http://fiveten.com/ http://fiveten.com/images/stories/NewBox_black.png http://fiveten.com/ http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14084-five-ten-water-tennies-revisited-kim-becker-russell http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14084-five-ten-water-tennies-revisited-kim-becker-russell My Five Ten Water Tennies first graced my feet on October 31, 2011. Let me be the first to say, that I am very picky about my paddling shoes and the rubber I choose to wear on my feet. On my feet, I am a bit of a klutz, and as a paddler, I find myself walking on things and in places where I typically slip and slide around. Therefore, I am I need a shoe that will stick to just about anything I decide to walk on: high angle rock, low angle rock, mossy... ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 22:28:00 -0400 14084 2013-05-17 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_screen-shot-2013-05-06-at-6-16-04-am-1368829709.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_screen-shot-2013-05-17-at-1-06-00-pm-1368829709.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_310204-10151581699594330-33548975-n-1368829710.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_screen-shot-2013-04-27-at-6-10-18-pm-1368829710.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_971512-10151581772579330-692890586-n-1-1368829710.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_screen-shot-2013-05-17-at-1-04-19-pm-1368829710.png http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13751-whitewater-grand-prix-chile-nicole-mansfield http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13751-whitewater-grand-prix-chile-nicole-mansfield The vision of whitewater kayaker Pat Camblain, the Whitewater Grand Prix is a two week, 5-stage event featuring kayaking’s best creek racers from all around the world. This second WWGP was held in Chile, with the first being in Quebec. I came to Chile this fall with no expectations of competing in the Whitewater Grand Prix, the most innovative and progressive event in whitewater kayaking. When asked to participate I could not decide whether I was most shocked, stoked, or nervous. Ignoring all reservations, I couldn’t be more thrilled that I chose to travel and... ]]> Thu, 10 Jan 2013 01:49:00 -0500 13751 2013-01-10 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_432359-399650040115346-547857440-n-1357782599.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_461073-10151611151864199-1431099513-o-1357782599.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_nevados-1357782599.png http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13683-2012-whitewater-symposium-kim-becker-russell http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13683-2012-whitewater-symposium-kim-becker-russell The 2012 Whitewater Symposium was held at Wet Planet Whitewater in Husum, Washington on the weekend of October 12-14, 2012. It was a gathering of whitewater's most inspirational and influential individuals from all parts of the industry: instructors, professionals, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. It was an exciting event, full of various presentations and facilitated discussions in which the past, present, and future of the paddlesports industry was discussed. Amidst these discussions were various classes and demos: River Rescue Scenario Practice, SUP basics for flatwater and whitewater, Roll clinics, Editing with GoPro, ACA Instructor Certification, and much more! This year... ]]> Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:19:00 -0500 13683 2012-12-07 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/13683_311228-10151132469538212-940804247-n-1354920392.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/13683_screenshot20121117at11-59-21am-1354920392.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/13683_250504-10151123554848212-23538848-n-1354920392.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13622-new-life-in-the-white-salmon-narrows-kate-wagner http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13622-new-life-in-the-white-salmon-narrows-kate-wagner The White Salmon Narrows (Lower Lower White Salmon River) is finally open! Since the removal of Condit Dam last fall, boaters have been chomping at the bit to see what this now free flowing section has to offer.  Well, here it is. ]]> Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:28:00 -0500 13622 2012-11-13 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/13622_wagner-1-1352829231.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13472-trial-by-fire-suping-hells-canyon-kate-wagner http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13472-trial-by-fire-suping-hells-canyon-kate-wagner Sticking with my theme of the summer (trying new water crafts) I decided the warm water and warmer weather of Hells Canyon would be a great for trying out SUPing. Hells Canyon is located on the Snake River along the borders of NE Oregon and W Idaho. It is the deepest river gorge in North America and the largest tributary of the Columbia River. Being the largest tributary should have made me think twice about trying to SUP for the first time, but it didn't even cross my mind. My training ground... ]]> Thu, 20 Sep 2012 18:05:00 -0400 13472 2012-09-20 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_wild-sheep-1348164349.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_put-in-1348164351.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13394-beating-the-low-water-blues-kate-wagner http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13394-beating-the-low-water-blues-kate-wagner Every year around this time the same problem arises....low water. This leaves us with a couple of options, stick to the stand-by runs and try our best to find every line we can, take a bit of a drive to catch the Ohanapecosh and Cispus Rivers, or hit up the good ol' Washington summertime classic - the Lower Wind.The beauty of the Lower Wind is that it is close and short so can be done before or after work. It also offers a great mixture of boulder gardens, ledges, and waterfalls. It is a perfect... ]]> Sat, 25 Aug 2012 08:46:00 -0400 13394 2012-08-25 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-7873-1345884384.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-8025-1345884386.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_canoe1-1345884388.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_imgp0647-1345884388.JPG http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13365-norway-magic-chris-korbulic http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13365-norway-magic-chris-korbulic There are some places with magical associations and almost mythical character; Norway is one of those places to me. Endless sunlight, cliff-lined fjords, lightning blue rivers flowing from glaciers into the sea, it’s easy to see why. Since I started kayaking I have seen and heard about this Scandinavian kayaking oasis and its unbelievable rivers, but I never thought I would get to paddle here. It is one of the most expensive places to travel, and for a kayaker used to sleeping in the back of a mid-90’s hatchback, this fact was extremely daunting. This is where our friend... ]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2012 00:30:00 -0400 13365 2012-08-17 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_2.1-cko-5522-2-1345163443.