Aquabatics Calgary

Aquabatics New Products and Random Hours!

2012-01-21T10:48:00.006-07:00

Hello all you frozen paddlers,
Seems we've made it through the worst of our frosty -35 week. Feels like winter's finally here though, I find that rather comforting after the mild snow drought up until this point. But enough on the weather, I've got a few updates from the shop. First off; the shop will be closed from January 25th-February 3rd with the exception of Saturday January 28th which will experience our usual weekend hours of 10 am-5 pm.
Secondly we have a bunch of new products arriving in the spring, so if you've got the winter blues and can't get paddling off your mind here's previews for some of our new boats!

The Shiva, From Pyranha

The Stomper, From Liquidlogic

The Jed eye, From Pyranha

The new mamba also has a few alterations, however the boat in general has maintained its basic structure. Sweet is bring back its rocker half cut next year, This is a version of the Rocker helmet that has no hard shell ear covering.

We have also ordered a whole new genre of whitewater and flat water enjoyment: Stand up Paddle boards! We're bringing in boards from Badfish, Boardworks and Amundson. We have ordered a range of board types from short river surfing SUP boards, to long ocean surfing boards, to flat water cruising boards, so whatever your taste in SUP we will have something for you! To accompany this we are also beginning Stand up paddling courses in the coming season. Call the shop at 403 288 9283 or email paddler@aquabatics.com for more info or check out our website

It's an Evolving Sport:

Hope everyone is keeping warm, and getting out to the slopes or a frosty river this weekend!

Cheers,
Luke

NRS Inversion Drysuit Review

2012-01-02T22:29:00.002-07:00

So I realize it is winter in Canada right now but I have also noticed you guys have some ridiculously amazing weather coming your way and really....spring is getting closer every day!! So if you do not already have a Drysuit I thought I would put another option other than the ever popular Kokatat out there for you to consider.

I have been using the Inversion Drysuit this past season and well into the Fall. After using the Kokatat GMER GTX for the past 3 years to be honest I was not holding out great hopes for this bad boy. Whether this is just me being a bit of a Gore-tex snob fan or just a personal grudge against anything else other than what had worked well for the past 3 seasons I do not know but I have been pleasantly surprised with the performance of this Suit.

The inversion is made with a Fabric called 210-denier TriTon™. This fabric is not Gore-Tex and does not pretend to be in any marketing which I like. This fabric is light to wear and seems to move well with the movements required by paddling!!

It does however in my experience thus far provide a very similar experience to a Gore-tex suit and has kept me dry and comfy which in my books is pretty dam good! Considering work coupled with personal paddling I am on the water every day, and the fact Canada has turned me into a bit of a sissy when it comes to getting wet kayaking I find myself in a Drysuit more often than not.

So with a solid hammering and likely 100+ days last season I was still dry the last time I hopped in this bad boy.

The other thing I was mildly skeptical of was the Latex Socks. First of all no they are not breathable but really I do wonder how much a Gore-tex sock breathes inside a tight wet booty anyway. So they are a little thicker to wear than the other but I can honestly say I got used to them pretty quickly and don't mind them at all.

The zips seem solid as which is a huge thing to consider when buying a Drysuit.

The one thing which I think is not quite as good as competitors suits is the velcro on the tunnel over the spray skirt. I have never had them come undone but they could be a bit beefier.

The Latex has been bomber and the seams solid as well.

The only thing I can not comment on is the long term Durability of this product as I have only put 1 season on it so far, bearing in mind 1 season for me is probably 2 or 3 seasons for the average boater.

All in all for the Price Point of $699.00 this Drysuit it is something I would seriously consider. The funky color scheme is a little different which is nice and like a Drysuit should it keeps you dry!

Check it out on our website here!

Hope the warm weather is not a precursor to a nasty -30/-40 spell.

Peace
Blair

Merry Christmas and Holiday Hours

2011-12-26T09:05:00.002-07:00

Hi Everyone

The team and family at Aquabatics Calgary just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season.

Also, this coming week we will be closed and will reopen again the first week of the New Year. However we will be in the shop daily for a few hours so if you would like to coordinate timing with us we would be more than happy to do so.

Just call Simon at 403 561 3492 and we can arrange a time.

Thanks and again Happy Holidays

Aquabatics Team

Pre-Christmas Online Sale 15% off with code from the blog

2011-11-30T11:16:00.006-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I hope the transition into Winter is treating you all well. Just a quick blog update to let you all know that we have a Pre-Christmas Online sale starting today.

All online purchases (either delivered or picked up in-store) will recieve 15% when you enter this code: AQXMAS on checkout.

(excludes Closeout Items, Roof rack systems and accessories)

There is still free delivery across Canada on regular sized items for purchases (after discount) over $100.

Go to our online store here to see what we have.

Note: This promotion is available on ONLINE PURCHASES ONLY!

Also remember, we have our pre season Boat, Drywear and Paddle season where you save 10% on any items in those categories ordered and deposit paid before December 24th.

Happy Holiday Shopping

From the Aquabatics Team

I/O Bio Merino In Store - Free Red Mountain Lift Pass with each garmnent

2011-11-23T13:21:00.005-07:00

Hi everyone,

Just a super quick update.... Our IO Bio Merino clothing has just arrived in store. Not only is it the softest merino out there you also get a free 2011/2012 season day ski pass (per item purchased) for the EPIC Red Mountain in Rossland BC.

We even have some garments for 15% off that still qualify for the free Red Mountain Day Pass.

We have a bunch in store, so either swing by and check it out or visit us online at www.paddlealberta.com

The Aquabatics Team

10% off Preseason Orders

2011-11-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I hope most of you are stoked about the snow… it is definitely winter now.
Anyways, I wanted to let you know about our current offer for next season’s gear! If you put down a 50% down payment on any boat, drysuit, dry top, dry pant or paddle before December 25th you will get 10% off the purchase. That way your gear will arrive in the spring with the color, size and style exactly how you want it!

Also, with holidays coming up we still have some pretty sweet deals on in store stock. Boats are 10% off as well as select other gear. If you have any questions on the preseason offer, what is on sale, or what is still in stock just give us a call or an email.

Happy Paddling…um, skiing I mean!

Aquabatics Staff

Tibet 2011, Drigung Valley

2011-11-18T00:45:00.005-07:00

Here are a bunch of pics from out time in the Drigung Valley in Rural Tibet.

Peace

Blair

Ski Tour of the Week - November 8th 2011

2011-11-09T07:12:00.005-07:00

Gday Everyone,
Just a quick photo update from our second ski tour of the year. Dennis and I decided to head high and try and snag some fun glacier travel and turns at Hector Glacier on the Icefields Parkway...

Well, what ensued was challenging day (particularly on decent), trying to navigate our way through knee deep snow settled on frozen scree and big boulders....
It was a sweet day, with a few really nice turns high up in the Alpine on some wind loaded slopes. I think we did between 2500 and 3000 feet in elevation climb and descent....needs a bit more snow before we attempt it again...ha ha

The terrain up there is epic though. Still need some more snow falls for anything to be really 'skiable', a friend of Dennis' chatted with a parks guy who tried for some turns at Bow summit a week ago and he is now in a cast......still pretty sketchy for sure.

Enjoy the pics.

Dennis deciding to try a snow Angel at 2500 metres...

Some nice turns on short windloaded aspects (about 3 hours to get to this point)

More of the same from Dennis, high up in the Alpine

A well loaded plateau provided some nice although short turns

Hector glacier - still super cracked up but beautiful nonetheless

Hector Peak hiding in the clouds

Windy, Windy day up there, tough going on frozen scree interpsersed with wasit deep snow drifts

There is a cool steep waterfall section to climb at this time of year....Dennis loving it

Tibet 2011, China Segment

2011-10-26T17:35:00.009-06:00

So I am going to begin posting photos from our epic trip to Tibet this past month.

I have a plethora or photos so I am going to do it over a few different posts so people can get an idea of the variety or things we did and saw on the trip.

The kayaking was amazing. High Altitude paddling was definitely something different and paddling at 4200m most of the time made for some good puffing going on.

We stayed in China for 2days on our way there. We were in a City by Chinese Standards fairly small. Chengdu was a intense place. So busy and crazy. China was def a place I would like to experience again. The food was amazing and we got the chance to explore the Panda Sanctuary.

I will talk a little more about each segment as I post it so keep checking back here over the next week or two for some epic photos of an amazing trip to a Culture few get to see.

Chinese Banquet in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

Panda Climbing, Cheeky bugger

Panda , Fatty

Red Panda, I just always assumed a 'Red Panda' was the same as a Giant Panda but Red...Obviously not.

Kinda just wanna cuddle them a....

Check back soon.

Peace

Blair

Aquabatics Calgary Film Competition - Full Movies

2011-10-25T16:50:00.003-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I have finally managed to get all the films from the Kayak Film Competition last Thursday uploaded to our You Tube Channel. Just follow this link http://www.youtube.com/user/AquabaticsCalgary to our You Tube channel, look in the right menu for AQ Film Comp 2011 and you can watch all the films in full length.

Thanks to everyone who has followed this event, and for everyone who came out again this year, our turnout was around 100 people which is awesome.

I hope you enjoy the movies and we will be back next year with more prizes and more great movies.

Cheers

Simon

Season Edit, do it for the love vol II

2011-10-22T21:55:00.001-06:00

Here is my edit for the 2011 Season. Pretty stoked with how it came out!!!

Always in our Memories for Simon Davidson!!

Enjoy

Peace

Blair

Mount Kenya Mountain Biking: Article Follow-up

2011-10-14T11:02:00.008-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Here is a link to a German article in "Bike Sport" written by Guenter Kast:

http://www.aquabatics.com/_docs/small_BS_1112_2011_138-143_MountKenia.pdf

It is about his Mountain Biking Trip of Mount Kenya with Adventure Trippin. There is also an English translation (many thanks to Klaus Pohlen who translated!). The German article has all of the pictures.

