Denise and Lisa are all smiles in their DR slalom boats

Winters in the northeast can be long, so training means months of boating in the snow, finding runs that are free of ice (or sometimes "mostly" free of ice)

Triple Crown Championship is April 10th & 11th

check the website for details
TvilleTripleCrown.com
and have a look at the sponsors

Jim, you will be missed

http://www.npmb.com/cms2/e107_plugins/coppermine_menu/displayimage.php?pid=1594&fullsize=1

http://www.npmb.com/cms2/e107_plugins/coppermine_menu/displayimage.php?pid=1592&fullsize=1

http://www.kayakingphotos.com/albums/2008/ma/dryway0708/page/image63.html

http://www.kayakingphotos.com/albums/2008/ma/dryway0708/page/image65.html

a good boater
a positive enthusiastic attitude
a friend to anyone who showed up to the river

rest in peace

THANK YOU to the boating community

Back in the middle of December, I was gaining some good momentum, getting positive feedback, on one of my paintings in a contests. Inspired by the possibility of doing well in the contest, I asked the boating community for their help, since they are the ones who really understand what I am making with this type of art.

http://boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/1052127370/
http://boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/1052127986/

http://www.npmb.com/cms2/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?136900

I did not win the contest (although it was very close). But, I was super psyched by how many people in the whitewater community stood up for me by voting. I was also inspired (through many requests) to make prints of the painting and a couple of other pieces that are related.

After wrestling with many different printing options, i decided that QUALITY would serve as a better "thank you" than something cheap (which would fade within a year or two). The decision reflects a belief that boaters deserve something that will last longer than their creek boats, and be something that they can enjoy for a very long time; something to look at, year after year, reminding them of the dynamic, fun times to come when the snow melts, the rain pours, and the rivers run again.

Over the next four days, I'll post a new giclee print.
The only place that these prices will exist are here on this blog.
That should keep the cheap price within the boating community and their families.
When the real website is built for these prints, the price will be about 30% higher. But, for now, I'll pass along the wholesale price that I get to the community, and let boaters be the first ones to get their hands on these limited edition prints.

Southwest Colorado Bakery

just outside of Durango



with a super cool delivery vehicle

making awesome buns and rolls for restaurants

and some sweet loaves of bread for everyone else (sliced and unsliced)

with a separate room for preparing the spelt formulas (preventing cross contamination with the wheat products)

surfing rapid leads to the flume (8' drop)

click image to see 2000 pix wide image

snow in the mountains is money in the bank to boaters

http://www.thunderboltskirun.com/index.html

and makes winter more fun if you have a snowboard, skis, snowshoes...

spring is around the corner

I'm enjoying the winter: skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc.
for now...
but am starting to get a bit excited for spring
and water like this
panorama of Ted in his Gangster hitting up Stairway rapid

Crossing the River

" We have a saying, 'Dana prajna paramita'. Dana means to give, prajna is wisdom, and paramita means to cross over, or to reach the other shore. Our life can be seen as a crossing of a river. The goal of our life's effort is to reach the other shore, Nirvana. Prajna paramita, the true wisdom of life, is that in each step of the way, the other shore is actually reached. To reach the other shore with each step of the crossing is the way of true living. "

pp. 69-70 of "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki
published by Shambhala Publications Inc.
ISBN 13: 978-1-59030-267-5

Vallecito Creek in Winter

this is south of the campground (thus well below the takeout for the whitewater run), but above where it is totally absorbed by the lake and the confluence of Los Pinos on the other side of Middle Mountain

sweet shuttle vehicle

your vote could help a fellow paddler go to New Zealand

http://www.your-big-break.com/entry/10169

Ed Huber has been making videos as long as I've known him. He has a good eye with the camera and a solid sense of what he wants to do with each project.

Having a breakout in the creative world often means finding a way to get your bills paid for a little while so that you can make a project that will have a different impact and gain more exposure. Ed is not a trustfunder. He has always had to work. So, his creative talents have been mostly confined to regional work. (although Lake Placid and Watertown, NY have GREATLY benefitted from his presence)

Give Ed your vote, and give him a chance to sink his teeth into a unique project where I'm sure he'll make an incredible video.

