Jon Best

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2011-03-08T00:59:00.001+01:00

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Nile Waves

2010-08-26T21:57:00.000+01:00

A small film from winter 2009/2010

Some Nile Special pics

2009-12-20T10:11:00.003+01:00

So all is good out here on the Nile, I'm working lots at the moment but on days off, Nile Special is the destination of choice.
Here are some photos taken by Deuce, Julian and Just James (pringle)

From England to Uganda

2009-12-14T11:54:00.000+01:00

From a cold, wet, dark November to an action packed hot December back on the Nile.
The water level is pretty low at the moment but that’s not such a bad thing as different waves and rapids appear and disappear as the day goes on. Club wave works in the morning from about 7am till 1pm. Club is a large piley wave, pretty consistent but as the day goes on it becomes more and more trashy and surgey, until it hits about 1pm then it’s not worth paddling. There’s a gap of about 3 to 4 hours where neither Club or Nile Special work properly, and then at around 4 pm Nile Special kicks in, a large peaking wave with a pile. When Nile Special kicks up you get an awesome steep green wave where any big wave move is possible. The Gui-Gui Prod is an incredible boat the air you can generate is substantially more than any other boat on the river, landing a big move flat is violent and your back defiantly knows about it…but its so worth it.

I’m seeing the river from a different perspective this time round as I am working as a raft guide, so it’s not just my self I have to navigate safely down its also 6 or 7 others as well. Big white water, sun, pineapple, flips and broken bones are the order of the day on the river and none of that gets boring. The money I earn from rafting pays off my tab at NRE so its happy days.

Life off the water consists of mainly eating, drinking, socialising and trips back and forth to town to buy a new pair of sunny that broke on the river the day before.

Photo by Julian Stocker

A short film from Hurley & HPP

2009-11-24T13:00:00.002+01:00

Jon

Hurley Classic and the GB team

2009-11-23T13:24:00.000+01:00

Monday morning and the weekend is over.
We were lucky to get Hurley on a good level both for Selection and the classic. On Saturday they held the 3rd selection event for the British team, with a low 2 gates and not many entries the event was over by 2 o'clock. Well done to all the paddlers and congratulations to all the boaters who made the team. Saturday saw some good rides, well done to Sam Anderson who steamed into first place after his 2 ride with some quick felixs and clean blunts, also to local boy Pikey who came a very respectable 2nd. The junior men saw some big air loops and with a low turn out from the women Claire O' Hara and Nicola Beeby had a chance to enjoy each others company with not to many distractions.

These are the final results for the GB team here

For the Hurley classic we were blessed with 3 gates which gave people a chance to really showcase thier paddling ability. About 10 paddlers in a heat and with half an hour to strut thire stuff, the highest scoring 4 moves were counted. Well done to Gerd Serrasolses for spain for takeing top spot and Gav Barker hot on my tail in 3rd place.
Check the results of the classic here

Well done to all the judges and organizers for both events and a big thanks to the rain gods for letting it happen.

Photos by Dave Wortly see more here GB selection Hurley Classic

Hurley is back, but for how long?

2009-11-18T00:03:00.000+01:00

So on Sunday Hurley was on a great 3 gates, a strange layout as it was on the 3 next to the wall which made the middle wave gate slightly more piley but still with some nice green shoulders. Popping back down today I expected the same sort of level, only to find the water had dropped substantially and Hurley was back down to 2 gates. No grumbles as we slid down the steps and made the best of a good level, with a big green right shoulder, pan am's, donkey flips and clean blunts we all making an appearance.
With the 3rd selection event looming on the horizon I did feel quite guilty just using the wave gate and not even having one ride in the hole, but with way water levels are looking I have heard it said that the weekends event may not run.
Updates on the event and wether it will run will be posted on tvfreestylers

Jon

Photos by Pringle

The results from the 2nd selection event

2009-11-13T15:07:00.001+01:00

Here are the results from the 2nd selection event held in the tardis HPP.
For the full listings click the link below.

selections_results.doc

K1 Men
1. James Bebbington
2. Jon Best
3. Joe Bradley
4. Alan Thwart
5. Stu Parry
6. Sam Anderson
7. Ben Brayfield
8. Ed Smith
9. Benjamin Aldred
10. Matt Nicholas

K1 Women
1. Jen Chrimes
2. Claire O'Hara
3. Lowri Davies
4. Georgina Preston
5. Nicola Beeby

K1 Junior Men
1. James Benns
2. James Weight
3. Brandon Hepburn
4. Brenden Orton
5. David Wild

K1 Junior Women
1. Gabby Bates
2. Rachel Bovil
3. Tasha Isaacs

C1
1. David Bainbridge
2. Stu Parry
3. Lee Pyke

OC1
1. Paul King
2. Peter Orton
3. Lee Pyke

Squirt Men
1. Josh Gosling
2. Chris Jones

Squirt Women
1. Claire o'Hara
2. Sara James

Mini DV vs HDD

2009-11-12T18:53:00.003+01:00

So my video camera finally blew up the other day, and with a trip back to Uganda on the horizon I thought id best go out and but a new one. This is where the problem starts, which one to get?

My old camera was Mini DV (little tapes) and with a budget of about $250 I couldnt afford an all singing all dancing HD camera, just standard quality for me.
I wasn't till I got to the shops that I realized that not many places sell mini dv cameras anymore. John Lewis seems to be one of the only shops in Nottingham who's sales assistances brains haven't been replaced by soggy marrows, so John Lewis it was. The tall bald man told me that Mini DV is becoming obsolete and that Hard Drive is now the way forward. I then told him that I had heard that editing with tape is genrally easier and less hastle especially when formating and importing film. He said the HDD cameras now are getting super advanced and editing is just as easy and you dont have to worry about buying tapes. The only problem with HDD cameas is the softwear it comes with is quite advanced too and so your computer needs to be up to the job.
I have a pretty old MAC and so he said I may have trouble importing footage from the camera to my laptop. John Lewis and most other electrical shops have stopped stocking mini dv camears now, so to jessops it was to get the only SONY mini dv camrea in Nottingham. I think in the long run HDD is the way forward and soon all cameras will be using Hard Drives, but for ease of use you cant beat using tape. It seems to me the standard quality on tape is just as good as on HDD and editing on tape is slightly less flawed, only time will tell.
If anyone else has come across a similar dilemma please feel free to comment.

Jon

2nd Selection event done!

2009-11-08T22:39:00.000+01:00

So the rain gods were kind to us last week and the river levels stayed low.
The Tardis was in good condition and showcased some huge air by many of the paddlers. The results have not yet been posted but as soon as they are I will post them on here. At the AGM on Saturday night they discussed what will happen with the results if Hurley isn't high enough to use as the 3rd event.
Again as soon as they are published I will post them up.
Well done to all the paddlers at the weekend.

Current rankings after the 1st selection event.

2009-11-06T12:22:00.004+01:00

Here are the rankings after the first selection event.
Check back after the weekend for the second update.
Good luck to all the paddlers.

K1 Men rankings
1. James Bebbington
2. Richard Chrimes
3. Alan Ward
4. Joe Bradley
5. Stu Parry
6. Ben Brayfield
7. Jon Best
8. Matt Nicholas
9. James Reeves
10. Chris Bucksey

K1 Women rankings
1. Jenny Chrimes
2. Lowri Davies
3. Claire O'Hara
4. Nicola Beeby
5. Poppy Layton

Junior Men
1. James Weight
2. Brendon Orton
3. Matt Rogers
4. Rhys Roberts
5. David Wild
6. Brandon Hepburn
7. James Benns
8. Jamie Mitchel
9. Ryan Liquorish
10. Aaron Layton

Junior Women
1. Gabby Bates
2. Rachel Bovill
3. Millie Leith
4. Kim Aldred
5. Tasha Isaacs

C1
1. Dave Bainbridge
2. Stu Parry
3. Lee Pyke
4. Jamie Burbeck
5. Adam Ramadan

OC1
1.Paul King
2. Lee Pyke
3. Jamie Burbeck
4. Chris Noble
5. Peter Orton

Squirt Men
1. James Reeves
2. Chris Jones
3. Josh Gosling
4. Jamie Austin
5. Aaron Layton

Squirt Women
1. Claire O'Hara
2. Lowri Davies
3. Millie Leith

Water condition for this weekend / 2

2009-11-04T13:01:00.000+01:00

So the water is slowly dropping the tardis is back in though not as big as it usually is. A little more rain is due, but fingers crossed all will be good for the event.
Keep checking the right hand side of the site for daily updates.

