The North Fork Championship

The North Fork Championship se celebró del 6 al 8 de Junio en Banks, Idaho en el North Fork of the Payette, uno de los ríos más locos del mundo. Con la carretera por un lado y la vía del tren por el otro, el cauce del río está lleno de granito afilado de las voladuras, lo que hace que sea muy peligroso pero a la vez crea unos rápidos increíbles! Pendiente + mucha piedra + agua caliente = uno de los mejores ríos del mundo!

The North Fork Championship took place from June 6th-8th in Banks, Idaho on the North Fork of the Payette, one of the craziest rivers out there. Gradient + lots of granite + warm water = one of the sickest rivers ever!

El evento está organizado por James Byrd y este año contaba con una carrera larga en las tres última millas, un BoaterX en S-Turn y un slalom gigante en Jacob's Ladder, uno de los mejores rápidos del río.

The event is organized by James Byrd and this year featured a long race down the lower three, a BoaterX down S-Turn and a giant slalom down Jacob's Ladder, one of the best rapids of the river.

La carrera larga se disputó el jueves de Otter Slide hasta Banks, unos 15 minutos de algo de plano y buenos rápidos. Con un par de bajadas antes de la carrera no conseguí hacer mis mejores líneas y acabé surfeando un rulo y perdiendo bastante tiempo. Acabé 4º a 20 centésimas del 3º aunque muy separado del primero, Eric Deguil que ganó la carrera larga y el BoaterX.

The Long Race took place on Thursday, starting at Otter Slide and finishing in Banks, about 15 minutes of some flat and some amazing white water. Having run this sections a couple times I didn't have my best lines and got surfed in a hole for too long during my race run, so I ended up placing 4th but quite far from first. 

El sábado fue el gran día, después de una bajada de calentamiento empezó la competición. 25 palistas corrieron jakes lo más rápido posible tratando de hacer todas las puertas. El rápido es grande y es muy fácil salirse de la línea, quedar frenado… pero es muy divertido! Había un montón de gente mirando y muy buen ambiente bajo un buen sol, el día perfecto.

Saturday was the big day, we all rode with the bus from Crouch to Jakes and the show started pretty soon. After a warm up run 25 boaters did two runs down jakes trying to go as fast as possible while trying to make all the gates! It was hard, it's such a powerful rapid and there are many features to stop/spin/surf you... it's so good though! There was a lot of people watching and it was super nice out so it really was a nice day.

Al final y para mi sorpresa acabé segundo en el slalom justo delante de Rush tercero y Louis primero! Así que muy contento con los resultados y el evento en general, enormes gracias a James y a Regan y por todo su esfuerzo en organizar el evento y a todos los que ayudaron a que fuera posible! Lo único que quedaba por hacer era la fiesta al estilo de Idaho para despertar bajo un sol radiante para ir a remar de nuevo, viva Idaho!

To my surprise I ended up taking second place on the giant slalom just barely ahead of Rush in 3rd and Louis in 1st! So stoked on the results and the overall event, huge thanks to James and Regan for all their work putting it together and to everyone else who helped out!

After the awards the only thing left to do was have some party Idaho style and wake up to another hot day the next morning for some more paddling, loving Idaho!

Check out for more at: http://www.northforkchampionship.com

Photos by: Alícia Casas, Colton Stiffler, Galen Volkhausen, 

The Little White Race!

The third edition of the Little White Salmon Race hosted by World Class Kayak Academy took place last Sunday on the mighty Little White Salmon in Washington. With 59 racers the event just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and the big amount of locals boaters that know the run to perfection makes for a pretty competitive race.

The Ldub as locals call is a kayakers paradise. Being close to town and with good water levels almost year round it's no doubt one of the best runs in the world. 

Everyone gathered on Saturday evening for the race meeting plus a nice barbecue in Hood River. Everything started early on Sunday, and after safety and timers were ready and in place the race kicked off. The race started at Getting Busy and after 15-16 minutes of paddling awesome whitewater the race ended at Wishbone, a clean 20ft waterfall similar to the Champions Killer at the adidas Sickline race.

