This is kayaking to me. The purest version of why I kayak in the first place. A few weeks ago Isaac Hull and I had the funnest and stoutest waterfall day I’ve ever had kayaking bombing from the top of the Jalacingo River all the way to the bottom of the Seven Sisters on the Alseseca in Mexico.

A few days earlier, we’d paddled almost the whole thing but ran out of daylight after getting lost on a couple of portages and being extra careful on scouting features because there were some sketchy rapids we had to portage. So this time, with the lines dialled and the river already in our heads, we set out again. And when you know the river, when you can just truck and trailer your way through rapids and off waterfalls without stopping. It becomes fast-paced and flowy in the same way skiing or biking does. That’s my favourite kind of kayaking.

The first of the “big five” waterfalls was Twisted Pleasure, and I’d like to downplay it, but I was actually pretty proud of my line there. I’ve been making some fine adjustments to how I 45-boof to stomp waterfalls, and this one felt textbook. There’s less room to make mistakes when you go for the 45-boof, but when you hit it right, it’s the softest way to run a waterfall. Softer than a traditional plug even. So the next step is to just do it on something even bigger ;)

Straight after came Dirty. My line was a little sketchy this lap, I managed to avoid the caves on both sides still … YEET! Number 3 of the “big five” was Dungeon, an epic 30-footer with a curler that you can fly off. Just a classic big ol’ Mexican boof into a tight and spectacular gorge. Even though Mexico is warm, some of those canyons are tight and dark, so I was happy to be in my Fuse drysuit. The GlideSkin neoprene neck without the latex seal means I could keep full functionality and comfort of a semi-dry, but not be soaking wet and cold in the canyons.

I can’t write this and not mention all the in-between rapids down the Jalacingo. It’s stacked with smaller high-quality rapids that kept the stoke high all the way down.

We made sure we didn’t miss the portage for Black Hole, a peering off the edge into a terrifying 100-footer landing on the opposing wall, six people have accidentally blue angeled off it, not realizing it was there and somehow all survived. Looking at it with my own eyes makes me think it must be one of the craziest survival stories of humankind.

By hour three the Jalacingo had merged with the Alseseca, and we arrived at the last two crux moves of the day, Tomata 1 & 2. Isaac and I had surprised ourselves with what a good time we had made, and had conveniently caught another crew who had rocked top for a park and huck session on Tomata 1. More safety meant it was rude not to go for the back freewheel. I’ve thrown quite a few big back freewheels lately, and on a sharp-lipped waterfall like Tomata 1, they’re honestly easier for me than running it straight. You’re actively doing something on the way down instead of dealing with the touchiness of setting and holding your bow down. Disclaimer: If you want to do big back freewheels, it’s a good idea to practice them on a 15 ft and gradually work your way up, making sure you learn how to get your nose back down and not land flat. I threw mine clean, felt the control, and came up upright. It was one of those non-existent hits that makes you wonder whether someone should probe a 200 footer!

Isaac followed with his first big back free wheel attempt. I’d watched him thrown an insanely clean one off Double Drop in Norway early in the season, so he was definitely ready to give it a go. He somehow threw a little bit oververt which is so unforgiving, and sent him onto his head. The flow, fortunately, was perfect and the hit wasn’t too bad at all.

The last of the crux moves of the day was Tomata 2. Normally, the notorious amount of carnage there has been on this drop would make me a little scared, but after running so many waterfalls in the last few hours, fear had left the chat. We couldn’t set proper safety since it was just the two of us and the route into the pool is cliffed out, so we opted for rolling safety. We figured our odds were good for at least one of us to make it through, so the one who made it through could help the other if they had a problem. Ironically, we both ended up hitting a flake on the lip and it sent us flying onto our heads, instantly ejecting on impact. I had dropped about 20 seconds after Isaac and as soon as I came up after ejecting, I started looking for him to save me. Instead, I burst out laughing as I spotted him and his yard sale in the pool too. The pool, luckily, was huge, so getting everything back didn’t take long before finishing off the lap with the joy run of the Seven Sister Section. Never something to underestimate, it’s one of the most fun little sections out there!

Looking back on that day it was one of the best kayaking days I’ve ever had. If you are looking at building some more Dad Lore (or mum lore) I would definitely advise a kayaking trip to Mexico!

The post The Stoutest Waterfall Day in Mexico – Todo Jalacingo into Alseseca appeared first on Palm Equipment.

The plan was formed after a phone call from David where he told me about some first descent missions he’d found in Northern Norway and Sweden. The plan was set, a couple of weeks hitting the classics in the south and then follow spring to the north on the hunt for adventure.

It was just a few days into our trip, during a snowstorm, that all the online river gauges were showing as low or empty which got me thinking of some of the possibilities for paddling despite this. I had visited this set of waterfalls last year whist in the area, knowing the river Sjoa needs to be as low as possible to make the sequence achievable it got us motivated to go and check out ‘Egglesfossen’ a two-stage waterfall sequence with a heinous exit slot and syphon-filled rapid below, above the Ridderspranget section of the Sjoa. After detailed scouting, safety and puzzle work, Oli took off, getting great lines on the first two waterfalls and somehow managed to land in the small eddy above the third part, the slot. He decided to climb out from there instead of getting a surefire beating in the slot below, wise boy! Yann and I followed, deciding to only run the top drop as the stopper at the top of the second drop looked incredibly powerful and I understand that I’m not as strong as Oli to make it through it and I don’t need to have my lack of power proved to me by the river.

We managed to paddle an impressive amount of different rivers with challenging weather and water levels in Dagali, Voss, Sjoa, Oppdal and Rauma. Numedalslagen, Teigdalselvi, Myrkdalselvi, Raundalselvi, Hommedal, Strandelvi, Jordalselvi, Songdalslva, Finna, Sjoa, Driva, Ulvaa, Grovu, Forra. After an all time three weeks hitting up those Norwegian classic rivers, it was time to journey north.

