Tales from the Cripps

Serrasolses Brothers River Co

    When people talk about the best whitewater kayaker in the world, the list is understandably short. But I doubt there's a list out there that doesn't include Aniol Serrasolses. He's made a name for himself pushing the limits of the sport in almost every aspect: inventing new downriver freestyle moves, first descents, styling huge vertical drops, and exploring the boundaries of big water rivers.

I was lucky enough to catch up with Aniol as he was passing through Boulder, CO on his summer tour of North America. We talk about his relationship with the Stikine, dealing with fear, paddling with Scott Lingren, paddling some of the biggest rivers in Patagonia, as well as his latest transition - building a home on the Rio Futaleufu in Chile and starting a guiding and instructional business.

Find out more about Aniol's guiding, instructional and accommodation offerings at: Serrasolses Brothers River Co (https://www.sbriverco.com/)

You'll find no shortage of video footage of Aniol on the internet, but here a few of the videos mentioned during the interview:

Stikine High Water Solo

Patagonia Quad-crown

The Hunza

High Water Indus


Today's episode's sponsors:

4Corners Riversports
4Corners Riversports is located in Durango, Colorado. They are a full service paddlesports retail and rental store! If you are looking to get on the water, look no further than 4Corners Riversports. Call them at 970-259-3893 or visit their website www.riversports.com

Taylor Barker with The Group Real Estate Steamboat
I have known and paddled with Taylor for years. If you're interested in purchasing a property in the Steamboat area, Taylor is happy to share his expertise and help you find the perfect property. You can reach him at 336-314-4353 or by email at [email protected].

This podcast is being featured in the podcast section of paddlinglife.com.  If you haven’t already visited the site, check it out for news, stories, reviews, and just about anything related to the paddling life.

For comments, questions, or if you have a story worth sharing, pitch it to me:
[email protected]

Send me a text message with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Support the Show.

Coto is back! It's been almost a year and a half since doing one of my favorite interviews with Andrey Coto in episode 9. When we last left him, he had dreams of starting a kayak school in his home town in Costa Rica, in order to pass along all the benefits he's received from kayaking to the next generation.

Coto fills us in on how to go to the Little White race and come home with a wad of cash, how to check 5 kayaks onto an airplane and get a discount, at that. And to cap it off is an update on how the Jaguar Kayak School is progressing, as well as his latest vision for an exchange program.

You can contact Coto at:
https://jaguarkayak.com/
[email protected]
+506 7245 7762
https://www.instagram.com/andrey.coto.robles/
https://www.facebook.com/andrey.c.robles

And don't miss his great edit of running Escalante Creek in Colorado last year.


Today's episode's sponsors:

4Corners Riversports
4Corners Riversports is located in Durango, Colorado. They are a full service paddlesports retail and rental store! If you are looking to get on the water, look no further than 4Corners Riversports. Call them at 970-259-3893 or visit their website www.riversports.com

Taylor Barker with The Group Real Estate Steamboat
I have known and paddled with Taylor for years. If you're interested in purchasing a property in the Steamboat area, Taylor is happy to share his expertise and help you find the perfect property. You can reach him at 336-314-4353 or by email at [email protected].

This podcast is being featured in the podcast section of paddlinglife.com.  If you haven’t already visited the site, check it out for news, stories, reviews, and just about anything related to the paddling life.

For comments, questions, or if you have a story worth sharing, pitch it to me:
[email protected]

Send me a text message with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Support the Show.

In this episode I sit down with Cody Howard for a ride through the undulations of life. Join us as we discuss: learning to kayak in the backyard pool, living through a piece of history in Fallujah,  unlocking whitewater runs in the elusive canyons of Arizona,  witnessing the world record waterfall descent in a kayak, and that's just scratching the surface.