Water situation for this weekend at HPP

2009-11-02T19:48:00.002+01:00

So the rain on Sunday has raised the water levels considrably at HPP, not to mention the water quality is pretty bad too.
The Tardis is washed out and muncher is very small.
The 2nd selection event for the British team is planned to be held in the tardis on Saturday, at this rate it looks like the tardis could be washed out and they may have to look for an alternative feature. The forcast is not looking good for this week, let's hope the level drops before the weekend.
I'll keep this updated.

Jon

Adidas Sick Line

2009-10-06T14:07:00.002+01:00

In a tight and thrilling final on the legendary Wellerbrücke course German kayaker Alexander Grimm won gold today at the adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championship in Austria’s beautiful Ötztal.

Its all over, check out results and more at www.adidas-sickline.com/index.php?id=23

Brit Champs wrapped up

2009-10-06T13:34:00.004+01:00

The British championships and the first GB team selection event is over.
The event went well, and with the introduction of the boater x, extreme slalom, old dogs freestyle and the novice freestyle, all in all it made for a great weekend.
The finals of the Brit Champs saw some great rides, with huge air loops and even some new combo moves.
I will try to find the current results for the first leg of selection, but for now here are the results of Brit champs.

K1 Men
1. James Bebbington
2. Ed Smith
3. Sam Anderson

K1 Jn Men
1. Stu Parry
2. James Weight
3. Joe Bradley

K1 Women
1. Jenny Chrimes
2. Lowrie Davis
3. Claire O’Hara

K1 Jn Women
1. Gabby Bates
2. Poppy Layton
3. ?

C1
1. Dave Bainbridge
2. Stu Parry
3. Adam Ramadam

OC1
1. Paul King
2. Jamie Burbeck
3. ?

Bainbridge, contemplating winter

Pringle, straight as a die

Photos by Stu Morris

British Championships 1

2009-10-02T18:23:00.002+01:00

So the hole (twin waves) is set to go, with help from Rob, Shep and Pas at whitewater control they have made a great spot for all hole moves. The comp kicks off tomorrow with the pre lims for most categories.
In the evening the party will be held by runandjump with lots of booze and music, catch you there.

Photos by Rob Edgar

runandjump rules of accommodation

2009-09-20T17:26:00.001+01:00

Over the past month we have been traveling around visiting different destinations having booked no accommodation due to lack of funds. This is quick guide for anyone that ever ends up in a similar situation.

Well to start with you need to plan your trip having not booked any accommodation or even researched anywhere to stay, this saves a lot of stress and hassle before your trip.

The rules.
Make sure you begin the evening within a tight social scene, this is good for networking and could lead to a bed for the night. But be careful, over zealous networking could hinder your chances of broaching a deal.
Although gender has an influence on who you talk to during the evening, often the female could take friendly banter the wrong way, you have to explain early on that ' I am not talking to you with an alter motive in mind'.
As time goes on it is important to make head way with these conversations, dropping hints about the fact the campsite was fully booked and how the hotels are very expensive around here.
If you succeed with this technique then that's great, the bed is yours, wonderful.
OK imagine the conversations during the evening fall on deaf ears and a group of people you started with gradually gets smaller as night draws in, this could be a major problem. If this happens it is important to keep your cool, don't panic and start dropping in lines like ' I think I've lost my hotel key
is your room close by' or 'you have amazing eyes and I'd love to stare at you all night'
this will only cause problems for future nights, don't limit your options.
There are a few things you could try, head towards a group of guys you know pretty well and ask if they have room on their floor, you can usually sneak by the front desk and get up to the room. Using a towel as a pillow works well and there is usually a spare sheet kicking around you can use as a duvet.
Option two is find a car park with a grill that blows warm air, you can sleep on this grill to keep warm, it is important to keep your clothes on otherwise you will wake up looking like you've spent the night on a large BBQ.

OK a quick guide on the do's and dont's
Do's
1. Share your time amongst males and females as it is important to keep your options open.

2. Make up a jovial story about the fact you have nowhere to stay, say something like your tent was squashed by a heard of wild cows that had escaped from a near by field.

3. Offer people a round of drinks, this will raise your likeability factor.

4. Get talking about a trip to your country or town, and how they are more than welcome to crash at your place, and you'll take them boating.

5. Talk to as many people as possible and look interested in what they have to say.

Dont's
1. Don't limit your age range, often the elders will take pity on you, and if your lucky they'll also get your breakfast.

2. Don't show off about how the last time you were at Lyon you did the biggest air screw ever!

3. Don't get to drunk, often this will back fire.

4. Don't be to confident, no one likes arrogance. You will never succeed.

5. Don't drop in to many hints about the fact you have nowhere to stay, people will start to figure out what your plan is and once one person finds out it will travel like wild fire.

An example of mediocre accommodation.

We're here and we're making a mess!

2009-09-18T14:00:00.006+01:00

The show is in full flow and everyone is feeling the chilled out vibe. All the exhibitors are pleased with the number of traders and dealers attending the show. The Run and Jump stand is here exhibiting the new clothing line and living the 'Run and Jump Lifestyle'! The new clothes are looking sweet and lots of retailers are commenting on them. Several are placing orders and the brand is going global!

Daily challenges include finding somewhere to stay and encouraging the girls to bring us Mojitos! Each evening there is a party inside the exhibition hall which is something you never see in the UK. Last night the parties were held on various stands giving everyone chance to network... Tonight is the main party which we here is always epic; we will tell you how it goes tomorrow!

P.S not sure where the last 2 blogs went, very odd.

First stop the Pionteks

2009-09-15T20:08:00.004+01:00

So the journey begins with me, Zach and Dave B just making the ferry with 20 minutes before it floated off, good timeing I think.
The long drive across France, Belguim and the Nether Lands, lands us at the house of the Pionteks, a warm welcome from all the family, who then provided us with a huge BBQ and plenty of beer was greatly appreciated.
Jeffrey Piontek works for runandjump as a distributor for the German market, he and his brother Leon also paddle slalom C1 on the German circuit, Leon is the current C1 slalom junior national champion, nice work ;)

Next stop Kanu Messe, fingers crossed we'll get there with the stand still in one piece.

JB :)

Kanu Messe 2009

2009-09-12T17:45:00.017+01:00

Next stop is Kanu Messe in Germany, the biggest canoe and kayak exebition in Europe.
This show is great for buyers; manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers to network and show off their latest products.
I'll be attending representing runandjump clothing, Zach Pillinger has been working night and day to make sure his products and stand is ready to impress. Here are a few samples from the extensive and stylish clothing range brought to you by runandjump.

For more info on runandjump or Kanu Messe follow the links below.

kanumesse
runandjump

Worlds Round Up

2009-09-12T13:31:00.006+01:00

This was my fourth world championships, my first was Graz back in 2005, and my hand goes up to all the organizers of this world champs, i think they did a great job.
The event was thrilling from start to finnish, I have never seen so many locals engrossed in watching freestyle kayaking, from the pre lims to the finals the grand stand was a bustling arena of support.
The finals saw the most amazing display of competitive freestyle I have ever seen, the standard was exceptional high.
Well done to all the Team GB competitors and a big congratulations to all our medalists, great job.
Here are the results from the event.

K1 Men
1. Nick Troutman
2. EJ
3. Stephen Wright

K1 Women
1. Emily Jackson
2. Ruth Gorden
3. Tanya Faux

C1
1.Dave Bainbridge
2.Guillaume LaRue
3.Alexandre Besseau

K1 Junior Men
1. Jason Craig
2. Dane Jackson
3. Sebastien Devred

K1 Junior Women
1. Nouria Newman
2. Sandrina Hornhardt
3. Leoni Häberling

OC1
1. Jeremy Laucks
2. Stephan Pätsch
3. Odei Areta

For a full list of results visit http://www.icf-thun2009.ch/

JB

Dave Bainbridge Wins Gold

2009-09-07T16:24:00.000+01:00

Congrats to Dave for winning the gold in C1 at the 2009 world championships.

It was 3 runs best run counts, 5 paddlers battling it out for a place on the podium. Dave was the 4th paddler to go and his score put him in the lead, from then on no other paddler could match his massive score. Clean pan ams and clean back pan ams were the order of the day for Dave, and with that he showed the world why he deserves to be the worlds best.

Good work Dave.