Enjoy and happy adventuring!

Aquabatics Staff

English Translation:

Mount Kenya: Mountain tour with bikes

Hakuna Matata: no problem!
Mountain bikers sometimes have quite exotic visions. BIKESPORT author Guenter Kast realized with three adventurers his dream to traverse Mount Kenya, second highest massif in Africa. A trip, enthralling as the continent.
This wasn’t a good idea. Simon goes over his handlebars and lands exactly on his forearm. Something like this should be avoided – especially in Africa because the flying doctors, serving medical treatment in the bush, want to see cash before they start treating an injured person… given it is possible to get any help.

Simon is already slightly failing. He caught a tropical ulcer in Costa Rica and his cracked foot is due for a surgery since a long time. For any other person enough reasons to cancel the trip or to give up now. But Simon is a “crazy Canuck”, a crazy Canadian. Just “extra-tough”. He just dusts his clothes and mounts his bike again. He wanted to go back to Mount Kenya, the mountain he rode already a couple of times by bike. He loves this 5,000 meter high extinguished volcano. The breathtaking piece of scenery with all its huge exotic plants, the deep valleys and the glacier summits.

Ready for adventure:
The mixture of anticipation and queasy feeling spiced with a big shot of adrenalin is leading to a highly addictive cocktail. Same this time: While we were a little nervous during our ride to the park entrance now we can enjoy the feeling that we will bike at a place were usually nobody else bikes. The road is surprisingly dry and can be used. In the trees are screaming monkeys and on the red ground we see fresh and still steaming elephant dung. It smells like Africa and wild animals. It can’t be too long that the elephants passed this place. At the first camp close to the Old Moses cabin Simon tells us that lions, hyenas and leopards have been seen up to heights of 4,000 meter. The Judimer camp is on 3,300 meters.
But the major reason for our almost panic-stricken withdrawal in the tent and sleeping bag is not being afraid of animals it is because of the cold temperature. After sunset you forget very quickly that Mount Kenya is located in the tropical Africa close to the equator. Next morning the tents and bikes are covered with hoarfrost and the air is clear. What a privileged breakfast place in the morning sun. First time we see the snow covered summits of the massif Nelion and Batian. But they still seem infinitely far away. Enough reason to mount the bikes… and to dismount soon after. The way we used yesterday turned into a steep, muddy single trail, larded with moss covered huge rocks.

Pale faces on funny bikes:
Only three hours after we started, dense fog covers everything. The carriers hauling big baskets with camping equipment and food are hard to see in their unfit clothing. They just say “Hakuna Matata”- no problem. And they smile. Actually, they always laugh. Possibly because they found a well-paid job for seven days, compared to other jobs in Kenya, possibly because four palefaces on funny bikes without reasonable breaks are torturing themself up the hill. Mountain bikers seem a bit suspicious to them. They are not at all interested in a test ride with our bikes.

We get compensated for the more and more elongated push & carry passages by Scenecien and Lobelien, creating real forest in almost 4,000 meter. These primeval appearing plants, only found in the tropics at very high levels, flanking the way to the idyllic camp in the Liki North Valley where we can see the tents like dashes of color. Biking in this Jurassic-Park scenery is bike fun pure and even Simon can forget his injuries. He loughs and shouts “hey man, I think a dinosaur will show up here pretty soon”.

3,000 meters downhill:
It continues the next day. Steep push passages alternate with technical challenging trails in an exotic botanic. All of us now are used to the height and the extreme climate: Minus 10 degree when we get up and 30 degree plus as soon as the sun comes around the mountain summits. But the toughest part is still ahead: We have to push and carry our bikes another 450 meter from the Shipton’s camp (4,200 meter) to the Simba pass. Our plan: We will hide our bikes between rocks and walk down again to the Shipton’s camp. From there we will start the next morning at 3 AM, heading to the summit soon enough to see the sunrise, going down another route to the Simba pass to pick up the bikes and to start from there an extraordinaire downhill ride: 3,000 meters, 50 kilometers, almost no climbs and technical always at the limits.
Summit day: with lights on our foreheads we start with our guide Frederic from the Kikuyu tribe in a very dark and icy cold night heading to the Simba pass. As soon as we arrive there the sun is warming us and we see the infinite African savannah. We assemble the bikes and we are looking forward to the super downhill following the Chogoria route, the most scenery route at the Mount Kenya. The feeling that we ended up in the film shooting of “Lord of the rings” improves during a short trip to a rock nose named “Temple” close to idyllic lakes beside the Mintos cabin. From there we look down 300 meters to the Gorges canyon. Don’t slip off the pedals now!

A trail like a war declaration:
Not much time left to enjoy this place. 1,400 downhill meters are still waiting. The trail is like a war declaration against the human being and his bike. It flows again closer to the end and the vegetation is getting greener again. Despite the spectacular landscape we are already looking forward to a shower and an evening in front of the fireplace in the lodge at the park entry. Late afternoon, 13 hours after we started at the Shipton’s camp we have an improvised party on the green meadow in front of the wood cabins. Four dirty but happy guys are sharing a bottle whiskey. Soon the sign “Attention, dangerous animals during the night” becomes blurred.

The last days brings beside headache another 20 kilometer downhill. Passing wanton bamboo forests where Colobus monkeys with cotton-candy-like-shiny-white tails are climbing in the trees. The air is stuffy hot and the deep furrows in the road demand our whole concentration a last time. At the very end, shortly before the asphalt road starts, Simon is getting really sick. He is brought to the hospital in Nairobi by a Land Rover as fast as possible. He is texting next evening “We are heroes! Was a heavy blood poisoning. But I’m lucky. The doctor cut a big piece of rotten meat off of my arm”. But now he is already doing much better and he thinks about new adventures. Hakuna Matata – no problem!

Aquabatics Calgary Film Comp - Pre buy Tickets on Sale

2011-10-03T12:48:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick Blog post to remind you that our Film Competition tickets are now for sale at the shop. they are $5 if you buy in advance and $10 at the door.

The event is at Melrose Cafe and Bar and starts around 7pm on October 20th. We have 8 great short movies to see plus some bonus footage through the night.

There will be some awesome door prizes along with amazing loot for the winners of the film competition.

We really hope to see you all there, it'll be a great way to wrap up an amazing season.

Cheers

Simon

AQ Calgary 2012 Courses Online

2011-09-21T06:48:00.001-06:00

Gday Everyone,

A quick post to let everyone know that our Winter (2011) and Spring/Summer 2012 course schedule is now online. All the same courses are back again with a few additions. Most notably we are offering Stand Up Paddle Boarding course (beginner through to river), an advanced creeking course and an intermediate freestyle clinic.

Take a look if you are interested and hopefully we will see some of you out on the water next spring/summer or in the pool over the Winter...

Cheers

Simon

Tibet 2011

2011-09-15T23:53:00.001-06:00

Well the summer is coming to an end and I am off with 8 wicked people to Tibet.
Check our progress and epic location on our SPOT Shared page here!!!
Peace

Blair

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0CbzlR69k1coGCdSIvJn4fZR4qdBd2TTa

DEMO Boats For Sale!

2011-09-14T12:32:00.005-06:00

Hey Everyone! It is that time of the summer again when we put some of our demo boats on sale! The following are the boats and the prices:

Make Model Size Price:

Touring Boats:

Dagger Alchemy 14.0L 949
Native Magic 12 599
Necky Manitou II 999
Necky Eliza n/a 1199
Necky Chatam 17 799
Liquid logic Coupe n/a 649
Liquid logic Remix XP 9 799
Liquid logic Remix XP 10 799
Perception Tribute 12 699
Perception Tribute 10 499
Perception Prodigy 10 299
Wilderness Systems Pungo 100 399
Wilderness Systems Pungo 100 399
Wilderness Systems Pungo 120 799
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 120 899
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 699
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 125 849
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 140 849
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 165 1449
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 140 1149
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 135 1249
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 160 1249

Whitewater boats:

Dagger Agent 6 499
Dagger Axiom 8 899
Dagger Mamba 8.5 699
Dagger Mamba 8 699
Dagger Mamba 7.5 699
Dagger Nomad 8.1 799
Dagger Nomad 8.5 699
Liquid Logic Biscuit 55 899
Liquid Logic Biscuit 45 899
Liquid Logic Cross river 80 399
Liquid Logic Jefe grande 699
Liquid Logic Jefe regular 899
Liquid Logic Jefe chico 599
Liquid Logic Remix 59 649
Liquid Logic Remix 69 649
Pyranha Molan Large 799
Pyranha Molan Medium 799
Pyranha Molan small 799
Pyranha Karnali Large 699
Pyranha Burn Medium 849
Pyranha Everest n/a 849
Wavesport Diesel 80 849
Wavesport Diesel 70 799
Wavesport Diesel 60 799
Wavesport Diesel 80 899
Wavesport Habitat 80 549
Wavesport Habitat 74 849

Come on into the shop or call us to get more details on their condition, etc.

Happy Paddling!

Aquabatics Staff

Aquabatics Calgary Sale Teaser!

2011-09-03T16:14:00.002-06:00

Well, With all the great film teasers filling the blog in the past week I figured we'd stick with the theme and give everyone a quick look into the savings just around the corner at during our big end of season blowout! If you didn't hear before all of our In stock kayaks and canoes are going on sale from Wednesday to Sunday (7-11) only for 20% off! thats more than $200 off in most cases! if thats not enough there are a few boats kicking around that we just have too many of so we figured they should go for a little bit less, here is a look:

Dagger Agents - $600
Dagger Axioms - $849
Dagger Mambas - $799
Liquid Logic Remix 79 - $899
Liquid Logic Jefe Chicos - $799
Pyranha Molans - $750

Necky Manitou Sports - 25% off!
Necky Manitou 13 - 25% off!
Perception Prodigy 10 - $299

Hellman Otter (fully Outfitted) - $1199

*all prices are before GST

Make sure not to miss out on these deals along with discounts ranging from 10 - 50% off EVERYTHING in the shop (excluding the liquid logic stomper)!