0:00              Introduction
6:00              Learning to kayak in the desert
29:50           Abbreviated college life
34:30           Marine Corps
45:30           Returning to civilian life
56:00           Huckin Huge
1:00:30       Arizona Kayaking
1:10:25        Exploring the West Coast
1:34:00       Palouse Falls with Tyler Bradt
1:42:55       The gorges of Japan
1:51:00       Accidents and adaptations

There's a ton of media out there around Cody's adventures. If you want to find out more, here are a few to get you started:
Arizona mishaps:
https://paddlinglife.com/paddling-life-exclusives/definition-of-an-epic/

The account Cody referenced involving Jason Craig's very serious injury: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6vzcp5

A random collection of clips from the Huckin Huge vimeo account:
https://vimeo.com/huckinhuge

Find additonal photos on Tales From the Cripps Facebook page or Instagram talesfromthecrippspodcast

Today's episode's sponsors:

4Corners Riversports
4Corners Riversports is located in Durango, Colorado. They are a full service paddlesports retail and rental store! If you are looking to get on the water, look no further than 4Corners Riversports. Call them at 970-259-3893 or visit their website www.riversports.com

Taylor Barker with The Group Real Estate Steamboat
I have known and paddled with Taylor for years. If you're interested in purchasing a property in the Steamboat area, Taylor is happy to share his expertise and help you find the perfect property. You can reach him at 336-314-4353 or by email at [email protected].

This podcast is being featured in the podcast section of paddlinglife.com.  If you haven’t already visited the site, check it out for news, stories, reviews, and just about anything related to the paddling life.

For comments, questions, or if you have a story worth sharing, pitch it to me:
[email protected]

Send me a text message with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Support the Show.

Whitewater kayaking doesn't get much more homegrown than the Demshitz. In this episode I sit down with one of the Demshitz founding fathers Dave Fusilli who proves that you can run the shit and not take yourself too seriously. Find out how Dave fulfilled his dream of living in a van down by the river and more.

If you just crawled out from a hole and this is the first time you've heard of the Demshitz, the internet is teeming with great old school Demshitz videos. I didn't bring up most of these largely because the stories are already out there. Here are a few to get you started:

Demshitz Yule Creek 2010... Fusilli's huge crash

Perhaps the most epic save ever caught on video:
Kayaker saved just before swimming over a 60 foot waterfall!!

And of course, the origin of the Brown Claw.

0:00              Introduction
4:00              A brief Demshitz quiz
9:16              My Jah Gorge story
13:52           The origin story
44:02           Busted in Missoula
51:50           Green race in a sea kayak
55:51           Good times on Upper Cherry
1:01:20       Creating the Scorch X
1:12:45       The new Pyranha ReactoR
1:19:40       The relationship between boat design & paddling style
1:26:46       Closing questions


Today's episode's sponsors:

4Corners Riversports
4Corners Riversports is located in Durango, Colorado. They are a full service paddlesports retail and rental store! If you are looking to get on the water, look no further than 4Corners Riversports. Call them at 970-259-3893 or visit their website www.riversports.com

Taylor Barker with The Group Real Estate Steamboat
I have known and paddled with Taylor for years. If you're interested in purchasing a property in the Steamboat area, Taylor is happy to share his expertise and help you find the perfect property. You can reach him at 336-314-4353 or by email at [email protected].

This podcast is being featured in the podcast section of paddlinglife.com.  If you haven’t already visited the site, check it out for news, stories, reviews, and just about anything related to the paddling life.

For comments, questions, or if you have a story worth sharing, pitch it to me:
[email protected]

Send me a text message with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Support the Show.

Jessie Stone, a kayaker with a doctoring problem, joins me to talk about some of the adventures that she's stumbled into by following her impulse to go kayaking wherever it may take her. From getting lost in the jungle following Eric Jackson, to founding Soft Power Health and finding a lifelong career in Uganda, this episode is bound to make you want to grab your kayak and see where it takes you.

0:00              Introduction
6:30              Finding whitewater
18:50           Learning to kayak
27:45           Competitive freestyle
48:47           Misadventures and fitness training in Ecuador
1:06:20       A crash course on paddling the Futaleufu
1:12:55       Back to Africa
1:35:20       Kayaking camps in the United States
1:44:25       Conclusion

Find out more about Soft Power Health at their webpage and ways you can help.

Various other links:

Lost in the Jungle of Ecuador

Soft Power Health Overview Video

Soft Power Health

Jessie Stone Brings Kayaking To Inner City Kids | Dispatches

Doctor-turned-kayaker fights malaria in Uganda

Extreme Kayak Athlete Works to Cure Malaria in Africa

Find numerous photos on Tales From the Cripps Facebook page or Instagram talesfromthecrippspodcast

Today's episode's sponsors:

4Corners Riversports
4Corners Riversports is located in Durango, Colorado. They are a full service paddlesports retail and rental store! If you are looking to get on the water, look no further than 4Corners Riversports. Call them at 970-259-3893 or visit their website www.riversports.com

Taylor Barker with The Group Real Estate Steamboat
I have known and paddled with Taylor for years. If you're interested in purchasing a property in the Steamboat area, Taylor is happy to share his expertise and help you find the perfect property. You can reach him at 336-314-4353 or by email at [email protected].