JB :)

Worlds update

2009-08-29T11:01:00.002+01:00

So the GB team are here in full force preparing for the 2009 freestyle world championships.
Currently the wave is fluctuating quite a lot so training slots are sometimes hit or miss, it can be nice and piley one minutes and super green the next, we're doing the best with what we've got.
The opening ceremony begins on Monday so competition starts first thing Tuesday morning, wishing all the British team members the best of luck, I'll update as the days go by.

Chow for now.

JB :)

Siang River Festival 2009 - Sharing the Love

2009-05-14T13:51:00.003+01:00

Siang Fest 2009 is a month-long opportunity to paddle your own self-support trip down the epic Siang River, in Arunchal Pradesh, India. Come on out, paddle some big water, drink some Old Monk, and make a movie or write an article about being some of the first people to advocate protection of the Siang River.

Provided you promise to be good kayaking-ambassadors, RiverIndia.com will offer free camping and help to arrange your Restricted Area Permit to visit this beautiful and endangered river in off-limits Arunachal Pradesh, India.

e-mail explore@riverindia.com if you're interested in joining the group of paddlers coming out!

aaa adventure race

2009-05-13T17:42:00.005+01:00

Don't miss the very first aaa-adventure challenge, Sunday 7th June 2009, in the World Heritage village of Darley Abbey, Derbyshire. This will be an adrenalin fuelled 10km running event, with obstacles and challenges designed to take you out of your comfort zone….! All abilities are welcome....

Along the route there will be various tasks for you to undertake, including;- an obstacle course, river crossings and mystery challenge.....!

Run as an individual or Team of Four and enjoy, the pain, the burn, the camaraderie of the route....

The adventure course will be a challenge to both your mental and physical abilities…..

Train hard, front up and come and tackle the inaugural aaa-adventure-challenge…

Area: Darley Abbey Park, Derby, DE22 1EB
When: Sunday 7th June 2009
Disciplines: Trail Run, Swim, Obstacle Course...
Distance: 10 km (6.214 miles)

Click to check out the site

Rafting world championships

2009-05-10T22:57:00.003+01:00

The whitewater raft world championships will be taking place on the 17th to the 24th of May in Bosnia.
The boys and girls team are packed and ready to head out for training, we will be updating their progress as it comes in, keep your eyes peeled for future posts.
For more infomation visit the official website www.2009wrc.com

runandjump clothing

2009-05-10T16:21:00.009+01:00

runandjump is a clothing brand based in Nottingham, England that represents the extreme water sports lifestyle.

Inspired by all those who are ripping it up on and off the water we are going to take extreme waters sports and the lifestyle to dizzy new heights.

Join up and show some love, if you have met us on tour or are just digging our fine threads drop by and say hello :-)

For more information, products, video's, news and more check out: www.runandjumpclothing.co.uk

You can now buy all our clothes ONLINE!

www.runandjumpclothing.com

These are the two top selling garments ready for you now!

The new Hero hits the UK

2008-10-27T22:00:00.002+01:00

The new Jackson Hero has hit the UK and I took it out for a spin on the beautiful river Gamlan in North Wales.

This was my first time on this particular river and we were exceptionally lucky with the water levels, although the river was dropping off very quickly we managed to get in a great run and therefore got to put the boat through it’s passes.

The Hero I think is a massive improvement on the older style boat that Jackson brought out. The Hero is only 231cm long, not the longest riverboat on the market but that is why it appealed to me to get it out on some of the tighter steeper runs. The manageability of the boat is a godsend, especially if your main discipline is playboating. The Hero’s hull has been taken from the Jackson Fun range and has been lengthened, surfing waves in this boat feels like your in your freestyle kayak, which is again great for getting out of those STICKY situations.
Although relatively short the Hero still has 75 Gallons of volume which is ideal for the style’s of river in Great Britain, and weighing less than 20kg the boat is perfect for your trek to the top of any river.

Overall the boat work well, but what impressed me most was it’s ability to work its way down the river responding to your every move.

Stats:

Length: 231cm
Width: 65
Volume: 75 Gallons
Weight: 19.05kg
Paddler weight range: 52kg to 87kg

For more info check out jacksonkayak.com

Video of the hero

Prague - First leg of the world cup

2008-08-18T21:08:00.003+01:00

The first leg of the world cup was held on the whitewater course in Prague.
I had my reservations about attending this particular competition as I remember in 2005 for the Euro cup the event and feature not being all that great, but I am so glad I went as this time the feature was good and competition hot.

Seeing the best paddlers in the world come together to compete for the top spot saw some amazing rides, with most rides including Mc Nastys, Phoenix Monkeys and even Air Mc Nastys the competition was intense. The hole was challenging and it took some effort to keep a consistently good ride going for 45 seconds.
It all started on the Friday with the Men’s pre lims and then ending on the Sunday with the finals of all the categories coming together to make for a great day of superb competition. As the weekend went on the rain fell and feature became more and more flushy, but that didn’t stop the dramatic display of style and skill as the top boaters showed their stuff and the results were as follows.
More results to come

Men’s Kayak

Peter Czonka took first place with an awesome first ride of 980. His second two were in the 600-500’s.
Nick Troutman took second with 840 points.
Mathieu Domoulin took over the third place position from EJ on his last ride by 3 points.
EJ- got 4th
Dustin Urban got 5th.

Women’s Kayak

Fiona Jarvie
Emily Jackson
Ruth Gordon
Juta Kiser
Adrienne

Junior Men

Sebastian
Jason Craig
Maxime
Michael palmer

Can't stay away!!!!

2008-06-07T11:05:00.008+01:00

Another great trip to Uganda, bit of a last minute decision, I think going out to look after my sister was a good enough excuse.
2 weeks of Sun and waves, going back to this place feels like going back home to me. If you haven't yet visited this kayaking paradise, you need to, and be quick the dam is being built fast.

Check out the short film from the trip.

JB

Can't stay away!!!!

2008-06-07T11:05:00.003+01:00

Another great trip to Uganda, bit of a last minute desision

Can't stay away!!!!

2008-06-07T11:05:00.001+01:00

Another great trip to Uganda, bit of a last minuteite desision

Back in the office

2008-04-10T19:47:00.003+01:00

Well I haven't posted for a while, I've not really been doing much other than working at the moment, long days rafting at HPP, and I will be until I get some money then the next adventure will begin.

Next Ticket DVD now available

2008-02-19T22:22:00.006+01:00

Next Ticket DVD is now available to buy for £25 inc postage & packaging online from www.pommieproductions.com/Shop.html
The film is a pretty chilled out look at some of the sick paddling thats been thrown down around the World, featuring many top UK, European and international paddlers having a great time at some of the Worlds best spots with plenty comedy moments thrown in to make you laugh.

De Nile review and video

2008-01-28T18:32:00.001+01:00

Six weeks in Uganda paddling on the White Nile, world class river running and playboating, every kayakers paradise. The locals say it won’t be long until the Dam at Bujagali will be finished and the silver back section will slowly disappear. Total Gunga and the Ugly Sisters rapid has already vanished and the blasting on the new dam has set boundaries to when you can and can’t paddle the section. But life up at Bujagali is still booming with the new De Nile café based at All Terrain Adventures, the Chapati man is now making his own t-shirts and the boda drivers seemed to have doubled since the last time I was there.
The new Ugandan kayak school was opened not long ago, which will give the locals the opportunity to make the best of the awesome river they live next to. Thanks to Carl Moser and friends you should be seeing some great new local talent coming through.

The river level seemed very consistent for the majority of my stay, with the level high early morning then dropping of but rising again in the afternoon. Nile Special has been at paddle on levels every afternoon and a sweet green tow on level in the morning, it never quite go to Malalu levels although in the middle of the night it could have been very possible.

Christmas and New Year was a treat, with pig and chicken roasts, and champagne in the natural Jacuzzi on the Lemon, then up to NRE for a New Year party which had about 5 different count downs because know one knew the real time.

So I’m sitting in my living room back in England with my boat and paddles still in Brussels, hopefully it should arrive tomorrow and then I can brave the cold and don the long sleeve top again.

JB

Blog 3 Welcome 2008

2008-01-08T14:06:00.001+01:00

It’s been an action packed start to the New Year here in Uganda. We’ve been here for about three weeks now and I’m now half way through my trip. We spent Christmas Day at the Hairy Lemon, enjoying a pig roast feast and paddle on Special levels. Still on the Lemon the others had an epic on the day two section while I was on a mission to pick up my sister, from the airport. Pas, while showing Emily the line for Kallagala Falls, had his paddle knocked from his hand, despite his best hand roll efforts ended up swimming but impressively self rescued himself and all his gear. Em wasn’t too put off by this and still went on to run the drop for the first time, however the drama didn’t end here. At the top of the next rapid, Vengeance, Em’s paddle fell apart, it didn’t break just came apart in the middle. She made it half way down with the two parts but hit a wave half way down, preoccupied by the camera in her boat she dropped the paddle and swam, with the camera held high over her head. Luckily Alex was using a split paddle so him and Pas continued down the rest of river C1 style. Needless to say, funnels were in order at the bar later that night.

