In celebration of finishing Uni forever, I’ve buggered off to Norway. As the Newcastle ferry was cancelled last year, Nick Horwood, my van and I had to mission the drive from Dunkerque through France, Belgium,  Holland and Denmark to get a ferry to Norway. At the ferry port we were informed that with boats on the roof, we’d be charged over 400 euros to go in the lorry section; so our tetris skills were put to the test trying to fit 4 creek boats and 4 play boats into a van that is fitted out with a bed and kitchen units…

After an evening paddle on some sweet slides and an awesome wave in Evje we headed to Voss in anticipation of the Extremsportveko – a week of extreme sports contests and big parties. The sun shone brightly all week as the extreme sports enthusiasts threw themselves off cliffs, out of planes and off waterfalls – and we were no exceptions!

Church Drop on the “Play Run” of the Raundalselva – Photo: Nick Horwood

Rick Moxon on the Stondelva – Photo: Lowri Davies

Nick Horwood boofin’ the Strondelva – Photo: Lowri Davies

Myself running the S-bend rapid on the Upper Brandseth – Photo: Nick Horwood

Fun on the Upper Brandseth – Photo: Nick Horwood

By Thursday it was time for the Brandseth Downhill – an individual extreme kayak timetrial down a section of river with cool slides, drops and a 7 meter waterfall. There were crowds lining the bank, a live band playing and paragliders flying overhead – all pretty damn cool. The super hot weather had brought the river up making it a faster course with some fun lines. I found myself in second place after both heats and finals, which I was stoked about given the standard of the ladies competing and given I have spent the past few months sat at a computer completing my Masters!There are some cool videos and photos online – check out these videos for starters… Web TV and Fri Flyt – the results of all finalists are listed on that second link.

Last drop of the race section – Photo: Nick Horwood

My luck seemed to have run out by the following day though when Paula Volkmer, Rick Moxon, Nick Horwood and myself headed to the Money Drop section of the Strondelva. The river was high and Money Drop looked sweet. After watching Rick and Paula style it, I lined up for it in front of a crowd of slackliners who were trying (quite unsuccessfully) to walk across the gorge above the drop.

Dropping in to Money Drop – Photo: Nick Horwood

I dropped in on line, but after landing got violently flipped over and found myself doing cartwheel in the right side of the hole. At some point I rolled up long enough to see where I was and at some point I smacked my face with my paddle; before being flushed out under the undercut on river right. Unable to roll against the rock, I pulled my deck only to be shoved even further under the undercut rock. I was pushing off the bottom with my legs and just kept hitting my head on the rock shelf above, unable to get air. I was beginning to wonder if it had all gone horribly wrong when I finally popped up out of the back of the undercut, into a small eddy as the river bends round to the right. Gasping for air and covered in blood pouring from my nose I pulled myself up onto the rocks. Shocked spectators came running to see if I was OK while Rick and Paula collect my boat and paddles. My first proper swim in 6 years… it was bound not to be pleasant! And after a few blood-beard photos, it was time to get back in my boat.

After further high water adventures on the Upper Myrkdel, it was time for carnage of a different sort at the big final party…

Scenic views on the road to Sjoa – Photo: Nick Horwood

Yesterday we drove across some beautiful mountain passes to get to Sjoa, where the river is also very high. Today we had a blast on the play run, then chilled in the sun all afternoon before heading down a big and bouncy Amot gorge before dinner. It’s a hard life

Thanks to Nick, Rick, Paula and Matt for some cool paddling so far and chers to Nick for some sweet photos which can be found on my Flickr album. You can also follow my adventures in 140 character updates on Twitter.

Hucking? off the Falls of Falloch before breakfast -? Photo: Tom Laws

Tom Laws on the Falls of Falloch -? Photo: Lowri Davies

Chris Georgiou going for an alternative line on FoF -? Photo: Lowri Davies

Not a bad christening for the three new boats! Happy that we were now awake, we headed to Glen Etive to find a sea of multi-coloured plastic enjoying good levels on the Etive and tribs. A couple of runs down the Etive and a blast down the ever hilarious Allt a’ Chaorainn set us up nicely for the weekend of frivolities to begin!