Our time in the north started with a bang, high water all around and the weather had started to warm up, starting with the Store Elva and then we headed to tick off all the classic runs around the Trofos area. This was epic to be paddling new rivers every day with great friends and water levels, however, Norway will always remind you the river is always the boss. Complacent moments were turned into humbling reminders of this and plenty of swims followed. We can always learn from these moments, fortunately, we took the time to reflect on what this means for the group and individuals.

After some stout times the road trip carried on north, having David caravan ‘Goldie’ as part of the team was a dream, not just when the weather was cold, but also for the notorious mosquitos of the north. From Trofos we headed further north, once again paddling new rivers until we hit the slight issues of ‘too much’ water in a lot of the rivers. As it turned out, although coming up to the end of June, the snowmelt had only just begun and spring had only just sprung. We were too early, the rivers were at the peak of the snowmelt period, whist for some rivers that is amazing, for many this means the dangers are blown out of proportion and make them not possible without serious risk.

David had tempted us this far North with the word of adventure, there was plenty of stoke and excitement of what we could get up to. At this point we are in the final days of June, inside the Polar Circle, latitudinal 67° north. Each morning and evening we would chat about options and issues, one big issue we found out was how frozen the area would be, if there would be enough water in the river and if we can even reach some of the places we want to get to. It was Adrian’s smart idea to dive into the Instagram location searching, he stumbled on a contact for a helicopter pilot in the area that had posted photos of the area we wanted to explore the year before. After a few messages to the pilots friends who had been flying in the area recently it was clear that it was still winter and the area was impossible to navigate with thick snow, ice sheets and frozen lakes.

Alas, as time passed we were slowly realising our schedules wouldn’t allow us to wait for summer to melt enough ice and we have to park the big plans for another time. We did however still catch some amazing moments, Junkerdalselva laps, lesser paddled waterfalls and even a rarely explored multi-day in Sweden.

It’s a bold claim to say ‘first’ descent of a river in Norway and Sweden, plenty of adventures have been and it’s where the sport was pioneered, including Brits Lee Royle and Rory Woods huge 2014 tour aptly named “Padjelanta project” where it seemed they were on a mission to do as many multi-day missions as possible in Norway and Sweden. The Seldutjåhkå, however wasn’t on their map, or any map related to kayaking at all. We were onto something new thanks to David’s research on Google Maps.

The mission was set, around 7-8 km hike in from the main road on an established hiking trail, we would then have 200 m of altitude drop over the 10-15 km with around 15 km of flat water to reach the car at the bottom. This has to go down in history as one of the shortest shuttles to do in the world just 30 minutes for a multi-day?

After a successful pain free hike, it was straight to the rapids, giving us pool drop slides and rapids for the first 2 km, all good to go, quality white water. After plenty of fun and an hour or two of beautiful flat water we reached the first of two canyons (from what we could tell on Google Maps) upon a quick drone fly down the canyon it seemed that the first canyon was good to go, but the second canyon was a sure fire portage. We decided to call it a day as we’d spotted a good camp spot above the canyon near the river, although the sun never stopped beating down on the tent all night we decided to enjoy our time in the beautiful landscape instead of rushing back to normality, and for what?

After a questionable night’s sleep from the searing sunshine or Oli’s hundreds of mosquito bites, we were ready to hit the river again. The Palm Helios top is so good, but while it protected us from the sun’s rays, we found out the hard way that it wasn’t mosquito-proof as we initially thought. Oli had been hanging out all evening in his top (see photo above), thinking he was safe from bites, he was actually a very tasty snack. Once on the water, we found quality kayaking, an easy portage around the second canyon and another day of sunshine. The pool drop bedrock rapids proved to all go, and we enjoyed the long meandering paddle out back to the car.

We later found out later this river has been paddled back in the 90’s or early 2000’s, but that doesn’t matter to me, we had a great a great adventure, figuring out logistics and showing ourselves down the river and having a great time doing so.

After we wrapped up this brilliant two days on the water we had one last ditch scout for a mission nearby, after more drone scouting, we found gold, but the stouts were far too high. We drove south shortly after, we were left disappointed with so many potential expeditions shut down because of things outside our control. But we left with plenty more on our ‘list’, ready to come back in the future for more adventures. I’m thankful to everybody I got to hang out with over the two-month adventuring, from a speed lap to an expedition, to helping me with a Sudoku. Massive thanks to David for amazing company, finding so many adventures and incredible love for photography.

For those looking to explore Norway the whitewater.guide app is a great place to start looking for paddling, Facebook groups such as Sjoa River People and Norwegian Kayaks For Sale are both highly active and great ways to find people to paddle with and buy/ sell gear.

Norway can be great any time of the warmer months, you can follow the water north (like we did) all the way through to September as you wish. And don’t be put off by all the hard white water, there’s just as much grade 2/3 white water for everyone to get their teeth into.

The post Kayaking Inside the Polar Circle – Norway appeared first on Palm Equipment.

1. Neo pogies

Cold fingers are no fun. Keep the chill off with the Neo pogies – snug neoprene mitts that wrap around the paddle shaft for warmth and grip. Easy to slip on and off mid-session, they’re an essential piece of gear for winter paddling.

2. Tsangpo suit (men’s & women’s)

The ultimate base layer for cold days on the water. Made from super-soft Pontetorto fleece, the Tsangpo suit is a full-body hug of warmth that layers perfectly under a drysuit. Flatlocked seams, stretchy comfort, and a clever two-way zip make it a winter paddler’s dream.

3. Gradient 3.0 boots

Grip, protection, and all-day comfort – the Gradient 3.0 boots are built for rugged riverbanks and slippery portages. Supportive yet flexible, they’re a solid upgrade for serious paddlers. Available in black or Sherbet+Turquoise to suit your style.

4. Rocket kids’ suit

Little paddlers deserve proper kit too. The Rocket suit is a full-featured whitewater drysuit scaled down for kids – lightweight, comfy, and built for big adventures. A brilliant way to keep the next generation warm, dry, and smiling on the river.