A few days were spent enjoying the awesome levels at Nile Special, before heading back up to NRE and the day one section for New Year’s Eve. We had our friend Alli with us, who we took for one last trip down the river before she had to fly home. Check out the shot of her flying over Silver Back.

New Year’s Eve we spent partying at NRE. A highlight of the night had to be Swedish boater, Anton’s father crowd surfing across the bar. Of course it all got a bit messy, no one really knew when 12 o clock came, there must have been about 4 count downs, but a good time was had by all.

Unfortunately from neighboring Kenya, we were hearing reports of political unrest. Although the news stories were sketchy, we quickly found out that the roads into Uganda were blocked. With petrol running low, fuel prices soared. With the cost of shuttles tripled myself and Pas decided to take matters into our own hands and hired our own bodas for the day. Initially, we’d planned to do our own shuttle but realised it’s actually quite tricky to drive with another person on the back let alone with a boat as well. Emily came up with the idea of the first International Boda Boda Challenge competing for the Jigger Jigger Cup. This involved teams of two driving around a set course on the camp ground at Eden Rock. Various items had to pick up along the route and water contained within a bottle in the basket on the front, items not collected and water lost meant time penalties; the fastest lap won. Despite us having the bodas to practice on all day, the Kiwi team of Sophie and Brendan were victorious.

We’re now back down at the Hairy Lemon after paddling the whole 45kms journey here from NRE. The levels have dropped now but Special is still good in the afternoons.

JB

Tent pegs and pour overs

2007-12-23T11:00:00.001+01:00

Week two and things are starting to get interesting. The water level is high at the moment so Nile Special is paddle on level, it’s steep, fast and with a good retentive pile people are throwing some huge tricks.

Pan Aming the special

We spent four days up at NRE where I stepped on a tent peg that put a nasty hole in my foot. After a couple of painful stitches and excessive cleaning it seems to be in good shape, I was told to stay of the water for a week but that lasted for about 3 days, it’s amazing what you can do with a neo sock, gaffa tape and a plastic bag!
That was my pain but Gav had a nasty swim in the pour over on ribcage, after some big downtime we managed to get him to the bank, find all his gear and he has recovered well.

One gamy foot

We are back at the Lemon at the moment getting ready for Christmas, the decorations are up and preparations for the big meal are taking shape. Nile Special last night was a great level, and it looks like it may be here to stay.

Pas ripping the special

Gav big back stab

Air screw on special

JB

Blog 1 The Arrival

2007-12-17T12:09:00.001+01:00

I am posting from the Hairy Lemon, an island paradise on the Nile. Currently the water level is fluctuating quite a bit , Nile Special is running in the evening at a good level and is surfable during the day but quite flushy.

They are in the middle of building a new dam on the upper section of river, this has meant some of the rapids have disappeared but also making the original ones bigger, for example silver back at the moment is huge due to the cut off of the ugly sisters rapid, no more wave. Also total gunga once a big rapid with many different lines and waves to explore is now a big lake with a small wave train down the middle.
We spent the first two days running the day one section of river and on the last run of the day, Emily while paddling down silver back took a paddle to the face and split open her nose, but it’s ok we don’t think it’s broken so I still have a pretty girlfriend.

Me and Emily had a blast on Nile special last night and this morning woke up to a beautiful mist surrounding the island.

JB

The countdown begins

2007-11-28T11:51:00.001+01:00

We are counting down the days until our trip back to Africa, leaving on the 14th of December for warm water big waves and sweet suntans :)

In the mean time the rain has been falling and so the weirs are up and running again. Last weekend we took a trip to Sunbury hoping to find a good level. As it happens the level took us by surprise, it took a bit of effort paddling onto the wave but when you eventually made it the feature was good, not super big but with a nice pile it was easy to retain most tricks. On the Sunday we shot to Hurley for a classic 4 gates, a tad cold for this time year but still good fun.

This weekend the Hurley Classic is due to run on the Sunday, and the week after is British team trials for the European Champs next July. Stay tuned for a full report on the two events.

JB

Reflection

2007-11-07T22:42:00.001+01:00

I am currently working to save money for heading to Africa in December. Usually working at this time of year in the Thames Valley isn’t such a bad thing as usually the Thames weirs are pumping, so before and after work a quick trip to one of the many play spots usually keeps me entertained.
This year though it seems very different. There is currently no water and there hasn’t been for some time, this is a big problem because normally it’s cold, yes, but at least there’s some whitewater to paddle on, but now it’s just cold, period.

During this summer I traveled to Europe quite a bit but in between trips I was in the UK and to my surprise every time I got back from aboard there seemed to be a great deal of water around. The Thames was pumping and the Midlands saw some mega high water levels. This was awesome, the sun was shinning and the water was pumping, the best combination to have in my opinion.
So dose this mean that will be the case every year? I doubt it but it would be nice.

All in all a good summer in the UK probably one of the best, for kayakers anyway. And in Europe we had a great time at the Euro Cup events and the World Champs. Some plans for next year are cropping up, a couple of creeking trips and some more comps are in order.
Hope to see you on the river.

JB

Surfing in Portugal

Southern Comfort

2007-10-24T20:26:00.001+01:00

I headed down south on Monday morning to catch Hurley on three gates. I got to Hurley around 5:30 am to get in a quick paddle before work.

It was cold and dark and paddling towards the weir I really hoped to see a classic three gates, and I did. The mist was thick and you could barely see the middle wave from the eddy.

As soon as the sun started to come up it started to warm slowly, the sun rise was amazing. It was an awesome 3 gates with big shoulders and a nice retentive pile.

Later that day Hurley went down to 2 then 1, I think all in all I was pretty lucky.

:)

2007 British Championships

2007-10-16T20:32:00.001+01:00

The 2007 British Championships was held on alongside the Plastic Fantastic Alp Kit Kayak Series at Nottingham. The top ten paddlers from the Saturday went through to the semi final of the British Champs on the Sunday, then 10 dropped to five for the knock out final.

The comp was held in the Muncher at HPP. Due some changes on the whitewater corse the muncher has not been the same as it was in the good old days, still with the water level raised the hole seemed to take form and start to resemble it's old self. Air loops, Tricky Wu's, Phonix Monkeys and McNasty's were the choice of moves for the day, seeing some amazing rides from James 'Pringle' Bebbington, Ross Montandon, the Brayfield brothers and many more.

David Bainbridge showed why he's European Champion by pulling some awesome moves to take the C1 title.

In the Womens, Flea Jarvie pushed into first place with some very consistent rides, with Jen Chrimes hot on her tail.

Flea cleaning up

Ross Montandon managed to pull it of in his final ride even with a popped deck to take the win in the junior men's class.

Ross on a roll

The Men's was tough seeing Ed Smith, Me and Pringle down to the top 3 in the knock out final having said goodbye to Adam Norfolk and Chris Chapman in 5th and 4th place respectively.
Ed went out in 3rd seeing some big air loops and very consistent rides. I came 2nd and therefore it was a well deserved 1st place for Pringle, every Phonix Monkey and Mc Nasty done to perfection.
Also well done to Emily Wall and Pringle for winning the overall Alp Kit series 2007.

Me and Pringle in the final

Thanks to Jim from Alp Kit, Sneaky pete and Tim Raa for judging.

The Prize giving

Photos provided by Peter Meares and Ian Burt

Next Ticket Trailer

2007-09-27T20:43:00.001+01:00

Here is a sneak preview of the film 'Next Ticket' by Pommie Productions and crew.
Due to be with us this winter.

Check it out.

2nd Technique vid, the Pan Am

2007-09-17T21:13:00.001+01:00

The Pan Am

When water is scarce concrete is 2nd best

2007-09-12T19:48:00.001+01:00

It's been quite a strange year for kayaking in England, when the sun should have been shining and the rivers drying up, we have received more rain this summer than I can remember. The playboating and river running has been epic.
But now the summer has seems to have shown it's face at last, and the rivers seem to be back to normal summer levels. It is becoming quite a struggle being stuck in the UK trying to earn some cash to go away for the winter, with not much boating to be done, so instead of using the lack of water have resorted in making the most of using the vast amount of concrete.