This podcast is being featured in the podcast section of paddlinglife.com.  If you haven’t already visited the site, check it out for news, stories, reviews, and just about anything related to the paddling life.

For comments, questions, or if you have a story worth sharing, pitch it to me:
[email protected]

Send me a text message with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Support the Show.

In this episode we explore the world with Benny Clark. Benny kayaks to find peace and Benny kayaks to survive. We explore how Benny's mental health history and kayaking history have become intricately linked. And how Benny has found ways to give back both to the kayaking community and to a community struggling with their own mental health issues.

0:00               Introduction
7:05               Life in Ecuador
12:30            Growing up in Canada
26:50            Dealing with mental health
33:20            Homeless and not in a van down by the river
41:20            Learning to kayak
1:05:20        Solo Boating
1:16:40        Paddling with canines
1:24:45        Navigating social media
1:40:38        Managing physical pain
1:58:28        Helping others

If you want to see some photos and learn more about Benny, check out his instagram @theleagueofbeautifulminds .

Today's episode's sponsors:

4Corners Riversports
4Corners Riversports is located in Durango, Colorado. They are a full service paddlesports retail and rental store! If you are looking to get on the water, look no further than 4Corners Riversports. Call them at 970-259-3893 or visit their website www.riversports.com

Taylor Barker with The Group Real Estate Steamboat
I have known and paddled with Taylor for years. If you're interested in purchasing a property in the Steamboat area, Taylor is happy to share his expertise and help you find the perfect property. You can reach him at 336-314-4353 or by email at [email protected].

This podcast is being featured in the podcast section of paddlinglife.com.  If you haven’t already visited the site, check it out for news, stories, reviews, and just about anything related to the paddling life.

For comments, questions, or if you have a story worth sharing, pitch it to me:
[email protected]

Send me a text message with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Support the Show.

Who is Brad Higginbotham: Stunt man? Mad man? Lover? Naturalist? Cover boy? Educator? Family man?

Find out that and more in this episode of Tales from the Cripps with Whitewater of the Southern Rockies cover boy Brad Higginbotham.

0:00            Introduction
9:00            If I could just get off of that L.A. freeway
30:24         Rediscovering kayaking and more
43:00         Living in Washington state
1:03:33     Climbing back from rock bottom
1:11:00     Training for the Stikine
1:20:19     High water in Russia
1:28:15     High water in Baker's Box
1:31:50     Waste not want not with the pooper's society
1:43:47     Q&A
1:53:56     Conclusion

Today's episode's sponsors:

4Corners Riversports
4Corners Riversports is located in Durango, Colorado. They are a full service paddlesports retail and rental store! If you are looking to get on the water, look no further than 4Corners Riversports. Call them at 970-259-3893 or visit their website www.riversports.com

Taylor Barker with The Group Real Estate Steamboat
I have known and paddled with Taylor for years. If you're interested in purchasing a property in the Steamboat area, Taylor is happy to share his expertise and help you find the perfect property. You can reach him at 336-314-4353 or by email at [email protected].

This podcast is being featured in the podcast section of paddlinglife.com.  If you haven’t already visited the site, check it out for news, stories, reviews, and just about anything related to the paddling life.

For comments, questions, or if you have a story worth sharing, pitch it to me:
[email protected]

Send me a text message with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Support the Show.

I had the good fortune to sit down with paddle maker, fitter and turner, kayaker, sailor, adventurer, and all around crazy Kiwi, Mike Nash. Listen as he shares some adventures: learning to kayak in New Zealand, sailing around the world, and his most dangerous adventure of all, learning to make kayak paddles.

Hammer Factor, eat your heart out, because in the last half of this episode we'll explore some of the technicalities of paddle design and paddle making. For those looking lay treats, you'll learn the perfect feather angle, perfect paddle length, grip width, and more.

