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There is only one downriver whitewater race in the world I will ever compete in. The Animal Race on the Class V Upper Gauley River in West Virginia. Why? It is summed up succinctly on their group page on Facebook: “The Gauley River…. just the mention of it causes a whitewater paddler to go into […]
Have you ever had one of those spur of the moment opportunities that you just can’t pass up? I mean something that you have no idea what is going to happen, but dang it you’re rock solid, dead set, no matter what, going to do it? That’s the way this amazing weekend came about for […]
EDITOR’S DESK- We are back with another installment of Highlight Paddling Media with an inside look of one of our favorite photo/video collectives, Black Owl Media (BOM)! These guys have been sending stouts with many of our Admin team over the last few months. The roots of our name “Dirt Bag Paddlers” is from the […]
In January of 2016 the Chattooga River crested at 10 feet, approximately 25,000 cubic feet per second or more. Then again in early February the water rose to 7 feet, near 12,000 cfs. Sane people are satisfied to merely imagine huge logs hurtling downstream through the Five Falls or the Narrows, vaulting into holes formed […]
EDITOR’S DESK: A party as huge as Gauley Fest, and a river as epic as the Upper Gauley (or is it a party as epic and river as huge…) cannot be summed up properly by only one voice. There is so much to see and do, and such high levels of fun being had that […]
Adam Piggott is a man who’s been there, done that and now written the book on it. Twice. Last year saw the release of his first book Pushing Rubber Downhill, memoirs of over 15 years of experience commercial raft guiding and professional dirtbagging across the globe. From the Tully to the Nile, the Rockies to […]
Whilst on my travels this summer running IRF & Rescue 3 courses around the globe for raft guides and safety kayakers, I find myself running into the same problem when it comes to guides carrying the correct personal rescue equipment (PRE). “Nobody has ever told us how much to carry.” During this post I want […]
The 2016 rafting season started like most before, with some overnight trips and a few day stretches trying to bag high water on the rise with my AIRE 156R oar rig. I live in Vail, Colorado, which in my personal opinion is an overlooked whitewater mecca. There’s class IV water rolling right through town, class […]
The Guide Olympics: What is it? Where is it? Why in the world have I never been a part of it? Some of the many questions you may have asked yourself about this long told of event. My answers? The Guide Olympics is an annual event that truly brings all together. An event that at […]
I planned the first vacation that I have taken since December 25, 2013 for the week of Gauley Fest 2016. Not having a real plan of events yet Mike Joseph asked me to meet him in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania on Sunday September 10 to raft the Lower Youghiogheny, then move over to meet BDR on the […]