When you feel like things are starting to get away from you a little, harness up, dive in and get after it.
This photo was taken by Flickr user s.schmitz and is licensed under Creative Commons.
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George the dog loves riding in the center cockpit of his loyal bipeds’ Pygmy triple. “And we love it when he comes!” says Pygmy’s Laura Prendergast. Photo courtesy Pygmy Boats.
Not much had changed on the event circuit in 15 years. Freestyle comps were surfing along at predictable venues, soul boaters had events like FiBArk and Gauley, and slalom remained obscure. Then, unrest took over and in 2011, the Whitewater Grand Prix was born. Scene-boaters are raving. December’s second annual Grand Prix was a huge success—it’s changed how we look at whitewater competition. Here’s why:
The Mountain Games take place yearly in Vail; the 2013 edition of the Freestyle world Championships on the Nantahala—hardly remote in comparison to jungle rivers of Chile. These events draw crowds and dollars from deeper-pocketed big-name sponsors and Olympic-level federations. they get exposure. The coveted 18–49 market fills bleachers to take in a competition, energy drinks in hand. The Whitewater Grand Prix sacrifices all that for the sake of balls-to-the-wall whitewater.
The answer to a venue inaccessible to spectators? Both installments of the Grand Prix have been nothing short of media production machines. Judging by the footage, paddlers weren’t allowed within 50 feet of a river without a bobble head-inducing GoPro mounted to their helmets. For competitive whitewater paddling—remote by nature and with no reliable…
This article appeared in Rapid, Spring 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read the rest here.
From the Sierra Nevada to Pakistan’s Himalaya, whitewater photographer Darin McQuoid shoots some of the wildest rivers on earth. This is what he brings.
1. Watershed Ocoee $84.95 // www.drybags.com
2. Nikon D700 $2,999 // www.nikonusa.com
3. 52mm Color Graduated Neutral Density 0.6 $69.99 // www.tiffen.com
4. 52mm Nikon Circular Polarizer II $100 // www.nikonusa.com
5. Microfiber Goggle Bag with Divider $5
6. SanDisk 16GB ULTRA CF Memory Card 30MB/s $51.95 // www.sandisk.com
7. 18% Gray Lens Cloth $8
8. Nikon ENEL-3e Spare Battery $39.95 // www.nikonusa.com
9. In my experience, mid-range zoom lenses generally give you the most boring angle for kayaking shots. A fixed lens like the Nikkor 50mm f/2 AI makes me work harder to get creative angles. $100 // buy used
10. Nikkor 28mm f/2 AI-S $450 // buy used
11. Nikon 75-150mm f/3.5 Series E AI-S: All metal construction makes this a nice, tough lens. MF is an acquired skill, but for the price and weight you get pro-quality optics. $100 // buy used
12. $20 local currency, just in case
For pro tips on shooting an award-winning paddling film, click here.
This article originally appeared in Rapid magazine, Summer/Fall 2011. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
It doesn’t look like much, but this is the first kayak ever to run the rapids of the Grand Canyon. It has a glass hull and canvas deck. The ballsy boater to perform this first? Walter Kirschbaum in June, 1960.
This photo was taken by Flickr user Grand Canyon NPS and is licensed under Creative Commons.
Think your image could be a Rapid Media Whitewater Daily Photo? Submit it to [email protected].
Spectacular cliffs are a highlight of a paddle along the Na Pali Coast on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.
This photo was taken by Flickr user kikmoyoo and is licensed under Creative Commons.
“I took this picture of my Dad last summer on the North Saskatchewan River. We had just finished breakfast and it was still foggy. The trip was perfect! Great weather, great campsites. It was my Dad’s first ever canoe trip. He’s hooked, he can’t wait for the trip this summer on the Churchill.” – Travis Day
This photo is was taken by Travis Day. Want to see your photo here? Send to [email protected] with subject line Daily Photo.
Remember the Wave Sport Transformer? You could modify the hull by adding or removing plastic pieces on the stern and bow (you can see the black piece in this photo on B.C.’s Vermillion River). It was a great idea, but the gimmick didn’t last. We’re not sure if that’s because the novelty wore off or because the boat was too wide to paddle well.
This photo was taken by Flickr user see_sounds and is licensed under Creative Commons.
Think your image could be a Rapid Media Whitewater Daily Photo? Submit it to [email protected].
On a four-day trip in British Columbia’s Johnstone Strait—world-renowned for its numerous resident orcas—kayakers get a front seat view of the whales.
This photo was taken by Flickr user winkyintheuk and is licensed under Creative Commons.
A quiet early morning on Horseshoe Lake in the Adirondack State Park.
This photo is was taken by Tricia Griffith. Want to see your photo here? Send to [email protected] with subject line Daily Photo.