5. Surf hood

Say goodbye to brain freeze. The Surf hood keeps your head and neck toasty, so you can stay out longer when the water’s icy. A snug fit and soft lining make it a must for cold-water sessions. The quick-dry thermal lining helps you get back on the water the very next day – no excuses.

6. Poncho Grande

Change anywhere, stay warm, stay dry. The Poncho Grande is the post-paddle essential – soft, oversized, and perfect for discreet changes in car parks or on riverbanks. Ideal for paddlers who hate getting changed in the cold or waiting around in the cold between sessions.

7. Eyewear band

A simple stocking filler that saves your glasses or sunnies. This comfy neoprene band keeps your sunglasses secure so you can focus on having fun.

8. Lightning throwline

The Lightning throwline lives up to its name – light, accurate, quick to deploy and pack. Whether you’re rescuing a mate or practising your throws, it’s the go-to safety line for whitewater paddlers.

9. Downstream drybag

Pack smart, stay dry. The Downstream drybag has a clever vent valve that lets you squeeze out excess air for compact packing – perfect for multi-day trips or just keeping your gear tidy. Available in two sizes and that bright chilli-clear finish you’ll actually spot in the boat.

10. Tsangpo hat

Warm, wicking, and super soft – this fleece hat is perfect under a helmet or for riverside lounging. It’s one of those things paddlers don’t realise they need until they’ve got one. Made from the same Pontetorto fleece as our Tsangpo range, it packs down small but comes in handy when you need it.

Want more advice on what to get the paddlers in your life? Explore the full range on our Palm Equipment website or pop by your local Palm retailer – and make this season one to remember.

The post Paddlers’ gift guide 2025 appeared first on Palm Equipment.

We have three main races, each event has it’s own unique style, designed to test your paddling ability. The Upper Tummel McLarens Giant Slalom challenges your technique, speed and agility. The Garry Boater X (GBX) tests your sprinting and stamina. The Moriston Enduro demands everything you have, physically and mentally, on and off the water.

The last couple of years the Garry Boater X and Moriston enduro have only been open for adults over the age of eighteen to race, until 2025. This year, James Fleming has been working behind the scenes in his personal time to make competing possible for juniors in both the Garry Boater X and Moriston Enduro. This has given us juniors the opportunity to push our development and experience being apart of some of the best white-water, high adrenaline races in the UK, and I for one was excited to be a part of them.

McLarens Giant Slalom, River Tummel

The first event of the 2025 season was the McLarens Giant Slalom, organised by Aaron White and Jamie Peden. The race is set up on the main rapid McLaren Falls on the Upper Tummel, it’s a short section of river with slalom gates set to make a sick extreme slalom racecourse. We each had five attempts to set the fastest time possible without missing any gates. This year, the event fell on one of the hottest days of the year, it was twenty-eight degrees, it felt absolutely scorching with the sun splitting the trees and I knew it would be an all-time day. During the day my laps just kept getting faster and cleaner and after everyone had finished their last lap, we all chipped in to get the course dismantled and tided everything away. I ended up coming placing twenty-first with my fastest lap coming in at 65.43 seconds about ten seconds off the fastest lap. After all the results and prize giving was complete, some of us went for a joy lap down the river to finish the day off.

Garry Boater X

The next event of the season was the Garry Boater X the largest race event of the three with over eighty people racing. The Garry Boater X is a head-to-head race with heats of six people starting together from the eddy at the top, then race all the way through the rapids, finishing six hundred meters downstream at the takeout bridge. Everyone raced four laps, no matter the place you finished you still qualified through to the next round, the more rounds you won, the higher ability final you would end up in, likewise for the less experienced, everyone ended up racing with similar ability level races throughout.

With each round came a different sort of battle whether it was a fight off the start line with paddles flying everywhere, or a fight to stay on the race line. There was some intense competing going on from everyone, especially the other local kids who were getting stuck in and giving it there all. This was just awesome to watch and to be part of.

One of the things that I was super stoked to see was one of the local juniors, Sam Robinson (fourteen years old), giving most of us a run for our money which was just sick. There was one point Sam and I were battling side by side, Sam managed to get out in front of me and I was so stoked for him that I started cheering him on even though he was out running me until I managed to get passed him on the very last rapid. With each heat getting harder, the competition kept getting closer to the point that we were battling side by side down the entire river to the last rapid where the crowd were lined along the riverbank and on the bridge cheering everyone on across the finish line. The atmosphere was amazing, it was just sick to see everyone having a good time. Once the final heats came through and everyone was off the water it was then time for prize giving, there was a prize and medals for the first three people across the finish line in the top three for male and female, veteran and Junior. As well overall prizes there were prizes for each ability level, advanced (gold), intermediate (silver) and beginner (bronze).

Moriston Enduro

The last event of the season, the Moriston Enduro is the toughest, most physical and hardest race of the year. With three hours of pain, the day starts off with registration, bib collection, race briefing and a mandatory practice lap. The three hours of adrenaline and pain started, paddling 600 metres of class 4 whitewater and hiking back up to the start makes this the most physically demanding event of the three. There are three different categories of race you can chose to target, you can race for the most laps, the fastest individual lap, or the fastest three laps which include your time running back to the put on. I personally like this event, not only because the Moriston is one of my favourite rivers but getting to paddle laps of the river without stopping and paddling the same rapids repeatedly, makes you begin to dial in the sweet spots and get a reel feel for clean lines and smooth transitions from feature to feature. 

At last year’s enduro I had managed ten laps in the three hours, this year I managed to up my pace a bit, crushing out thirteen laps. I was stoked on beating last year’s personal record. Some of the guys were on an absolute mission with both the male and female records being smashed out the park this year, with Johny Hawkins and Rhona Callander coming in with the most laps at nineteen and twelve laps respectively. As always, it was an absolute blast to be a part of such an incredible event, and safe to say, I will be looking forward to trying to beat my PB at next year’s Enduro. 

