Valdall Summer Games 2009

the afore-mentioned kayaking festival turned out to be a wicked good time! all week there was good creeking with good company. and did i mention the strawberries?

here are a few highlights... Stordalselve Gorge... dropping this 6-7m commits you to running the rest. luckily it's a pretty good note to start on. Jay starts us out right,


next up comes the rapid named "Must Run." you perceptive ones out there will gather that this is, indeed, a must-run rapid. it's a bit nerve-wracking because it ends in a hole and it's impossible to set safety until one person nuts up and runs it. luckily Matias was that guy in our group. for the most part we had good lines here, here's Espen givin' er


anyway, the Gorge carries on like this for about 3km. even though the rapids aren't particularly easy to portage, they're all scout-able and straight-forward. i really enjoyed this section... such good ju-ju going on.

there were countless good runs like the Stordalselva in the Valdall area. but one river, a really special river, stands out in my mind.... MYKLEBUST! better known as 'Mickey Mouse' river for it's Disneyland-like qualities for whitewater enthusiasts.

the festival organizers, a strapping group of young local boys, put together an awesome race on le Mylkebust. the race was amazing. the river is fast on its own, but when you paddle yourself faster it starts to feel like time-travel. yeah, pretty fast.

Exhibit A.


Exhibit B.


aaaand the daily dose of requisite debauchery.


another beautiful day wrapping up in Norway.


there wasn't a women's category in the race, but i was pretty stoked to come out with 4th overall. i have a feeling this event, and the Valdall Summer Games in general, is going to get more and more popular in the coming years. right now it's super grassroots, in a good-vibe hippie kind of way. pay your entry, winner takes all. i love it even though im 50Kroner poorer than when i started, haha.

anyway, im going to wrap this up for now... we're back in Sjoa staring down 3 days until the epic Pimp n' Ho party. Valdall was one of my favorite places so far, definitely a must on any Norwegian road trip.

many thanks to the event organizer's... the farmer for the field... the slackliners for slack-lining drunk, you were fun to watch.... the strawberries for being amazing.... the Myklebust for rocking my socks off....

for the record, i'm not taking any new drugs. i just flippin' love it here.

NORDIC FREESTYLE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009 Bubble Machine, Sjoa River, Heidal PHOTOS

Hi friends... just a few pictures from another kayaker. I'm not really that great at taking pictures, so they're cheap enough. In addition to Paypal... I also accept chocolate and beer. And boxed wine. Especially boxed wine.

Much love!

jordbaer in valdall?

hi folks... just made it to the next kayaking festival. i'm not sure what to call it, i've heard 'trash camp' used, but most people just call it the place with the strawberries. regardless, i'm pretty sure it's going to be a wicked fun time. on Sunday, the event program reads 8-9am: Walk of Shame. haaahaha funny norsk.

up until now we've been hanging out in Sjoa. i got to watch the Nordic Freestlye Championships, which was entirely inspiring for a playboat-trainwreck like moi. it was the first event I've ever been to where there were more women than men competing. flower power! or something?

last night we stayed over in Skjaak last night and i got to paddle with some Germans this morning on the Ostri Gorge. somebody turned the juice on for sure, because we finished the run just as the shuttle came into park. 13 minutes maybe?

it had a big water feel to it... and today i had a mini-revelation that paddling big water successfully is exactly like walking a slackline. i can't walk a slackline to save my life (but i've been trying this week), and i'd peg my big water skills at a healthy 'mediocre' plus.

the secret to slackline, according to Anders, is to look ahead of you. in big water, it's so easy to become preoccupied with your immediate obstacles... but you really need to be looking ahead for the next big eat-you-alive hole (or other obstacle) before you come up on it and it's too late to correct... the infamous 'bitch-slap' ensues.

today was about as straight-forward as read-and-rally big water can get... but we were in a gorge, with only a few eddies, and i found myself stressing about what i was currently careening over instead of what was about to knock my socks off 10 meters ahead. regardless, it was a good refresher, i haven't been on any big water for awhile... mm mmm good!

alright, this is probably the last post for awhile... i'm off to sleep at trash camp. eating strawberries tomorrow. maybe some kayaking or something. only time will tell.

urrrrr -- Ekstremsport-Veko

ok people... so the photos i alluded to in that fun image below are going to take a wee bit longer to make it to the web. and im starting to think that the photo site wasn't such a hot idea... after all, when you go to all the fun events, you're there to rock rock and not to take photos of everyone else having a good time. internet here is way too slow to upload the peektures i did take.... so project is on hold for the forseeable future. anybody want to shoot for PotomacFest?

things have been SO GOOD in Voss. i had the hardest kayaking day of my life yesterday... i feel like i've been hit by a train (10x). the Brandseth race was wicked fun... i had some pretty shit lines, but still managed to make finals. my phase of 'shit lines' culminated in my accidental drop into an undercut... and kind of a bad one. the paddle is still in there, but luckily the big ol nomad floated us out and i hand-paddled across the finish. and then promptly swam the next rapid because i cannot hand-roll to save my life. good times.

as if the race section of the Brandseth wasn't enough of a bitch-slap for the day, i rallied to the Upper Brandseth (rising fast, getting scared) for the team race. two local girls, Mariann and Liz, took care of me and showed some great lines. i'd only done the river once before, but a wee bit lower. anyway, the team race was a nice finish to a day that could've just ended in trainwreck.

alright, i'm off to sit in the sun. it is painfully hot here, the sun is brutal. and i am hungover. typical.

cheers from Voss!

dropping money in Norway

Money Drop.

i think this waterfall is a staple for visiting kayakers... it looks good in photos, has minimal consequence, and you can do it like 500 times without getting sick of it.

anyway, we camped right next to this bugger for a few days... and took some photos. because we like photos of ourselves doing fun stuff.

Monica staring down the gun barrel.


Nini doing same same.


this one might nab Great Falls as the best breakfast huck. mmm mmm good. great with eggs.

the "higher education" debate

I'm having one of those weeks where I perpetually wonder what the hell to do with myself. I thought times like this would subside after undergrad, but it appears that they don't.

So naturally, I look to grad school. I love online-shopping for graduate programs. I wish I could plan peoples' classes and extra-curriculars all day long.

However, seeing as my undergrad degree is borderline useless, I'm starting to think that maybe trade school is a better bet. And hella more fun.

Because aside from schedule planning all day, I'm pretty sure that I'd really like to make things like this for the rest of my life.



It. Is. BEAUTIFUL.

life and times of Ed Gaker

Ed Gaker.

The name brings an onslaught of particular memories and river days. Gauleyfest, for one. Ohiopyle, for two. and COLORADO, for three. Especially Colorado.

Ed is a believer in people. He makes you feel like you can do something -- and I recall always feeling like I was in good company when Ed was on the river. I remember getting a very much needed rope while being beat-down in a hole... above a slide... you know the story.

Things got better when Ed met Sarah. It's not very often that couples my age (early 20s) simply work out the way they do. They bring out the best in each other, yet each one is a flippin' blast to be with on their own. Each one is an incredible person on their own... and together the chemistry was full of potential -- Dow Human Element style.

so here's a tribute to Ed. Beer in one hand, throw rope in the other. Dear Ed, give us some rain to time to time! We love & miss you like crazyfolk.




I just saw that video on YouTube... Ed Dorado is no joke. Ed at his best!