C O N T E N T S
volume 11 >> no 3
Cover Photo Rick Matthews / PaddleR: eMily Jackson / location: Bus eateR, ottawa RiveR // Photo this Page kennley MontRose / PaddleR: dustin uRBan / location: 2008 woRld cuP seRies, augsBuRg, geRMany
f e a t u r e s D e P a r t M e N t s
21
IS FREESTYLE DEAD?
5
OFF THE TONGUE
19
OPEN BOAT TECHNIQUE
Whitewater boaters have to deal with
As the 2009 World Freestyle Champion-
ships approach, Rapid asks: Where is the
6
RIVER SIGNALS
an arcane equation of lateral and
Helping readers save money, paddle
downstream current vectors, but
hype? Conor Mihell investigates the cur-
more, find lost boats and deposit at the
you don’t have to be a physicist to
rent state of whitewater freestyle.
porcelain bank.
understand this Golden Rule: Point
your boat where you want it to go.
24
YOUR BEST YEAR
8
WATERCOLOURS
36
BOAT INSIDER
EVER
12
STANDING WAVES
Savour the freestyle flavour of
Liquidlogic’s fresh Biscuit. Oh yeah, we
Whether you want to add air to your
Whitewater parks are on the rise
Double Dog dare you to try Composite
blunts or surf a really badass wave, our
in America; Anthony Yap launches
Creations’ new tandem river running
pros show you how. Plus, start living your
Titan Kayaks; and Nunavik, the final
canoe.
dream like the kayakers, entrepreneurs
whitewater frontier.
and innovators we’ve gathered here.
MORE: Stay on the water and out of
trouble with Rapid’s reality check, be a
16
PADDLER PROFILE
40
GEAR BAG
On the Gogo with Nemo’s ultralight
Breakdancing to slalom skateboarding,
bivy; play lost and found with Suunto’s
phonetic monkey, and use our tear-and-
Swiss extreme kayaker and World
X10 wristop computer; PVC-free
go freestyle score sheet.
Championships organizer Simon Hirter
MEC transparent dry bags; Element
knows how to throw a party. Put on
Expeditions’ paddle wax is better than
your hat.
sex; Teva’s P-2 river shoes are bootie-
34
FREEBOATING licious; and go play with our Freestyle
BUYER’S GUIDE 2009
18
RIVER ALCHEMY Gear Guide.
Jeff Jackson says the best paddlers—
Rock the river top to bottom with the river
and those rewarded with the richest
play designs in this summer’s hottest boat
experience—aren’t the ones bouncing
44
RAPID MARKET
buyer’s guide.
above the river’s surface; they’re the
ones lost beneath. 46
FLUSHED
p.34
www.rapidmag.com
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