See you there!

Aquabatics Film Comp - 2 more Teasers in the door

2011-09-02T15:14:00.004-06:00

Hey All

Two more Kayak Film Comp trailers coming to you from the duo of Peter Thompson and Liam Fournier and secondly from Sean Allen and Spencer Cox......

Enjoy, there is some good quality stuff coming in again this year.......so looking forward to it...Remember save the date, October 20th, 2011 at Melsrose Cafe and Bar....Great films, great prizes, great food and a little bit of drinky drinky maybe...

Peter Thompson and Liam Fournier - Super Sexy Kayak

Aquabatics film festival entry " Super Sexy Kayak " from Liam Fournier on Vimeo.

Sean Allen and Spencer Cox - Dean River

Aquabatics Calgary Film Comp - Teaser #3

2011-08-31T22:56:00.007-06:00

Another super sick teaser in the door from Mikkel St Jean Duncan. Safe to say this entry is in the 'Paddling 'Porn' category.

I have to say, I am loving the short teasers this year, i am so jazzed to see the finishing products. Seems like people have been making the most of the sick paddling season we have had this year.

Enjoy and keep em coming....thanks

Canoe and Kayak Clearance Sale

2011-08-31T22:40:00.002-06:00

Hey All, just wanted to post a quick heads up. We will be having an end of season sale on everything (excluding Liquid Logic Stompers) in store from September 7th - 11th. This includes 20% minimum OFF NEW IN STORE KAYAKS AND CANOES, plus 10% - 50% off accessories. Give us a call at 403 288 9283 for more details....make the most of our season end and pick up a great deal.....

Happy Paddling

Aquabatics Calgary Kayak Film Competition - Teaser 2

2011-08-30T22:45:00.005-06:00

Gday Everyone,

Teaser number 2 is in the door....this one is called The Kayak Network and is an entry by Krista X and Nick B...an entry for the entertainment category..this one certainly has my attention. Extra points for guessing who the 'anchor man' is....

Thanks to everyone submitting videos, this is so much fun and I can't wait for October 20th at melrose to see the films in all their glory...

ENJOY!!

Aquabatics Calgary Film Competition - Teaser #1

2011-08-29T15:53:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Just checking in with an exciting update. Our first teaser for the 2nd annual Aquabatics Calgary Kayak Film Competition came in at about midnight last night.

The competition date is set for October 20th at Melrose Cafe and Bar, half price pizzas and beer on sale is all part of the night. We are hoping for another great turn out like last year to see some great locally made short films and to have a cool end of season gathering of our relatively small community of paddlers. There are some amazing prizes up for grabs from our generous suppliers such as Wavesport (Project X 56), NRS (whitewater boaters packages), Astral, Sweet, Kokatat (Rogue Dry Top) and much more...

So here it is for your viewing pleasure....Do it For the love Volume II by Blair Trotman

This is an entry in the 'Paddling Porn' category.....enjoy and get your teasers in soon

PLEASE CLICK ON VIMEO AND WATCH IT IN THERE AS IT IS AVAILABLE IN HD THAT WAY....

do it for the love vol II teaser from Blair Trotman on Vimeo.

5 Day Adult Course this week!

2011-08-21T19:03:00.000-06:00

Everyone.....I have a 5day Adult Course running Mon - Fri this week. Mon and Tuesday at the Kan and Weds/Thurs at Kicking Horse finishing back on the Kan on Friday.
Even if you would like to come for one day that is fine!!
Need a decent roll and be quite comfy on the Kan.

403-796-9283

Blair

Discounted Fall Courses - River Safety and Advanced River Running

2011-08-16T13:36:00.006-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to throw up a quick post regarding some course opportunities that are coming up in the next month or so.

We are doing some end of season staff training and this will open up some spots on some super discounted courses. We are going to run a full River safety Course (facilitated by myself with Aquabatics staff assisting) on September 10th and 11th. This will be a full qualification course and the regular price is $299 + gst (plus a $90 registration fee payable to CKC), for this course we are charging $99 + gst (plus the $90 rego fee), so a saving of $200.

The second course is a to day advanced river running course that will likely be held on the Middle Elk (near Fernie) or on the Kicking Horse (and will include the Lower Canyon). This course is an Instructor 3/Leader 3 training course. This course would usually be $299 + gst and for the purposes of trainign the course is going to be $50 + gst (just to help cover my travel costs etc). To be eligible to participate in this program you must be super solid on Class III and have some experience paddling Class IV.

The advanced course will be run on September 24th and 25th (likley depart Calgary late afternoon on the 23rd).

If you are interested in taking part on either or both of these courses, or would like some more information , please contact me (Simon) at courses@aquabatics.com

Thanks and I hope your paddling seasons are going well.

Simon

NEW: Astral Green jacket LE #5

2011-08-06T10:00:00.003-06:00

The newest Limited Edition Green Jacket from Astral has just arrived. The 'Dark Water' features a primarily black PFD with a Tibetan Thangka style wave on the front in gray thread and a similarly styled waterfall on the back. This is definitely one of the coolest designs I've seen yet, it also features some design changes; a knife sleeve, improved side pockets and a pull tab on the chest pocket. If you want more information feel free to give us a call at 403 288 9283 or come by the shop and we'll be more than happy to have a nice long chat about this new PFD!

Play safe,
Luke

The Slave River NWT.

2011-08-05T17:35:00.007-06:00

So we have just returned from an awesome trip up to the Slave River in the NWT.
It was a sick trip and that river is unbelievably huge. Approx 5500cms, yes thats right cms not 'cfs'.

It was on the high side for this time of year. Pelican is by far the biggest rapid I have ever seen. It makes no.9 on the Zambezi look small and easy. The wave at the bottom is just huuuge.

Anyway I have been useless getting photos up on here this year. I do have a few more I will chuck up over the next week or two!

Here are some from the Slave. Enjoy!! I would highly recommend this trip to anyone. It is warm water, sunny days and amazing whitewater!

Matt Airscrewing his way to second place and $300.00 in the Edge King Big Air.

The Finalist in the Edge King Big Air Comp

Me Blunt in the Edge King Big Air Throwdown

The 60th Parralell

Alexandra Falls....Huuge. Massive High Water as well.

Natalie big bouncing

Pelican Rapid......HUUUUUUGE. This photo does not do it justice

Mitch, Photo Lief Anderson

Matt n Leela at Mollys Nipple

Matt on line on a high water descent of Mollys Nipple.

Wood Buffalo just chilling in Wood Buffalo Nat Park

Pretty Stoked on this number...shot from the van at 100k's an hour...

I think Mitch and Dean have a bunch more great photos to chuck up on here. Sorry about the quality of most of these. They are freeze frames from video I was shooting.

Peace

Blair

THE STOMPERS ARE COMING

2011-08-03T13:40:00.004-06:00

Hey paddlers!
This is a shout out to anyone who has been drooling over Liquid Logic's newest creek boat; the Stomper! It's full specs are available here: http://www.liquidlogickayaks.com/stomper_80.cfm
We have a shipment that we are ordering in the next week or so, if you are interested in getting one of these boats please call the shop at 403 288 9283 as soon as possible so we can put an extra boat on the order for you. The boats should be arriving the first week of September, be the first to have the hottest new creek boat on the market!

Go Paddle!
Luke

Tip of the day: The key to efficiently packing a kayak

2011-07-30T15:24:00.002-06:00

Kayaks are awesome, they are found in every marine environment from the open ocean to highest mountain streams. However to get them there you must know how to pack all your gear into them. To fit the largest amount of gear into your boat the secret is simple: Small Packages (no innuendo intended). Use lots of little dry bags and stuff sacks to put all your clothes and gear into as they will fill out the space with in your kayak much more efficiently and not leave any big gaps of wasted storage. As a general rule you don’t want to use anything bigger than a 20 litre dry bag or a sleeping bag size stuff sack, even something that big is a bit of a stretch. Water is one of the central problems if you are in an area where you have to take it with you. The wrong approach is to try and bring big 10 or 20 litre plastic jugs. The two easiest solutions are these; save up your small 500mL recyclable beverage bottles for a month or so before the trip, refill and bring 20 of them, they will be much easier to fit in a hatch or the stern of your kayak. The other option is to go with a water bladder that you can strap on top or wedge into the back of your boat. With the use of these techniques you can often double the amount of gear you can take and therefore lengthen your trip and have more fun!

Play safe this weekend,

Luke

PRODUCT REVIEW: Kokatat GEMR Dry Suit

2011-07-30T09:41:00.004-06:00

Kokatat once again sets the standard with their one of a kind dry suit, the Gortex Meridian. It isn’t cheap, but you get what you pay for. What you get is functionality, the very best of material (Evolution 3.2 oz Nylon 3 layer Gore-Tex¨ Immersion¨ Technology) and an excellent build quality. Part of the price comes from the zippers which are proper metal tooth, waterproof Optiseal zippers. They work very well indeed. I've spent several hours in the water (mostly upside down) and was totally dry afterwards. It was a rather strange feeling to be completely dry. Usually I am sopping wet after a run on the Kan. The Meridian dry suit dry suit (GMER) is specifically designed with paddlers in mind; it incorporates an adjustable overskirt which layers with a spray skirt tunnel to prevent water from getting into the cockpit of your boat. This means a drier ride in hydraulics, surf, and while practicing your roll. Punch-through neoprene gasket covers protect latex gaskets from the elements and the Gortex socks help keep your feet toasty warm.

Keep’n it dry,

Graham

Aquabatics 2nd Annual Film Competition - Early notice (some corrections)

2011-07-29T17:01:00.002-06:00

Hello Paddlers!

I hope everyone’s paddling seasons have been sweet this year with the high water levels lasting quite a ways into the summer. I also hope that you’ve been turning your cameras on once in a while because we have a very exciting event around the corner: the Aquabatics Film Competition!

