Heading to Norway, I kept my expectations in check as far as goals for the trip or rivers I was hoping to run. I knew there was a lot of whitewater, that it was generally hard and that the area is known as a paddling mecca.
I didn’t go with any video project in mind, though I hoped to capture a few cool action sequences and perhaps some scenic shots. Leading up to the trip, I had been very busy working on the R3: Rescue for River Runners project as well as a project for H2O Performance Paddles. As such, I was looking forward to putting down the tripod and camera for a few weeks and enjoying a vacation. So, I was just looking forward to running some hard whitewater and enjoying the trip.
Enjoying some fun Norway whitewater on the Upper Myrkdal.
Photo by: Steve Arns
Like any paddling destination, Norway has its logistical challenges: from weather and river levels to simply arranging shuttle and getting proper river beta. Sometimes, it seems you need a vacation from a paddling vacation!
As far as Norway goes, a rather exceptional snow pack this year, and a melt that had just hit its peak led to flooded rivers on our arrival – as with any paddling trip, luck of the draw.
We started the trip in Voss to coincide with the ExtremeVeko 2012. This is a festival that runs events in 12l adventure sports. For this reason, athletes from around the world descended on Voss for a week of competition, festivities, and enjoying the area.
As a kayaker, it was awesome to watch some of the biggest names in whitewater in action: Evan Garcia, Sam Sutton, Eric Deguil, and many more.
Eric Deguil charging to the finish line and a win on the Branset.
Luckily for the event, the Brandset – the river on which 2/3 of the races were held – maintained a good flow for the downhill extreme race and the team race.
Evan Garcia at the crux of the Brandset Race
In the past year, I have started to follow our sport in a similar way in which I tracked baseball and hockey stats growing up. My ability to do so is in part thanks to the work being done by the AWP and via social media. These allow me to follow events around the world and to track individual paddlers.
While I was there, I decided to race the Brandset Extreme Downhill event. All started well and I was happy with my lines UNTIL I beached up on some rocks and had to scrape my way down, costing me at least 20 seconds and all chances a good finish time. Though that was disappointing, I was excited just to have participated in such a high level event.
Unfortunately many of the other local rivers were far too high for ordinary mortals to run safely. There are exceptions: Evan, Fred, & Aniol from the Bomb Flow crew were killing everything in sight.
Aniol Serrasolses with style on the Teigdal double drop.
A crew of Kiwis rallying down the Upper Brandset.
Photo: Steve Arns
Regardless of water levels, with so many rivers around, we always found something to run: Jordal, Upper Myrkdal, Tiegdal, Strandal, Steindal, and a few more. All fun and a little extra juicy due to high flows. A big thanks goes out to Canadian Voss local and amazing source of beta: Mark Basso. As well, a big thanks to Mark and Evelyn for their great hospitality while in Voss.
Mark Basso on the Teigdal.
Photo: Steve Arns
Mikkel St Jean Duncan with a nice boof stroke on the Upper Jordal.
Photo: Steve Arns
Veko was a exciting event to be part of and I am glad I was there to experience it. The town of Voss is a beautiful town in a setting that feels like it belongs in a Tolkein novel.
From Voss, we headed to Sjoa, where we found more high water levels.
Sjoa boasts a kayak camp just outside of town on the Sjoa River, the site of a national slalom championship in years past. I have to say this place was amazing and had a great vibe with the paddlers staying there and the incredible hospitality of Isabel. After the high water challenges, and not to mention a soaked tent from the constant rain in the Voss area, I was excited to recharge at this incredible location.
We were able to get on multiple sections of the Sjoa including a highlight, the Amot Gorge. As well we hit the Ula, and the upper and lower Jori (the lower was in flood and we ran the 17km section in under an hour. Also a highlight for our group).
Adrian Kiernan on the Upper Jori. (High flows)
With many members of our crew’s time in Norway coming to an end, we decided to head back to Voss in hopes that the levels had dropped such that we could get on some sections that we had not hit. We were welcomed with hot sunshine – a sign that our hopes would not be met due to snow melt. Fortunately we still had the Strandal and my favourite, the Brandset. We were able to knock out a couple more days of fun paddling before making the trip back to Bergen and, ultimately, home.
Steve Arns on the Teigdal.
