Charging

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I was lucky enough to get a GoPro camera over break, and have had a lot of fun so far testing it out on the rivers in Chile over my break. The majority of the school went home for Christmas, but I got to stay the entire 6 weeks in Chile, running some stouter rapids. One of the rapids I was most excited to run was “Stout 10″: a burly 10 foot boof that is right above the Middle Palguin, a 70 foot waterfall into a flat pool.

Still Charging

Line Up

Boof

Land

Style

Throw a Brown Claw

Ferry

Feel the Rush

Enjoy The View

Ride It Proud

Check Your Vitals

Fist Pump

Here is a photo sequence I took with my Go Pro of running Stout 10 on Middle Palguin in Chile. I had great lines on both and great fun! I will let the photos say the rest. Hopefully you can get a sense of what it was like to run it.  Enjoy!

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

Using Torso Rotation to Pan Am on Nile Special

New River Academy is back in Chile to kick off our spring semester. We are excited to welcome Jackson Team member Stephen Wright to the team as our Head coach for our time in Chile. Our first day out, we took advantage of our location on the banks of the Trancura river to do a flat water workout. It was great to get everyone back on the water, and to start off the semester by re-emphasizing some of the foundational skills inherent to improving as a kayaker. The following day we had a team paddle on the upper Trancura, where we worked on increasing power in our forward strokes.

Both days, whether river running or playboating, one of the main points that we kept coming back to was the importance of torso rotation for kayaking, and how few paddlers use torso rotation properly. But what exactly is torso rotation? What can we do to improve upon it off the water?

Uppavista Navasana: Feet planted on the floor, belly button drawn up and in.

Lift your torso up out of your hip sockets, rotate to the right, leading from the belly button.

Lean back slightly as you open your arms. Focus on rotating from the belly button, opening your chest and shoulders.

Torso Rotation refers to the action of rotating your torso, or upper body area to gain power for paddle strokes and other motions. Through rotation, the large muscles in your core “wind up”, rather like a spring. When you unwind, these muscles release, allowing for a short burst of power.

This rotation and release is where majority of your power comes from for the kayaker. It  helps to load and power even the most basic forward and sweep strokes, and it is torso rotation that allows for the majority of freestyle kayaking moves- from the simple cartwheel or bowstall, to blunts and other more advanced moves.

One of the main reasons torso rotation is done improperly is that many kayakers rotate from the shoulder girdle, rather than from the lower part of the torso. This is a common mistake in many yoga poses as well. This means that even though your shoulders move from side to side, your ribcage, lower torso and the majority of your abdominal muscles remain still.

I find one of the best visuals for proper rotation is to imagine as though your belly button had a flashlight in it. To rotate properly, you want the beam of the flashlight to move. This means lifting the torso up out of the hip sockets, and leading the rotation from the navel.This twists the lower part of the core, leaving the shoulder girdle quiet and the spine in a single, straight line from hip to crown.

Upavista Navasana : Variation with rotation. 

One great exercise to build core strength and aid in proper rotation is this variation on upavista navasana- or upward boat pose. Core strength is essential for any kayaker- and any yogi! Having a strong core helps protect your spine, support your posture and power your paddling/poses

.

Start seated, knees bent up towards the sky, feet planted firmly on the ground in front of you. Crown of the head is lifted, belly button is drawn in towards the spine. Palms are together in prayer, in front of your heart, elbows out to the side.

Inhale, lift your torso up out of your hip sockets, exhale, rotate to the right, leading from the belly button. Inhale lift, and rotate back to center. Exhale, repeat to the opposite side.

For added variation, as you exhale and rotate, open your arms and lean back slightly. Inhale, hands return to prayer as you lift and rotate back to neutral.

For those who like an additional abdominal workout, try lifting your feet off the floor. This  balancing forces your core muscles to work harder to stabilize your torso as you rotate. I find it is easiest to start by lifting one leg at a time, finding your balance before you begin your rotation.

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

David Miller is happy to be back on the water in Chile!

After spending time at home in the midst of a Canadian winter for 6 weeks I was very ready to come back to Pucon, one of my favorites places in Chile. When I found out that we would only be here for 5 days I was a little disappointed but I knew it was going to be a great 5 days to say the least. The hostel has changed since we have been here last semester making it even safer and more comfortable. There are more places to lock up your gear and electronics. There is even another dome which we use for morning workouts and hanging out in. The boy’s dorm is finished as well. It looks great! There are big rooms with many beds and beautiful paintings on the wall. The family-like atmosphere of the hostel is even better with more paddlers and more students. We have two new additions to our school this semester: Paul and Keaton. They joined us to take part in the gap year program at NRA. They take a few classes with us and paddle with us everyday!