Here’s a quick low down on the competition and how it’s going to work:

You are to create a 7 minute (Maximum can be as short as 3 minutes) film (preferably about kayaking, not cars or circuitry) and submit to us a 30 second to 1 minute trailer for this film. We will post the trailers online so the community can get a taste of the sweet shots you’ve been taking. There are two categories this year, Entertainment and Paddling Porn. The paddling porn category is for films that are all about the sick shots and huge drops, the type of film that was created to leave people in a permanent state of awe. The entertainment category is for films with elements such as: humor, sarcasm or have a story/plot to them. On the day of the competition the films will all be played in full length for an audience who will vote on which movies in each category they liked best. Prizes as detailed below will be awarded to the top four films in each category as well as an overall winning film. We are now accepting trailers! Please send them to courses@aquabatics.com and we will start posting them on the blog and Facebook.

PRIZES:

Paddling Porn category:

1st: NRS flask, Snap Dragon Kevlar spray skirt and North Water spectra throw bag

2nd: NRS flask, NRS pack (Duffel, Copilot knife, Paddle bag, Ninja PFD, throw bag

3rd: NRS flask and sweet protection hoodie

4th: NRS flask and $100 Aquabatics gift card

Entertainment category:

1st: NRS flask and Kokatat Rogue Dry top

2nd: NRS flask, NRS pack (Duffel, Copilot knife, Paddle bag, Ninja PFD, throw bag)

3rd: NRS flask and Astral Willis PFD

4th: NRS flask and $100 Aquabatics gift card

*Please note that some of the minor prizes are subject to change a bit*

FANS CHOICE (overall winner): Wavesport Project X 56

Cheers to everyone and best of luck! We look forward to seeing your footage!

Happy Paddling!

Aquabatics staff

Mail-In Rebate! Wilderness Systems Summer Fun Program

2011-07-28T13:10:00.000-06:00

All savy touring paddlers, lake rec paddlers, and river cruisers alike have just one more reason to seriously consider a Wilderness Systems Kayak as your next boat purchase. Not only do they have a solid reputation for excelent designs and bombproof durability, with their Mail-in Rebate program, a new boat is now much easier on the wallet. The promotion is a limited time offer till the 30th of July and gives the following rebates:

$50.00 rebate for an $539.00 - $849.00 purchase.
$75.00 rebate for an $850.00 - $999.99 purchase.
$100.00 rebate for an $1000.00 + purchase.

Hurry in to take advantage of this great deal!
Happy Paddling!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Wilderness Systems Tsunami 140

2011-07-27T16:51:00.005-06:00

So you've dipped your toes into kayaking, the waterfalls are a little scary, the 2 hour recreational beer-in-hand type paddling is a little too low-key for you and you want some adventure. At a dashing 14' long and 24" wide the Tsunami 140 from wilderness systems stands out as your strongest side kick. The storage and size make it perfect for over night trips and if you are effiecient in packing you could even do multi-day expeditions in this boat. Its length and little rocker make it track beautifully with excellent speed. The optional rudder system can turn this boat into a true tripping kayak, the lunch hatch makes an easily reacheable storage space for food, beverage, camera and your restraining order against Carcharodon carcharias; essentially the things that you might need to get at on those longer paddling days. The polyethylene plastic these kayaks are made molded from is the same material that Whitewater boats are made of, and that means they are tough, durable, hard wearing boats. Stories have reached my attention that even when run over by a vehicle poly kayaks have the ability to pop back into shape (perhaps with a slight oil can) with just some time in the sun and a bit of lovin'. This boat will survive a true beating and then some. I got the priviledge of trying one of these boats last week, though I didn't view it as such beforehand. Coming from a white water background I like my boats small and manoueverable and my water fast and exciting. However as far as touring boats go I was very impressed with this boat, it was fast even going up wind, it's edge made turning no more than a slight hip adjustment and I could even get at my lunch in the middle of the paddle session. From my experience in expedition kayaking I would very happily select this boat as my ride for the next adventure. It's fun, it's fast, its perforomance is unreal for a polyethylene boat and it can take all the bumps and bruises along the way (alot of those seem to occur on my kayak missions; white water and expedition).

In the lakes and the streams, the oceans and the rivers, the creeks and the ponds; go paddle,

Luke

Yukon 1000 Completed Update

2011-07-25T12:42:00.001-06:00

Well the race is over as of last night at 8:15, and Simon Coward and Adam Harmer are the official 2011 Yukon 1000 Winners!! I believe their official time ended up being 6 days, 8 hours and 51 minutes, which is not a new record but really close to the best time of 6 days & 2 hours set in 2009. The team ran into some difficulty on Saturday when Adam’s arm/wrist became inflamed with carpal tunnel syndrome, this allowed the voyageur to start to catch up ground. On Sunday they were faced with dealing with a lot of exhaustion and pain, so they are grateful that the race was not any longer or they could not have kept their lead. Really when you consider that the difference in times was around 1.5 hours, that’s not significant over a 6 day period.

As for the intermittent spot data that had all of us loved ones worried and thinking creative thoughts, simon was wearing the device on his PFD and had not attached it to the deck of the boat. As it was not in prime positioning, it was not sending out signals with any regularity. I guess he will know better for next time?!

I spoke to Simon last night and they were both in good spirits and glad that it was over, I have not received any details as of yet, but am excited to hear about their journey. He will be updating the blog as soon as they arrive safely back in Calgary (hopefully without immigration issues, but that is a different story)

Congrats to you both, you did an amazing job and I am glad your journey was met with such great success!

Yukon Update- Sat Am

2011-07-23T08:07:00.000-06:00

Well this race is a least 2/3 of the way done as right now the leaders, “who knows,” has approximately 435 km left to paddle. I am personally not sure how the teams have kept up the energy and motivation to keep going but it’s very impressive. Adam & Simon have not seen another boat for days now and would have no idea if the people in second are just right behind a bend or hours behind. The section of river that they are in right now is called the “flats” and if you check it out on Google Earth, you can see it is has broken into many channels. If they pick wrong here, the paddlers could easily find themselves losing all ground and even walking.

The racer’s positions in the journey have remained very static, with the boys staying about 30km or 2-3 hours ahead of the voyageur, who are solidly in second as the trailing boat is about 5 hours behind them and approx 100 km from the lead.

Simon’s goal for this race was to finish @ or under 7 days, so this means that they would have to be at the Dalton bridge at noon our time on Monday, this seems very achievable at this point in time

Ps – polite readers, thanks for not calling me on my faux pas regarding the time change, lets just chalk that up to a tired brain:)

Yukon update #3

2011-07-21T21:33:00.000-06:00

The boys are over half way done the race and as I write this, they have changed time zones and are almost at the border crossing to enter Alaska. The time change is 2 hours behind Calgary, which is good for all of us tracking them as we no longer have to stay up as late at night. In comparison to previous years, they are a bit further ahead than where the leaders in 2010 made their overnight stop, as Eagle was the stopping point on the Thursday night last year. Simon and Adam should be there within the hour, and depending on how long that takes, have about 2 hours left to paddle for the day, which ideally will put them about 20Km downstream as they are exceeding around 10Km/hour. I trust all goes well at the border for them and they are not stopped for the day as that would definitely cause them to give up their comfortable lead.

Here is hoping that their SPOT device gives better updates tomorrow as the information was lacking today, allowing my mind to come up with lots of crazy ideas. When the web finally updated after 4.5 hours without current info, I was a happy wife/cheerleader!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Desperado Socks

2011-07-21T15:18:00.005-06:00

Neoprene socks are great. Creeking booties are great. However if the two ever happened to create an offspring it would be the Desperado Sock. Not as heavy and bulky as the creeking bootie, it slips easily into the tightest of playboats. However if the worst should happen and you take a swim/hike/minor mountaineering feat out of a messy situation the Desperado offers just enough protection to keep your toes safe and happy. With extra padding around the common pressure points on your foot the Desperado sock is a very low profile and comfortable piece of awesome that every river running playboater should have in his or her arsenal. I had trouble for a long time with long legs and small play boats, I tried many different and creative solutions but none proved painless. However on suggestion from a colleague I ordered a pair of these Desperado socks and they have improved my comfort and my boating skills to a whole new magnitude (it's tough to improve and learn when you're having to hang your feet out the boat every 10 minutes while gasping in relief). I did not think there was going to be an easy answer to my issue besides foot binding rituals but it turns out these socks worked a miracle. I highly recommend these to all paddlers suffering under the oppression of tight foot space.

Keep the shred alive,
Luke

2011-07-20T17:37:00.001-06:00

Yukon update #2

Tuesday was an eventful day for Adam and Simon, they were solidly in the lead for the entire day and have remained there since. Their calculated lead time at the moment sits around 2 hours, which I would think is a nice comfortable lead , although it’s still early to decide the winners at this point. When they passed in Carmacks, the race official said that they looked strong and I would assume were in very good spirits. Their overnight position put them at just past Minto which was about the same place as the leaders from 2010 and 40km off the leaders (who didn’t win) from 2009.

2 teams have officially dropped out, it looks like one didn’t start and the second was the solo kayaker who incidentally was Simon’s paddling partner from last year. No further details have been released about either of these events, although there was some carnage on day one on the lake for “at first....” it may have contributed to her withdrawing from the race.

All I can say is keep up the great work guys, we are all rooting for you! Don’t forget you can follow the action at www.yukon1000.com

Yukon 1000 - Day one

2011-07-18T21:36:00.000-06:00

Well it is day one of the Yukon 1000 and I am already addicted to Google earth, tracking the teams and seeing the dynamic updates. Traditionally today is one of the hardest days of the race trudging across Lake Laberge, but once that is over, the boats will hit the moving water which will help ease some of the work. However I have heard that there is a severe storm out on the lake causing 3+ foot waves, which means that water is moving a bit too much for anyone’s liking.