Tom Laws on Crack Dawn on the Etive – Photo: Lowri Davies

Chris Georgiou on a chucky Right Angle – Photo: Lowri Davies

The Green Machine almost reaches the bottom of Right Angle before it’s left the top! – Photo: Lowri Davies

After catching up with friend from far and wide at the Ice Factor centre? on Friday night, we settled down for the night:? 3 people, 2 thermarests and 1 van.? Saturday’s organised release was on the river Garry – but fancying ourselves some more rock slidey fun, we headed to another of the Etive’s tribs – the Allt Mheuran. This trib involves a much more arduous walk-in but with a fun team and enough water, it was definitely worth the effort!

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Stuart Watson on the first drop – Photo: Tom Laws

Team runs with High Fives -? Photo: George Mortimer

Chris Georgiou on the final drop of the last crazy-fast chute – Photo: Lowri Davies

After paddling down it every which way, it only seemed right to try it on our bums, in trains and surfing down it. We also tried to see how many people we could fit on a Nomad – videos of these silly antics will no doubt end up online somewhere soon!

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Photo: George Mortimer

Tom Laws, Tim Ripper, Chris Georgiou & myself – Photo: George Mortimer

Awesome fun – like being 10 years old again!

Saturday night was party night – with a mixed uptake of the Superhero themed fancy dress. My favourites were Flash Gordon, Borat, Banzer dressed as Ed Smith, Ed Smith dressed as a thunderbird and? the couliflowers (for sheer randomness). Oh and who can forget Mad Andy dressed as a gorilla?! The party suffered a little from a small venue which closed quite early, but it was good to see everyone. Quote of the evening: “Go spoon yourself, Spoon Girl!”.

Sunday hosted the much anticipated Morriston release – well at least it did once they remembered to switch it on! As ever with organised events like this, there was plenty of carnage to entertain the crowds as hung over paddlers took to the water, not always with the skills to meet the lines. Luckily no-one was badly hurt. It was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to paddle it and really enjoyed it -? some really sweet lines and fun little drops.

All that was left at the end of all that, was the long drive home with? the two PK monkeys.

Tom and Chris prepare for the long trip home…

My photos from the trip can be seen here.

By Wednesday the ban had lifted, the sun was out and Tom had arrived It was time to don the lotion and get on the Sunshine Run.

Mounty fun

Matt Morrisey practicing for Slopejam

Friday meant Slopejam – an invite-only event where competitors throw tricks and stunts in their kayaks? off drops and grind rails made of tree trunks? to impress the judges and wow the crowds. There had been some doubt over whether the event would go ahead with such high water levels, but we were blessed that the mountian stream dropped off quickly enough.

Tim Trew styling the tree grind. Photo: Palm

The whole thing was laid back and utter hilarious making it a lot of fun for all involved. I made it through to the finals against some of the World’s best male? boaters and? with the standard of competition being through the roof, I was really proud that my brother and I were sat alongside them for a two run final. I was also pretty happy to be one of the only competitors who didn’t at some point get nailed in a hole and/or swim! There was definitely a lot to entertain? the spectators! The standard was so high, with? Tim Trew throwing back hammers in a Dagger Green, Matt Tidy? throwing? effortless pan-ams and Jon Davies doing? some big donkey flips,? that a winner could not be decided! Instead,? all finalists were awarded “Victory Honey” presented by the Slopejam Honeys. Tasty.

Hammer time in practice

The top section of the Fournel. Photos:? Little Danny

When Saturday rolled around I provided a group of Bath Uni students with free FlowFree coaching on flatwater cartwheels followed by a FlowFree freestyle coaching session for other coaches. By 5.30pm over a hundred students had gathered at the slalom course in l’Argentiere for the 3rd Student Boater-x. There were five events: Advanced, Intermediate and Beginner students, the “Bloater x” (old boys / non-students) and the Inflatey-x. It included everything you’d ever want from such an event: free beer,? carnage,? controversy and inflatable mushrooms. I was proud again to be just behind the podium positioned guys and the first female by a fair margin in the Expert category. Who knows what I could have achieved if I’d not wettied out of “Skin to Win”?!