Grand Canyon

http://www.nrsweb.com/clydes_trip/intro.asp?&tn=206

I have applied for permits, so I'm totally obsessing over the logistics, and the blog on NRS' website has been a good place to see things all in one place, and a nice place to start.

Log in Stairway (2nd drop)

Bulls Bridge, Housatonic River, CT
2nd drop of "Stairway..." rapid, the river right side that slides around "Little Niagra"
Looks like the old log has something new under it that made it stand up.



it's in the main line so a swimmer would probably wash into it
there is a way around it in a boat, but the margin for error is SUPER small
probably best to just wait until we get it out of there

Happy Thanksgiving

Fall Creek helmet cam (full run)

Fall Creek helmet cam from ARTandWATER on Vimeo.

Helmet cam footage from 2009

shows you the length (or really, how short) this nice little creek is.

The camera is wide angle so makes things seem a bit smaller, but not by much.

more to paddling that just the water

There are the friendships, new and old.

There is the environment;
no matter how you feel about the specifics of how we need to manage the environment, I think that most people who are into boating enjoy being outside in a more natural environment

There is the personal challenge;
whether you are pushing your personal limits
getting a personal first descent
challenging a familar move in a new way
getting used some new gear

There is the familiarity
and a sense of belonging
(oddly enough) in a sport that very few people know anything about

sometimes you just need to paddle

and forget your job
forget sales
forget repairs
forget everything else
and just paddle

The East Coast has had water, and this Fall has been relatively warm so far, so I expect that most people are finding ways to get outside and enjoy paddling.

Mad Boy vs. Gangster

Gangster

Mad Boy

in this last photo...
YELLOW boats on left: Critical Mass and Mad Boy
RED boats in middle: Mafia and Mad Boy
BLUE boats on right: Gangster and Mad Boy

some more links with additional information...
Mad
Boy Review
Outfitting
On the Water
first impressions

Mad Boy vs. Mafia

Mafia

Mad Boy

in this last photo...
YELLOW boats on left: Critical Mass and Mad Boy
RED boats in middle: Mafia and Mad Boy
BLUE boats on right: Gangster and Mad Boy

some more links with additional information...
Mad
Boy Review
Outfitting
On the Water
first impressions

Mad Boy vs. Critical Mass

Critical Mass

Mad Boy

in this last photo...
YELLOW boats on left: Critical Mass and Mad Boy
RED boats in middle: Mafia and Mad Boy
BLUE boats on right: Gangster and Mad Boy

some more links with additional information...
Mad
Boy Review
Outfitting
On the Water
first impressions

Dragorossi Critical Mass vs. Prijon Rocket

Dragorossi Reaction Vs. Riot Hammer

the Mafia loops? (in the pool)

this video made me smile so I thought I'd share
I'm glad it's still summer around here so no pool yet
think I'll go outside and loop up some creekboat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGGb7j1lHkE

Dragorossi Reaction Vs. Prijon Hurricane

Dragorossi reaction Vs. Dagger Outburst

Boat Sale

just saw this on the DR message board.
Tony Z is selling off what he has left from this past year so it's an opportunity to get a pretty good deal on a Dragorossi kayak.

http://2imagine.net/chat/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=213

Dragorossi Reaction Vs. Dagger Crossfire

Dragorossi Reaction Vs. Perception Corsica S

Dragorossi Reaction Vs. Dagger Animas

Reaction vs Transition
Reaction vs Critical Mass
Reaction vs Vortex
Reaction vs Dancers
Reaction vs Lazer
Reaction vs AQII
Reaction vs Animas

Asheville DR Demo Center; Proud to announce we have a new Madboy demo!

This year Dragorossi came out with the Madboy as their new river running creeker. I have been loving mine taking it down down mellow class III-IV as well as V+.
The Madboy is a fast boat with responsive playfull edges.
I have been calling it my class V slalom boat.
(my extensive review: http://totalwhitewaterfun.blogspot.com/2009/05/dr-madboy-review.html )

So i am happy to announce that we now have a blue Madboy with very little use in our demo fleet. Everyone and anyone should feel to contact me if they would like to try it out for a little while, lifeofloon@gmail.com .

Here are some teaser pictures for you to get an idea of what the new DR outfitting looks like as well as what the edges and hull design look like.