Me demoing the grab

Pringle on the ramp

180 grab

Pringle rips on skates too

Photos by Emily Wall

European Cup round up

2007-08-15T20:22:00.001+01:00

European Cup round up.

The 2007 European cup was held in 3 different countries situated in 3 different locations around Europe.

The first was held in the beautiful ski town of Lienz, Austria. A challenging hole brought many different European nations to battle it out for a head start in the series.
British, French, German, Austrian, Czech, Slovakian, Polish, Finish and Swedish were amongst the competing nations. The competition went well, and everyone was very grateful for the friendly welcome and hospitality.

The Second leg of the series was held in the north of Sweden on the Palt wave. An awesome braking wave which allowed all the moves in the book. The river reminded me very much of the Ottawa with sweet rapids in between beautiful still lakes.
The competition was tough, seeing some great rides from the locals, the Polish and the Fin’s. I hope to see more competitions held on this spot in the future, all the guys did a great job in organizing the event considering the hard logistics of the venue.

The last competition in the series and also the Pre European Champs and was held in Galicia, Spain. The competition was held on an interestingly sticky hole at the bottom of a very impressive Dam. The event was not the best I have been to, and all the paddlers did very well to put up with the lack of organization (none), a shame as this competition was set to show case the spot for the European Championships 2008.

All in all the European cup went well, seeing some amazing displays of skill from Peter Csonka, Nina Halasova, James Bebbington, and many more. Check out the pics.

The final results for the European cup are as follows:

K1 men:
1st Peter Csonka (SVK)
2nd Jon Best (GBR)
3th Jan Spindler (CZE)

K1 women:
1st Nina Halasova (SVK)
2nd Maria Lindgren (SWE)
3th Ingrid Schlott (GER)

K1 junior woman:
1st Hanna Vackova (CZE)
2nd Flick Mears (GBR)

K1 junior man:
1st Jiri Langer (CZE)

C1 :
1st Lukas Cervinka (CZE)

The new Techniques page

2007-08-10T22:54:00.001+01:00

I've added a new techniques page to my site, we've kind of started with a bit of a tricky one.
More on the way.

The Tricky Orbit

Check out the video page for updates

JB

Friday Freestyle Clinics

2007-08-07T23:38:00.001+01:00

Are you interested in pushing your freestyle kayaking forward?

If so then why not come to the Friday Freestyle clinics.
Held on the Whitewater course at HPP starting at 4pm till 6pm. Each session is totally tailored to your needs, from front surfing to Tricky-Wu's it's up to you.

There are only 3 spots available at one time and it is first come first serve.
If you'd like to book your place just drop me an e-mail jon@jacksonkayak.com.

Prices are as follows.
£10 an hour or £20 for the full 2 hours.

Sunset Sessions

2007-07-22T16:17:00.001+01:00

Check out this awesome playboat film from Sam Ward on the Nile.

Sweden Euro Cup

2007-07-12T13:15:00.001+01:00

The second leg of the Euro Cup was held in the north of Sweden about a 12 hour drive from Stockholm.

The view fro the camp site

The competition was held on the Palt wave on the Trollforsarna (the troll rapids) section of the Pite River. A large volume river with a beautiful river run and play spot.

Chilling at the bottom of the slide

The wave was world class, a sweet braking wave which allowed you to throw every wave and some times hole move in the book. Beautiful warm weather and warm water made for an awesome destination for the competition. The 24 hour sunlight also meant you could practise all through the night if you wanted, not my cup of tea but the option was there.

Matz flipping it up

The Trollforsarna Whitewater Challenged consisted of 3 competitions, a boater cross, a team race and then the freestyle. Me and Flick only competed in the freestyle as we could only bring our playboats on the plane. It all kicked of on the Thursday with the boater cross, then the Friday saw the Team race and the freestyle was held on the Saturday finishing around 10:00 at night.

Peace Flick

The competition was going well for me coming 3rd in the prelims then an unlucky flush during the semi final placed me in 7th. Flick came 2nd in the juniors seeing some nice rides.

All in all the event went very well and I hope they run it again next year, it’s a beautiful kayaking destination and defiantly somewhere to explore.

Me on the Palt wave

The results for the freestyle look like this.

K1 Men
1. Peter Csonka Slovakia
2. Mikael Lantto Finland
3. Tuomas Kuronen Finland
4. Jan Spindler Czech Republic
5. Miika Kuronen Finland

K1 Women
1. Deborah Pinniger Great Britain
2. Nina Halasova Slovakia
3. Ingrid Schlott Germany
4. Maria Lindgren Sweden
5. Valerie Bertrand Norway

K1 Junior men
1. Jiri Langer Czech Republic
2. Mikael Ekström Sweden
3. Simon Ingelsten Sweden
4. Isak Öhrström Sweden
5. Thomas Bankes Great Britain

K1 Junior women
1. Hana Vackova Czech Republic
2. Flic Meares Great Britain

Check out this small film of the palt wave

Lienz film

2007-07-01T13:57:00.001+01:00

Check out this small film from our trip to Lienz.

We just can't stay away

2007-06-28T22:05:00.001+01:00

The day we got back from Austria we decided to take a trip to our local spot, only to find 4 gates in the middle of June.

Pohots by Emily

I had a go in a 4Fun for a bit of a laugh, the thing went huge on loops, iv decided to open an airline.

Lienz round up

2007-06-26T10:46:00.001+01:00

Here's a quick round up of the 1st leg of the Euro Cup Series.

The competition was held in a nice hole on a River Drau which ran through the beautiful Austrian town of Lienz. The turn out was good and the competition was tough, 80 paddlers from around Europe flocked to the site for the first leg of the Euro Cup Series. The prelims were held on the Friday, with the top 20 men going through to the quarter's, all hole moves were going off.

In the women's event, Emily Wall got the biggest loops in her new Star but a low scoring first ride meant she just missed out a place in the finals leaving her in 6th place.

Em giving it her all

After the quarter's and semi's, I placed in the top 5 every time, making it in 4th place for the finals. The format was a old-style knockout, first rides were tight with all the guys going for tricky woo, phonix monkeys and godzillas, going out in 5th was Casper Van Kalmhout from the Netherlands. Peter Csonka, who placed 2nd at the World Champs, was a shock, going out in 4th. Leaving me and the Strohmeier brothers to the podium. Simon couldn't quite put together the same high scoring ride he had done during the other rounds, so taking 3rd and Seppi, his older brother, showed everyone is was definitely back to form after his couple of years out due to a wrist injury, taking 2nd. The standard was high and it was hardwork against such an awesome bunch of paddlers but I managed to nail my loops and godzillas when it counted and so was stoked to take 1st place and €200.

All in all, the organisers, judges and sponsors made the event an awesome start to the series.

Next stop, Sweden!

Lienz Euro Cup

2007-06-20T20:59:00.001+01:00

So after a 15 hour drive through 5 countries we finally arrived in Lienz, Austria.
Lienz is a beautiful ski town in the middle of the Austrian Alps. The river Isel runs trough the middle town and the play hole is on a small tributary of the Isel.

Pringle sussing out the hole

The play hole runs a best between 11 and 1 when the river is at it's highest. You can pull of most play moves in the hole so the competition should be a good one.

There is also a wave at the raft take out on the Isel which runs from about 7pm onwards, we should have some pics of the wave soon.

JB

Em all bubbly

Em busting out a loop

Me doing some endy thing in the hole

Pringle checking the local Pizzeria

Me and the Pring looking at mini Hawaii

Lienz Euro Cup

2007-06-20T17:40:00.000+01:00

So after a 15 hour drive through 5 countries we finally arrived in Lienz, Austria.
Lienz is a beautiful ski town in the middle of the Austrian Alps. The river Isel runs trough the middle town and the play hole is on a small tributary of the Isel.

The play hole runs a best between 11 and 1 when the river is at it's highest. You can pull of most play moves in the hole so the competition should be a good one.

There is also a wave at the raft take out on the Isel which runs from about 7pm onwards, we should have some pics of the wave soon.

JB

A big success

2007-06-18T09:18:00.001+01:00

WWTCC open day was one to remember.

It started with a party Saturday night, which rocked on till the early hours of the morning. With me as the DJ and Mike the barman we made sure the party was special.
The pics tell a better story.