It’s been a bit frustrating as time delay’s between the team’s updates make it a bit challenging to see everyone’s true positions. I think that Adam and Simon seem to be one of the front boats, as they are switching between first and second position. It appears that one boat did not start the race, although again that could be a technology issue and we have not seen an update from “if at first” since around 2 pm our time which is only two hours into the race.

Last year’s day ones finishing position was at the 17 Mile Woodpile, so here is hoping the guys make or surpass that target.

Mid-Summer Sale July 23-24

2011-07-16T14:55:00.001-06:00

Hey gang,

Anyone out there who is constantly on the prowl for good deals will not want to miss out on our Mid-Summer Sale on July 23-24. All Rec, Touring kayaks and Canoes will be on sale at 10% off as well as all associated accessories! (This does not include whitewater boats and gear or Thule rack systems). Good summer weather has finally arrived for us and its time to take advantage of the spectacular weather and get out on the water, be it on our local lakes and rivers or on longer excursions! Don't miss out on the great deals!

Happy Paddling!

Slave River Roady!

2011-07-14T12:58:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone,

Just a reminder that the Slave River Paddlefest is only two weeks away! This is our first year making it up to the slave river and we couldn't be more excited to head north for some warm water, big volume paddling and amazing playboating. Blair, Dean, Matt, Mitch and leela are heading up in the Aquabatics Van and have a bunch of extra seats. If you are thinking of going up to the slave but don't want to drive then come with us! $100 per person includes gas and driving to and from Fort Smith, leaving Thursday July 28 after work and getting back the following tuesday evening.
If you want to hop on with us just send us an email by July 21 to reserve yourself a spot.

Hope to see a bunch of familiar faces up there!
cheers

Yukon 1000 - Revisited

2011-07-06T11:16:00.002-06:00

Hi All,

The summer is flying by and the time has nearly come for myself (Simon) to head north again to the mighty Yukon River for the annual 1600 kilometre Yukon 1000 kayak race. This year I am meeting an old paddling buddy of mine (Adam Harmer, from the UK) and we are teaming up to do the race. We will be paddling a Seaward Passat G3 tandem kayak and the ace starts at 11am on July 18th.

Our goal at this point (water levels and weather may dictate otherwise) is to complete the 1600 kms in less than 7 days, this will entail 18 hours a day in the boat, with maybe one short break per day. We've both been training super hard and feel as ready as anyone can I guess for a race of this nature.

A big thanks to Mountain Fuel www.mountainfuel.co.uk for the food they are providing for the race.

You can follow our progress in the race via our spot messages at www.yukon1000.com/new/11y1k/results.php , you can just download the dynamic updates to Google Earth and you can watch the race play out. There will also be updates here on the blog and on our facebook page.

I hope everyone is having a great season (wherever you are) and happy adventures

Simon

PRODUCT REVIEW: Project X

2011-07-02T14:54:00.002-06:00

Impressive. Very impressive. This boat has surpassed all expectations preset for it. 3 years in the making this revolution of the project series hit North America this spring and has wooed every playboater I have talked with including myself. With a super loose hull this boat makes tricks that you once only dreamed of inconcievably easy. Its slicy ends enable easy cartwheels and it's volume distribution springs massive pop in any hole. The angles featured on the edges all for easy release and transition as well as seamless, crisp control. Originally I looked at the stubby tail of this boat and marked it off as unstable from the get go, however I was proven very wrong. The short, high volume tail of the X actually makes the boat more stable the it's predecessor in river running situations. The over all length (or lack there of) of the Project X makes it super maneuverable in even the tightest playholes without compromising stablility. This boat is the cutting edge of today's freestyle world, it is pushing the frontier further than ever before. I am thoroughly amazed.

shred that gnar,
Luke

Ninja Invitational Junior Kayak Event - Round 1

2011-06-27T11:21:00.003-06:00

Gday Everyone,

Simon here checking in with the results from the 1st of 3 rounds of junior freestyle and racing events that make up the Ninja Invitational series. This past weekend the Kananaskis River was the venue for a day of freestyle and boater X coaching on the Saturday followed by 2 freestyle events a boater X race and a down river race on the Sunday.

Competition was super tight which is reflected in the overall scores (listed below). This is the first year of these series of events which we hope will only get bigger and more popular in the coming years. The event is put on by Kayak Jasper and Aquabatics Calgary as a way to develop junior freestyke and racing paddlers in Western Canada. You can see more information at www.ninjainvitational.com .

See below for final result for the first event, and I iwll try and get some pictures up soon. The next event is at the Brierlies on July 16th and 17th.

FREESTYLE EVENTS

Event 1 - Turbo Freestyle

1st - Luke Vomerhaus
2nd (T) - Riley Tower
2nd (T) - Zac Rittman
4th (T) - Liam Fournier
4th (T) - Jake Volmerhaus
6th - Ethan Begley

Event 2 - Wall Wave Freestyle

1st - Liam Fournier
2nd - Luke Volmerhaus
3rd - Zac Rittman
4th - Jake Volmerhaus
5th - Riley Tower
6th - Ethan Begley

RACING EVENTS

Event 1 - Boater X

1st - Riley Tower
2nd - Jake Volmerhaus
3rd - Zac Rittman
4th - Ethan Begley
5th - Liam Fournier
6th - Luke Volmerhaus

Event 2 - Down River Hardman

1st - Jake Volmerhaus
2nd - Ethan Begley
3rd - Luke Volmerhaus
4th - Zac Rittman
5th - Riley Tower
6th - Liam Fournier

OVERALL STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 1

1st - Jake Volmerhaus - 61 pts
2nd - Riley Tower - 59 pts
3rd (TIE) - Zac Rittman - 56 pts
3rd (TIE) - Luke Volmerhaus - 56 pts
5th - Liam Fournier - 52 pts
6th - Ethan Begley - 42 pts

Kayak Trip Planning Simplified!

2011-06-16T18:10:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

This is just a quick post to draw your attention to a cool new application that Necky has added to there website. Its an interactive map of boat launch sites and it will make trip planning a dream! There is even the option to enter in your own local spot in order to share your knowledge with the paddling community.
Be sure to check it out!

Cheers

http://www.neckykayaks.com/plan_a_trip/trip_planning/launch_site_map/

Aquabatics Demo Day - Postponed

2011-06-15T07:45:00.003-06:00

Just a quick note to everyone, our Glenmore Reservoir Demo Day has been postponed (date TBA) as the Glenmore Reservoir is still closed.

If you have any boats you would like to demo we will be at the MEC Paddlefest at Carburn Park on Saturday the 18th with a bunch of boats and equipmnt available to try out.

Apologies for this

Simon

High Water Creeking Course June 3 - 5, 2011

2011-06-06T23:58:00.005-06:00

Well, after having to postpone our first Creeking Course of the season due to very high water levels, we were all praying for a break in the rain to bring the levels down enough so we could run our second scheduled program. The weather gods cooperated, with a week of cool temperatures and little rain, which allowed the rivers to drop to a runnable level.

In a nutshell the course went off.....Friday night on the Kan was a big night out (3 hours +), followed by a 50 + cms decent of the Greenford to Ings Creek section of the Highwood. This day was unreal, over 7 hours on the water, with loads of drills, amazing pushy water levels, one good portage and a bunch of excellent whitewater, it certainly made for some tired bodies by the end of the day.

Sunday was a little more complex, with Etherington and Cataract too high to run for the course we made the plan to run the Highwood Falls section of the Highwood, and what a run it was. 50+ cms on the gauge and we were trated with some great boof practise on a cool ledge, followed by some big volume drop pool rapids. There are a few pictures below of what was a great weekend. Fingers crossed we get a bit more of a break from the rain and I will be reporting more from next weekends course....

Happy Paddling

GMHS Photo Update...Gold Coast...Surfing..Sunrises...Smiles

2011-06-06T07:47:00.007-06:00

I will have some actual surfing pictures up here in a while! For now enjoy..

Brittany enjoying the rewards of an early start and a 2minute walk down to the beach!

My sunrise buddys Brittany & Lisa on the Dock for yet annnother Gorgeous Sunrise!

Zach and Mikkela Enjoying the beach

'War Tuna'....DON'T MESS WITH ME

Tia all smiles in the surf!

Mikkela in Surf

Just another gorgeous Sunrise....

Kangaroo Scratching

Kangaroo...

Hailey & Brittany in the Surf

Hailey & Taylor Double Surfing

Darren Shaking it off Baywatch Style

Cora and Shell

Cole Fuller or Sean White?

Is that a Nose?

Kyle Buried ALIVE

Cole burying Kyle....

Cole is that a 'Blue Steel' or WHAT!!!!

Some fun beach Games!

WAR TUNA....bro you are a TANK

Annissa, Hailey & Brittany loving the 22deg water....

Peace

Blair

GMHS Photo Update, Blue Mountains Ausi Sunrise Mission

2011-06-04T01:31:00.003-06:00

So as promised here are the final pics from out time in the Blue Mountains just West of Sydney.

I got up just after 6am and offered the mission to whoever wanted to come. I had mentioned this the night before and a few more people were keen than ended up coming but not everyone is a morning person. The deal was you had to be up and out of your tent in less than 5minutes. No waiting for stragglers. Your either in or your not!

Anyhow myself, Haggarty, Kyle 'Kylie' Powers, Brittany and Mark (who by the way now owns and proudly sports a pair of very tight budgie smuggling speedo's) got up and headed off by headlamp in the dark to the top of Ruined Castle. This is a very cool formation of some large boulders on top of a small hill which from a distance looks like a "Ruined Castle"!!

We made it up just before the sun poked its head over the horizon and were treated to a nothing less than gorgeous Sunrise over the Jamieson Valley.

For now we are being treated to perfect waves, perfect blue sky sunny days and warm weather at surf camp. No complaints!

Enjoy these photos!

Mist hanging over the valley bottom behind us

Mark & Kyle Enjoying the first light on top of Ruined Castle

Nice warm light on the Large Cliffs that line the Jamison Valley to our left near Katoomba

The Money Shot! No words needed....