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_2.2-cko-8895-2-1345163443.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_6-cko-1524-3-1345163444.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_alesocci-ben-entering-lagan-river-rapid-first-descent-1345163444.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_9-alesocci-greenpixel-kaiak4-4543-1345163444.jpeg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_13-cko-2643-2-1345163445.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_alesocci-greenpixel-kaiak4-5263-1345163445.jpeg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13315-interregnum-mariann-saether http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13315-interregnum-mariann-saether I almost thought I was unbreakable. Really... After so many years of not severly injuring myself falling off waterfalls, slides, drops, skiing etc, I really thought I might be born under the lucky star. But, my time came as well. After an amazing winter living in Switzerland, I moved back to Voss with Ron (Fischer). The season was looking great, lots of good paddlers around, including my favorite paddling partner Nouria Newman (FRA), lots of good water and a lot of fun lined up. Me and Nouria had some great days on the whitewater, with the highlight being our... ]]> Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:45:00 -0400 13315 2012-07-31 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_x-ray-1343756730.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-9103-1343756730.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_-mid8291-1343756732.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_tobias-1343756732.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13289-northwest-and-bc-waterfalls-craig-kleckner http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13289-northwest-and-bc-waterfalls-craig-kleckner I just got back from a short tour of BC and Northwest US, this is one of the few areas in the country that has water, so we needed to be here.  Water is in the title of whitewater kayaking, so water is a vital part of out sport and without it's hard to get the job done.  Here is just a quick peek as to some of the waterfalls we have been lucky enough to check off this year.  Full report coming soon with video.  ]]> Sun, 22 Jul 2012 22:34:00 -0400 13289 2012-07-22 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-0716-1342996491.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-0809-1342996493.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-0707-1342996494.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_stout-1342996495.JPEG http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13272-middle-fork-of-the-salmon-river-round-two-kate-wagner http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13272-middle-fork-of-the-salmon-river-round-two-kate-wagner The Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, or the River of No Return, is a 100 mile stretch of beauty in the Frank Church Wilderness. It is the second largest protected wilderness in the contiguous US. After a wild, high water trip in 2010, I was determined to make it back this year. I was bummed when I found out that I didn't win a permit in the lottery, but that was quickly remedied when I got an invite from Carrie Horner for the exact date that I had applied for!! As an added bonus, the fancy... ]]> Tue, 17 Jul 2012 00:15:00 -0400 13272 2012-07-17 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-7840-1342484135.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-7474-1342484136.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_imgp2785-1342484138.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-7843-1342484139.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_imgp2737-1342484141.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_imgp2821-1342484142.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_mfs-1342484143.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13262-cali-bunga-and-my-510s-david-farkas http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13262-cali-bunga-and-my-510s-david-farkas Every spring I make the pilgrimage to California like many other paddlers looking for smooth granite and overnight runs with friends. This spring was a little different than most. With a marginal snow pack and high temps, the rivers were running and high Sierra runs were in much earlier than usual. The run off was already more than half over and most of the snow pack had disintegrated. Time to get on with it.I arrived in Sacramento and contacted my friends Ben Jackson, Daan Jimmink, and Jess Matheson. They had just flown in from New Zealand and were itching... ]]> Fri, 13 Jul 2012 19:24:00 -0400 13262 2012-07-13 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_1st-drop-ef-1342207472.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_early-boof-on-ef-1342207472.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_classic-ef-scenery-1342207473.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boof-left-1342207473.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_ef-1-1342207474.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_me-above-a-big-slide-1342207474.png http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13129-grand-canyon-bound-michael-buell http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13129-grand-canyon-bound-michael-buell Now its time for something a little bit different! About 7 or 8 months ago my fiance Sandi and I got invited on a Grand Canyon Trip. This was back at the point in time when we had yet to see any schedule’s released for this season Race Calendar. I had just finished up with last years season. So seeing how this River trip would fit into this years Bike race season at that point in time was a bit impossible. In reality though, that didn’t even matter the slightest. Obtaining a River Permit for a private raft trip... ]]> Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:55:00 -0400 13129 2012-06-06 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_562368-10150841334924157-508834156-9668963-1521252690-n-1338990944.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13088-toketee-falls-david-fusilli http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13088-toketee-falls-david-fusilli This was a 20 foot waterfall into a 70 foot waterfall. I was stoked to have good footwear because getting into this one was a bit sketchy. I wanted to share this for several reasons. One, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Two, it was one of the sickest waterfalls that I had ever run. And three, it was sketchy as hell getting into the river to run this drop. That is the main reason I wanted to share this with Five Ten. Without... ]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 19:16:00 -0400 13088 2012-05-24 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_picture-7-1337886961.