The race is pretty long and there are many many rapids and lines to remember. After a few laps I was able to remember many of the lines and I was stoked not to get lost anywhere during the race. I had a good run but still managed to go off line a bunch of times and hit a few rocks and holes that slowed me down a lot…

Once the downriver race was finished everyone floated downstream to the Spirit, where the slalom event took place. It was the first year they did the slalom there, but no doubt it won't be the last.

With many spectators on the banks racers paddled off the Spirit and completed a four gates course ending below Chaos. The Slalom event was a great success and everyone enjoyed the show.

After the slalom we all floated down to the take out and drove to Hood River for the awards, dinner and party. We ate a big roasted pork and then the award ceremony took place. I was stoked to come out on a second place just ahead of Louis Geltman in third and quite a bit behind Evan Garcia. A big party followed up next all over Hood River till early morning… pretty savage too!

Overall a pretty sick weekend, racing one of the best rivers in the world with some great kayakers, good weather and surrounded by amazing people and scenery. Stoked to have made it here and thanks to everyone who helped out to put this thing together! Big shout out to Capo for organizing this and keeping it going! Definitely one of the best events going on right now and will try to come back next year! 

Pics by: Alícia Casas, Joe Kemper, Sarah Caracciolo, NRS and Trevor Lyden.

The Pacific North West - part 2

Hemos ido a un part de eventos de la zona, el primero fue el North West Creeking Comp en el East Fork of the Lewis y Canyon Creek.

We also attended the North West Creeking Comp at the East Fork of the Lewis and Canyon Creek. The NWCC was good fun with many laps at Sunset, one of the best waterfalls to get started and a couple races down the Lewis, a short section but with some nice rapids in a tight canyon. 

Canyon Creek es muy divertido, profundo cañón con buenos rápidos. Buena sección con rápidos continuos y paredes verticales.

Canyon Creek is a pretty cool run, just about 30min drive from the Lewis. There are many cool rapids in the canyon, specially the waterfall and the last few drops. Overall a beautiful run with many cool drops and a nice flat water paddle out!

La carrera en el Robe Canyon es por parejas, incluye un portaje y un montón de rápidos buenos, 25 minutos non stop! El viernes lo remmamos un para de veces para intentar acordarnos de las línias pero hay tantas que se hace difícil! La carrera era el sábado pero a causa de que el nivel subió un poco más decidieron cancelar la carrera. Anyway decidimos hacerla de todos modos entre nosotros, estuvo muy bien!

 The Robe Race consist of teams of two going down the canyon, portaging Landslide as fast as possible and continue racing through the following rapids. It's about 25-30 minutes long (longest race I've ever entered!) and the rapids are high quality white water. We did a couple laps on Friday trying to remember some of the many possible lines. Saturday was race day, but unfortunately the race got canceled due to high water. Anyway we had our own race and timed ourselves. Was pretty fun, and the river couldn't offer a better flow. We did another lap in the afternoon and drove to Bellingham looking fro some shelter.  

 

Log Choke and Alpine Falls on the Top Tye

El domingo nos fuimos al Top Tye, un clásico de la zona con rápidos increíbles, muy buena sección con buen nivel de agua, la mejor decisión posible! Después de una cuantas rondas para casa.

On Sunday morning we had many options as it had been reining hard, Robe was at 7ft, Clearwater, Middle Fork… We faintly chose Top Tye, and it was such a good call. We meet up with Washington locals Sam and Rob and they showed us their amazing backyard run. Great rapids, big holes and a great flow under nice weather made for a perfect Sunday. We ran all the rapids of the run and then lapped the lower section 3 more times, it was so good!

En general contento con los resultados, llevo remando desde Febrero y cada día me siento mejor en el agua. 3º y 4º en el Lewis, 2º en Canyon Creek y primero junto con Darren en la 'no oficial' Robe Race. Muy buenos momentos en el agua, contento de estar aquí!

Overall happy with the results as I've only been paddling since February. 3rd and 4th on the Lewis, 2nd at Canyon Creek race and first together with Darren at the 'unofficial' but true Robe Race. Pretty goods times!

