I am down in the Verdon region just doing so pre alps boating and spending something getting to know Stuart Woodward, Will King, Becca Hernadez and Nick Pearce. Paddling some late season beautiful class 3 runs.
Hopefully heading up to the Canoe Control base on Saturday to set up the site and get settled in before the clients arrive.
Hopefully see you all soon.
Friday, 23 May 2008
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Gorges de la Borne
High up in the Ardeche mountains just off the D19 there is a wonderful little river more commonly known to the canyoning community called the Gorges de la Borne or Borne Canyon. With it being early session and hoping for some water Myself, Steve Davies, Chris Gibbens and Alex Kerr made a very slow and twisty drive up to the put on at around 1300M altitude.
And this is what we found.............................
Catch you on the water
Saturday, 10 May 2008
The drive down
I have arrived in france after stopping at the Square rock mansion (big thanks to Aaron and Rhona for everything thing). All is well as the sun has come out to play and the Central Massif is running well.
Massive snowpack in the Alps so it is looking good for the season to come.
Catch you on the water.
Massive snowpack in the Alps so it is looking good for the season to come.
Catch you on the water.
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Cwm Llan.......... Again
The top drop that is usually walked 
Wow that was amazing.....................
Lets go again.Monday, 24 March 2008
Little Update
There has been no water despite Wales being very wet, it's cold and the tourist are starting to block the lanes......... It's getting to the time of year that I like to leave the UK and find a warmer place in the world to spend this summer.
So I have spent the last week or so working on some one2one coaching sessions and rescue training with global rescue.
I have also managed to get out on a couple of interesting rivers. The Ceirw, Gorge section (500m long section which is near impossible to scout and drops roughly 80m in a variety of slides and falls) and my local river which has a perfect 8 foot ledge drop for throwing hammers and things off. Both are steep, narrow and rocky.
Other than this just the usual runs of tryweryn and stuff to relax and keep the fitness up.
So I have spent the last week or so working on some one2one coaching sessions and rescue training with global rescue.
I have also managed to get out on a couple of interesting rivers. The Ceirw, Gorge section (500m long section which is near impossible to scout and drops roughly 80m in a variety of slides and falls) and my local river which has a perfect 8 foot ledge drop for throwing hammers and things off. Both are steep, narrow and rocky.
Other than this just the usual runs of tryweryn and stuff to relax and keep the fitness up.
Monday, 10 March 2008
Canoe Control Rescue Symposium
The first river rescue symposium in the UK for over 12 years, Stuart Woodward had a mountain to climb in organising some of the UK's top name kayaking coaches and enthusiasts to be in one place at one time but through lots of hard work he did it and the River Rescue Symposium 2008 (RRS) was born.
The event kicked off at 11.00 when the clients came flying through the doors ready for a weekend of rescue and safety based fun. Franco Ferrero kicked the event off before handing over to Bob Timms for the first mini lecture of the day. After Bob's lecture on the principals of safety and rescue it was time for the clients to scrum down at the whiteboard in order to secure their place some of the many courses running over the 2 days.
With afternoon workshops starting at 13.00 by Franco Ferrero, Bob Timms, Dave Rossiter, Jon Davies (me), Lowri Davies, Alli Marshall, Peter Knowles, Jules Bernard, Dino Heald, Ray Goodwin, Dave Luke and Dave Manby. There was a wide and varied choice of courses so there was something to suit all levels and interests. After two afternoon workshops you could see the client's brains whirring with questions. By a stroke of genius Stuart had accounted for this and first on the agenda after dinner was a paddler's question time. Which was controlled very well by Franco as it got a little heated as opinions differed.
With everyone winding down from the debate Allen Ellard stepped up to do a presentation on his many adventures and travels, which was well received by all as it proved very interesting.
After a long day of workshops and presentations most were grateful for seeing the bar for a drink and to talk through everything that they had heard and seen through the day.
Day 2 saw people taking to the water in all sorts of ways. Some of us swimming, some in boats and some bank based but all very well received and building on top of the day 1 theory. With the names above providing a range of sessions based around rope work, first aid, awareness and furthering paddler skills.
I was working on sessions about rope rescues, broaches, pinnings and entrapments with Dave Rossiter and Bob Timms. Since we had such a wide range of skills to cover we broke each session into two groups. One which would focus on entrapments and another looking to build good core throw rope skills. I worked with the people looking at entrapments and spent the vast majority of each session sat in the river with the group using various techniques to save me. Which was very productive as it highlighted how fast and accurate these rescue skills need to be to effect a potentially life saving rescue.
With the clients brains full again it was time for everyone to melt away into there corners of the world hopefully having learned a lot and having had an entertaining weekend.
Big thanks to-
Stuart Woodward for organising us all- http://www.canoecontrol.com/
The rescue team I am a member of- http://www.globalrescueservices.org.uk/
The event kicked off at 11.00 when the clients came flying through the doors ready for a weekend of rescue and safety based fun. Franco Ferrero kicked the event off before handing over to Bob Timms for the first mini lecture of the day. After Bob's lecture on the principals of safety and rescue it was time for the clients to scrum down at the whiteboard in order to secure their place some of the many courses running over the 2 days.
With afternoon workshops starting at 13.00 by Franco Ferrero, Bob Timms, Dave Rossiter, Jon Davies (me), Lowri Davies, Alli Marshall, Peter Knowles, Jules Bernard, Dino Heald, Ray Goodwin, Dave Luke and Dave Manby. There was a wide and varied choice of courses so there was something to suit all levels and interests. After two afternoon workshops you could see the client's brains whirring with questions. By a stroke of genius Stuart had accounted for this and first on the agenda after dinner was a paddler's question time. Which was controlled very well by Franco as it got a little heated as opinions differed.
With everyone winding down from the debate Allen Ellard stepped up to do a presentation on his many adventures and travels, which was well received by all as it proved very interesting.
After a long day of workshops and presentations most were grateful for seeing the bar for a drink and to talk through everything that they had heard and seen through the day.
Day 2 saw people taking to the water in all sorts of ways. Some of us swimming, some in boats and some bank based but all very well received and building on top of the day 1 theory. With the names above providing a range of sessions based around rope work, first aid, awareness and furthering paddler skills.
I was working on sessions about rope rescues, broaches, pinnings and entrapments with Dave Rossiter and Bob Timms. Since we had such a wide range of skills to cover we broke each session into two groups. One which would focus on entrapments and another looking to build good core throw rope skills. I worked with the people looking at entrapments and spent the vast majority of each session sat in the river with the group using various techniques to save me. Which was very productive as it highlighted how fast and accurate these rescue skills need to be to effect a potentially life saving rescue.
With the clients brains full again it was time for everyone to melt away into there corners of the world hopefully having learned a lot and having had an entertaining weekend.
Big thanks to-
Stuart Woodward for organising us all- http://www.canoecontrol.com/
The rescue team I am a member of- http://www.globalrescueservices.org.uk/
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
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.
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