pumping if you mess up your line. Also there is a huge hole named Cruncher that destroys rafts. A lot of the rafts are pulled out with the use of ropes. Most boaters freak out at the thought of even dropping into it or running the line that skirts it. My friends and I on the other hand have a couple of screws loose I guess. For some reason we find ourselves daring each other to drop it, in order to see who survives its wrath. Hudson River rafting gives us free shuttle rides because we deliver great entertainment for their guests.

With this blog I am including a video that shows our antics on the Black River. You will notice that there is a lot of carnage and yes there is a lot of voodoo dancing going on as well. For some reason whenever someone does a dance with sticks in their hands people get destroyed. Kayakers are not the only ones affected by the voodoo curse…we cast spells on the rafters too, so please enjoy our video of our summertime run in Watertown, NY

Black river+Voodo

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This is Paul Twist Signing off for Team Riot

The Riot Gauley Marathon

A group of 13 determined kayakers from Charlotte, NC (my hometown) decided to start this year's Gauley Fest off with a bang. By bang, I mean a 26 mile jaunt down the white fluffy stuff know as the Upper, Middle and Lower Gauley. Seven of the 13 that put-on at the top were paddling Riot Kayaks. 6 Astros and 1 Nitro.


Some would say that a long-boat is more along the lines of the boat of choice to run 26 miles of river. Clinton Koontz says otherwise as he charges it through Iron Ring. Why take a long boat when there is so much play to be had? Clinton was in fact the one that suggested, "Why don't we all paddle Astros?" Sounded crazy at the time, but so did paddling the marathon.


Sanders, Josh, Andy, Ashley and Angela take a break to watch the may-ham at Diagonal Ledges. I think the wait in line to catch the wave was clocking in at somewhere around two hours.


Will White says, "This outfit is Hee Haw Jones approved!!!"

Big ups to everyone from Crown Town who took part in the big push. 7 1/2 hours later it was all worth it. Special thanks to Quay Hunter for getting everyone motivated early in the AM. As you can imagine, it was quite a task at the G-Fest!



Until next time, the fluffy bunny don't bite unless you make him stay up all night!


-Cooper Lambla

Riot at the 2007 Gauley River Festival this weekend....

Get ready, the worldwide phenomenon that has been terrorizing innocent kayak festival go-ers everywhere is aiming for the 2007 AW Gauley River Festival. The Riot Karaoke Tour 2007: Don't Quit Your Day Job will be in full effect on Saturday night, September 22nd. Look for the Riot booth for a chance to sing your favorite karaoke tunes for a chance to win fabulous prizes from Mion, Shred Ready, Immersion Research, Astral, and of course Riot. The Riot team will be there to embarass themselves right along side you. We look forward to seeing all of you for some hilarious karaoke action at Gauleyfest this weekend.

--Joey

Lockapalooza 2007 Follow Up

In the words of Borat, "Great Success". Lockapalooza had a huge turn out. Lock 32 white water park in Rochester, NY was packed with over 800 people and 50 competitors.


The competition was fierce in all divisions, youth, junior's, women's, and men's. All were battling for the gold, but more importantly the bragging rights. It is truly exciting to watch and be part of with probably the best group of under 16 year old kayakers in the Northeast. Combining slalom, boatercross, and freestyle events, Lockapalooza determines the best all around boater. The first place in each event received 5 points, 2nd place: 3 points, 3rd place: 1 point.


The freestyle was the most successful event with competitors from all over the world, an amazing sound system, and who can forget our awesome MC, Fergus Coffey. The freestyle consisted of a ten minute jam session where everyone showed off there most impressive tricks. The top 5 were then chosen from a carefully selected panel of judges. These judges then scored until there were 2 left. I (Danny Doran) was faced with some very tough competition and it came down to me and fellow Team Riot member Aaron Roney. We had a head-to-head battle for the title of "Rodeo Champion of the World" In the end I won the title by a slim margin.


Even at one of the worst water levels (but still good) some of the biggest tricks were being stuck by 12 year olds. Air flips, space godzillas, split wheels, and phonix monkeys were common tricks in the youth and junior divisions. The men's division consisted of these tricks and more. The men's division came down to a battle between local paddler, and member of Team Riot Paul Twist, and Team Dagger member, Tino Specht. It was quite a spechtical (pun intended) to see these two pro boaters go off. Tino was hitting loops, space godzillas, and maybe even a switchflip, while Paul was hitting rides with loops, phonix monkeys, cartwheels, and a mcnasty or two.



