[
paRental advisoRy
]
Paddling may contain moments of
addictive behaviour, unintelligible lingo,
fast times at
intense excitement and brief anxiety that
are suitable for all children. Parental
participation is strongly advised.
WhiteWateR
hiGh
Whitewater parks and river running are like the skateboard parks and Westfalia roadtrips of old—challenging, social,
adventurous and with just the right amount of that magic ingredient: risk. it’s no surprise that the steve Caballeros
and surf gypsy wannabes of past generations are the aspiring eric Jacksons and trip Jennings’ of today. Whether
after-school pastime, summer fun or the beginning of a driven career, the motives of these canoe- and kayak-crazy
kids are simple: have fun and paddle hard. the future of whitewater is here, and they can charge harder, attain faster,
loop higher and drop bigger than you.
hiGh-flyinG
dane Jackson 15
RoCk ISland, TenneSSee
ON A RECENT DESCENT of North Carolina’s class V Green River,
Dane Jackson stops to scout the line above Gorilla Falls. At the lip
of this famous drop, advice from the 15-year-old’s fellow boaters
phenom
pours out like the water over the falls. Jackson takes it all in respect-
fully, decides for himself and walks around the drop. He doesn’t
bother to remind his advisors that he’s run Gorilla before, or that
he’s been reading whitewater longer than they have. Like the two-
storey waves, 20-foot waterfalls and 30,000 cfs rivers that he’s tack-
led since age 11, Dane takes their well-meaning advice in stride.
At just under five feet and 90 pounds, Dane’s small stature fools
boaters into forgetting his impressive skills and years of experi-
ence. Before reaching an age when he can earn a driver’s licence
or buy a sixer in Quebec, Dane has racked up a résumé envied
by boaters with twice his years. At 12, he was named the young-
est member of the U.S. Jr. Freestyle Team. He’s won several U.S.
National Freestyle titles and stood on the podium at the 2007
World Championships. This summer, Dane is a favourite in both
junior K-1 and pro C-1 at the U.S. Team Trials for the 2009 World
Championships.
As the progeny of four-time World Freestyle Champ and Jackson
Kayak founder Eric Jackson, Dane is paddling proof of what can
happen when raw natural talent is let loose in a wet environment.
Driven by his dad’s infectious passion, Dane learned to paddle his
own kayak at age three and hit his roll at eight. “I was born into
kayaking—it’s what I’ve always known,” he says. For Dane, learn-
ing to drive, surfing FaceBook and working through (home) school
merge with pouring over kayak flicks, learning combo moves,
practicing hole-escape techniques and rehearsing his waterfall
tuck.
Since his first major expedition last year—making first descents
on Newfoundland creeks with Ben Stookesbury’s H2O Films—
Dane has become hooked on the steeps. “It was a blast! My fa-
vourite feeling is just flying through the air and running big rapids,”
he says. His creeking goal for this year? “Dropping a waterfall over
30 feet.”
Luckily for Dane, class IV+ rivers flow just 30 minutes from his
family’s winter home in Tennessee and there’s always plenty of op-
portunity for more practice when the Jackson RV tours to events
across North America for seven months every year. ‘’Even good
freestyle boaters need to practice some creeking before they go
on an expedition because playboating and creeking are a lot dif-
ferent,” explains Dane. “Creeking can be really dangerous if you
‘at’s a GOOt B’Y: Dane charging don’t know what you’re doing.”
Newfoundland steep. Thanks for the advice, Dane. — Clay Wright
PhotoS DaRin MCQUoiD
0 Rapid early summer 2009
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