Pete mixi'n it up on the DJ booth

From dusk till dawn

Party people

Carlos spining around

The Boss being the Hoff (oh dear)

So the morning was an early one. Feeling it from the night before we all set off to erect the 'canoe village'.
At 10:30 the public started to arrive and things started to take shape.

The Jackson stand taking form

Sneaks doing his bit

System X were in full force

Something for everyone

Jo strutting her stuff

All in all the show went well, the weather was good and the people were plenty.

Thank you to all the suppliers, George, Pete, Mike, Chris, Amy and Louise the guys and girls from Addlestone and anyone else who helped to make the day a success.

Whitewater open day

2007-06-14T19:00:00.001+01:00

This Sunday Whitewater the Canoe Center are having their annual open day.

We would like to invite you and all your club / group to Whitewater the Canoe Centre’s(Very Special) 20th Anniversary open day, this year to be held on

Sunday 17th June 07, Times 10-00 till 16-00

At our riverside shop in Shepperton marina.

Whether you are a complete novice to the sport or a seasoned enthusiast, this is your opportunity to meet all of the major canoe, kayak and equipment manufactures at one time in a friendly relaxed environment. Demo boats galore will be available for you to try on our very own private back water in a safe and relaxed manner. Professional kayak and canoe instructors will be available both on and off the water all day to provide help and tips on way’s to improve you’re paddling style. This is a great day out for the whole family, ANY AGE welcome to come down and give paddling a go, or just chat to the manufactures about current boat design.

Look forward to see you there.

Some of my favorite Bussy pics

2007-06-08T21:54:00.001+01:00

Casper

EJ

Nick Troutman

Peter Csonka

Nick

Nick

Ed Smith

EJ

Website new look

2007-06-08T18:00:00.001+01:00

So while there's not been a great deal of water around I thought I'd learn some more HTML code and get the website sorted. I think it's looking a lot better now and iv added a new page, 'other'. Here I will be post all sorts of random things from Thames weir levels to Square rock open days and up and coming events. Keep checking it out for updates. www.jdbest.co.uk

JB

Product review - Level 6 Mack cag

2007-06-03T21:49:00.001+01:00

I have recently been paddling with the Level 6 Mack cag, I received one when out at the worlds and it has served it's purpose well. As well as the bright colour and stylish labeling the Mack is dry, very hard wearing, has a nice cut and has a good size pocket at the front and a smaller pocket on the arm.

Pros and cons:

All new cags beed, but usually this is only temporary. I have been paddling with the Mack for some time now and it is continuing to beed, it is probably one of the driest cags I have used.

The waist system seems to work very well and does a good job with keeping your spraydeck in place. At first I thought the straps would interfere with maneuverability but this isn't the case.

The Mack comes in two colors, the one shown in the picture and also in red and light grey, the embroidered logos on the arms and on the front of the cag are very stylish and unique.

A couple of things on the down side is the rigidity of the cag. The cag is made from 100% Nylon 3 Ply waterproof-breathable Siphon Zone™ laminate fabric, which is great for keeping the water out but it does mean the cag is very rigid, it does give a little over time and it is not so noticeable when paddling.

The latex seals on the wrist could do with being cut a little further up the arm to stop interference with your tendons resulting in a little more water one the arm than wanted.

Overall I think the Mack is a good, top-of-the-range whitewater cag and as the company grows I'm sure their products will only improve.

To check out more about Level 6 and their products visit www.levelsixinc.com

JB

Washburn by Emily Wall

2007-05-25T12:11:00.001+01:00

After many years of serious effort and commitment, Pete Astles of PeakUK has decided to take a well earned break from organising events here in the UK. Thankfully, Jim Evans and his company AlpKit have stepped up and this past weekend saw the launch of the Plastic Fantastic AlpKit Kayak Series

The first event in the series was held on the Washburn River in Yorkshire. All of these event will have two main parts, a boater x and a freestyle competition. The boater X saw it's fair share of carnage with heat of 4 heading off in an 'America's Cup' style start. Each paddler had to negoiate a slalom pole half way down the course which mixed things up a bit and allowed opportunities for over taking. The expert men's class saw an interesting battle between Jon Best and James 'Pringle' Bebbington, who had made a bet where the loser had to race the final topless. However, both made it through after winning their heats so the final saw the two of them scrapping 'skin to win', except they were so busy fighting each other that they were over taken by the other two paddlers leaving them in 4th and 3rd respectively.

Jon going skin to win in the Mega Rocker

In the women's event, I won my heat putting me through to the expert women's final with Claire O'Hara and new SquareRock paddler Molly Crisp. A good start put me in second place, but at the slalom gates, I slowed down and Molly over took. However, after sneaking across the start line before the buzzer, Claire, who had shot off in 1st place, had to touch the penalty board, putting her back in the third place. It was a good fight til the end, but I couldn't quite get past Molly, leaving her to take the win and me in 2nd, with us both in Punk Rockers, a JK 1 and 2! My best results in a river race so far!

Molly at the back, then me, chasing down Claire at the start of the final

The next day saw the freestyle competition take place in the 'broken weir', a small shallow hole where you hit the bottom, alot. Despite this, Pringle managed to pull phonix monkeys and loops from no where to take the win in Expert men's. In the expert women's, Molly was looking great for the win all weekend, however the final was knockout format and one not so good ride left her in third place. Leaving me and Claire to fight it out. Claire went first and couldn't quite get the moves she was looking for. I think this was the first time I really realised how much my time spent judging has helped me. I was able to figure out exactly what I needed to do and although it wasn't the most exciting ride, it was safe and I was able to win!

Overall the weekend was a great sucess, Jim did a fantastic job and thanks to everyone who helped out. Bring on the next event at Tryweryn in September!For all the results check out http://www.alpkit.com/pfaks. All picture courtsey of Jim Evans

Jim with the women's freestyle podium finishers, (me on far right)

2007 World Champs wrap up

2007-05-10T20:13:00.001+01:00

So the 2007 Freestyle world championships has come to an end. Despite Bus eater only being in for 4 days the event went very well. We had a crazy training day on Tuesday when the organizers had to cram in training for all the nations, which proved hard as many of the competitors had never used the tow in rope before, this meant training was short with not much wave time. I think I managed to get 5 practice rides before my competition rides. I guess it was the same as everyone bar the locals.

Photo by Maggie Crocker

The wave fluctuated quite a bit during the comp, I think it was probably at it's prime on the first and half way through the second day of the comp, by day three it had started to brake and become very piley. At its best the mini bus wave is amazing, the biggest wave I have ever surfed. Every wave move is possible and every move is massive, it is very hard to throw anything small. When bussy backs up and your at the top, it feels like your about to fall of a house, you need take advantage of every pass you can because your never sure when the pile will brake on you, you'll be swallowed and spat out the back.

The competition went very well, with chief judge Emily Wall keeping things on time and running smoothly. All the competitors seemed stoked that the comp was going ahead on bussy and that really showed in their paddling. Some of the rides were out of this world, Billy Harris, Nick Troutman, Peter Csonka, EJ and and many more showed unbelievable control and style. In the women's Ruth Gordon and Tanya Faux really made an impression pushing the limits for female paddling.

When the comp was quickly over on the Friday, it was time to party. A Hawaiian and Red Bull party finished off the event nicely.

To find out more about results and info on the worlds check out. www.worldfreestylekayakingchampionships.com

Check out EJ's winning ride here.

Thank you to 'Wilderness Tours, Matt'Sharky'McGuire, Emily Wall and all the judges, Peter Mears, Team GB, Dave, Terry and Pete, and all else involved.

Inner City Strife video

2007-04-29T18:21:00.001+01:00

Check out the film from Inner City Strife.
Made by Adrian Kiernan.

Worlds Update

2007-04-24T17:05:00.001+01:00

April 24th

At the moment the river level on the Ottawa is about 6 foot too low for Bus eater.
We're supposed to be in day 2 of team training, but the location for the event has not yet been confirmed. The options are, hold the worlds on Wiakiki, a small flushy wave where moves are possible but is very unpredictable, or hold it on bus eater at a very poor level, mostly a big hole, but this means no practice time.

So with this news some of us decided to session a wave is New York state, called Inner City Strife.
What can we say, the wave was awesome, every move was possible, big air, long surfs.

Pringle screwing around

The wave was right next to Water Town, about 3 hours from the Ottawa. It had great eddy sevice, 3 waves in a row the first wave, the one in the pics was by far the best, and the 2 waves behind were good for blunts and back stabs.

Me catching some hang time

Kelsey Thompson cleaning up.