Round 2

Cool CLouds

Lisa Called these Tidal Clouds...that's what I am going to go with....'Tidal Clouds off to our right' very cool!

We head back to Coolangata tomorrow afternoon for what is looking like two days of some very cool theme parks...get ready for the wet n wild experience!

Peace

Blair

GMHS Photo Update, Mt Solitary Hike, Blue Mountains, Australia

2011-06-02T19:14:00.006-06:00

So here are the Photos from our hike up Mt Solitary! Enjoy!!

The boys heading down the bush tunnel from the Summit!

Taylor going up through one of the rock cracks with big packs!

Steph in the Gap

Kyle n Cullen enjoying the Views

Jordan lapping it up!

Hailey Cimbing Up Up Up....

Team shot...I think there was something over there..

The gorgeous lush ferns...so beautiful

The Furber Stairs, over 1000 down and then back up! these stairs are literally hacked into the Rock Cliffs from Miners back in the day

Cora in the Gap

A beauty Red Eucalyptus

Alex or 'War Tuna'

Cool light on the Jamison Valley

Mt Solitary from the Furber Stairs

Ausi bush corn...these actually turn into straight up gangsta bush food...well I had the kids convinced :-)

Gorgeous Colors again!

Up up up up up up up

Tia grunting up!

Tia up the Rock Crack

I will have some more up here tomorrow so check back! Remember if you click on the photo they will expand!

Peace

Blair

GMHS Photo Update, The Blue Mountains, Katoomba

2011-06-02T01:34:00.004-06:00

Hey Team,
So we are now up in Sunny Queensland and New South Wales. We arrived yesterday in Coolangata after another super early start in Sydney at around 4am.

After all was said and done on the travel route we headed up to the beach next to Tweed Heads and Snapper rocks and hung out there for the afternoon on the beach. Opposite to the forecast it turned out to be gorgeous sunny day. We spent the afternoon swimming and sunbathing! The water up here is super warm in the ocean, around 22degrees Celsius which makes for really nice swimming!

Our time in Katoomba was amazing. We were for once blessed with stunning weather aside from the last day where it turned back to torrential rain and wind!

Our two day hike to Mt Solitary was absolutely phenomenal! The geology and vegetation combine to make for nothing less than gorgeous views 24-7. The knife edge ridge on the final ascent to Mt Solitary saw some wicked rock scrambling and climbing through cracks with big packs on!

After reaching the summit we headed back down to the base of a small hill with a neat natural rock feature called ruined castle.

We set up camp and made dinner. I was super stoked as this was the majority of the groups first night out camping out of a pack completely self supported! We had a good chat in the dark and listened to the complete and utter silence around the imaginary camp fire and told some cool outdoorsy stories! I hope this was an introduction to the team of camping out of a pack and how cool the places can be where this take you!!!!

Early the next morning around 530am I woke up those who were keen for a sunrise mission and we hiked by head lamp in the dark to the top of ruined castle and watched the sun rise over the Jamison Valley! Mark, Kyle and Brittany were the only takers for this mission. We were justly rewarded by a gorgeous orange sunrise and some cool cloud patterns!!

The walk back out of the valley was maybe a little less enjoyable with over 1000 steps up!
the next day we went rock climbing. It rained all day and in general the weather was just miserable!
Me and Lisa were so proud of the kids on this day! They sucked it up and climbed all day on wet rock in the rain and did not moan one bit! There was plenty of great team work and encouraging and the learning from the past month was really starting to come though!!!!!

For now we are in SPOT X on a 4 day surf camp! The surf is HUUUUGE. The kids are staying in nice and close in the whitewater though mums don't worry!
I went out the back and can honestly say it was pretty scary out there. Great experience though. The water is warm and the kids are stoked!!!

Here are some photos from the first couple of days in Katoomba. I will put up some cool shots from the hike and sunrise mission over the next two days!!

A couple of owls sleeping above our tents

The girls at Katoomba Scenic Park

A Kookabura sits in the old gum tree

Katoomba Falls, A small section of a 200+m drop

Karate Kid at Scenic World

Hailey and Steph all smiles

A couple of friendly Gallaz

About a million Flying Fox Bats sleeping in some trees.

Alex...he got engaged to this super babe

The Team about 200 stairs of 1000 stairs down into the Jamison Valley on our Mt Solitary hike!

New photos from the hike up tomorrow!

Peace

Blair

GMHS Photo Update, Australia Continued

2011-05-27T04:55:00.005-06:00

Hey Team,

We are now in Katoomba, NSW. It is a absolutely gorgeous place and the town its self has a awesome vibe to it, some very eccentric characters around the streets and great bakery's!

The Jamison Valley is home to some of the most phenomenal geography I have ever seen!!! Humungus cliffs dropping into picture perfect lush green forest makes for views of a life time!

Today we experienced the steepest train in the world, a cable car ride 270m above the canopy and a skyline ride along with a beautiful walk through the bush!

Here a few more photos from the past week. The Great Ocean Road Hike and Sailing.
Sailing was an absolute blast. I think I had as much if not more fun than anyone else. The winds worked out perfect and we got a lot of time on the water!

Myself Hailey and Steph took out the Major Title and cruised to a stunning win of at least 30seconds, maybe even a minute. Nothing could stop us and we dominated the field on the long leg back to base from the harbor. Yeah go Yellow! Shot girls.

Haggs and CO

The Girls Smiling away

ALex and Co Caaaroooozing!

Great Ocean Road Walk! Epic

Looking back down the beach from where we've come.

Footprints in the Sand...cool.

The beach where we've come from

Close racing

The big sails out! Yeah

Storm in the Background

Some team building on the beach in NZ

For now.

Peace

Blair

Ausi GMHS Update 1....Ballarat, The Great Ocean Road & Beyond

2011-05-22T20:56:00.005-06:00

So we are here in the land of Kangaroos, Koalas, Screeching Parakeets and Kookaburas.

The birds at our current camp ground are doing an awesome job of waking the kids up nice and early. The Parakeets seem to a huge fan of low flying tent passes whilst screeching at the top of their lungs. I personally find it quite amusing! The kids....maybe not quite so.

Anyhow being a Kiwi it is in my Genes to throw the ausi's some good old insults from time to time. Thus far I am pretty stoked to say Australia has turned it on for us. We did get some torrential rain last night but it was gone by the time we woke up!

We have been treated to two absolutely gorgeous Sunsets and Sunrise. In fact I think the sunrise is perhaps one of the best colored sky's I have even seen on a rising sun! The clouds were placed perfectly and shone some amazing colors!

We have seen the history of Gold Mining at Sovereign Hill and checked out the 12 apostles and done an amazing day hike along the Great Ocean Road.
We are now parked up for a few days in Torquay. The kids enjoyed a game of Aussi Rules yesterday and are now running rampant in the numerous surf shops who's roots are right here in Torquay.

The next two days see us doing some Dingy Sailing around the Geelong Area and then we are flyign high again with a 3am start off to Katoomba near Sydney!

So far the trip is running along awesome and the kids are learning heaps and we are ironing out the kinks more and more every day!

Enjoy these pics. There are a few from LA on our way down and the rest from Ausi so far!

Karate Kid Santi Monica

Karate kid on the Beach

Me n Haggs getting rowdy in Santi Monica

Jason on the Jumping pad. These things are providing a lot of fun for us ALL!!!!

Jason Getting air on the Jumping Pad

Sunset at the 12 Apostles (Now only 8)

12 Apostles Sunset

My buddy the Koala...not Bear.....Marsupial!!

Yeah I think he was giving me a wink here...top bloke this one!

The kids swimming at Port Campbell

The Great Ocean Road Coastline....spectacular!

Sunrise near Aire River, Great Ocean Road.....yeeeah epic a!

Sovereign Hill, Ballarat. The home of the largest Nugget of Gold ever found!

Liquid Gold Pouring! Epic! 1069 deg Celcious!

For now Peace and Sun

Blair

GMHS Final NZ Update.....to Australia

2011-05-21T19:02:00.006-06:00

Hey Team,

Sorry for the lack of updates here. I am not gonna lie. The wireless inet access in this part of the world is a mere shadow of what I am used to in Canada. Very expensive and it seems to be not working considerably more than is ideal!

Anyhow the last part of our NZ trip was plagued by high winds and we did not really get to do the sea kayaking part of our trip!

This was unfortunate but we still made the most of our free time and got some solid beach time in and got to see the birth place of the orginal land agreement between the English settlers of NZ and the Native Maori People.
I was super stoked the kids got to see this!

The last night we headed to Urititi beach and camped there for the night! This is a gorgeous East coast beach and is very typical of lots of coastal areas in NZ. Looong sand beach you can not see the end of backed with gorgeous sand dunes and driftwood.

We are not in Australia. The team is at an Ausi Rules Games in Melbourne today and we have had a blast the past 3 days so far! The weather has caught up with us again today though and we are in for torrential rain. I hear just up the coast they got 62mm in one hit last night. See where this goes.

I will get some Ausi photos up here ASAP. For now enjoy the last my home land, 'Aotearoa' Land of the Long White Cloud, New Zealand!

Cullen and Annissa Enjoying the Beach at Urititi

Cora getting into the classic Kiwi Tradition of Sand Art

Cole in the process of beach Touch Rugby, classic kiwi past time

Sand Art, Britt

Sunset over Urititi Beach

A Sheep......

Sand Castle

The Never ending Kiwi Sand Beach

Touch Rugby

Kyle..

Steph Pondering at the Beach

Tia...Sand Sculpting...or just having fun!

My Favorite......Zach you are the man!!!!

For now

Peace

Blair

NZ GMHS Update 3, Taupo - Paihia

2011-05-15T00:13:00.005-06:00

Hey Team,

So today we have had a chill out day in Paihia in the Bay of Islands. We were supposed to embark on a 3day sea kayaking trip but nasty weather has postponed this.
The forecast for the next two days is looking average but we are going to head out to the start point tomorrow and see what is going on! If the weather is still not in our favor we will find a nice camp site and enjoy some local hikes etc. After that Australia here we come!