Overall Results:

Youth:
1st Place- Tyler Deets
2nd Place- Ciaran Brown
3rd Place- Gardy Webber

Juniors:
1st Place- Danny Doran
2nd Place- Aaron Roney
3rd Place- Chris "Sla" Laflair

Mens:
1st Place- Paul Twist
2nd Place-Tino Specht
3rd Place- Andy Cook

Womens:
1st Place- Jenna and Ruth
3rd Place- Amy Brown

Thanks to Norm Deets for the pictures.
www.prestophotovideo.com

Check out the video made by Paul Twist

lockapalooza 2007

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Danny Doran and Paul Twist signing off for Team Riot

Hello Riot Fans, Joe Stumpfel here...

I'm super excited? Why you ask? Is it that sweet crossbow boof off of Sunshine? Nah. Is it that I just moved to the year round creeking capital of the US, Hood River? Well that certainly is sweet. But the real reason is that I've just signed on with the coolest kayak company on the planet, RIOT. Why? Well it all started like this. Recently I was becoming more and more frustrated by the lack of good, comfortable, performance oriented short playboats for the average sized adult male. It seems that at 185 lbs and 5'11" I've found myself either completely cramped in a boat that is just too small for me or swimming around in a bathtub. Don't get me wrong, there were a few that fit, but none that had the combination of comfort, performance, and user friendliness that I was looking for. With the promising look of the recently release Astro 58 (among other new designs) I took some time to revisit Riot. This spring, on the way back from NOC's Glacier Breaker Race, I stopped in Asheville and picked up a used 58. The Potomac was booming so after some quick outfitting I headed up to Harpers Ferry to put the Astro through its paces. WOW! Needless to say after my 2nd surf I was sold.



The boat is phenominal combining the perfect amount of speed and bounce on a wave. Huge aerials are nearly effortless and landings are forgiving. In a hole the symetrical volume distribution makes for super smooth cartwheels and the wedged bow provides maximum pop. It's truely one of the greatest all around play performers ever made and it's sized JUST RIGHT for me!! But spins and water wheelies are only so much fun, it was time to check out the venerable Magnum. And what better place to put a creekboat through it's paces than in my backyard test facility, Great Falls. There are many things I look for in a great creekboat but topping the list are stability, maneuverability, and resurfacing characteristics. Many boats out there nail one or two of these but few excel at all three.





The Magnum is, simply put, one of the most reliable creekboats ever produced. Rocksolid stability, playboat like maneuverability, predictable resurfacing, it boofs like a demon, has excellent safety features, and it always goes where you want it to go. On top of that it also moves along for a boat of its length. I was sold! So here I am, the latest member of the team and honestly, aside from the superior boats, I can't think of a nicer group of folks to support. If you haven't tried a Riot kayak lately you really are mising THE boat! Coming up I review the new, larger Thunder, and don't miss my c-1 helmet cam footage of the Green at 200%!!! That's it for now, gotta go boating!

Joe Stumpfel



Pics courtesy of Maggie Snowel, Bryon Dorr, and Nathan Sass

Colorado Video 2007

Colorado is long gone, but the photos and video keep it fresh in my mind.

Gore rapid, high water.

I like flying.

Dave Finney: Narrows of the Poudre.

Finney on a tight line. Big South.

Cooper Lambla showing us how it's done. Rigomortis

Cooper clearing away clear creek.

Cool world. Big South!

Eldorado Canyon. 245 cfs.

Check out the video:


Hope you enjoyed the vid and pics. Adios

Nathan Silsbee
Flow Rider

Salmon River Gorge

The Salmon River rises on the south slope of Mount Hood, fed by the melting ice of the Palmer Glacier. From its alpine beginnings, the river flows swiftly south down the flank of the volcano, carving a maze of steep canyons in the soft pumice and ash that makes up the smooth south slopes of Mount Hood. Read more about the Salmon River Gorge at: http://www.splintercat.org/SalmonRiver/SalmonRiverMainPage.html

The Salmon River Gorge is said to be the Everest of Oregon Kayaking. It's a remote canyon with many waterfalls, clean water, and top-notch scenery. Check out the video.

Linville in the desert

Midsummer, Colorado was long gone and I was beginning to wonder if Asheville would ever see a drop of water again.

2 weeks later... Finally it rained.
Watch Spencer's video:


It dumped down, and Linville was looking like it might go. We decided it was now or never. Billy Murphy, Jesse Wilensky, Dylan Bruce, Chris Gallaway, Spencer Cooke and I headed up the mountain to go kayaking. The one mile hike-in seemed more painful then usual, as the thought of there being no water was on my mind. I was soon relieved when I heard Billy start yelling from below me. We had water. The run went well, and it was good to get on some natural flow. The Magnum was excellent for the narrow and technical moves that Linville has to offer. Here are a few shots taken by the famous hairy zombie killer. Also known as Jesse Wilensky.

This is a sequence of Spencer Cooke's new move... the rock bouncer.



"Fight Club" or something of that nature.


The melter downer. Babel Tower


Spencer on a no-name.




Over and out,
Nathan Silsbee

Flow Rider