That’s a wrap for summer of ’25 whitewater river racing in Scotland, it’s been an unreal year of events with good laughs and some seriously good competing across the board. I am looking forward to getting stuck into next year’s events. Summer of 2026 bring it on …

Useful links –
Scotland water releases – https://www.paddlescotland.org.uk/go-paddling/water-releases
Find next years events – https://www.paddlescotland.org.uk/find-a-course

Garry Boater X – https://www.instagram.com/garryboaterx/
Morriston Enduro – https://www.instagram.com/moristonenduro/

The post Out-run the competition  appeared first on Palm Equipment.

For me, that accident played over and over in my head with a whole heap of what-if variables changing each time it replayed. But one thing to come from this was the strong urge to visit my close friend’s final adventure. Adam and I met through the strong community of university kayakers in Cardiff at the time and paddled regularly in South Wales together, we bonded over working at Cardiff International White Water, training up and coming paddlers through the club and paddling new rivers together like an unforgettable day on the Pysgotwr in mid Wales.

Just months before Adam Vaughan set off for his trip to South America, Adam and I sat around a campfire, on a sunny rock, by the side of the river in Norway. Discussions between us were had each evening on where to explore next and the endless possibilities on this earth. Asia attracted us a lot, but Adam had spent a year before studying abroad for his University course studying the Spanish language in Colombia. Adam talked very highly of his time there, experiencing adventure like no other, scouting with machetes through the rainforest, sleeping in the jungle and the unlimited amount of adventure potential the rainforest could provide. It had us both hooked on spending time there, I made a deal with Adam, if I didn’t have a job when it came to November we would go to South America together. 

Alas, as summer 2017 progressed I secured a dream job in slalom coaching that would be flexible allowing me to carry on pursuing my dream of travelling with my kayak and coach a bunch of up and coming kids from Wales. As winter approached Adam headed to South America on his own to carry on exploring, leading to his final expedition exploring the Upper Abanico section of river. 

Eight years on and it felt like the time was right to go and visit this pristine place in memory of my friend, although there were plenty of other friends interested in joining this trip it was Oli Cooper who joined me for this adventure. Oli was eleven at the time of the accident and a part of the slalom group I was coaching when the shocking news hit. It felt incredible to me to come through the grieving process where I had so much self-doubt about pursuing my own kayaking as well as introducing and inspiring so many young people into a sport that with one wrong decision can take life away from us. Over the years of coaching and mentoring Oli, it felt incredible to be strapping our kayaks to our backs to start a five-hour hike over the mountain pass to get to the Abanico River. 

Within fifteen minutes of hiking up the steep uphill trail, we looked at each other, sweat dripping, exhausted and the heat of the equatorial sun beating straight down on us both. Knowing we were locked into a few more hours of both uphill and searing heat we both lacked optimism but decided to keep plodding on one step at a time. 

Four hours, 950 metres of elevation and a lot of sweets later, we made it to the top of the trail and got our first view of the Abanico Valley in front of us through the thick rainforest. A short hour later the horse track ran out and we made it to the crystal clear pristine river. A powerful influx of emotions rushed through me the second my boat hit the water and droplets splashed my face. A moment to reflect on the untouched beauty of the rain forest and we were charging down the class joy of the boulder garden rapids. 

Although we followed in the footsteps of my friend, a later descent, documented with love as the second descent had completed the mission at low water in 2022 noting at low levels the rapids were not particularly hard, just fun weaving between big boulders in the scenic wilderness. This gave us the confidence to enjoy the ten kilometres of class joy kayaking to the main road bridge where we took out. Aside from holding back emotions through each rapid, we reflected on how good the quality of kayaking was throughout the whole length of the Abanico Canyon. 

For me, as I floated through the final flat part of the canyon it gave me time to reflect on many decisions of the past eight years, most significantly continuing to chase my dreams of progressing my kayaking skills, adventuring off the beaten path and mentoring the next generation of paddlers to believe in themselves to achieve anything they set their minds too. The sport is humbling and beautiful, it gives us so much that without the sport we would not be the people we want to be and without the sport, we would not have met the incredible people in our lives. For me, reflection left no regrets, chasing dreams and inspiring the next generation and I will continue to do so for as long as possible.

In loving memory of Adam Vaughan, Alex McGourty and David Higgins.

The post Upper Abanico River, Ecuador – January 2025 appeared first on Palm Equipment.

I get asked the question a lot – when did you first start paddleboarding? And I always give the same answer – 2014, South coast UK, sunny Devon, there was no surf and it was so hot I needed to be by the water, so finally agreed to go paddleboarding with my housemates who’d been badgering me to give it a go for a while. Got a bit cocky, fell off whilst waving at a yacht.

But I suppose I’ve never really paid much attention to how pivotal that one experience was – never really appreciated how much those people who lent me a board and took me out paddling with them unknowingly changed my life.

And I suppose I’ve always been so comfortable with the water, so privileged to have had the free time and means and people around me to nurture a joyful relationship with the ocean, that giving SUP a go that day was an extension of my time spent in the sea that already formed a big part of my life. And I happened to love it, it opened up a whole new way of exploring the coast to me, and became my vehicle for communicating some of the ocean’s most pressing and beautiful stories.

After paddleboarding from Land’s End to John o’ Groats in 2018, which was in equal parts a vehicle for talking about plastic pollution and a huge personal journey of grief and sadness, I was moved with gratitude for the connection I had to the ocean, a sudden realisation of how incredibly lucky I was to have had the opportunities for spending time with the ocean that I had had, and the ability this gave me to heal and explore and find freedom amongst sadness. I was really touched by how deeply important a personal connection to the ocean is for inspiring stewardship of blue spaces, and indeed many of the people I met along those 1,000 miles from the bottom to the top of the UK who were looking after their patch of ocean spoke eloquently of the incomparable role the water played in their personal lives too.