Today we took the kids to check out the Treaty of Waitangi Grounds. This is a iconic part of NZ's history and is where the original land/settlement agreement was singed between the British Settlers and the NZ Maori.

A Face at the front of the Big Waka Canoe in the Treaty Grounds

The Tongariro Crossing before we got turned back by Gale Force Winds and Driving Rain....

A PUIA. We cooked the team some meat and veges from my Old Mans Farm in the Puia. This is a natural thermal Steam Vent that steams your food! Juuuuicy and absolutely Delicious

Pulling the food out of the PUIA

Enjoying the Meat Veges and Fish n CHips......Classsssic Kiwi feed.

The Old Man cutting up the Meat....the speedos...well he was enjoying the free hot pools prior to this meal.

Eating the PUIA and Fish n Chips true Kiwi Style under van lights on a Picnic Table

Huka Falls A kiwi Classic

A carving in the Marae on the Treaty of Waitangi Grounds

Waiting for a natural Steam and Water Eruption in the Turangi Thermal area

Kids Chilling in Lake Taupo

NZ....Home.....Love it..!

For Now Peace

Rain

SUN

Wind

and

FUN!!!

Blair

NZ GMHS Update 2

2011-05-13T13:11:00.007-06:00

Hey Team,

Dont for get to check the SPOT HERE to see our progress

Sorry for the lack of detailed updates on here. We are in NZ and the inet system here is a little less efficient. Regardless I have had not a lot of time between activities, keeping 20 young uns on track and having a tonne of fun to get on here.
The past two days have been awesome! Yesterday we tackled the Tongariro Crossing. A classic Iconic day walk that has made numerous top 10 Lists around the world.
The weather was not in our favor so we made and early start (430am) to try and beat it. We didnt quite have luck on out side and got turned back just before the summit by Gale Force Winds and intense driving rain.
The weather was quite the experience for all the kids and I think everyone had a blast. I then showed the kids around a very cool NZ outdoor education centre and then we had a classic Kiwi Feed of PUIA cooked meat and veges which were kindly donated by my Old Man. We had 4 big home grown Beef and Lamb Roasts along with a bunch of fresh veges from the garden. To top it all up we got some classic Fish and Chips and ate it all by lights from the van in the bush!

A PUIA is a natural steam vent coming from the ground caused by the local thermal and Volcanic Activity! It Basically naturally steams your food and leaves it all JUICY AND DELICIOUS!!!

Today we are driving to Paihia and getting ready for our Sea Kayaking Adventure! Gonna be epic!

I will have some Pictures from Rafting and the hike Yesterday up soon. For now enjoy these!

peace

Blair

Zach at Lake Taupo

Annisa in Lake Taupo

Lake Taupo Sunset

Rafting Team Extreme

Theb Rafting Exp

Rafting ther Tongariro River

Rafting

Rafting the best

NZ Driving Scenery....Grogeous

Mt Ruapehu

Me n Hags having a bit of fun

Relaxing in Lake Taupo

Sunset over the Tents

Hailey at Lake Taupo

Some Gorgeous NZ Punga with Fall colors in the Back Ground

Cullen skimming on Lake Taupo

The Boys enjoying the View over Lake Taupo

For now Enjoy these and look forward to more. Hope the paddling back in Canada in Epic!

Peace

Blair

GMHS New Zealand Photo Update

2011-05-10T18:35:00.005-06:00

I am in a rush here . But enjoy these photos. It is so good to be home in NZ. The kids are loving it and we are all having a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will have some more up here very soon!!!

Setting up Tents on Day 1 in NZ.....Gorgeous and Green right now

Caving in Waitomo, Hailey loving it

Cora abseiling into the deepness

Zach loving every minute

Gorgeous NZ....Sunset at Marakopa Beach on the West Coast

Sunset at Marakopa......speaks for itself

Sunset Marakopa.....Can you see Steves Bicepts

The Team.....

Underground....good times

I like Mud under the ground...its fun...

Running in the sun, Black Sand Beach, Marakopa

We are go go go here so for now enjoy. I will be up on here again soon for a solid update!!!!

Peace Sun, Wind and Rain from NZ

BLair

NZ/OZ Adventure Update

2011-05-10T06:41:00.002-06:00

Gday All,

Just a quick update from Blair and Lisa in New Zealand. The trip has been going great, the team made it to Aotearoa (NZ) with no issues and en route had a pretty cool trip down to Santa Monica near LA. After getting from the airport to Waitomo they settled in had their first night cooking as a team (which went pretty well considering a good douse of jet lag) and an early night..

Yesterday they did a half day caving trip which involved jumping off underground waterfalls, swimming a whole bunch and a few small rappels for one of the groups. After that they headed west to the coast for a few hours of goofing around on the volcanic black sand beaches of the North Islands west coast.

Tomorrow was supposed to be a long hiking day though the jet lag has caught up with the group and the weather is cooperating so being so early in the trip Blair and Lisa have decided to have that as a down day and are trying to switch the trip around a bit so they will do the Tongariro Crossing in a few days time.

Blair will have some pictures to post soon, internet in NZ is a little (very) slow compared top here and uploading images can be a touch time consuming.....they will bo ontheir way soon though

Cheers

Simon

AQ & Adventure Trippin along with George McDougal High School Depart to NZ & Australia

2011-05-06T10:59:00.002-06:00

Hey Team,

So most of you will be missing my face over the next 6weeks around Calgary and on the rivers.

Today myself along with Lisa and 20 School kids from George McDougal High School in Airdrie are departing to New Zealand and Australia for a 5week trip involving most outdoor activities one can think of!!!
We will be rafting, surfing, hiking, sailing, thrill seeking in a roller coaster park and everything in between over the next 5 weeks.
The trip is designed to focus on a number of things including Self Development, Team Building, Leadership and general life skills in the big wide world of travel.
The kids will be cooking all their own food on stoves and sleeping in tents for the majority of the trip. For the most part we am trying to make the trip as self directed as possible with myself, Lisa and an accompanying teacher facilitating this!!
This trip is a phenomenal opportunity for the kids and for some is their first ever travel outside of Canada.

You can follow our progress on here and we also have a SPOT Device with us which I will be updating frequently and you can see where we are down under!! The link is below and will be linked in the sidebar of this blog as well as on Face Book.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0DDnUPWSGgcmtoB6odmp7YW5jMsAkj5kW

I will try and chuck photos up as much as I can!

For now peace and enjoy the spring run off....save some for me in mid june!!!!!!!

Peace and Sun

Blair

Aquabatics Calgary 2nd Annual Film Competition

2011-05-02T21:25:00.001-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Aquabatics Calgary in conjunction with our super generous major sponsors, NRS, KOKATAT, SWEET PROTECTION, WAVESPORT KAYAKS AND ASTRAL BOUYANCY are stoked to announce our second annual Paddling Film Festival and Competition.

The premise for this competition is simple; we want you guys, to capture your seasons paddling escapades on video (or slideshow), and come up with some fun, entertaining presentations to enter in our competition. The way it works (more or less) is like this;

• This year there will be 2 divisions, an entertainment category and a ‘paddling porn’ category, you need to decide which suits your film best and let us know when you enter;
• There will be 4 finalists per category with all finalists taking home great prizes. The 2 categories will be voted on by a panel of judges and then there will be a fans choice award;
• By August 30th, put together a 30 second to 1 minute teaser, this acts as your entry into the competition (Load it at www.youtube.com, and provide us the link);
• When your entry has been received we will post it on the Aquabatics Facebook page for people to see;
• People can then vote on their favourite teaser (this will be available from September 1st to September 15th on );
• In the last week in September, Aquabatics Calgary staff will compile the votes and put their own votes in and the top 4 in each category will be selected;
• Tickets will go on sale for the event on September 1st. Ticket price will be about $5 and will go towards renting the venue and door prizes;
• At a venue and date to be confirmed (approx. Mid October) we will have an evening showing of the full movies/slideshows that have been selected;
• Winners of each category will be chosen by a panel of judges, the major ‘viewers choice’ prize will be voted on by everyone in attendance;
• Prizes will then be awarded to winners on the night *;
• Door prizes will then be given out from our major and minor sponsors;
• We then head out on the town for an after party to celebrate an awesome season of paddling.......

MAJOR PRIZES FOR THE EVENT (DONATED BY THE SUPER GENEROUS KOKATAT, NRS, WAVESPORT KAYAKS, ASTRAL BOUYANCY AND SWEET PROTECTION)

VIEWERS CHOICE PRIZE
Wavesport Project X (any size and choice of colour, for product info click here)

ENTERTAINMENT CATEGORY
First Place: NRS Flask and a Kokatat Rogue Dry Top
Second Place: NRS Flask and NRS Pack (Duffel, Co Pilot, Paddle Bag, Ninja PFD, Throw Bag)
Third Place: NRS Flask Astral Willis PFD
Fourth Place: NRS Flask and $100 Aquabatics Gift Card

PADDLING ‘PORN*’ CATEGORY
First Place: NRS Flask and Snap Dragon Kevlar Spray Skirt and North Water Spectra Throw Bag
Second Place: NRS Flask and NRS Pack (Duffel, Co Pilot, Paddle Bag, Ninja PFD, Throw Bag)
Third Place: NRS Flask and Sweet Protection Hoody
Fourth Place: NRS Flask and $100 Aquabatics Gift Card

*not actual ‘porn’ you dirty person……no nudity allowed folks this is a family show……

After last year’s success, we are super pumped to be coming back for the second annual event, we made a few changes and hopefully this will be bigger and better than the 2010 event.

With the 2 categories it is not necessarily a competition that will be won by someone running and filming the biggest drop, nor is it for professional video makers, it can be canoeing, whitewater, sea kayaking or any form of river or lake paddling, shot on an Olympus hand held camera or a top quality video camera...