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Dagger branded beer!

Dagger branded boys!

Lots of fantastic photos will filter the web and magazines soon – there were loads of expensive cameras being waved about – but I was too busy floating about to take any!

No student event would be complete without an ambulance and as the sunset? one arrived, showing? the results of? cheap beer and “vin dans une boîte”. After BBQs and Pizzas, it was time to gather round a bonfire and tell extravagant lies about the past few days of paddling; although with the amount of lost kit and hospital trips? in the last week, it was probably all true!

More updates to follow soon, to include carnage and dilemas of the highest order… stay tuned!

In four days time, I head out to the French Alps (via? the big wave in Lyon)? with my University Canoe Club – an annual? tradition. Usually we get lovely sunshine and low-to-medium river levels, but this year there has been a lot of snow and a lot of recent rain. Reports from those already out there, including my brother, are that the rivers are super high and brown…? which? should make for an exciting trip!

After two weeks with the club, it will be time to style it up in the first ever invite-only SlopeJam contest on the Fournel and party hard at the Student Boater-x – where I will also be providing free FlowFree coaching clinics for a day.

As the students recover and start to make their way home, I will head a couple of miles up the road to start work with Canoe Control for a month. During this time, I will also be training for the European Freestyle Championships, which I fly to in? mid-July.

Sponsorship update:
After my last post regarding sponsorship, I have recieved a lot of interested and would like to thank anyone that has done anything to help? – whether it resulted in? sponsorship or not. I want to particularly thank:

• Netcase for financial contributions and support
• Sam Lumb? @ Aberystwyth Guild of Students
• The Welsh Canoeing Association
• Ruth Jones, my landlord, who reduced my rent for June by way of sponsorship!
• The guys on sv650.org for all their help and support
• Olympus for a shiny waterproof camera
• SquareRock for continuing playboat? support
• Palm Equipment Europe for continuing kit support

I am featured in the next issue of? Planet Magazine, thanks to Dilwyn Roberts-Young.

Should everything that has been promised come through, I should be on my way to the Europeans without any stresses about financing it, for which I am massively grateful.

And now, to the packing… A parting shot…

Photo taken by Tom Laws

With the BCU’s contract with the Outdoors Show ending last year, Brookbank (the UK’s biggest canoeing retailer) decided to organise a show dedicated to paddling. This was met with mixed responce; paddlers always seeming to find fault in anything people do. Admittedly, the show being organised by one retailer does mean that all sales go through their tills, but there were a wide variety of manufacturers displaying their goods with? their staff and sponsored paddlers on hand to give out top notch advice and information.

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Photos: Lowri Davies

Canoexpo also included a range of talks and seminars on topics ranging from recent expeditions? (both inland and at sea)? to video analysis and tarpology. I was humbled to be slotted between two stunning presentations by Gordon Brown and Duncan Murrell in the Main Theatre. There were four talks on at any one time so it was often a struggle to decide which to go to -? I was glad I was there all weekend!

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Left: Pyranha crew rocking some cool sombreros
Right: Jamies Burbeck
Photos: Jamie Burbeck

Saturday night hosted a Mexican party with appropriate fancy dress, food and a rodeo bull. The parties at these events are usually pretty subdued due to the long hours and early starts expected of all of the exhibitors, but? Saturday saw? hundreds of ponchos, fake tashes and sombreros being sported by company directors and? scruffy? paddlers alike. The bull? didn’t? go lonely? all night.

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Photos: Jamie Burbeck

The Outdoors Show is happening? in March and there will still? be a section devoted to paddling, though probably smaller than in recent years. There will be a canoe pool, which is something I think Canoexpo lacked to allow people to try out boats. The advantage of the Outdoors Show is that you get all the camping, hiking,? climbing and diving stuff within the same complex – which allows a much broader spectrum of people to be exposed to our sport as well as allowing us to take a look at theirs. It could be argued that better discounts are available if there are several retailers, but some of the deals on offer this weekend were pretty impressive (e.g. £150 worth of kit free with a new? boat).