Photo: Mike McKay
Here is the story I wrote for Canoe & Kayak Magazine on the Brandseth Race:
Each year, many of the world’s best kayakers descend upon Voss, Norway, to take part in ExtremSportVeko. 2012 was no exception. With dry, low-water conditions across much of the West, plus the inclusion of the festival week’s marquee kayak event, the Extreme Downhill Race, as a point-earning race in the 2012 AWP World Series of Whitewater, it seemed that Voss was the place to be. And unlike California’s High Sierra or the Central Rockies, there was no shortage of water in Voss. Norway had a rather exceptional snow pack this year, and a melt that was just hitting its peak led to flooded rivers upon our arrival. With reports of burly rivers and stout drops, the question for competitors was how they would fare on the Brandsetelvi during the downriver race.
The race also benefited from the momentum of the series, coming off the well-executed and -attended second stage in Idaho for the first-ever North Fork Championship. With the Voss race as Stage 3 of six, the stakes were high for those looking to take home the top spot, as a top finish could nicely contribute toward a top (or at least higher) ranking in the AWP point standings.
The Brandseth, like many of the other rivers in the Voss area, was experiencing higher than normal flows during the last week in June, leading up to the race. This led to talk of a rowdy race during the nightly gatherings at the Veko festival grounds. However, levels came into a normal range within days before the race. In fact, race day proved to be a touch on the low side. That certainly didn’t deter the local crowd from gathering in great numbers to watch the race, especially given the gorgeous, sunny day. A team race, in which teams of three charged down the much steeper Upper Brandseth to the finish line of the individual race, followed the Downhill.
Michele Ramazza took third in the race.
With crystal-blue water, clean drops and easy access, the Brandseth couldn’t be a better stage for an exciting spectator event. Certainly, the many eager Veko spectators showing up to the river to soak up the sun and gather by the crux of the Downhill race—a 7-meter steep slide/waterfall—were not disappointed.
The Downhill Extreme Race format was as follows: To advance to the second round, you had to either hit the top 15 for the men or the top 5 for the women. In both categories, the finals were stacked with many familiar international names. Last year’s overall series champion, France’s Eric Deguil, won the race, followed in second by New Zealand’s Sam Sutton, with Italy’s Michele Ramazza in third. Evan Garcia followed closely in fourth as North America’s top finisher, followed by Canadian Mikkel St. Jean-Duncan in 22nd, and Fred Norquist in 26th. After three stages, Garcia holds the top spot with 80 points, followed by Kiwi Wilz Martin in second with 65.5, and U.S. paddler Darren Albright in third with 55.5, as the tour moves to the Stage 4 stop at the Devils Extreme Race, Sept. 1 in the Czech Republic, followed by a stage in Austria before wrapping up Nov. 3 at North Carolina’s Green Race.
What I took away from the Voss stage, is that as a spectator (Yes, I did not make it to the second round), I felt a definite sense of excitement watching some of the best creek-racers in the world vie for the top spot. To me, this is what the AWP point series represents: a sense of excitement to follow competition in the sport that I love. While it is clearly in the early stages of development, these races are being shared via social media at a faster rate, thus allowing fans to follow the sport much like they would follow other more established sports. This can only mean good things for creek racing as an addition to global whitewater. Who knows, maybe 2012 will prove to go down as the year of the creek race.
Mikkel on the super fun slide on the Store Ula.
Some footage taken of Evan Garcia on Double Drop. A very stylish clip:
Best Line Entry – EVAN GARCIA (USA) – Double Drop – Norway from Rider of the Year Awards on Vimeo.
Big thanks goes out to Jackson Kayak (Emily & Tara specifically) for all the support on this trip in helping me get my kayak situation sorted out smoothly. As well, thanks to Timo and Valerie for the help as well. Another big thanks goes out to Bomber Gear for sorting out my gear situation before leaving. Great things to say about the dry top as well as the neoprene leggings (which are kind of my favourite piece of gear right now). I was able to paddle in shorts the whole time in (cold) Norway because of these pants.
Most of all, a huge thanks goes out to my local dealer – Ottawa Paddle Shack. They have been so supportive of Five2Nine’s projects from the very start and I’m proud to partner with this outstanding group of people.
Gear list:
Bomber Gear Bomb Long Sleeve Drytop
Jackson Villain S
Sweet Wanderer
Werner Powerhouse
Bomber Gear Hydrogen Neoprene Pants
Bomber Gear Bombnation Shorts
FiveTen Canyoneer Boots
Astral Green Jacket
No comments:
Post a Comment