So don’t be shy, get your entries on the go, the more entries the better, and if you don’t enter you won’t be in line to win one of the amazing prizes up for grabs......

Spread the word, and Spring is here, so brush the cobwebs off your warm gear and get out there.....Glenmore is melted, the Elbow River gauge is at 3 cms, and there is no ice on the banks of the Upper Kananaskis, so get into it.....

There will be more information and details in the coming weeks, just wanted to plant the seed in everyone’s minds. Entries are being accepted now and can include footage from local and international runs, though it’d be great if it was from the years 2009 and 2010...

For more information please feel free to contact Simon at courses@aquabatics.com or (403) 561 3492.

HAPPY PADDLING

AQUABATICS CALGARY STAFF......

*some prizes will come direct from suppliers based on size, colour preference etc

Simon Coward

A Winter to Remember... Video Edit

2011-04-21T19:36:00.004-06:00

A little clip from my past Winter in Northern BC, Terrace!

Please note there are a couple of foul language oopsies in there between songs. Apologies for that...kind of in the moment!

Hope you enjoy. I will have an update from some falling through the sky in sunny California soon..

Peace and SUN

Blair

Aquabatics Calgary Annual Spring Boat Swap April 16th and 17th, 2011

2011-04-10T12:54:00.002-06:00

Hey All,

Just wanted to let you all know that our annual, boat, gear and consignment sale is on next weekend at the shop. Drop off for consignment is on Friday April 15th from 10am - 7pm, the sale itself is 9am - 5pm on Saturday (16th) and 10am - 5pm) on Sunday (17th). Get there early for the best deals.

Although we don't release the details of what is going on sale I can tell you that there will be some drysuits for as little as $500, wetsuit boots at 50% off, comnposite sea kayaks up to 50% and so much more.

If you have anything you want to sell give us a call for details, or simply drop by on Friday and we will sort it all out for you.

Hope to see everyone there

Simon

Project X 56, A succinct Review

2011-04-06T19:30:00.004-06:00

So with a bunch more outfitting, 30cm of fresh snow and blue skies I got out again in the X 56!

So again very impressed with the boat over all!! There is only one thing for me that could be improved and it is a minor. I have a short back and feel a little low in the boat.
The increased volume and distribution around the cockpit make the sides a little higher than the 52. This is easily solved as the goochy new outfitting peels off and under goes a thin layer of foam and were away laughing!!

The boat is more stable in both the bow and stern when vertical! I really noticed the stern compared to the 52 is a dream to pivot on!

The boat is both a dream to get vertical and to keep it there!

I could not believe the pop that you get. I am 180-185 pounds and I had resorted to using an over thruster in my 52... I dont know if I could handle an over thruster on this bad boy. The nose stomps in easy and is more forgiving if you are a little off axis than the 52 was and man she just sends ya right into outer space!!!
Ask Dean and Mitch but i sure had a massive grin on my face after a couple of loops....
The stern also pops amazingly well...I think is to be expected with the concentration of volume in such a short stern...but all the same its NICE!!!

All in all so far its hole performance has certainly got me stoked getting in the river as much as I can this spring, regardless of cold weather and snow!!

On a wave the boat is incredibly loose and extremely fast. I noticed edge to edge transitions were suuper smooth and the boat just wants to accelerate as soon as you point and go...

Lets just say on Green Tongue blunts were a lot of fun!!

Like I mentioned earlier the stability vertical is awesome. Cartwheels are very pleasant which I must say I was not expecting with the short voluminous stern.

Probably one of the biggest selling features for me is the secondary stability...a lot of play boats these days I feel don't like to stay upright very easily after a quick roll. The X likes to!!!

And lets face it for me this is super important for a play boat. The easier it is to roll and get right back into worrying about what is going on the better, I mean lets face it you are upside down a lot playing (intentionally or not) and I really like how the boat performed rolling!
One quick flick and your there to stay!!

Overall I can not to wait to spend a lot more time in this boat and get it on a big green wave! I feel it would be phenomenal....!

I am glad wave sport has stepped up and got this boat out of the factory! I think it brings a whole new level to the freestyle world!!!

All photos are courtesy of Dean Woodgate!!

Cheers for nothing less than gorgeous day on the Kan after a snow storm!

Spring is here....yeeeeeeeeya.

Peace

Blair

A Brief Review on the Project X 56...

2011-03-31T19:13:00.002-06:00

Well today I paddled the Project X-stream 56 and I am not gonna lie........It is by far the best playboat I have ever been in on a wave or hole.

I was at the Kanbezi and it was short session as shes still a bit cold. But Andrew will testify I came away with biggest that funny S word eating GRIN on my face..

It pops like nothing else...

It is SUPER loose....

It carves Like a dream....

It is stable...

It was just a whole dam lot of fun...

I can not wait to get some actual outfitting in it so I can feel my hips and am a bit more at one with the boat...

Till next time very soon I will outfit her and try get some pics and give a bit more succinct overview of what I feel!

Shes a winner!

Peace

Blair

A Winter to Remember...

2011-03-29T22:13:00.001-06:00

Hey Team,

Well I have to say the past few monthe's for me have been one of my most memorable yet!!
As per my last update I have been up in NW BC in Terrace being a bit of a ski bum...

Terrace is for me one of if not my favorite destination in BC or Canada for that Matter, maybe even the world! For me the town provides a home away from home and the best ski touring I have personally encountered! Not to mention the fact you can paddle through the winter at Butze Tidal Rapids in Prince Rupert and if you are game the local river run the Kalum.

Here are a few last pictures from my past few weeks of missions...

If you like it off the beaten track, a friendly community and just dam good everything outdoors you can imagine maybe Terrace is a place to put on your 'to visit' list!

Gas? Bell 2, Far North BC

Casual Bald Eagle Soaring in the Sunset, Prince Rupert, BC

Chris Roberts, Blunt, Cradle Wave, Butze, Prince Rupert

Myself, Back Blunt, Cradle Wave, Butze, Prince Rupert

Bear Glacier, Near Stewart, BC

Gorgeous Relfections, HDR, Prince Rupert

Chillin in Kitimat, BC

HDR Fishing Boats, Prince Rupert, BC

Probably the most beautiful ocean sunset spot I have found yet..near Prince Rupert, BC

Hnaging out in Kitimat, Gorgeous

Lynn Photo Genious!!

Kitwanga...Best ice cream stop

HDR Money Shot, Kitimat, BC

HDR, Butze Tidal Rapids, Prince Rupert, BC

Bell 2, Jacooooooozi....

Sunset, Shames Backcountry, Terrace, BC

Blimen Red Necks up in here

Me hanging out, Kitimat, BC

Lynn, Friend, Photographer, Awesome

Awesome. Well I snapped my skis a couple of weeks ago to..so no spring touring for me unfortunately!

Bring on paddling season I guess!! Think some Kanbezi Sessions could be in high order this week!

Look forward to seeing you all on the river!!!

Check out My Mountain COOP if you like what you see here!!

Thanks Terrace people for a Winter to Remember! Love ya all!!

Peace n Snow Melt

Blair

Transport Canada Kayak Registration Plan Reversed

2011-03-21T08:41:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone,

For those of you that have been following Transport Canada's attempt to make all guides/instructors (and their boats) register..It has now been reversed, see below a message from Chuck Lee (Executive Director for the AWA). This is great news for everyone.....

"Congratulations Paddlers,

Because of your involvement in writing and talking to your Member of
Parliament, the Minister of Transport, Chuck Strahl, announced on Thursday,
March 17 that Transport Canada would not require any canoes or kayaks or
other small hand powered vessels to be registered. Originally an
interpretation of the legislation, led government officials to begin
requiring any person leading a trip in a canoe or kayak to register their
boat(s) as a commercial vessel. Our complaints and action have alerted our
elected officials to this problem and the Government of Canada listened and
changed the rules so that all small human powered boats are exempted from
being commercially classified.

This ruling applies to all non-profit groups like kayak clubs, boy scouts,
summer camps and to kayak schools and commercial outfitters that are run by
a for-profit company.

Yahoo !! more boating less paperwork.

There are other rules that still apply and these have not been changed. See
below and in the attachments for further details.

All kayakers are required to wear/have the following equipment:

a. a PFD

b. a helmet when on class 3 or above waters

c. a whistle or other sound-signaling appliance

d. one 15 m (50') or longer rope in a throwbag

The guide/leader/instructor is also required to carry the following
equipment

a. First Aid kit packed in a waterproof case

Required Planning

The guide/leader/instructor is required to:

a. have plans and procedures to protect the participants from the effects
of hypothermia

(wearing/carrying warm clothing or carrying fire starting materials or
another reheating plan such as a vehicle nearby or warm summer sunshine)

b. prepare a trip plan and having it available for search and rescue
authorities in case of an emergency (CanoeKayak Canada Whitewater Trip
Report is a good example of a trip plan)

c. conduct a safety and emergency briefing with participants

(safety talk should cover what to do in the event of a capsize and swim,
defensive swimming, river signals and expected hazards)

Thanks to all of you who participated in telling government to change this
regulation and use some common sense. See it does work and we can make the
changes that we want to make our sport better.

See you all on the water soon,

Simon

Reel Paddling Film Festival - Calgary - March 24th, 2011

2011-03-14T20:46:00.002-06:00

Hi All,

Just wanted to touch base and let you know that ticket sales for the RPFF this year are going quickly, so if you want to come and see the show drop us a line soon. The event this year is at the Plaza Theatre in Kensington. Seating starts at 6:30pm with the show starting at 7pm sharp (ish).

Pre buying tickets saves you a few $$'s and guarantees you a seat, to do so, just give us a call at the shop on 403 288 9283, pay with a credit card and we will have the tickets at the door for you.

Check here for a bunch of teasers from movies showing on the tour this year.

Hope to see you there

Aquabatics Team