Overall,? the exhibition seemed both busy and well recieved with the talks generally getting excellent feedback.? Most exhibitors seemed happy with how the weekend had? gone, but? I guess we have to wait? to see whether it appears in next year’s calendar to decide if it was a true success. I for one had a good weekend.

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A few of my photos from BUSA are here,? though I only took a few.

Thanks to Machester and Bangor for being so hospitable. Congratulations to the couple who celebrated their 50th anniversary on Saturday and invited 35 students to eat their buffet left-overs and sing karaoke. Oh and congratulations to Nottingham Trent, who apparently won.

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Introduction:

This year’s Dee Tour party theme was ‘P’. As has become tradition, Aber Uni? Canoe Club found? themsleves a theme within the main one;? this time it was Pacman!? James ‘Pieboy’ Allred? came up with the plan and as such found himself with the task of constructing a Pacman costume, while I was elected Ms? Pacman. The other Aber-ites would be fruit beginning with P or the ghosts (aka Poltergeist)? from the game. With a grand? dream of having a? game of human-size Pacman? in the event? marquee, we all had our work cut out!?

Requirements:

• Lots and lots of cardboard boxes
• Bumper size roll of duck tape
• Yellow poster paint
• Red poster paint
• 3m thick red ribbon
• Yellow T-shirt
• Black marker pen
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Ruler
• String
• 10 man hours

Method:?

Firstly, hand in any major pieces of coursework and have a good ol’? cuppa tea? to recover from the inevitablely? obscene hour you stayed up until in order to get it finished.

Right, that’s enough faffing… time for some real work!

Draw a circle? on the two biggest? bits of cardboard you can find, by attaching string (the same length as your desired Pacman’s radius)? to your pencil and putting? the other? end in the centre of the cardboard. Get an adult to supervise while you cut out the circles along the lines.

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Pick a point about a third of the radius and, using your ruler, draw two lines? from? this point to the edge of the circle with about? 70 degrees between them then cut along the lines? to create the mouth. Use the first circle as a stencil for the second circle to ensure they line up.

Next, we constructed a spine. This will stop Ms Pacman rotating while you are busting the moves on the dance floor and give? her structural integrity. I created two prisms and attachached one to each side piece using duck tape, ensuring the prisms? were lined up with on another and in line with where my back would be when in the costume. Cut out? two pieces of cardboard the length of the spine and the width of your shoulders (or widest part of your body) plus? 5cm. Attach the two side pieces by sticking these? two bits of card? either side of the prisms. You should now have a single structure.

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Ms Pacman is starting to? take shape!? Before we put an outer shell on her, she needs a structural bar across the front and shoulder straps between that and? the spine. Time for more cardboard and duck tape!

The final stage in construction is to give her a outer shell, I’m sure you can work out that this requires more cardboard and ducktape! Ensure there is enough space between the back of? her throat? and the spine for you to stand in before layering her mouth… If there isn’t you may be forced to? have a crotchless pacman! Luckily, this wasn’t the case this time.

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Painting – beware this can be messy!!

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Just a few tweeks left, including her big red bow (attached using ducktape doubled back).

Results:

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Plenty of photos are online:
P Party
More P Party
Friday Night
Sock Wrestling

Evaluation:

As Pieboy now lives in Luton, Pacman was constructed seperately. He chose to wear the costume over his head and use? yellow paper to cover the outer, which both initially looked better. The water based paint didn’t cover the duck tape very well and could have done with another coat – but we were already 1.5 hours late to meet the others and the paint had to dry before going in the car!

However? Ms Pacman stood the test of time, while her husband couldn’t handle the effects of beer consumption, pacporn, ceilidh dancing and? drum and bass – lightweight!

Rumour has it there was an ambulance called…?

I have never put such time and effort into a fancy dress costume, but Ms Pacman was? an excellent investment of my time and was part of a most excellent weekend.