Everyone experiences a dicey moment or two in their life, and that’s especially true if you make a living out of chasing the wildest rapids to run. Whether it was impetuous youth or just moments of misjudgment, these whitewater pros prove that trouble can find you on and off the river—and just about anywhere in the world.
What’s the most trouble you’ve ever been in?
“I got kicked out of World Class Kayak Academy in the first program they ever ran. That didn’t go over too well with the parents.”
— Tyler Bradt
“Almost spent six months in a Mexican prison for climbing the wall into a friend’s house. Neighbors thought something else was going on.”
— Dane Jackson
“I once tried to get my friend out of a police car after the bar in Canmore, ended up in the car with him and spent the night in the drunk tank.”
— Ben Marr
“Kicked out of World Class Kayak Academy. I got caught drinking and was legitimately kicked out of Uganda. My parents gave me five connection flights on the way home, probably hoping I got lost somewhere.”
— Adriene Levknecht
“I almost drowned at the base of Silver Falls in Washington. Fortunately I did not stop kayaking after my close call or after losing a close friend to the river in 2003. The life of a kayaker is strange that way: we intentionally take a risk that cannot be completely mitigated. Legally speaking, it was a DUI when I was 19. I decided not to drive drunk again.”
— Ben Stookesberry
“I’m a straight-laced dude, but when I put my beloved new Subaru WRX into the ditch at high speeds a week after buying it…that was a low point.”
— Chris Gragtmans
“Well, I am still finishing up the legal battle resulting from running Cumberland Falls last year. See above.”
— Nick Troutman
“Depending on the definition of trouble: I crashed my dad’s car on the way to an exam when I was 20. I almost drowned on Rio Pascua in 2005. And I spent my fair share of nights sleeping in ditches, but so far I have never been arrested.”
— Mariann Saether
“Arrested for stealing a car in Brussels. Luckily, I got off scot-free. Or, being arrested at the Ocoee at the 1993 Worlds for getting changed. Ranger didn’t appreciate my nudity and when I asked him if it was because he saw something he liked I was arrested on the spot.”
— Corran Addison
“Me, trouble? Never. I’m perfect in every way.”
— Bren Orton
“Back in 2007 at the Freestyle World Championships on the Ottawa River, I ran away to paddle with some French Canadian friends. The wave was so good we decided to stay two days. We were out of reception and although I left a note no one really knew where I had gone. It was a really great trip but I got in a lot of trouble with the team manager and the Federation. They wanted to ban me from competing at Worlds, I got kicked out of the team and everyone back home thought I was a rebel.”
— Nouria Newman
“When I was in middle school my friends and I decided to start mooning cars from the school bus. As it turns out, we mooned the school superintendent. I was suspended for a week.”
— Erik Boomer
This article was first published in the Spring 2017 issue of Rapid Magazine. Troutman on Cumberland Falls in southern Kentucky. Worth it. | Feature photo: Dane Jackson