The beautiful Columbia river Gorge 

The Pacific North West

Ya llevo un mes por la costa oeste de los estados unidos y sin duda es uno de los emjores sitios en los que he estado. Muchísimos ríos, paisajes increíbles, un montón de fauna y muy buena gente!

I've been hanging around the Pacific North West in the USA for the last month now, and it's definitely one of the best places to be. Amazing rivers, super nice people and beautiful landscape everywhere, loving this place!

Conducimos desde Vancouver con Ali, y justo al cruzar la frontera paramos  aver a unos amigos en Belligham. Ahí remamos el  Middle Fork of the Nooksack y el Robe Canyon, dos ríos increíbles, siendo este último uno de mis preferidos de la zona. Gracias Griff, Parker, Fred y Brendan por enseñarmelos!

We drove down from Vancouver, BC with Ali and right after the border we stopped in Bellingham for some kayaking. I picked up my new shiva and headed to the Middle Fork of the Nooksack. It was at a good flow and had lots of fun on my first day boating on cold water with Griff and Parker! We also got on the Robe the next day, about an hour drive south, next to Granite Falls. Robe Canyon is one of my favorites without a doubt! Miles of continuos white water with big holes and amazing rapids through a beautiful canyon. From there we drove south to Hood River, about an hour east from Portland. 

 Welcome to the Gorge! Amazing sunset looking at Mt Hood.

Hemos estado remando el White Salmon y el Little White Salmon, los dos clásicos de la zona. Con varias secciones para todos los gustos y niveles ests dos ríos son increíbles! Buena gente, buen tiempo y buenos niveles hacen que remar sea un placer cada día!

We've been paddling a bunch here, the Little White Salmon and the Little White are two of the main classics, offering many sections, awesome rapids and lots of hours of boating. Thanks to the great hospitality of the locals here we've had many great times on and off the water, and after some cold days this warm weather is making kayaking a pleasure.

Spirit falls by Evan Garcia - SMH

Spirit!!

There are so many rivers here… and they are all different and offer sections for all levels. 

Hay tantos ríos... de todo tipo y para todos los niveles!

Another amazing sunset at the Gorge over the Columbia

Magical White Water Kayaking the Baker with SBP

Aquí tenéis el primer episodio de SBP y Epic TV; Kayak en el río Baker en Patagonia, Chile. El Baker es el río más caudaloso de Chile y ofrece algunos de los mejores rápidos que he remado en mi vida además de un paisaje de ensueño. HidroAysén pretende construir dos presas en el Baker, una en el mismo cañón del vídeo

Esperemos que la lucha siga adelante y podamos disfrutar de este magnífico río por muchos años más! Viva Patagonia sin Represas, SIEMPRE!

First episode from SBP and Epic TV series; Kayaking down the Baker in Patagonia, Chile. The Baker is the largest river in Chile and offers some of the best whitewater I've ever paddled together with an amazing landscape. HidroAysén is willing to built two mega dams on this gem, on of them on the same canyon you can see on the video.

Hoping young generations will be able to see this place as it is and paddle this magical river for ever; NO DAMS! Viva Patagonia sin Represas, SIEMPRE!

The first episode of the new Serrasolses Bros Productions (SBP) and EpicTV exclusive 12 episodes serie. 

The Río Baker is the largest river in Chile and without a doubt one of the greatest, too. Located deep in southern Patagonia kayakers have to drive for two days on gravel roads through forests, lakes, glaciers, and amazing mountain passes. The turquoise blue color of the water and the beauty of the valley captivates you and makes you fall in love with this place. The power of the water and the wilderness around make you feel so small and so connected with the environment... it's a magical place. There are two proposed and approved dams on the Baker and another three on the Pascua. Many people are fighting against this mega project that would not only flood the whole valley but destroy wildlife and some of the best whitewater kayaking on Earth. 

For more information visit: 

www.patagoniasinrepresas.cl 

www.serrasolsesbrosproductions.blogspot.­com

Chiapas, México

El pasado mes de marzo estuve en Chiapas, México junto con unos amigos para unas buenas aventuras. Rush Sturges de River Roots está trabajando duro en un proyecto con Rafa Ortiz de México, así que junto a ellos Evan, mi hermano Anio y yo nos fuimos para su tierra para disfrutar de algunos de los mejores ríos del mundo.

