In the spring of 2002 we invited Billy Harris to our office to write an article about how to heat and crush your kayak to make it sl- icier. We started with a Necky Witch. Tools included a pro- pane torch, hacksaw to trim the pillars, and an Isuzu Trooper to park on top of the Witch. We haven’t crushed a boat or seen a Witch since. Te Trooper, however, is up on blocks at the Rapid office. Harris is currently paddling for Jackson Kayaks.


In the fall of 2003 we celebrated the paddling bar. Places like the Big Eddy Pub at Skookumchuk are the nucleus, holding together the free-spirited electrons who are the fabric of our paddling commu- nity. Without these bars we’d land back in our apartments and day jobs bubbling with stories to un- load on people who’d nod politely but quite frankly don’t give two shits. In paddling season the flood- gates on their taps are open. Tese places exist because before you and I, another thirsty paddler was here and he too dreamed of a cold beer at the take out.


In Rapid’s first 10 years we’ve written reviews of 89 kayaks, 41 canoes and one Chevrolet Corvette. Te Mad River Outrage was featured five times in differ- ent articles, four times as a solo canoe and just last year outfitted as a tandem (how time changes things). And the Corvette? Well, when the City of Reno, Nevada opened its whitewater park in the heart of its down-


town strip we needed to present shuttle vehicles for urban paddlers. With 400 horses galloping 0–60 in 4.2 seconds you’ll surely be the first on the wave.


In 1998, we purchased one of the first Nikon LS2000 slide scanners in the country. It was a $4,000 technological wonder about the size of a toaster. It allowed us to set up shop closer to rivers than a photo lab. Four years later we bought a Canon D60 digital SLR. Everything you see in this issue (except the cheesy editorial photo) came to us as a file, not film.


After 10 years the reasons we started this crazy trip called Rapid remain the same—rivers and friends. Who’s to say what whitewater we’ll see around the next turn or how far the next decade will take us. Just turn it up and let the next road trip begin.—Rapid staff


classic lines


> 1999 “Upon checking the gear bag of our editor I found a holey neon pink and green Bare wetsuit, a pair of worse-for-wear booties, a swim (or maybe sink) vest, an unpaid


Visa bill from 1996.” —Tanya MacGregor, Gear Bag, Premier


“Has anyone ever entertained the idea of creating a man-made whitewater playground?”


—Steve Ulicska, River Signals, Spring “Familiarity breeds contempt and the


river doesn’t play favourites” —Mike Desroches, River Rescue, Summer


“An average boat costs $1,300, divided by a fair-weather paddler’s 20 days a season equals $65/day. Now, take the cost of your boat, divide it by at least 60 days and you have $21.66/day. Multiply $21.66 by the days you used to paddle without a drysuit and you have your new boat price of $433. That leaves you about


$867 for cold-weather gear.” —Scott MacGregor, Gear Bag, Summer


“I hope a new generation of river runner will evolve, doing multi-day trips. Right now it is not cool to be a river runner, but it’s like the free-riders on the mountain, they


never compete but they’re out there.” —Spike Gladwin, “One of the Makers,” Fall


> 2000 “If I had a dollar for every pouting rodeo dude I saw on the weekend I wouldn’t be rich, but I could probably buy a couple cases of beer.”


—Kevin Maggs, River Signals, Spring


“Your school and city friends will get high- paying jobs and build stable lives while


you migrate river to river.” —Kevin Varette, “From Rec to pro,” Spring


“River runner is pathetically dated! It conjures up images of hockey helmets, Schlegal paddles and 15-foot, fibreglass,


garage-built kayaks.” —Scott MacGregor, Off the Tongue, Early Summer


“The history of our rivers didn’t stop with the fur trade or the last log drive. We have abused the hell out of our rivers, and as a


nation we still do.” —Jeff Jackson, River Alchemy, Early Summer


“Deliverance is not a training video, Labatt 50 is an old man’s beer, separate all husband and wife paddling teams and


old school could be you in 10 years.” —Scott MacGregor, Off the Tongue, Early Summer


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