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_picture-1-1337886962.png http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13070-demshitz-playin-in-north-carolina-david-fusilli http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13070-demshitz-playin-in-north-carolina-david-fusilli This is a short kayaking video from North Carolina.  Some freestyling and a few fun slides on the Thompson creek. ]]> Fri, 18 May 2012 16:44:00 -0400 13070 2012-05-18 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/13070_img-8752-1337617201.JPG http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13030-striking-gold-in-oregon-kate-wagner http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13030-striking-gold-in-oregon-kate-wagner No, I didn't really strike gold, but a perfect April weekend on the Illinois River is almost the same...maybe better.  Since the Illinois is either known for it's crystal clear water, beautiful scenery, and exciting whitewater or it's horror stories of being stuck on a raging river that quickly rose with a single rain storm, we jumped at the chance to hit it with a perfect 2000cfs level and a forecast of sun. (I had been stalking the flow and forecast for weeks) ]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 13:39:00 -0400 13030 2012-05-03 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_imgp2486-1336052383.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_imgp2495-1336052384.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_imgp2508-1336052385.JPG http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12831-upper-taos-box-paddling-david-farkas http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12831-upper-taos-box-paddling-david-farkas When the days get longer and the snow finally starts melting off the peaks, paddlers in the Durango area look to norther New Mexico to get their early season creeking fix.  One of the first runs that comes in is the Upper Taos Box of the Rio Grande.  Just minutes north of Taos New Mexico, the UTB is a sweet run and a welcome warm up for the spring creeking season.   ]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:12:00 -0400 12831 2012-04-10 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_big-arsenic2-1334070771.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boulder-garden-1334070772.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boof-1334070772.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_pinned-boat-1334070773.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_put-in-1334070774.png http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12823-product-review-five-ten-savant-david-farkas http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12823-product-review-five-ten-savant-david-farkas I was on a High Sierra run hiking back up to do another lap on a Tea Cup section shouldering my kayak when my foot slipped and I augured 100+ ft. down back into the river. Sliding on the granite watching my kayak fly into the air and into the river, I swore that day to get a pair of shoes that would never slip. Enter 5.10. Using their shoes for rock climbing, I figured they had to have a sweet kayak shoe. I picked up a pair of Savants and the rest as it’s... ]]> Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:24:17 -0400 12823 2012-04-06 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/12823_imgp2333-1333729686.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/12823_71-415201-1260309524-1333729686.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/12823_2nd-drop-bakers-right-line-1333729687.png http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12821-new-camera-mount-david-farkas http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12821-new-camera-mount-david-farkas I've been messing around with various camera mounts on my equipment from head-cams to kayak-cams with limited success. The head-cams seem to work ok giving you an interesting perspective on the rivers I run. The kayak mounts have been hit and miss. I've built a few different towers that attach to the kayak at various locations. Some have been tall, others short, yet in the end none have been worthy of keeping and using. For one reason or another, they break, bend, or just get in the way. Imagine a long tube sticking... ]]> Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:14:00 -0400 12821 2012-04-05 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_gopr0333-1333635243.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_gopr0341-1333635244.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_stern-mount-gopro4-1333635244.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_gopr0336-1333635245.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_stern-mount-gopro3-1333635245.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_stern-mount-gopro5-1333635246.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_gopr0340-1333635247.JPG http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12791-springtime-paddling-in-co-david-farkas http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12791-springtime-paddling-in-co-david-farkas In the valley north of Durango lies a kayak run in a tight and deep gorge...the Middle Box and Baker's Box sections of the Animas River.  In here you'll find tight and twisting turns, steep drops, boulder gardens with many lines and many boofs, along with pushy rapids leading into sieves.  Yeah...it's committing yet with this commitment, a great sense of accomplishment always follows. ]]> Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:34:00 -0400 12791 2012-03-29 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boofing-left-at-rectilean-1332992049.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_looking-back-upstream-3rd-drop-bakers-1332992049.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_top-of-plunger-1332992050.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_bottom-boof-or-slide-2-1332992050.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_sieve-portage-1332992051.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_plunger-2-1332992052.png http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_hallway-above-plunger-1332992052.png http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12610-a-heads-up-in-the-swiss-alps-mariann-saether http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12610-a-heads-up-in-the-swiss-alps-mariann-saether It was finally time to again embrace the snow and dig out my skis from the shed, after years of being neglected. The occasion was a winter stay in the Swiss Alps, riding powder and finding new challenges off the water.. and I succeeded.. This winter has been one amazing winter wonderland fairy tale. After I made it back from Peru, the hills were lacking snow in Switzerland. Then, the heaven opened up and delivered the goods for a month straight. Holy, moly powder days! I put my snowboard on the shelf the year I started kayaking... ]]> Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:23:00 -0500 12610 2012-02-09 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_untitled-1-av-1-4-1328822633.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_untitled-1-av-1-5-1328822635.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_untitled-1-av-1-1328822636.jpg