Shortly after finishing that expedition, with those realisations close to hand, Seaful was born – a charity dedicated to connecting more people to the ocean. Our Vitamin Sea Project specifically facilitates in-person water experiences for those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the water by, for example, snorkel, or paddleboard. 

Palm have been with us on this journey from the word go, donating buoyancy aids for adults and kids for our SUP offerings with refugees, Young Carers and inner city children who we’ve taken paddleboarding for the first time. And this year, I was given the opportunity to introduce this amazing sport to women in my own community in the Scottish Highlands, thanks to generous funding from Palm through the sales of their Tika women’s-specific PFDs.

The idea was to get more women into paddlesports. And all of you reading this will no doubt have already been bitten by the bug, so you’ll understand exactly why we wanted to help more people experience it! But I specifically also wanted to play a small part in tackling social isolation in the Highlands where I live, which has been identified to be particularly problematic for young women living here.

So I reached out to the community’s Early Years Practitioner, and set up a three part SUP session with young mothers in the community.

I was really, really nervous before the start of the first session. I was so eager for them to enjoy the sessions, for them to feel comfortable, to stay warm, and to want to come back the following week! I overthought everything, from what snacks to take with me to which parts of our Ocean Literacy course to try and shoehorn into the session. In the end, I decided that the first week only needed to be about safely getting out onto the water. And amazingly, but perhaps it shouldn’t be such a surprise, everything fell beautifully into place once we were on the sea. 

The women I had with me were nervous, and new to paddlesports. They spoke of having lost their confidence and their adventurous spirits after the birth of their children, and of wanting to jump in the sea with their kids but not feeling able to.

For them, this was about so much more than just having fun on the water. 

After just the first session, we were all buzzing. Everyone had stood up, and we’d even managed a journey along the coast to a secret cove where wild garlic was growing and birds sang overhead. I had planned for that to be the journey we built up to over the three weeks, and there we were on day one! Everyone felt more confident already, surprised and delighted with their abilities. And when they came back for week two, grins on faces, they spoke of how the session had lifted their moods and confidence for the whole week in between, and how excited they’d been to come back for more! It was a horrible spring day in the Highlands – grey skies, rain and cold wind, but they embraced it with gusto as I kitted them up and we took to the water. To see the paddlesports bug working its magic in these women was a total joy and privilege to witness.

Our last session was even more adventurous, as we paddled along a gentle river to a loch surrounded by some of Assynt’s most iconic mountains. We found a spot by a waterfall for a picnic and naturally the conversation flowed to protecting our playgrounds – from the lochs to the sea – invasive species to overfishing.

I did my best to give these wonderful women all the skills, confidence and knowledge they’d need to get back on the water in their own time too, so was absolutely delighted when they told me they’d found some paddleboards of their own, and were taking them out with their families after our sessions finished! The change it had made to their own adventurous spirits was remarkable, and I feel grateful to know that there are more women out there with their families nurturing the ocean and paddlesports love in others too.

My dream is to reach more women in my community and create a SUP community which helps to tackle social isolation. There’s a great group of teenage girls here too who I’m hoping to get on boards!

This experience was powerful for me too – a moment to reflect on that first experience I had paddleboarding, and to be grateful for all that it brought me from that moment forward. I hope that offering more women the chance to give this amazing sport a go, in a safe and nurturing environment, (with all the right snacks!), might just lead to something beautiful for them too. Not everyone’s going to love paddleboarding, but I’d like them to have the chance to make that decision for themselves.

Huge thanks to Palm Equipment for making this possible, and for all the support they give to Seaful and our Vitamin Sea Project.

If you’re a paddlesports instructor and would like to volunteer with Seaful and share your love for paddlesports, please get in touch – hello@seaful.org.uk

The post Seaful charity x Tika fund appeared first on Palm Equipment.

We kicked things off with a slalom session at Llandysul paddlers who welcomed us with open arms and gave us the perfect place to start the weekend. Most of us had never, or just barely, tried slalom before, making it the perfect chance to learn something new from each other along with top-notch coaching from team paddlers Oli Cooper and Andy Kettlewell (Chips). Our first session took place in the slalom course, and despite hitting a few rocks due to low water level, it was inspiring to see how much everyone improved in just one session. 

For our second session, we moved on to a lake to work on technique on flat water. Somehow, our calm flatwater practice quickly turned into playing around with all kinds of creative way to play around. We were finding every possible way to roll with and without the paddle, including stacking rocks on the bottom of your kayak before rolling up. Flatwater kickflips and tailees, and soon the mentors were finding every possible way to throw the kids into the water. The creativity and energy on the water was unmatched. We got everything from huge pogo flips to attempted double rotations before hitting the water. According to Palm Grom Riley Wilford (who was thrown in trying to over rotate at least 100 times) the key to not hurting yourself is landing directly on your head rather than your back. 

The next day we had a quick morning slalom session ending in a big group team run before heading to our next camp. Before our next adventure, we had a quick briefing with Sea Kayak Guides Tommy and Martin who helped out with safety over the weekend which allowed us to focus on pushing our limits and enjoying every second on the water. On the agenda was three sessions at The Bitches, which is a tidal rapid with a set of amazing waves. The stoke and excitement was high as it was the first time at the Bitches for many of us. And for some, including me, it was also the first time trying out new boats.

Our first session was incredible. On the paddle out we were lucky enough to see both seals and dolphins. We had set off early, which meant that when we arrived it was almost all flatwater and no waves in sight. Over the next 30 to 60 minutes, we got to watch The Bitches slowly come alive. Seeing the rapids form in front of us was amazing. Throughout the tide everyone found different places to surf and play around. And when the tide came to an end a bunch of whirlpools were popping up on the eddyline. For many, this became a highlight. Trying to disappear into the whirlies, spin around for style points, or just watch the chaos from a safe spot. Watch our first day at The Bitches here.