0:00                        Introduction
7:28                        Learning to paddle in New Zealand
17:24                     How not to paddle solo
21:01                     The pitfalls of wearing a PFD
22:52                     Sailing the seven seas
28:17                     How to roll a sailboa
34:00                     Vetting passengers to Madagascar 
42:08                     Discovering the Pacific Northwest             
47:50                     Fear and loathing in Fear Canyon in British Columbia 
51:20                     Finding the minivan of kayaks
59:14                     Founding Hard Core Paddles
1:41:21                Paddle Taxonomy
2:23:38                Conclusion

Want more?

If you're into #vanlife conversions, you haven't seen a true conversion until you see Mike's rig.
https://paddlinglife.com/travel/paddling-rigs-hard-core-paddles-owners-chevy-express-van-conversion-into-an-adventure-rig/

Learn how Mike found the perfect watercraft to take his wife and 2 large dogs whitewater paddling with him.
https://paddlinglife.com/canoeing/grabner-outside-inflatable-canoe-review/

Check out Hard Core paddles at:
https://hardcorepaddles.com/

Today's episode's sponsors:

4Corners Riversports
4Corners Riversports is located in Durango, Colorado. They are a full service paddlesports retail and rental store! If you are looking to get on the water, look no further than 4Corners Riversports. Call them at 970-259-3893 or visit their website www.riversports.com

Taylor Barker with The Group Real Estate Steamboat
I have known and paddled with Taylor for years. If you're interested in purchasing a property in the Steamboat area, Taylor is happy to share his expertise and help you find the perfect property. You can reach him at 336-314-4353 or by email at [email protected].

This podcast is being featured in the podcast section of paddlinglife.com.  If you haven’t already visited the site, check it out for news, stories, reviews, and just about anything related to the paddling life.

For comments, questions, or if you have a story worth sharing, pitch it t

Send me a text message with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Support the Show.

As David Olson put it, when running the Jarbidge Bruneau section, a series of remote canyons in southern Idaho, "we always thought, ... what would happen out here, if we had an incident..." Well, David and his two companions decided to put that question to the test when they missed a critical portage eddy and dropped into the largest rapid on the run completely blind.

Timeline
0:00               A misadventure on the Jarbidge Bruneau
1:55:44        Jon Hindman: bonus stories, joint replacements, and more

Today's episode's sponsors:

4Corners Riversports
4Corners Riversports is located in Durango, Colorado. They are a full service paddlesports retail and rental store! If you are looking to get on the water, look no further than 4Corners Riversports. Call them at 970-259-3893 or visit their website www.riversports.com

Taylor Barker with The Group Real Estate Steamboat
I have known and paddled with Taylor for years. If you're interested in purchasing a property in the Steamboat area, Taylor is happy to share his expertise and help you find the perfect property. You can reach him at 336-314-4353 or by email at [email protected].

This podcast is being featured in the podcast section of paddlinglife.com.  If you haven’t already visited the site, check it out for news, stories, reviews, and just about anything related to the paddling life.

For comments, questions, or if you have a story worth sharing, pitch it to me:
[email protected]

Send me a text message with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Support the Show.

In late June through early July Orin and Rowan Gartner made their first descent down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in kayaks. At age 10, Rowan tied Bodie Hilleke's record for the youngest known kayaking descent down the Grand Canyon. Orwin, at age 14, also made an impressively young descent. The flow for the trip was around 20,000 cfs, considered a high flow for the run.

Join me for a quick interview with the boys a week after they got off their trip to hear about the experience from their perspective.

To read more about the trip, check out this article in the Durango Herald.

Today's episode's sponsors:

4Corners Riversports
4Corners Riversports is located in Durango, Colorado. They are a full service paddlesports retail and rental store! If you are looking to get on the water, look no further than 4Corners Riversports. Call them at 970-259-3893 or visit their website www.riversports.com

Taylor Barker with The Group Real Estate Steamboat
I have known and paddled with Taylor for years. If you're interested in purchasing a property in the Steamboat area, Taylor is happy to share his expertise and help you find the perfect property. You can reach him at 336-314-4353 or by email at [email protected].

This podcast is being featured in the podcast section of paddlinglife.com.  If you haven’t already visited the site, check it out for news, stories, reviews, and just about anything related to the paddling life.

For comments, questions, or if you have a story worth sharing, pitch it to me:
[email protected]

Send me a text message with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Support the Show.