I am truly honored to be able to write my impressions of the soon to be available Dagger Jitsu, our newest freestyle project!  It's been a little while I know but that wait will be well worth it.  This boat has the full force of the Dagger design team behind and it shows.  I can't recall how many conversations I've had with other Team members, other paddlers and Mark "Snowy" Robertson and that was before we even had a boat to talk about!    Now that the boat has been through the paces, the prototypes, and the evaluation of some of the best freestyle paddlers on the planet I'm so excited I don't even know where to start:)  Here's my best effort, sorry if its a jumbled I really am just that pumped about this kayak!

It seems whenever I get asked about a freestyle boat people always want to know about the Hull Speed for the waves and how big does it loop.  Hull speed.... well I've thought about this and I'm just going to refer to the picture below of a recent test session at Skook.  Notice the compression of where Chris left the water and where he is in the air,  I think we're good on Hull Speed!  

Chris Gragtmans airing it out.

As for looping sometimes that doesn't always go hand in hand with good wave performance.  Not this time.  A huge goal of ours through the entire process was to combine a good wave boat with one that doesn't sacrifice on smaller features that most of us paddle on.  I'm happy to say that not only are the loops big but the cartwheels are very balanced, meaning that you don't feel like you're going to fall on your head on the stern end.  Check out one my earlier test sessions in the first prototype at Big Rocks on the Nolichucky last September:

Dagger Jitsu from Andrew Holcombe on Vimeo.

What I'm really getting at here is the overall and all around awesomeness of this kayak!  It performs on all types of features big (think Skook, the New River Dries, etc..) and small (Big Rocks), its aggressive without throwing you around too much, and its actually alright to sit in for a bit.  Plus with three sizes it'll span the distance of sizes out there.   I'll finish with one more link, this is Rush absolutely crushing it on Skook.  Keep an eye out the Jitsu is coming your way soon!

I had to finish my classes two weeks early, figure a way around work responsibilities and raise enough money to finance the trip. It was a lot of work, but now that I'm here in Chile things could not be any better. Before I dive into this blog post I would really like to thank everyone that has helped to make this trip possible. To Dagger, my friends and my family: I would not be here now if it were not for your generous support. If you feel like making a contribution towards my trip visit my online fundraiser here. Thanks once again.

Traveling to Chile took a long while, but I met some cool people along the way. From my campsite in the Seattle Airport to the ten hour bus ride from Santiago to Pucon I saw some cool sites along the way.

My bivy at SeaTac

A South American sunrise from 30,000 ft.

Flying over the Andes

As soon as I got off the bus in Pucon I saw a truck full of kayaks parked in front of a hostel, so I went on in to see who I could find. Inside some paddlers from Wales, the U.K. and Austria were eating dinner and planning the next leg of their trip. They decided that they would be heading down to the Fuy for the next two days and said they had room for one more, so I said I would come along with them.

We had an awesome time at the Fuy. Good flows, beautiful warm weather and crystal clear water kept smiles on our faces and provided me with a good couple days of training.

Chilling around the campfire on the Fuy

Joe Thurgate sailing off the 30 ft waterfall on the Upper Fuy

Jo Taylor doing the same

Jo on the boof just below the 30 footer

Looking up at a ledge on the Fuy

After a couple days and a night on the Fuy we headed back to Pucon where I met up with some of the other Grand Prix competitors. Ben Marr, Mike Dawson, Dane Jackson... the crew was forming.

While in Pucon I was able to get some practice laps on the Marimon rapid on the Rio Trancura where the slalom competition will be hosted, and some laps on the Rio Palguin where, water levels permitting, we will have another race.

On the Palguin there was a massive group of paddlers making their way downstream, all of whom were extremely talented and respected paddlers. When we got to Middle Palguin, the iconic 70 ft waterfall no one held back. In fact the lead-in rapid, Stout Ten, which is rather gnarly and rarely run was not portaged by anyone in the group. It's been incredible to be around so many legendary paddlers, who are all at the cutting edge of the sport.

Daniel Rondón, a Peruvian competitor styling Stout Ten

Nouria Abou-Newman on Stout Ten

After spending some time on low water runs around Pucon I was ready to move elsewhere. From Pucon I piled into a van with about a dozen people to head South to the Rio Gol Gol. The Gol Gol is where we will be having our first competition, and I wanted to get some practice laps on it before the race.

The put in on a small tributary right before the Argentinian border

Galen Volckhausen and Daniel on Novios, the first waterfall of the Gol Gol (we won't be racing this drop, but regardless it's a fun move)

Lorenzo Andrade Astorga on one of the Gol Gol's many boofs

Lorenzo getting ready to boof La Princessa (this 20-30 ft waterfall is the last drop of the race)

Kyle Hull navigating another rapid on the Gol Gol

Galen about to fall off 50 ft Salto del Indio (this waterfall will not be raced as well, but is a powerful drop that pulls paddlers deep beneath the surface)

Lorenzo chucking away his paddle on Salto del Indio

Today was our last day of practice out here on the Gol Gol, and tomorrow the racing begins. I feel pretty well prepared for the race, but the course is still intimidating. It is likely one of the most extreme sections of river that has ever been raced, and up against the stacked group of competitors I have my work cut out for me. Keep your eyes on the Whitewater Grand Prix website and facebook page for updates from this first event and the others still to come.