Another thing that was scarce in Canada in the winter was paddling. It was so great to get back to Chile and paddle the first day right in our own backyard. On the Rio Trancura there is a fun play hole that we paddled our first day with our new coach Stephen Wright. Not only is he one of the best playboaters in the world but he is also an amazing creeker. He is extremely well qualified to teach us both playboating and creeking and has already taught me and everyone else so many new things. He was able to help me improve my bow stall immensely by saying a simple two words. We are definitely lucky to have !Stephen! as a coach. The first day we were back on the water we had every student out there paddling which is a rarity for us. It was an awesome way to start off the quarter.

As much as we love the hostel we won’t be here for long. In two days we are leaving for the Fuy to meet up with the parent trip before returning to Pucon. The Fuy is about two hours away from Pucon. The section that we will be running is a class 3+ creek with a few drops. It is a few hours south so it may be a little bit more chilly. After the Fuy we will be back in Pucon for a few days then we are heading to the Futalafu. The Futa will be a long journey for us. It is about and 18 hour drive south so it will definitely be colder in Futa. On the Futalafu we will be doing lots of playboating. It is a big volume river with lots of fun play waves. Can’t wait to make it to these other two destinations but I will sure miss Pucon.

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

After much time spent viewing the scenery and interacting with others from ‘No Alto Maipo” we left for the 4 hour drive to the coast. The drive took us back through the mountains, and out into the agricultural valley below. We passed by Santiago and what seemed like endless miles of vineyards and farmland until we finally began to rise once again into the the hills which flank the ocean. The feeling was electric when we finally glimpsed the vast body of water- massive waves, relentless surf, and long dark beaches. We had finally arrived at our play boating destination; Pichilemu. This small town would be our base for the next 5 days as we tested our skills on the ocean waves. We managed to get out on the surf the first day, however we took it easy and went directly out as opposed to going to the large point break which forms farther down the beach. The waves surprised me in their size and magnitude, they made arial tricks not only possible, but almost hard NOT to throw! Our second day was even better, we headed out to the point break and caught some of the big waves there. Here they dwarfed us in our little play boats and frequently caught us and tossed us around, it seemed that the wave was demanding a toll for every trick. Most of the time we caught them but on occasion one of us would get close, miss, and go head over the heels into a tumble lasting a couple seconds, making for some hilarious wipeouts and beat downs. Fortunately we had 2 GoPros with us, meaning we got plenty of footage of tricks, and the subsequent beat downs. On one such occasion I threw a Pan-Am, (a trick I have been working on all year) and caught it on camera (finally!).

The surf might be the thing that brought us to Pichilemu, but it was the lifestyle that has enticed me to want to come back. The towns culture is unlike anything I have ever seen. A kind of cross between California surf culture, and small town Chilean customs. There is a big main strip consisting of everything from surf shops, to empanada stands. Horse’s and carriages parade around the town, enticing tourists and locals alike, and coffee shops dot the sidewalks offering a temporary reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the surfing lifestyle.

And that brings us to where we are now, sitting in a cafe writing these blogs and updating our Facebook, preparing for another day of paradise and surfing, we leave for the Rio Claro tomorrow, and though I will miss this place, I cannot help but be excited for the next leg of our trip; the infamous Pucon.

portaging "Sunshine"

I have come here looking
to come to terms with myself and my past through kayaking. This is my 40 days
in the desert, it is my chance to figure out who I am and what I will do in the
world, and why. I hope to realize the faults I’ve made throughout my life and
what I can do to fix myself. Other than that, I am just going to kayak as hard
as I can and become as good as I possibly can, with the hopes that kayaking
will free me from the chains that have been holding me back all my life.

The view from our house

I heard about New River while doing a summer program called the Keeners on the Ottawa river. It sounded amazing and I was convinced it was the right thing for me. It is a perfect opportunity to get out and see the world, while also kayaking, before university. 12 Months after hearing about the program here I am in the Maipo valley in Chile! My first day included a sweet run on the lower Maipo, and I am very excited for our run today!

Video by Hunt Jennings.

Boofing on the Autoboof on the Nevados: Try not to land too flat, and stay forwards!

Jake Greenbaum leads Alex Muck and Kincaid Wurl down the Entres section of the Claro. Waterfalls Abound!

It is waterfall season here in Chile! Pucon, like much of Chile is a mecca for clean waterfall runs,  with the Nevados and the Upper Palguin in close proximity. This equals a lot of fun for kayakers, but can result in a lot of stress on your spine.

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now. New River Academy spent our last week of school up at the Claro river, where we made the most of the three waterfall runs with in a few miles of river. Upstream of our campsite was the 22 Saltos run, (Salto being Spanish for waterfall). Just below the campsite was the Entre Saltos run, leading into Garganta canyon, and a short drive below that is the Siete Tazas, or 7 teacups. 7 clean lipped waterfalls ranging from 5-20 feet.  It is a truly amazing stretch of whitewater, and should be classed as a Chilean national treasure.

With the school, we shunned our regular morning workouts in favor of yoga, yoga, and more yoga, to help stretch out and relieve some of the pressure caused by the compression on landing. The Claro river is gorged in, which made it necessary to hike boats in and out, putting even more stress on our bodies. Carrying boats for long distances, whether you put it on your shoulder, or your head creates high amount of stress on muscles in your back, neck and shoulders.