The paddle back was one of the highlights for me. Everyone was happy and satisfied, paddling together in a big group. Before reaching shore, we were told about a small tunnel we had to kayak through for good luck on the next tide. It was just wide enough to fit a kayak and it led straight onto the shore, where many of us Groms found our favourite jumping spot, off the old lifeboat launch ramp. We ended every session at The Bitches with a few jumps there and it quickly became a tradition.

As we got back it was pretty late, but we still managed a quick trip to the shop to get some very much needed fish and chips, which we enjoyed under the stars back at camp. Sitting under the stars we made a challenge out of finding shooting stars (and there were so many!). Just before heading to bed, I think we all saw one of the biggest shooting star of our lives. This quickly became another special moment from the trip. 

The next day our surfing session wasn’t until later in the day. To kill the time, we set out on a mission to find a bouncy castle. Sadly, the bouncy castle from a nearby festival had disappeared overnight. This however meant more time to go get ice cream in the sun, and a team effort, led by Riley, to get Oli some new flip flops after his last pair died in Norway a few weeks earlier. When we got back we were fuelled and ready for another tide. During our next session at The Bitches, everyone had improved and was feeling more confident on the water. After the tide we paddled back as the sun started to set. Tired but buzzing from another epic day, ready for more jumps and fish and chips. 

For our last session, we went for a morning tide, which meant waking up around 04:30 to be ready on the water by 05:15. I can’t speak for everyone but a mix of excitement and knowing I had to get up early made it impossible to sleep, which actually made waking up much easier. Even though we were all up way earlier than we would like to, putting on wet gear in the dark with the stars still out, there was surprisingly little complaining from the group. Somehow, we managed to get on the water almost on time. As we paddled out, the first light of sunrise hit the waves, it was the perfect start to our final session.

The last tide had a totally different vibe. Windier, with way more swell. It was really cool to see how the spot changed with the tide and the weather. Everything, especially the wave felt a bit more chaotic than before, and was pretty hard to catch.

Getting back after the morning session around 9 a.m., already feeling like you’d had a whole day, was special. We had some breakfast and relaxed after our big morning. However, it didn’t take long before the Groms were ready for our last adventure of the weekend: coasteering. Again, with help from the local guides Martin and Ben, we were exploring the seashore jumping and swimming between rocks and in caves. It was the perfect ending to the weekend.

The weekend was packed with amazing experiences on and off the water and positive energy from the start. There were new experiences for everyone and lots to learn. While the kayaking was incredible, when asked about their favourite part about the weekend, most of the groms mention the atmosphere, meeting and paddling with the team, hanging out at the campsite and the all around good vibe of the weekend. Much appreciation to Joe, Chips, Oli, Del and Lowri for making the weekend possible and special, Llandysul Paddlers for hosting us, and the Sea Kayak Guides for keeping us safe at The Bitches.

This weekend was also extra special because Oli and I, in addition to Jools and Charlotte (who were unable to make it) graduated from the Palm Groms mentorship programme. I’m beyond grateful to be a part of this programme. Having Joe as a mentor and a network I can turn to if I want to try something new or don’t know what to do has been really cool. It’s motivating knowing there’s a crew of people ready to help, share advice, or just paddle with you.

Me with mentor Joe and Oli with mentor Chips holding our graduation present – photo, Del Clare

Note from Palm:

Over the past year, we spent a lot of time on the road at events with our groms from our Palm Groms mentorship programme. One of their highlights was the opportunity to meet each other, hang out and paddle together, as peers. This sparked the idea for a get-together – a special weekend that was all about them. Each Palm Grom brought a friend for a weekend of fun on the water. They all got the chance to try different disciplines, and for some (like Siren, the author of this blog, who travelled all the way from Norway), got to try fish and chips for the first time, and for many, got to experience the Bitches for the first time.

Our goal is, and has always been, to encourage young paddlers to get on the water, have so much love for the sport that they want to paddle for a lifetime. This event, and the other Palm Groms activities we do, are small steps in helping achieve that.

A huge thanks to team paddlers and Palm Groms mentors Chips and Joe for heading up this get-together.

The Palm Groms from the Palm Groms mentorship programme are hand-picked, there is no application process. Want to get involved? Take part in our Summer of Fun video competition, engage with us and our team at events and online tagging @palmequipment and @palmgroms. Don’t forget to pencil in the dates for the Palm & Pyranha Park Jam this year as well, meet some of our team and show us your stoke on the water!

If you would like to find out more about Palm Groms activities and updates, please visit our website: palm.equipment/palmgroms

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My main motivation for heading north each year is the Vefsna River Festival. It’s the third and final kayaking festival of the season in Norway, and personally, my favourite. The combination of great big water, fun creeks and friendly people always makes it an amazing week. Unlike Ekstremsportveko and Sjoa Fest, everyone camps in the same spot, which makes it way easier to find people to paddle with.

There were two main highlights from this year’s festival, first, the fun mining lap with my Palm Groms rmentor Joe Rea-Dickins and his partner in crime Rhys Thomson, where they guided a group of us down three sections of the Vefsna over six hours, showing every single playspot, kickflip launch pad and eddy line. Secondly, the Big Ball Race down the canyon section of the Vefsna. The concept is simple: each team gets a yoga ball, and the goal is to get it across the finish line first. Big waves, yoga balls, and kayakers flying everywhere made for some hilarious carnage and interesting lines.

Another highlight from my time up north was the Susna, one of my all-time favourite rivers. Being able to paddle it without a dry top made it even better, something I’ve never done before in Norway. The Susna is a super fun pool-drop river with lots of great moves but the highlight is definitely the Shower Boof: a 4–5 meter tall boof with no hole at the bottom, a soft landing and a perfect lip for throwing freestyle moves. I first ran it when I was 12, and I’ve returned every year since, improving my lines each time.

Back at the festival camp, I was told about a relatively unknown gem on the Swedish side of the border, a river that was supposedly “like Susna, but for 20 kilometers.” After a week of sunshine and great kayaking around the Vefsna, a group of us decided to go check it out. What struck me as odd was that there were no pictures of the river on the Whitewater Guide and only a very short description. If it was really that good, surely someone would’ve documented it?

