No Water

As the tittle says there is no water in wales and I am bord so here is a few photos from the last week or so....

Just drying some kit out ready for next time.....

The dog look rather bord as everything comes out the van......

and last but not least a classic piece of welsh parking at a friends house.

God North Wales is good

Paddle on this one day.........................

and this the next.......

AlpKit Plastic Fantastic Kayak Comp

The 8th and 9th of September saw the first AlpKit event to be held at Canolfan Tryweryn, North Wales.

The freestyle was the first event to kick off on the Saturday morning, unfortunately I was pre-registered as Rick (fellow SquareRock paddler) and I were providing safety cover for the event - which meant that I had bib number one. So I was first up on the wave, which I neither liked or had paddled more than twice. But there was a good crowd, all very willing to cheer me on as they weren't tired or concerned about their own runs that were to come later in the day. All three runs went pretty well and as it was a "best two count" format, I was perfectly happy to be consistent if not the big move man.

To my surprise, about an hour later I had made the semi-finals which I was really pleased about as it was my first comp for nearly a year and first time out in my all new Jackson All-star. So off I went again to do my best and once again I stuck my moves, playing it fairly safe. Despite my grandparents arriving mid-way through my second run and my sister telling me so over the stereo system!

In all honesty, thinking my job was done and the comp was over for me, I went for lunch with my Nain and Taid. Sat in the cafe, Rick came in and said "Your only bloody third - you made the finals". I nearly choked on my panini and chips (a true athlete's food).

The finals came around in the knockout style and I made it through two rounds, taking me right up to third which was amazing! I was quiet happy to have made the semi-finals. It seems on a feature that caused a few blow outs I paddled consistently, coming third in both rounds.

Results of Expert Men were:

1st - Chris Chapman

2nd- Stu Parry (junior)

3rd- Me (Jonathan Davies)

While in Expert Ladies, my sister (Lowri Davies) fresh back from the Four Borders Expedition took first place with Molly Crisp and Emily Wall taking second and third respectively. Team SquareRock were pretty chuffed to take top three in both men's and women's!

Day Two was the downriver race/boater-x which was held down at Bala Mill Falls. This was the event Rick and I were providing safety as despite being easy if you get it right, it could inflict some painful injuries if a paddler did capsize on the drop, which in the heat of a race can easily happen. This event also went well for me, as I progressed through to the semis once more, only to be destroyed by fellow SquareRock paddler Chris Chapman - mainly due to my bad choice of line when trying to overtake him. Never mind.

Entertainment also came from watching the "Speeder Challenge", where six fools agreed to paddle from the centre to below Bala Mill - one pinning at the top of the falls, capsizing and eventually swimming at the bottom of the falls.

A wicked weekend was had by all and everyone left smiling with loads of prizes. Well done AlpKit for a top event!

Building Houses and Changing sponsors

The title basically sums up what I have been doing for the last few weeks.

I have gutted and start to rebuild a large flat and shop with fellow Squarerock team member Rick Foster. So far it's going well and due to the rubbish British weather we haven't been distracted by the rivers.

Well just 2 trips to Llangollen, 2 to Tryweryn and once to HPP which isn't much in 12 days. Umm maybe we won't be mentioning that is half of the work days to Ricks wife who was at work.

Anyway heree's a pic of me and Rick posing with a banner in frount of the new house.

Hope to see you guys soon and preferable on some wicked water.

The Drive Home

Well after leaving the centre I did the obvious and went on a random drive from west to east and east to west. In 3 days of driving, amazing views and random paddles I think I made in roughly 80 miles north from the centre despite driving for around 850 miles. So I truck Northward on the back roads in eastern France ending up in Switzerland for a brief time which was a bit confusing.
Anyway after a few days of trucking about I reached Disney Land Paris for 2 days which was a awesome laugh going on rides and all that sort of thing.
I then went to Lyon to see my mum in a rather posh spa hotel and spent a week in the pool, hot tub, massage pool and gym. Awesome way to relax after all the paddling.
Anyway after all the relaxation it was finally time to head back to the UK and 900 miles later I picked up a lovely new Jackson kayak all star. To my amazement Hurley was running on 3 gates another result of the bizzar summer. It would have been rude not to try my boat out as it was going and wow what a wicked afternoon on the water then the Long drive home surrounded by stressed Brits which was a bit of a shock as the chilled out attitude down in the south of France.

But hay how back in North Wales we have a server weather warning in place so fingers crossed the rivers will soon be running nicely for so winter runs and some cold paddling (DOH!)

Anyway people keep paddling and keep smiling

Some shots from the last few weeks

Bourne Canyon and Hawai-sur-rhone

Hay,
Well I have finished my seasson on the Ardeche with a wicked 2 days.

Firstly we drove up to Bourne canyon which is about 2 hours from the centre but is well worth the trip.
John had been there a year ago but me and Simon hadn't so John was in charge of getting us there which was a mission it's self working of the random bits he could remember.You arrive high in the Ardeche mountains to a remote forest which has a huge gorge running through the middle of it. We had all only taken board shorts and rashies which made us hesitent when we so the commercial guys with wet suits, harnesses, ropes and 2 or 3 resuce kits between the group.
Once we got down the the river it was 2 hours of running, swimming and jumping of waterfalls which was awesome but very tiring. The big jump was 26m which was amazing the biggest I have ever done. John and Simon opted out as the were still working and because it was rather high.
But in the end it was all good and looked like an awesome early season/storm run for some good steep creeking. One to watch for the future for sure.

Hawaii-sur-rhone was amazing as it always is. It is still up high which is a rarity for the time of year. This "global warming summer" as the media has deemed it has been amazing for paddling in most of Europe the river are high and the water is warm. The main wave was running perfectly and wave on the far side of the island the wave was running or the less experienced people. Strangely the wave was deserted but for me and Simon which has been the sorry of the summer there as I haven't seen people there since Easter.

Have fun people and get out on the water