Paddler Profile BeckyBristow
Becky Bristow is one of few female expedition kayakers. Originally from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Becky took up kayaking in ’96 when she entered the University of Calgary Outdoor Pursuits Program. She started on the Kananaskis River and graduated quickly to the steeps. Now she frequents Alberta, Montana and Coastal B.C. Since her first foreign pad- dling trip—Ecuador, 1998—Becky has hit Mexico, Nepal, Bhutan, Norway, and New Zealand for whitewater first descents, multi-day self-supported expeditions and the steep creeks that are her passion. She is a true adventure kayaker who uses horses, helicopters, planes, and her shoulders to get to the put-in. Becky has appeared in Teton Gravity Research’s vids NURPU (2001) and Valhalla (2002), and in Scott Lindgren Productions’ Aerated (2002). In the fall of 2001 she took an American Canoe Association whitewater kayak instructor- training course, and she aspires to share her skills with others and keep on exploring from the seat of her kayak. —Dunbar Hardy.
Age: Sponsors: 26 Nike/ACG, Dagger, Boeri, Boat: Mentor:
Favourite river: Binge:
Beverage: Tunes:
Sirloin or Tofurkey? Gas guzzler or econobox? Kids?
Sage advice: Dream road trip:
Aquabatics.com, Snapdragon Designs, Lotus Designs, Werner Paddles. Dagger CFS Land Heflin
Pingston Creek BC & Clavey River California Ice cream
Fresh-squeezed passionfruit juice Bluegrass Tofu is a waste of time. Red meat of course.
A gas guzzler 4x4 to get me where I need to go.
Definitely yes, but not right now. Listen and act on your gut instincts. BC interior and coast. Fly into the Stein River, paddle the Dean River and the Homathko River, rest up in Waddington National Park while climbing and fly- fishing, then drive north to paddle the Alsek River and finish off with the ulti- mate—Stikine River.
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www.rapidmag.com
“Big granite rapids had filled the gorge, some of which Becky ran in style while Land [Heflin] and I walked. Becky remained very clear and focused on the top of these drops, and then smiled big with bright eyes at the bottom in the eddy. The portaging had been brutal, hanging off of poison oak vines and rappelling with our kayaks. She never complained or was slow; she moved along in a steady determined
manner and got just as sweaty and dirty as us boys. At our breaks from portaging she would remind us all to look around and notice the beauty of this place. She was very much at home in that deep river canyon, living on the river.”—Dunbar Hardy.
Bristow on Dinkey Creek, CA. photos Dunbar Hardy
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