Big Magnum is out there + Alabama Video report...

I have a couple pieces of news to report. 1st, the Magnum 80. There are some boats on the water and the big guys are loving this boat!
Here is Daniel Windham, 6'2", 180 lbs, dropping into Go Left on the Green in his Magnum 80. (photo Andy Gates)

Same guy, same specs, at Nieces Pieces (photo Andy Gates)

Same guy, different day, different rapid. (photo Chris Gallaway)


Big guys, even 300 lb guys, fit in this boat. Should I have phrased that as 300 lbs of guy fit in this boat? Well, at least two 150 lb guys fit in this boat, just to give you an idea of its capacity. That little short person in front of us was even impressed.

Yes, this is a little bit embarrassing but you gotta prove your point somehow. The Magnum 80 and the new Thunder 76 have a LG cockpit, lots of thigh room, a larger, more accommodating seat... as you can see. We haven't actually tried paddling like this yet but we plan to. We are having the custom spray skirt tunnel made at IR as we speak.

Some video of the Magnum 80 is coming soon as well. I am out at the Green once, twice, maybe three times a week and will have the Magnums and Thunders on my vehicle if anyone is in the neighborhood and wants to use a demo boat.

Now, this is the 2nd part of my news. Alabama, it's a wet, cold, frozen place in the first weekend of March. At least it was this year. Andy Gates and I went down to NAWFest and froze our arses off.
Cooking breakfast on the frosty, winter landscape (photo Adam Motes)

Snow and ice doesn't generally make me want to go play boating and I tried to refrain as much as possible. I did, however, manage to shoot some video of the event and some more on the Little River Canyon the following day. Please enjoy the video at the Rapid Transit Library.
Chris Wing and I thumbed it up. (photo Isaac Ludwig... I think.)


Ooh, while I'm here, one more little tidbit. IR has title sponsored the Mustache Growing contest and it starts June 1st, runs through July 31st. Grand prize is a drysuit! You heard it. All you have to do is grow a stache for two months and you may win a drysuit. Many hi-dollar consolation prizes exist as well. Go to http://TheMustacheKing.com to sign up now. It's free and all you have to do is be capable of taking photos and posting them to a blog... oh, and growing facial hair.

Later,

Spencer Cooke, Team Riot

NZ: South Island Video Update

Greetings, my peoples of this ball of muck we call earth!!! I'd like to invite you to share the people, scenery, rivers and good times of a land far, far away in a wee place we like to call New Zealand. In particular the South Island of New Zealand...


Yours truely dropping into the tasty goodness of Nevis Bluff on the Kawarau River.

What you are about to witness is the second installment in a series of video journals hosted by Rapid Transit Video, that document my travels down here in NZ. The aim of these videos is to share the best kayaking New Zealand has to offer. In this South Island flick we travel to Hokitika...the Heli-Whitewater-Boat-Ridin' Capital of the World, as well as Fiordland...one of the most gorgeous places I've ever been, and finish in Queenstown on the mighty Kawarau River...which contains the best high volume rapid ridin' on the South Island. (And is actually where I paddled again today!!!)

Enjoy...
NZ SOUTH ISLAND VIDEO HERE!!!
You may also view this and other Rapid Transit videos at the free video podcast. Either use the Podcast link on the RT web site or go to iTunes and search for Rapid Transit.

I'd like to thank all the rockin cats who I've paddled with, who have been patient and let me point my video camera at them! As well as everyone who have let me/ us crash on their floor, given rides or just provided hospitality! Cheers!!! Also big ups to Spencer Cooke who has been a tremendous help in every way, including editing the footy. And CHEERS to New Zealand for being such an awesome place!

Keep an eye on my blog, Downstream Movement, which will continue to be updated with pictures and stories from the trip, including all the rivers and good times shown in the video.

Until next time, this has been the captian speaking, reminding you to fasten you seal belts when riding in dragonflys.

Peace,

-Cooper Lambla

Canyon Creek Race and Northwest Creeking Comp

The Peanut gallery at the the starting line

This past Saturday marked the first NW Creeking Competition in its new incarnation. Past years have seen low turnouts and lower water levels for the Canyon Creek Extreme Race but the combination of new ‘management’ and a significantly earlier race date was a grand success.

Joe Stumpfel, I and 80 some-odd of our closest paddling friends, came out in force on April 12th 2008. As some of you may have heard from me before, Canyon Creek levels are measured against the ‘unit’ (he). Its runnable very low and very high but flows within 4 or 5 inches of the unit are pretty standard happy flows. Past years flows have been more like 12 inches under. This year lots of racers we caught by surprise with the higher flows and found themselves rodeo-ing when they should be racing.

Luke S, the guy who made it all happen

You may also notice the Ol’ Joseph was in a K1 instead of a C1… I don’t get it either.

I volunteered as a starter right between Prelude and Thrasher. Prelude is one of the sticker spots on the river and I and the other starters watched or rescued 10 or so swimmers all while watching from above as another smaller handful of paddles swam out of the first drop as well! I heard personally from about 5 people who swam on their morning practice runs!

Richard hitting the boof at Thrasher

Well we couldn’t have asked for a better day and the even turn out exceeded anyone’s expectations. A big thanks to Luke Spencer of Next Adventure for making the whole thing come alive, to Shannon Crosswhite for doing a great job as volunteer coordinator and to all the racers, volunteers and spectators who came out to hang and made the day what it was.


Results are posted at Paddler Magazine

Don’t read to much into my place! 1: it was my first race and I didn’t want to blow my wad 2: since I was a starter, I ended up coming down after the R2s which was well after they were expecting any kayakers SO, I think my time was a little bit made up. No worries though, it was just a good day on the river with friends, in the sun, with great water. Pretty ok in my book! I’ll take the whole thing next year.

Riot C1-er Joe Stumpel, cross training.

Check out some more photos here

Hope to see ya’ll on the river soon.

EJ


Photo by michaellongphoto.com

ThisRiverLife

Clemson, SC Video Premiere and Demo...

What up all!

Spencer Cooke, Andy Gates, and I will be traveling to Clemson University next Tuesday evening. We will be hosting a premiere of Spencer's video, Night of the Living Donkey, as well as hanging out at the pool session with a fleet of Riot boats to try out. For you larger paddlers, we will have the Thunder 76 and Magnum 80, Riot's newest toys at this demo...

Check out the trailer for NoTLD here.


The whole event will take place in the Fike Recreation Center on campus... the movie will start at 8:00 pm, with some complementary pizza and Red Bull provided, and then we will move downstairs to the pool as soon as it's over(around 9:15ish) for the pool session and demo.

This event is open to the public as well as to Clemson students, so hope everyone can make it out!

For more information about the event please contact Andy Jordan at:
aojorda@clemson.edu

Good lines!
Chris Gragtmans

Cooper Labmla New Zealand video #1 on Rapid Transit

Cooper Lambla reports with his Magnum and Astro from down under with a video journal entry on the Rapid Transit web site. Take a look at http://RapidTransitVideo.com


More coming soon from Cooper. Stay tuned. See Cooper's blog follow his year abroad in detail. Downstream Movement