I hope your as stoked as I am!

-Todd

The Joy of Air from ARC'TERYX on Vimeo.

Leave the ground beneath your feet,
Rise up, your inner legend greet.
A body in motion –
Twisting, turning, churning, yearning –
Apex found, heaven bound.

But remember, what goes up must come down.

Director Bryan Smith of Reel Water Productions explores the concept of catching air across a variety of sports. Words by Fitz Cahall.

Snowy started this project by interviewing the whole Dagger team to see what it is that that they want in their dream freestyle boat.  Somehow, he aggregated all of this information and began design on the boat around several core concepts:

• Ease of paddling in all environments (wave, hole, downriver)
• Volume distribution that allows simultaneously for massive hole aerials and consistent balance for cartwheels
• Rotational stability for the McNasty/Phonix combos
• Fast and loose on waves – a dynamic and sporty feel was paramount
• Release from the bow and the stern for amplitude and control on wave aerials
• Forgiving “catcher’s mitt” stern for landing backwards and not backendering

Andrew doing some fall testing session on the Gauley River.

With these baselines in mind, Snowy got the first protos together and distributed them around the world to Team D.  World Champion James Bebbington tested his at the unique features in the UK and Europe, Rush took his to the White Nile, Tyler sent feedback from Montana, and Snowy, Andrew Holcombe and myself tested our boats on the Gauley, New and Eternity hole in the Southeast.

Snowy looping in Eternity.

From the beginning, we knew that Snowy had created something special here, but as the kinks have been worked out, this boat has proven itself to be a game changer.  We have had a blast testing it, and had one final session with the medium size at Skook a few weeks ago.  The athlete comments on this final proto ranged from “don’t change a thing” to “best boat ever” to “the release is better than anything I’ve ever tried.”  We’ve been doing our best to be critical and keep improving, but it really is fun to be completely satisfied with where a prototype is.

Rush going huge as usual.  Credit: Snowy Robertson

Myself testing the backwards release.  Credit: Snowy Robertson

Rush floating the clean.  Credit: Hector DarbyMaclellan

Taking advantage of the elusive green ramp!  Credit: Alison with Markus Leppanon's camera.

While Snowy has poured in his blood, sweat and tears far beyond anyone else, it has truly been a collective effort, and I know that all of Team D is excited to bring this one to the world.  Stay tuned to the website for more info about sizing, release dates and specs.

While this is extremely fun to do, and is generally how the largest drops in the world are run, many people have trouble with getting themselves in the right mindset and zone for running a park and huck.  It feels strange committing to something challenging with cold muscles and having the first couple of paddle strokes being out of the eddy and straight into the action.  There are many fun rapids and waterfalls out there that are not located in the middle of a river run. 

Sometimes, you just want to pull the vehicle over, run one drop, and get back in to move on to the next adventure.  While this is extremely fun to do, and is generally how the largest drops in the world are run, many people have trouble with getting themselves in the right mindset and zone for running a park and huck.  It feels strange committing to something challenging with cold muscles and having the first couple of paddle strokes being out of the eddy and straight into the action.  

Photo by Bryan Kirk

This is not an abnormal feeling... it's very natural to be tentative about running a big rapid without getting that paddling warmup that you usually get on home river runs.  Our bodies are like an Indy race car- we can't just turn the machine on and immediately redline!  Any machine needs a proper warmup to run at it's highest level, and our body is no different.

I'm far from a cutting edge big waterfall huckster, but I have run a few drops in the 35-90 foot range, all of which have been with no warm-up rapids above them.  I have been fortunate with good lines on all of them(knock on wood), and one thing that has worked well for me and others is using a series of simple exercises to get the blood and oxygen flowing in my muscles.  By warming up properly, you allow yourself to be more resilient to the massive impacts that can come with these drops, and also allow yourself to feel more fluid and at-home in the river.  You can also output higher levels of work capacity (paddle harder to save yourself/rescue your buddy) if you need to.

**Keep in mind you don't need to be running huge drops to find value in this- it helps to be warmed up no matter what size rapid you're looking at**

Here are my staples.  

This is what I do if there is no way I can paddle before I slide into the river.  If there is water nearby, by all means incorporate an on-water warmup too.  But this is my absolute bare minimum for running something big:

• Jog around a bit (Get a good song in your head - get fired up!)
• Karaoke sidestep
• Power skip
• Pushup x15
• Bodyweight Squat x15    
• Burpee x10
• Yoga- Downward Dog + Child Pose
• Bear Crawl
• BATTLE CRY!!

Now go and style the crap out of that rapid, because you are properly warmed up.

Photo by Adam Goshorn

I hope this has been helpful, and I'll see you at the next horizon line!

Surely that amount of positive energy being snuffed out could be sensed by every person alive. It felt to me like a celestial event- a supernova star with incomprehensible energy at the end of its life. Its death sends a shock wave out through the galaxy, and changes everything around it.