Adrian Kiernan testing the new Fluid proto

Today we're back at the Ottawa and things still aren't looking to good for bussy.

Im going to try and get a video of Inner City Srife up soon.
Update soon.

Photos by Maggie Crocker.

Snow boating

2007-04-17T22:50:00.001+01:00

So we've rocked up at WT and the current water level is 9 on the gauge and the temperature is avreging at around 3 degrees.

A few teams are here already but due to the water level there hasnt been much training going on, the river needs to rise about 5 foot before mini bus come into effect, hopefully the river will start to rise on the weekend.
There's a few small waves to get wet on but nothing of any substance.
Updates on there way.

JB

SQ and Level Six

2007-04-10T16:54:00.001+01:00

Square Rock are now the agents for the Canadian whitewater brand Level Six. You may have seen some of the gear being worn by paddlers around the country, and iv just managed to get hold of some of the shiny stuff myself.
For more info on what gear Level Six make visit www.levelsixinc.com
To check out other products from Square Rock click www.squarerock.co.uk

A little film from Hurley

2007-04-05T16:00:00.001+01:00

Hurley Life

The Irish Marksman

2007-03-23T13:20:00.002+01:00

Jackson Kayak are renowned for making exceptional whitewater kayaks, specializing in freestyle and down river boats. EJ's back round started with Slalom kayaking and so it made sense when Jackson Kayak came out with the 'Ricochet'.
We recently received the Ricochet, and today I took the little puppy for a paddle in the snow. It was fast, responsive and very easy to paddle, I am now going to dedicate my life to the art of Slalom.

Back down south

2007-03-04T22:12:00.001+01:00

Well back in England and the water level seems to be holding nicely.
Sunbury's not quite Nile Special but it aint bad. Iv got my hands on one of those shiney new All Stars and what can I say 'the boat rips'.
I'll try and get some video up of Sunbury asap.
JB

Photo's. Pete Scutt

A small film of the New All Star

2007-02-14T20:35:00.001+01:00

So Im back in sunny England, a bit of a climet change but im slowly adjusting.
The trip to Uganda was awseome and I wish I was still there now, oh well back to the real world.
While in Dubai on 7 hour stop over I made this small film of the New Jackson All Star on Nile Specail.
Enjoy
JB

The New 2007 All Star!

2007-02-09T08:22:00.000+01:00

The new 2007 All Star is proving to be a big hit.

Harry Cox arrived four days ago on the Hairy Lemon, with a brand new All Star. My eyes lit up at the sight of the new boat... ...I have now stolen Harry's boat, and he's not getting it back!

The performance of 2007 All Star on a wave is living up to all the hype! It has a faster hull speed, is looser, releases better for a bigger pop, and is very forgiving, particularily when landing big moves. The All Star has been ripping on Nile Special and Mutt's Nutts and I am continuing to discover all of the boat's potential! I have not yet tried the boat in a hole, but I am sure it will live up to all of my expectations.

Africa life

2007-02-07T15:18:00.001+01:00

Africa has amazing whitewater, but the people stand out as well.
Here are some photos of local life.

Mutts Nutts rocks on!

2007-02-01T19:20:00.000+01:00

Visiting this wave has become a regular event for the team on the Lemon.
It is proving to be great training for all big wave moves.

Mutt's Nutts

2007-01-31T09:07:00.000+01:00

So the other day we paddled the day 2 section in search of a wave that people say is the best one on the river. We got to Hair of the Dog early in the day to catch Mutt's Nutts at its best level.
All the hype that we had heard about this wave was true, it is awesome. A symmetrical breaking green wave with a sweet pile, what more would you want. The only problem with the wave is that it's a little hard to get to without paddling the whole day 2 section, so today we went on a Boda boda recon mission to see if we could find an easy way to get there by road. After a bit of bush wacking on cow paths, and zooming through many small villages we were greeted with success!

JB

Kampala capers

2007-01-28T12:19:00.000+01:00

So take 6 British men, and one and poor Canadian girl, stuff them in a Matatu, take the back road to Kampala and see what happens…
Friday night, the boys whipped out some wild Jinja market shirts, drank enough to sink a ship, hit the town, and batted off the prostitutes, while ripping it up on the dance floor (the locals loved it, particularly Gav’s incredible break dancing). After the club we piled into a cab and went in search of Kampala’s version of the kabab… mmm festering samosa are a winner at 3am! However, somewhere along the way we lost Gav and Paz… those Dutch girls at the bar must have been the cause (at least we hope it was them and not the prossis). They made it back to the dorm at a reasonable 6am.
Saturday was a whirl wind tour of the city, we all jumped on boda bodas, went for some Indian food and then found our matatu….got a flat tire and Rae found the most appalling toilet of her life.

We all made it back to the Lemon in one piece…a miracle.
Now back to kayaking…

Update

2007-01-22T19:27:00.000+01:00

Ok today was the last day on the Hairy Lemon for two of our team members; Chris and Mike are leaving on Saturday so we are heading up to NRE until they leave.
Today Nile Special was quite inconsistent, it seems to go in stages, one day it will be really smooth and easy to throw down the next day it can be very surgey and hard to handle.
Life on the Lemon is quiet at the moment i'm sure NRE will provide some entertainment.

JB

Lemon Fever

2007-01-19T10:02:00.000+01:00

So on the Lemon there are plenty of fun things to do, like play cards, get drunk, sun bathe, volleyball, ultamate frisbee oh yeah and there's some kayaking to be done too.
The waters good the weathers awesome and we are all loving Lemon Fever.
Today we are heading up to do the day 2 section and then get back in time for Nile Special session.

The team

Nile Update

2007-01-17T12:57:00.000+01:00

So back in Uganda where the sun is shining and the water is pumping. At the moment the river is low but some new waves have appeared because of this and they are proving to be a big hit. Nile Special is still going of in the evening and in the morning a wave called Club wave appears, it’s not as steep or as green as Nile Special but it’s a very good wave for practising new moves.
The whole group is loving the warm water and sunny days and our boating is improving with every paddle.

JB

Photos by Lars Larsson

Squarerock's new news blog

2007-01-11T12:53:00.000+01:00

Square Rock has a new new news blogg. The team paddlers will be updateing this with the latest Squarerock news and products. There will be articlas and pictures from trips around the globe and much more. Check it at Squarerock News

Review of the Palm Apex Icon cagdeck

2007-01-09T21:30:00.000+01:00

I have paddled with a few cagdecks and this one rates highly.
Starting at the bottom, the deck is put together well, it has a large dry lip that travels around most of the deck but cuts off at the back which dose help to get the deck on your boat easily. It has a large section of latex on the underside of the deck which sticks to your cockpit well, and also on the top of the deck are latex panels which reduces wear and tear. All the seams are stitched and then lined with latex keeping them dry and stretchy.

Moving up the cagdeck you reach the waist tube. The great thing about cagdecks is the freedom of movement you gain from the one layer you have around your waist, this cagdeck has a neo waist tube that is cut for maximum movement and comfort, it rises higher at the front which helps to keep you warmer around the middle.
The Cag is cut very well, with the use of different shaped panels the cag is shaped to your body as it would be in the position of when you're in your kayak. This allows ease of movement and is very comfortable. The cag has one pocket that is easily accessible with your B/A on and also has latex wrist and neck seals. On the outer neo seals is a layer of reflective latex that really helps to keep you that bit warmer.
Overall I think the Apex cagdeck is warm, comfortable, durable and stylish, definatley one to consider on your next buy.

The count down begins

2007-01-07T22:26:00.000+01:00

So it's back to Uganda for another month of warm water, warm weather and warm people. I think the water level is the same as last year which is still very good and it should provide some good buseater training hopefully.
I will try and update as much as I can, but who knows in Africa :)

JB

The water is back

2007-01-05T15:01:00.000+01:00

The Thames is high again so get on your dancing shoes.
Shepperton is currently on 8 gates and should hold for the weekend.
Sunbury is on a spanky 5 not sure what it will be like tomorrow.
5-01-07

Happy New Year

2007-01-03T23:00:00.000+01:00

So it's 2007 welcome to the new year.
I hope you celebrated well, this pic just about sums up our party.

Entropy Gear, bloody good gear

2006-12-27T23:07:00.000+01:00

Check out these awesome sunnys.
Perfect for those sunny boating days in England. Entropy Gear is a new company started by a bloody nice bloke in Australia named Jez, check out these sunnys and all their other products at www.entropygear.com

JB

Happy Christmas

2006-12-25T14:44:00.000+01:00

Happy Christmas and have an awesome new year.
Go boating.