Still a bit skeptical, we went for it, and I’m glad we did! The Gaustad river turned out to be one of the best rivers I’ve ever paddled. Beautiful scenery, amazing Class IV/V slides and boofs and completely pool-drop style. As a Norwegian it kind of hurts to admit but one of my favourite rivers might actually be in Sweden. If you ever find yourself in the Vefsna area, I highly recommend checking it out!

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Landing in Portugal, I had no idea what to expect, especially since it was my first time meeting the guys, as well as my first creeking trip abroad. Stepping outside the airport, juggling my bag, kayak and paddle, I spotted a car pulling up with three kayaks. Before I knew it, the four of us were crammed into our rental car, buried in luggage, while the kayaks and paddles were (mostly) secured to the roof. With the car packed to the brim and a rough plan in mind, we hit the road: straight to the river. As we drove, it hit me that we were all here for the same reason: having a good time kayaking beautiful rivers with great people. That thought helped calm my nerves and got me excited for the week ahead.

The first day we got a couple laps on the Garganta section of the Rio Paiva, and got off just as it got dark and found a nice sheltered spot at the take-out. We shared a big pot of Bolognese (not knowing the left overs would haunt us for days, as it was too good to throw away but too soggy to eat) and huddled up in our sleeping bags under the roof. Except for Chips, who was sleeping in the car, which I think was best for everyone as I later found out he’s a big snorer. Starting the trip under a roof was nice as we would now move on to mostly wild camping, mostly in the rain.

The next day, we packed up and hit the road again, this time with even less space in the car as we turned it into a makeshift roof rack, which resulted in the roof sinking a few centimetres.

Our next river on the agenda was the Rio Cavado (Aqua Park), which was the perfect playground and slide paradise. The river lived up to its name, and going down was pure joy. Even better was watching Chips and Oli having sick lines on the big slide. After leaving Cavado and heading towards the Castro, Chips showed us something else we could all share love for: hot springs. Nothing beats sitting in a warm pool relaxing after kayaking. I would recommend this to anyone visiting Galicia/Portugal. And as a bonus, we finally got to wash up, which might have helped the car smell a little better.   

The next day we had a look at the famous triple drop on the Rio Castro Laboreiro before heading up and kayaking the upper section. My initial thought looking at the drops was that it was some of the most beautiful piece of river I had ever seen, but I couldn’t imagine myself running them. Still, I couldn’t get the temptation out of my head. It would be a step up for me as I don’t have much waterfall experience, and once you go down the first drop you have to go down all of them. This scared me, as the last drop was the most intimidating.

Over the next day I gained more confidence and from the moment we scouted the falls until the day we planned to hit the waterfall section, I bet my thoughts were ninety-percent occupied by the triple drop, and imagining possible lines. After a lot of back and forth I decided I wanted to join the guys and run the drops.

We decided to paddle both the upper and lower sections. Everyone was stoked as we all knew we had a day of great whitewater, weather and people ahead. Seeing the other guys stoked at the put in made me fired up for the day, and especially the triple drops. Some good kayaking, a fair bit of choss and loads of muesli bars later we found ourselves looking at the triple drops. Honestly, still fifty-fifty excited and nervous. Chips and I were in charge of filming as Oli and Sam went first. Watching their lines and stoke while talking to Chips calmed my nerves and I felt ready to jump on. Walking back up I convinced myself to put the stress away(ish) as I would be paddling down whether I was stressed or not, and I would rather enjoy the ride.

Kayaking down was like a dream, going down one drop after the other and pausing in the pool before the next one. Sitting in the bottom pool was especially surreal to me. I felt a sense of accomplishment and happiness especially since the pool was filled with smiles and joy. I’ve always loved being able to look up at something i just kayaked, and sitting in your boat with a good feeling deep down in your stomach.

We wrapped up the trip with a surf session at the beach, where Oli somehow made kickflips look way too easy. It was the perfect way to end an incredible week, and I’m super grateful to have been a part of it. I’d 100% recommend saying yes to those spontaneous adventures. Especially if it’s a week in Portugal with Chips, Oli, and Sam!

The post A week in Portugal appeared first on Palm Equipment.

About Maite

Maite is originally from Puerto Varas, Chile and spends the majority of her time kayaking on the Petrohue or Futaleufu. She joined World Class Academy in 2024, and has been able to develop her skills on incredible whitewater across the world because of it. Maite has got that ‘Petro fight’ where the local kayakers to the Petrohue are known for holding on no matter what. Maite can put up a serious fight in some monster holes! She is bold, brave and a super positive person – you’ll always find her smiling on the water, with a hint of Latino sass. 

What’s your favourite style of kayaking?

I’ve always loved big water, it’s what I’m most used to paddling. But at World Class, I started running more creek-style rivers, and even though it took me a bit to warm up to it, I ended up loving it too.

What other interests do you have?

I love skiing and pilates. I started skiing when I was just four years old, and I haven’t stopped since. It’s one of my favorite things to do, especially with my mom, she’s my ultimate ski buddy. She also introduced me to pilates when I was fourteen, which has become a big part of my routine. I love going in the mornings to stretch and do some strength work; it helps me feel relaxed, grounded, and ready for the day.

Another passion of mine is photography. I’ve always enjoyed capturing moments and trying to take good photos, but I really started getting into it seriously during my second year at World Class. I remember that in my first year, there were some really talented photographers at school, and they totally inspired me. That’s when I started using a proper camera and taking photography more seriously. Since then, I’ve learned a lot from framing and lighting to editing but I still want to keep learning and become even better.

What do you want to do/where do you want to go with your kayaking?

I want to seriously level up my kayaking and rescue skills and be able to run all of my dream runs in Chile such as the Middle Fuy, Nevados, Tomatita, Puelo upper Cañon, Throne room, Rio Claro and many more. I also want to become a waterfall ninja, because honestly, my past attempts at running waterfalls have been pretty goofy, and it’s time to change that, pushing myself and having fun at the same time. 