Last March I went to Chiapas (México) with some friends for some kayaking adventures. Rush Sturges from River Roots is shooting an amazing film project with mexican kayaker Rafa Ortiz, so along with them; Evan, my brother Aniol and myself went to his beautiful land to enjoy some of the best rivers in the world. 

Chiapas es el estado más al sur de México, haciendo frontera con Guatemala y el océano pacífico. También es la tierra de los Zapatistas (EZLN), un grupo revolucionario de izquierdas alzado contra el gobierno de México para tratar de devolver el poder al pueblo y hacer de Chiapas y del mundo un mejor sitio para vivir, especialmente para las distintas comunidades indígenas de la zona.

Chiapas is the southernmost state of México, bordering with Guatemala and the Pacific ocean. It's also home of the Zapatistas Army of National Liberation (EZLN) a revolutionary leftist group that fights the Mexican Government to try to give power back to the people and make the state a better place to live, specially for the indigenous communities. 

Hay dos ríos míticos en Chiapas, el Agua Azul y el Santo Domingo. Situado a pocos km de las fabulosas ruinas Mayas de Palenque, el Agua Azul es muy turístico y sus cascadas son espectaculares.El color del agua hacen del Agua Azul un paraíso, rodeado de jungla y comunidades indígenas remarlo es una gran experiencia.

There are two MUST rivers to paddle in Chiapas, the Agua Azul and the Santo Domingo. The Agua Azul (Blue Waters) is very touristic offering many waterfalls and slides near Palenque where there are also some amazing Mayan ruins. It's clear pristine and warm waters make the Agua Azul one of the most beautiful rivers ever. Surrounded by jungle and little communities paddling this river is an amazing experience.

El Santo Domingo transcurre hacia Guatemala y es verdaderamente un río salvaje. El Santo presenta mucho desnivel formando rápidos increíbles en una de las secciones más potentes que he visto. Alas de Ángel, el Domo, Tobogán… estos son algunos de los rápidos más grades antes que un afluente contribuya con bastante agua haciendo la sección hasta el take out muy interesante. Sin duda el Santo Domingo es un lugar mágico, profundo dentro de cañones de paredes verticales y rodeado de densa jungla donde la única forma de entrar y salir es con kayak por el río.

The Santo Domingo flows into Guatemala and is a really wild river. Deep into the canyon the Santo has a lot of gradient creating some of the craziest slides and waterfalls I've ever seen. After a really steep section with big drops such as Angel Wings, the Dome, Toboggan and others, a tributary joins the Santo offering some big water rapids downstream all the way to the takeout. Definitely one of the hardest most continuous sections I've ever paddled deep in the canyon surrounded by vertical walls and millions of trees, a beautiful place.

Muy buen viaje rodeado de algunos de mis mejores amigos! Muchas gracias a Rafa y Rush por organizarlo todo, a los cámaras Matty B, Adam and Tatcher,los fotógrafos Tony, Pancho y Marcos, Isra por estar siempre ahí y ayudar en todo, Lane, Evan and Aniol, Iker… tanta gente, muchas gracias a todos!

Overall it was an amazing trip with some of my best friends. Big thanks to Rafa and Rush for organizing everything, the camera crew Matty B, Adam and Tatcher, the photographers Tony, Pancho and Marcos, Isra for his hard work, Lane, Evan and Aniol, Iker… so many people, thanks everyone!

Big thanks for the photos to: Adam Elliot, Aniol Serrasolses, Matt Baker, Marcos Ferro and Tony Czech

Gracias a todos!

Empecé este blog pocos días de mi primer viaje a Chile en Octubre de 2006. Más de 6 años más tarde y aun sigue activo. Simplemente quiero agradecer a toda la gente que lo sigue leyendo y sobretodo a mis increíble amigos por compartir tan buenos momento juntos dentro y fuera del agua y a mi familia por ayudarme, apoyarme y haberme educado así, gracias!

Escribo esto desde México donde estoy remando con mi hermano y más amigos en rincones increíbles y disfrutando del kayak día tras día!

Espero que esto siga por muchos años más!