Kayak Session Magazine

Every few years, a new level is reached in whitewater kayaking. Soon, we think, “Where can we go from here?”We think, “Okay, now things are going to stay at this level for some time,” yet over and over again, we are proven wrong. Even as the current

Paddler: Arthur Bernot Location: Cascade Ruitor, Italy. Hiking in paradise. The Cascade Ruitor is a series of four to five waterfalls in Italy, accumulating over 700 meters of freefall in the space of two kilometers. They are the the tallest waterfa

Mark your calendars: The 2022 Durance Festival will take place this summer, July 30/31st. Get ready to have more fun than ever before. This year the menu features the now-classic Guil Gorge Chrono creek race on the Chateau Queyras Gorge, heaps of cli

The 26th Green River Narrows Race had a lot of records, though not necessarily the one many were hoping to see. Though racers all hoped for a push at the four-minute race lap, what they saw instead may be more encouraging for the sport itself. There

The headwaters of the Gauley flow out of the Monongahela Forest around Richwood, WV. These Class II-III+ runs offer dozens of miles of approachable whitewater. However, the Headwaters are easily overlooked by the vast amount of world-class whitewater

Three entities with strong Northwest ties and deep expertise in timberlands, forest conservation, and mill operations have acquired portions of SDS Lumber Company and SDS Co, LLC. The unique consortium, comprised of Seattle-based Silver Creek Capital

Kyrgyzstan has one of the highest mountain systems in the world—the Tien Shan. Also called the Mountains of Heaven, this mountain system separates Kyrgyzstan from China like a wall, stretching eastward for 2,800 kilometers from Tashkent in Uzbekistan

The Vénéon Valley is a hidden place, a treasure surrounded by glaciers and mountain peaks. Located in the Isère region, only two and a half hours from Lyon, the second biggest city in France, somehow entering the Vénéon feels like stepping into a sto

Stikine… the name is often on my mind. Almost a decade after being introduced to this place, my trips to this remote region have become almost a yearly pilgrimage. I’m not the only bird of passage faithfully migrating north as the river approaches a

As Tahltan people, the Stikine River has long been our lifeline, bringing fish and previously trade from the coast to Telegraph Creek. In the Grand Canyon of the Stikine, where the waters are too turbulent for fish, we have turned to hunting along it

Kayak Session: You just got home from a month on the Zambezi. Welcome back! How was it? Hayden Voorhees: As good as it gets! I had very high expectations leading into the trip, and the river and the country exceeded all of them. We never got bored

In 2015, I swam at least eight times. I was 24-years-old and wanted to push myself to my limit. I took chances, and sometimes, I had to pay the dues. From getting stuck in huge holes in flooded rivers in Spain to being underwater for 40 seconds in Co

The past couple of years has reminded many of us that we have to dig deep to navigate situations that are not entirely within our control. It's also reminded me to appreciate what can be gained from facing adversity. I am grateful not to have been as

This summer, after a year-long delay, the ICF Freestyle World Championships will take place in Nottingham, UK. Often referred to in the kayak community as “Worlds,” this competition is the culmination of years of training and preparation by athletes

One of the better-recognized tricks in freestyle kayaking is the phoenix monkey: a pirouette on the bow followed by a loop. It was the first big trick I learned after the Space Godzilla, and I still love throwing them—especially in steep features. As

In 2002 the most tantalizing rumor in California kayaking was the Royal Gorge of the American. The name alone suggested an inherent grandeur bolstered by talk of big waterfalls and spectacular vertical canyons in perfect bedrock succession. But the l

Tendonitis and tendinosis. There has been a lot of confusion over the difference between these two conditions – even healthcare practitioners may be confused. Tendinosis is often diagnosed as tendonitis and thus is not properly managed, leading to a

Priscilla Macy-Cruser was resigned to the possibility of 30 log portages in the first day alone on the North Fork of Silver Creek, a remote, unexplored tributary of the Illinois River in Southern Oregon. Instead, she and her crew found fresh snow, in

Many people are familiar with our role in protecting and restoring rivers across the country and our insistence that to truly protect these important places we need river lovers who enjoy our public lands and waters in a meaningful way. Lesser-known

A monster truck in front and a Ferrari in the back. Dave Fusilli had been dreaming of this boat for a few years and hounding the Pyranha design team almost as long; the concept was refined for the regular Scorch size range, whilst the X offers the ra