Another big dream of mine is to travel the world kayaking, visiting friends, discovering new rivers and meeting amazing people along the way. I want to get fat kickflips on the blue crystal waves of the Futa and surf massive green waves on the Zambezi.

I also want to start making sick kayaking edits featuring strong, badass female kayakers. I want them to have high-quality footage, powerful moments on the river and music that reflects our energy like Dua lipa, Charlie XCX, Billie Eilish, Princesa Alba or Shakira. Because honestly, there aren’t enough kayaking edits out there that represent women the way we deserve.

In the end, I just want to be known as the chill, cool Chilean female kayaker and photographer. The lady who sometimes travels around the world and across Chile, kayaking with her friends, capturing the magic of the rivers she visits, simply loving life and bringing that Latina stoke to the river. 

A dream day in Maite’s world

My dream day would start with waking up on a warm, sunny summer morning. I’d stretch, do a little dance workout to get moving, and sip of mate to start the day right. Then I’d meet up with my friends (Jackie, Magnus and Sharly) to go kayaking on a big water river, the kind of day where the sun is shining, the water’s pumping, and the stoke is high. We’d blast reggaetón in the shuttle, run more than one lap, and I’d have my camera with me to catch moments of my friends charging down the river. We’d get back around five, eat sushi for dinner, and end the day with a dance party with friends. As the sun sets, I’d lay down to watch the sky turn orange and pink, and when it gets dark, I’d look up at the stars before falling asleep in a cozy bed filled with a thousand pillows.

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Aside from the carnage and mayhem of Ducky Derby, Paddlefest brings the whole community together with the current generation of rippers as well as old paddling buddies, university friends and former CIWW staff reuniting.

When creating the day plan, CIWW always caters for everyone. Having the ability to change the levels of water means everyone can get involved. There are two ducky derby events, one for younger paddlers and less experienced paddlers (6 cumecs) and one for experienced kayakers (8 cumecs) as well as two freestyle events running similarly. We love supporting these events as the scoring systems for these freestyle events are done on how much you challenge yourself through creativity, thought and skill. Even the most up and coming paddlers can win against the pros. Although we were all rooting for team paddler (and CIWW local) Oli Cooper to win, it was clearly stated, for him to win a prize he would have to create a completely new move the world had never seen before, unfortunately, he didn’t quite manage that this year!

Over the past few months, local kayaker and CIWW staff member John Russell has been restarting the community group ‘CIWW Freestyle Hub’ to help build the freestyle community in the area, offering chilled meet-ups and helpful tips. Over the past two months, it’s been great to see the vibe bringing everyone together, we look forward to seeing what the community gets up to in the future.

Chips (me) and Pod help bring everyone together for this event and the only thing (of sense) we say to each other is, ‘bring the joy’, I’m sure many of you tuned in to the Olympics last year to see the Kayak Cross, we rang each other after and agreed it was super cool, but it doesn’t bring the joy. We agreed, BOATERCROSS IS BACK BABY! Get pysched!

What is the difference between Kayak Cross and Boatercross we hear you ask? A lot! For the older paddler who remember some of the ridiculous courses team paddler Eddy Mead created at the CIWW Boatercross series it was a miracal just to make it to the end! There’s no need to make a roll zone, these things happen naturally. No need for poles above the river, we have gaps and touch banners.

And the main difference, anything goes! No biting, kicking, scratching or deck popping – but a healthy amount of sabotage, missing drain plugs, trash talk and the occasional paddle steal all help to take the win!

Today I sit writing this with a coffee to my left and aloe vera to my right, give me a day and I’ll have recovered from another great year at CIWW Paddlefest and I can’t wait to see you all on the water soon!

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Back in 2018, in the back of a jeep along the Gilgit River in Northern Pakistan Joe Fender and I had a long conversation that would reshape our lives over the next five years. We both have an interest in the more art-house genre of films and we were crying out for someone to make a kayaking film that stepped away from the high adrenaline, fast paced style that has become so common these days. As time went on, with the ever increasing Instagramification of content, we decided we had to make a film that slows down, and appreciates the beauty of water, putting the river at the forefront, not the people or the stunts. 

Fast forward to 2020 and Palm brand manager Paul Robertson challenged me to pitch him a film. With the world slowly coming out of lockdowns, it wasn’t until September 2021 that I found myself walking along canyon rims in Iceland, with Joe, discussing the shots for the opening sequence for The River of Mirrors. 

We wanted to create something different, something that captured the ebbs and flows of a river journey, taking the time to capture the quiet and serene moments of a river trip that accompany the chaos of whitewater, inspired by films like Baraka and Koyaanisqatsi. 

The concept was relatively simple, we wanted to move the genre of kayak films away from the well trodden documentary style, and move it in the direction of the more ethereal and take a step away from reality. To do this, we chose four locations that shared similar water colours, editing them together to create a fictional river that would get the viewer’s imagination running wild.  

To keep logistics and costs down, we opted for a very small crew. In Iceland and Norway it was just Joe in the kayak and myself with the camera, and then in Chile we were joined by silky smooth, slalom backgrounded Lauren Strickland. In Peru, for the grand surf finale, we called in the legend of the Gower and waveski guru Jem Howe. 

To distance ourselves from the high octane tropes of conventional kayak films, we knew score was going to be important, and reached out to Slowly Rolling Camera, a band that we’ve loved for years whose cinematic style would bring the pace down to something that aligned with our vision. We knew we were onto a winner when, in one of the first conversations with the band, it turned out that they had seen Koyaanisqatsi in the cinema while they were students and, from the get go, we were talking the same language. 

Forever trying to resist the throwaway nature of social media, we chose to release the film in cinemas only, hoping to create a genuinely memorable experience for people, and now the tour is over, we are stoked to share it with you online. 

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