Thompson Big Water Weekend

Well what a sick weekend to cap off the Canadian season and the instructional season as well.
Me, Mitch and Simon headed off on friday morning for the "glorious" little town of Lyton and the thompson river that goes with it. The weekend was organised by the AWA (Alberta Whitewater) and we were teaching a group of around 30 people basic big water skills. We met up with Saskia and Bryce Shaw.
Hoping for the whole long 9 hour drive frog wave was in we rocked up friday arvo an it was cranking. A nelson local Chad was there scoping it out to so we geared up and put on to shred some phatys!
Probably the sickest wave I've surfed yet, super bouncy and relativly retentive it was def there to be had. After a few surfs getting used to it we started get in the swing. A great arvo surf session saw some sick blunts, backstabs and attempeted air screws. Pretty shattered for the best part after a couple hours as the eddy service was there but bloody hard to get to and often had to catch the second eddy and a small walk back up.
The next two days was instruction. I spent saturday with the girls on the easier section. All went well and they got some sweet kicks with some big fun wave trains.
Sat arvo sawe another sweet surf session and some big phaty blunts been layed down! Some very dead arms by the end of it!
Sunday the same again and then for the final surf on the way back home on Mon morning. The level had dropped a bit and the wave was a little more retentive but stil super bouncy. A couple of sick aerial blunts and backstabs and we were done.
Cheers to everyone for a sick weekend and such a mint season. Great way to finish it in style.
Amping for some freshies in revelstoke in a month or so. Heres a video and some photoes from the frog.




Frog wave, Blair













Simon throwing phatys














nice green landing, Blair












Carving it up, Simon












Getting em vert, Blair
















the lefty king. Simon








Till the snow falls, Peace
Blair

08 Creeking

Here's a few pics from creeking in spring around the rocky foothills. Just a few pics. There are plenty more but this will do for now. Looking forward to the Thompson this weekend coming. Hope fully frog wave is still in! Will put more paddling pics up when next season rolls around! Peace
Blair
Blair Dropping in. Etherington Creek

Matt, 2nd slide, Elbow Creek high water.













Blair, zig zag cataract creek













Matt styling Zig Zag, Cataract creek













Simon killing it, Knotch rapid, Elbow creek high water


















Titan on Cataract Creek high water. Left it this time round. Will hit it next season

















Simon on mindbender, Etherington Creek















Matt disappearing over the lip, elbow falls
















Been a sick season here all round for paddling. lots of work but plenty of good boating to. Looking forward to winter not but also another season of paddling next summer, maybe some chilly winter missions to. Peace
Blair

Babine/Skeena Trip, BC

We headed off on the long drive to Smithers BC at the beginning of September in the hope of an epic multiday trip on the Babine river and then into the Skeena for 5 days. 14hours later we arrived in Smithers. Such a wicked beautiful part of the country. Definitely a nice change from the city and typical alberta landscape.
We headed off the following morning to the start of the Babine river where it leaves the babine lake and begins its 100km journey through beautiful BC wilderness to where it joins the skeena. It begins at around 40-50cms at the flow we got on at an by the time it reaches the skeena it is around 10020-150cms. Very cool paddling a river and seeing the change in its features over the distance. You actually pass through 3 different climatic zones and there is a very noticable change in landscape and vegetation through the trip. I have never seen so many salmon in my life. So many fish its just insane. The fishing was great.
We had a very humbling encounter with a grizzly bear an grizzly drop. He popped up about 10m in front of us and luckily decided to go the other way.
Passing through some big beautiful canyons with some pristine class 3-4 whitewater. The play was phenomenal. So many play waves and holes, the waves on the skeena where off the hook. Noticeably Orgasmatron and foreplay. Orgasmatron is by far the biggest wave I have ever surfed. Huuge foam pile and big green face. Very fun wavebut not the best eddy access.


A slideshow Simon put together from the trip

2008 Creeking Video

Well the Canadian summer is coming to an end. I taught my last outdoor course on monday for the Aquabatics season. What an epic summer it has been. Ive had over 120 logged days on the water to date so im super stoked about that.
Theres been some great creek boating to be had an some plans are in the bag for a trip to the zambezi next september and then Kenya to run 1st descents so that will be sick if we pull it off.
Combining video footage from this winter coming next paddling season an then that trip with probably a bit of longboarding on mountain biking thrown in there there is also plans to make a full length feature film.
I will put a summary of photos from the season seem as this is a new thing for me and also from the Babine/Skeena trip in Northern BC we did up soon. For now here is a video simon made from bits of footage from throughout the season. Enjoy!!
Blair