JB

Jackson Kayak Team week

2006-12-12T19:21:00.000+01:00

Reflections on my time in the states with Jackson Kayak.

The week after the world cup had finished Jackson Kayak set up a JK Team week. This week would include a busy schedule, from a Factory tour to improving your hand roll, with just a week to cover so many aspects of Jackson kayak, we were in for treat.

Team JK

Based in Rock Island National park were a set of cabins, I say cabins these things were more like 4 bedroom houses, with Sky TV, king size beds a full kitchen and a full fridge, this is where the JK team were going to be based for the duration of team week.
The Idea of team week was for EJ and Kristine to get to know the paddlers on the team and to understand our individual goals as paddlers and people. Also for us as team members to gain a better understanding of Jackson Kayak as a company and what they stand for. We were introduced to EJ’s training strategies for competition and general paddling and fitness. We had seminars from EJ on topics including, how to deal with the media, competition, and dealers (shops). We were told more about the kayaks, how they worked and how they were put together, factory tour. And we also had demo days where we would invite the general public to come and try kayaking and ask questions. This was just half of what we covered in the time we were at Tennessee, all team members had a great experience and we all gained greater knowledge of Jackson Kayak the Jackson’s and their many animals.

As time went on I started to realise that being a member of Jackson Kayak was a very special thing. What the Jackson’s put on for us in Tennessee was unreal, I have never heard of any kayak company doing what the Jackson’s did for us out in Tennessee it was a real pleasure to be a part of what they had and am very grateful for the whole experience, thank you guys.

Their ramp

Jackson Kayak sell kayaks yes, but they are also so much more than that. Their goal is to make kayaking more accessible for everyone, from kids to adult’s whitewater to flat water, they want to bring more people to enjoy and experience the sport that we love so much.

To find out more about Jackson Kayak visit jacksonkayak.com

JB

Our own little paradise

2006-12-09T23:43:00.000+01:00

It is so great to have this beautiful wave on our doorstep.
Hopefully levels will stay up and OLP will continue to shine.

An evening to remember

2006-12-07T15:05:00.000+01:00

Shepperton weir last night was probably at its best level yet. I have paddled on some of the best waves in the world and last night was probably one of the best wave sessions ever.
On far surfers left the wave was steep and green with a nice braking pile on top, setting up was easy and the harder you bounced the bigger you went. Airscrews, Pan ams, Helix’s they all went, a great evening.
Sadly like all the best play sessions, I didn’t have my camera, oh well. The wave now has flattened off and it is very hard to catch, hopefully we will get Shep at that great level again soon, one of the best waves in the world.
Sunbury at the moment is also a nice braking green wave in the middle, looks great but is near impossible to get on, check it out and good luck.

JB

Photo. Pete Scutt

This was Sunbury this morning, great if you can get on, the far left was greening out nicely.

Shepperton is still rocking

2006-11-28T20:16:00.000+01:00

So Shepperton is still good to go. It seems mornings are a good level then it gets progessively worse during the day. Not much rain this week so we'll see what happens.

Shepperton is on

2006-11-27T22:36:00.000+01:00

With all the rain Shepperton has risen from the ashes.
Im not sure iv seen the weir at this level for about 3 years. The weir pool is still going up so it is turning into more of a hole as you read.
Don't miss it on it's way down.

Shepperton video

A small Hurley film

2006-11-23T01:44:00.000+01:00

Due to having to go to work :( the only time to go boating is first thing in the morning.
Check out this small film from the other day.

A Hurley morning start

Palm gear

2006-11-19T20:37:00.000+01:00

Thanks to the boys at Palm Equipment Europe for sorting me out with some brand new gear , and just in time for winter.
To find out more about Palm Equipment check out their website.
JB

Water brings the waves

2006-11-19T20:35:00.000+01:00

Sunbury weir had been undergoing development for a while and the result is a whole new set of gates similar in size to boulters. With the heavy rain we received a couple of days ago the gates are now open and are forming an awesome braking wave. We paddled hard on Sunday and had some great rides, hopefully with more rain dew the gates will stay open a while longer.
You paddle up the river left eddy and brake out height to catch it. In the middle there is a steep green wave and either side are 2 big wave holes. The green part of the wave is great to surf but can be surge and isn't always as sticky as it looks. It's best to surf just left or just right of the greenest part, you can then set up high, come down fast a throw some really big moves. Some video will be up on the site soon. Check out the pics.
JB

More Pics

Sunbury Teaser

Team JK

2006-11-15T16:38:00.000+01:00

Thaks to Sandro from Switzerland for this shot, i think it was taken in West Virginia after eating a Subway.

Down with Winter

2006-11-09T13:59:00.000+01:00

So the Winter season is now upon us, or at least it feels like it.

We need some rain, the Thames is getting lower and there's not much rain forecast, its getting desperate, I might have to start doing something else, like running.
Lets hope it rains soon, start dancing.

White Water The Canoe Centre are going through some changes and are spicing up the shop with a bit of a Hawaiian feel, all we're missing is sand, sun, girls and coconuts.

Photo Shoot

2006-11-06T23:55:00.000+01:00

Took a day out with Debs to shoot some life style shots the other day. We spent the day in Bath walking around, snapping away we had a great time.

Thanks to Deb Pinniger for these photos.

British Selection 2006

2006-10-16T22:50:00.000+01:00

Just a week after British Champs came the 2006 British Team Selection held at HPP, again another great weekend seeing some awesome rides on the top hole and Muncher, I made 3rd place on the team, an important 2 weeks over and some great results for the record.
Check out UK Freestyle for the full results.

Canada Update

2006-10-16T22:11:00.000+01:00

Canada is awesome, at the moment the Ottawa is on level 0 which means the Garb is turning green, its still good to catch but it'’s getting harder to retain moves. Left side is good most moves go and baby face has turned a tad flushy, corner wave is still good. We hope the level will go down soon.
I had a bit of an epic with my kayak the other day, I had tied my boat to a trailer to get to the put in, when we got there I found by boat trapped in between the trailer and the ground when I turned the boat over the I found a hole about 30cm wide in bottom right hand side, the boat had dragged on the road all the way from put in to take out and melted it clean, not good. I'm borrowing an All Star at the moment until I get my new boat, it should be coming this week. The river'’s pretty busy at the moment but I think its only going to get busier as it nears the world cup.

We did an over nighter trip to the Gatineau to surf a wave called High Tention, the wave was at its best we had an awesome time, check out some pics.

Canada and World Cup 06

Jon.

GB Championships

2006-10-16T19:16:00.000+01:00

So the Peak Challenge and British Champs are over, a great result for me and also for Jackson Kayak, with the brand new Fun winning the Peak Challenge and the good old All Star winning the British campionships. The whole weekend ran really well seeing some great rides had by some great paddlers. thanks again to Pete Astles for puting on the event. Check out the Peak site for Results.

The World Cup

2006-09-14T18:15:00.000+01:00

Rock Island is a beautiful place, a small town of about 300 people, quite and very relaxing, which is great as we had been on the road for a week, it was nice to chill out. The Jacksons set us up with these really smart cabins, showers, kichen and sky tv, awesome.

So on friday we were all assigned training slots and then the competition kicked of with the junior men.
The hole was interesting, a powerful pile and a fast steep geen, it was possible to throw wave moves but then also still be able to throw ends and most of your hole moves.

The whole competition saw domination from the JK team, with the top spots for the men, junior men, women and junior women, some really amazing rides were seen by the locals.

Rock Island Ride

Rock Island Pics

World Cup Medalists!
September 17, 2006
World Cup Final Results- Top 3

Men’s Pro
Eric Jackson- USA
Stephen Wright- USA
Clay Wright- USA

Junior Women
Sara Hunter -USA
Noria Newman- France
Alexandra Shallhorn- Canada

Women’s Pro
Tanya Faux- Australia
Emily Jackson- USA
Ruth Gordon- Canada

Junior Men
Nick Troutman- Canada
Dane Jackson- USA
Sam Sutton- New Zealand

C-1
Guillaume La Rue- Canada
Seth Chapelle- USA
Joe Stumpfel- USA

OC-1
Eli Helbert- USA
Jez Blanchard-Australia
Jeremy Lauks- USA
Dooley Tombras- USA

Squirt women
Devon- USA
Valerie Bertrand- Canada
Kim Gauthier- Canada

Squirt men
Koyo Morita- Japan
Jeremy Lauks- USA
Matt McGuire- Canada