I cannot make sense of what has happened.  I still find myself thinking that I will wake up from this bad dream, jump on another Dagger conference call with you tomorrow and make magic happen.

While we all adjust to a world without you, I wanted to thank you for teaching me a few lessons on how to live life right.  I’m thinking back on my time spent with you, and realize that you centered your existence around a few key ideals.  The ones that stand out to me are your passion, devotion to your community, and unending joy.  You taught all of us the importance of these ideals through gentle example, and always with a smile on your face.  I wanted to share a few of my favorite memories of you with these traits in mind…  

Passion

I first got to know you when I put up a post about a Marketing internship at Dagger.  You messaged me and enthusiastically expressed your desire to apply for it.  I told you that you were welcome to put me down as a reference, “for whatever that’s worth.”

Of course you got the gig, and quickly made yourself indispensable to your coworkers.  I wasn’t in the office full-time with you, but even with my limited visits, I can’t express how many positive things I heard from your peers about your contributions to the team.

I’ve worked closely with you for a while now, and one common theme has always stood out about you… passion.  You were passionate about everything that you touched.  The lines between work and play blurred for you, and I loved watching your creativity pop up through your work.  Your kayak prom photo, putting mustaches on coworkers at events, and working together on the microphone to build suspense when giving away boats for Team River Runner or First Descents- you were always passionate and I loved working with you.  Through your actions, you gave your peers pride to be doing what we were doing.

You contributed to our vocational fulfillment.

Community

You knew one thing that we all innately feel inside, but can’t quite put our fingers on.  You knew that the experiences we have in the outdoors are beautiful, but the true gifts that we receive from these experiences are the people who are in this room- the people with whom we share them.    

You knew this better than any of us, and you made up the very best of this fabric that connects us.  I know that you’re with us today, and you’re probably blushing at receiving so much attention.  But Shannon, what you have here is a testament to the way that you lived your life.  You are the common bond that has brought all of these people together, and your actions have given us something to strive for.

I remember putting together my French Broad Distance Project for First Descents (a project I still need to complete).  I swear I had put the fundraiser page up for no more than a half hour, and you had already found it, donated to it, and shared it with your network.  That is how you operated… spreading positivity in your community in every way possible, and supporting those who you believed were trying to do the same.

Another happy memory occurred at the Mountain Games in Vail.  I brought you to a couple of gatherings, and it was amazing to watch you make new friends.  I realized that your energy and presence in a room actually made people around you feel better about themselves.  You not only lived your life in a certain way, but you also elevated everyone around you as well.  After having just a small glimpse into your energy, my friends couldn’t stop asking me questions about you.  They were drawn to you in a way that they couldn’t even explain, and I think that goes for all of us.

Your tribe mourns for you today, but we have been brought closer to each other by you- the hub that connects all of us.  I know that your focus on your community will live on through your scholarship fund, and through us, the people who carry on your legacy.    

Joy

There’s one memory that I can’t seem to shake.  This past New Years, you and Jay came up to Asheville to hang out with my friends and me.  Of course I was stoked to have such an awesome crew together, but I was very disappointed to find that the pub that I guided everyone to (with promises of dancing into the New Year) had a DJ, but no dancefloor.  All that existed was a bunch of tables in front of a big screen TV with football playing.  I felt defeated, but you took the situation into your own hands.  Once the football game was over, you immediately moved our table over to the side, creating a small dancefloor at the front of the room.

Instead of giving up, you just started dancing.

Without self-doubt or insecurity, you expressed your joy for life in your own unique way.  Of course Pablo, Jay, and I weren’t going to leave you hanging, so we jumped in and started dancing too.  And that is what we did- just the four of us, for over 30 minutes!  It’s fun living like you- just saying “I will do what brings me (and those around me) the most joy in this moment.”

After a long time of over 100 people just staring at us from their seats, we could see a few standing up, visibly tempted to jump in and shred with us.  It was funny- they were mostly girls pushing their boyfriends to get out there with them.  But one by one you would either physically grab them and pull them out, or coax them more discreetly through dance moves like the fishing line cast and others.  Your goal was to create joy for yourself and as many people as possible around you, and I’ve never in my life seen anyone with more joy than you Shannon.

It was as if every night when you went to sleep, you somehow plugged your batteries into an infinite source of unadulterated happiness.  This allowed you to wake up anew and spread positive energy with every breath and every action.

That was a night to remember- each of us just being joyful and comfortable in our own skin, like you were.  What a great way to live life.

After reflecting on these lessons that you taught me Shannon, I now realize one thing- you are irreplaceable.

You are one of the most wholesome, pure, genuine, and beautiful people that I have ever met.  And while this void cannot be filled by anyone else, all of us can learn to add a little bit of you to our own lives.  Your presence in our lives made every single one of us better people Shannon, and it is now we who must strive to live up to the example that you set.

All of us knew you in different settings Shannon, but I think I will always remember you with that image of you dancing.    

And I know that last week you danced joyfully into the Light.