On my recent trip south to the Cochamo region of Chile, some members of our group hiked their boats in 12 kilometers to run the Cochamo river. After our trip to the Cochamo, we moved south to the Negro, where one of our group suffered from a severe back spasm. It put him out for 6 hours or more- and made me even more motivated to maintain a daily yoga practice- even if only for 20 minutes. New Years Resolution for 2012: A happy spine!

Here is a short and sweet series I do to warm up and or cool down before paddling. It usually takes me around 20 minutes, and hits all six movements of the spine- Flexion, Extension, Lateral (Side to Side) and Rotation (Left and Right). Moving your spine in every direction will help keep it happy and healthy.

Happy Yoga and kayaking!

Short and Sweet Yoga series

Lay down on your back. Inhale, reaching your arms up over your head. Extend your arms and legs away from each other, lengthening in opposite directions. Inhale and extend. Exhale, lengthen your left foot away from you as you arc your arms slightly to the right.  Inhale, back to center, Exhale, repeat on the opposite side: lengthen your right foot towards the end of your mat, reach your arms up and over to the left, maintaining your hips and pelvis in contact with the mat.

Return your arms to your side. Inhale, Exhale as you draw your knees up to your chest. Reach your arms up around your legs, clasping your hands. Again, try to maintain as much contact as possible between your lowerback and the mat. I tend to spread my knees wide, so that they fall into the crook of my elbows. Rock gently back and forth, massaging your lowerback into the mat. Return to center, inhale, and as you exhale, gently press your knees further in to your chest. Imagine your lower back widening out onto the mat.

Inhale, exhale, drop both of your knees down to the right, coming into a gentle spinal twist. Allow your left arm to extend out to the left, and look back at the fingers on your left  hand. Your right hand can apply gentle pressure on the top of your knees. Take several breaths here before inhaling your knees back to center. Repeat on the opposite side.

Return your feet to the mat,  so that you are lying with a flat back, knees bent, feet firmly planted about hip width apart. From this position, we are going to play with a small little micro-movement of the spine to warm it up.  Inhale, and allow your lower back to arch up off the mat, pressing your hip bones towards your thighs. Exhale, and roll your pelvis back towards your shoulders, pressing your lower back flat on the mat. This is a really tricky motion! Give a fake cough, and notice what happens as your stomach contracts. Your hips and back should press firmly into the ground. I often have people place a few fingers in the hollow created by arching your lower back, and then attempt to flatten your fingers as you bring your hip flat. Repeat several times. If you like, you can press into a bridge from here. Bring your arms flat by your sides, inhale, exhale, press into your feet as you  lift your hips, driving your belly button to the sky.

Come to a seated position. (Sukhasana or cross-leg) Inhale, arms lift over your head, gaze looks up. Exhale, Chin and arms lower. Repeat 3-6 times.

Inhale, Arms lift. Exhale, allow your belly button to rotate over your right knee. Right arm drops down behind you, Left hand drops and resists against the outsides of your left leg. Gaze looks over your right shoulder. Hold for 2-4 breaths. Inhale back to center. Exhale repeat opposite on the opposite side.

Inhale, arms lift. Exhale, allow your hands to clasp together behind your head. Thumbs are pointed down your neck, fingers interlaced, elbows are bent. Imagine your elbows like a pair of wings. Inhale, allow your head to drop back into your hands, opening your throat and chest,  opening your wings as your elbows move further away from each other.  Exhale, tuck your chin to your chest, and allow your upper back to round, as you try and close your wings by touching your elbows together in front of your face. Repeat 4-6 times.

Come onto all fours in a table position. Start with a gentle cat/cow stretch. Inhale as your belly fills with air, and your belly drops  to the ground, as if it was a cow with heavy udders. As you exhale, draw your bellybutton up into your spine, and feel your spine arch like an angry cat. Start the motion from the base of your spine, tucking your tailbone under you as you arch, drop your chin to your chest, gaze looks back between your legs. Hold this pose, imagine your shoulderblades widening out away from eachother, sliding down each arm. Move back and forth between the two postures, inhale as your belly fills and drops, exhale as you draw your bellybutton to your spine and arch.

Return to a neutral table, Exhale, look over your right shoulder for your right hip, curving your spine into a c-shape. Inhale back to center, exhale repeat on the opposite side. I do 2-3 each side.

Allow your tailbone to drop back onto your heels, bringing your chest to your knees for childs pose. Relax here.

Press into your palms to return to all fours. Tuck your toes under, straighten your legs, leaving your arms on the ground infront of you as you come into a forward fold. Allow yourself to hang here. Head is down, back is relaxed, relax your jaw. You can grab opposite elbows, and allow your self to dangle. Shake your head yes, shake your head no, and slowly roll up, moving one vertebra at a time to come into a standing position.

Swing your arms gently from side to side as if you were were wearing a coat with empty sleeves. Smile, and have a great day !