Roll Master
Proud of being able to roll on both sides and stick the occasional hand roll? That's smallfry compared to the rolling prowess of Portland, Ore.'s Harvey Golden of Qainnaat Kayaks. The long-time builder of traditional Greenland kayaks—and practitioner of traditional paddling techniques—has nearly 40 different rolls in his quiver, most of them simulating conditions that used to arise while hunting. "I just do a fraction of what's out there," he says. "But they're all traditional Greenland rolls designed to simulate real hunting conditions. They all evolved practically...some are designed to simulate rolling in tangled harpoon lines, with a broken arm, or even with a wounded animal on the other end." Golden, of course, has had plenty of time to practice—this summer he rolled his way down 800 miles of the Columbia River.
—edb

Asia's Paddling Marlboro Man
He's appeared on billboards on dusty, pothole-filled roads in Tibet. He's been seen on soda machines in downtown Tokyo. He's even been spotted on a bus in Beijing. And every time the image is the same: a man with rugged good looks paddling a kayak over a breathtaking waterfall. Who is kayaking's newest ambassador and what's he doing carrying the paddling message across Asia? His name is Lars Holbek, and thanks to a recent advertising gig with Canada's Skyland Planning, whose primary client is Japan Mild 7 Tobacco, he has quickly become the continent's newest Marlboro Man.

"My agent told me that this company was looking for someone for a certain campaign, so I sent them a photo," says Holbek, one of this country's leading expedition kayakers. "Now I do shoots with them for up to two months a year, and I guess people have seen pictures of me way out in the middle of nowhere, from India to Taiwan."

The clients are apparently pleased with the campaign—even though the star is paddling a kayak instead of saddling a horse. "It's been working well," says Skyland's Kaz Wagi, mastermind of the campaign. "Kayaking is an ongoing motif for our client, and Lars is an excellent paddler with a mild, good-looking face. He gives the impression of a macho, strong paddler, which is what our client wanted." It's also giving Holbek what he wants—a lifestyle paying him to travel from Chile to Canada throughout the year for paddling photo shoots. "It's a great excuse for me to stay fit for kayaking," he says. "Plus, it makes it so I don't have to get a real job."
—edb

Delaware Couple Wins C-2 Mixed-up Award
Although they might not win a C-2 Mixed division race, a couple in Delaware recently proved they're shoe-ins to win a C-2 Mixed-up event. According to the National Park Service, on the evening of Sept. 28 park rangers received a report of two overdue canoeists out for a day trip on the Delaware River. Rangers Mike Zirwas and Jennifer Kavanaugh then began a search for the married couple, who had rented a canoe from a local outfitter, and found them in pitch darkness just a hundred yards from where they put in. Candidates for the Darwin Award, the couple had been dropped off that morning and were instructed to head downstream to Kittatinny Point. Instead, they paddled upstream, covering three miles in six hours. According to the unnamed woman, "When we reached the fourth set of rapids and the water was still going the wrong way, we decided we, too, had probably been going the wrong way." The couple then turned around and paddled for 90 minutes, pulling over to shore in the dark to bivouac overnight just a football-field's length from their original put-in. "They didn't realize how close they were to the boat ramp where they had put in seven-and-a-half hours earlier," says ranger Kavanaugh. "But both were okay and in remarkably good spirits."
—edb

Custom-painted Sea Kayaks?
More marine animal sightings are starting to appear in the Northwest. Not because of larger migrations, but because of artist Dave Lloyd. Lloyd, of Ladysmith, B.C.'s Island Outdoor Center, now lets customers spice up their sea kayaks with the image of their choice. "Whatever you want, he'll paint it on there," says the store's general manager Mark Hall. "The world's the limit." So far, illustrations have included porpoises, seascapes with whales and other creatures, and even an octopus wrapping its tentacles around a hull. Hall also has commissioned one of his own: a lighthouse comprising the midsection of the kayak, surrounded by rocks and spray toward the ends. Lloyd offers his airbrush services on hatch covers as well ($65-$85), with many outfitters having their logos painted on their fleet's lids. Such customizing, of course, comes with a price. Airbrushing both sides of a bow (including sanding it down, painting it and covering it with polyurethane) runs $365; painting the full deck costs $775; and turning the whole kayak into a work of art runs $1,225. Info.: (250) 245-2242 or (250) 245-1344.
—edb

Chile Whitewater to be Released
Book by the late John Foss to be published by family and friends
Patti Todd and the Foss family didn't know how immersed in the world of whitewater they'd come without getting wet. Last fall, Todd faced a daunting task: finishing her brother John Foss' book, Chile Whitewater, A Rafting and Kayak Guide, without his help. On July 5, 1998, Foss disappeared while attempting to kayak a first descent of the Rio Huallabamba Canyon in Peru. Two weeks later local fishermen found Foss' body several miles downriver.

After holding memorial services in Foss' native Illinois, as well as in Peru and Chile, Patti met John's extended family: an international paddling community. Here she found inspiration to continue with the publication of his book. "My love and inspiration for my brother, along with the tremendous support from his friends, has compelled me to finish his work and fulfill his dream," says Patti. "John's main goal was to help others and share his knowledge of the area. And he wanted to contribute a portion of the book's profits to support local conservation organizations. Chile Whitewater is John's last gift to us." This sudden immersion into the paddling community has given Todd her own gifts as well. "Losing my brother was devastating," she says. "Yet the support has been tremendous, with everyone inspiring me to go on with the book."

Kurt Casey, Foss' paddling partner, is helping edit the book. "Since 1991 I have seen the book grow from extensive river notes to a manuscript," he says. "John was always working on it, collecting distances, mileage, times and altitudes. This is more than a guidebook: a million adventures went into making it. It's a tribute to Chile, the land and its people. It covers the full spectrum: information for armchair adventurers, first-time Chile boaters or diehard paddlers."
—Jody Deignan

Paddlers Appear on Today Show
Quelling the myth that sprint paddling doesn't get any attention, three USA Canoe/Kayak athletes made a national television appearance in October on the Today Show and Fox Network's Fox Family. First up was national champion Tamara Jenkins and two-time Olympian Peter Newton, who gave Today Show co-anchor Matt Lauer a kayak lesson outside the NBC News studio in Rockefeller Plaza. "They had to get the New York City fire department to fill a pool in the Plaza," says USA Canoe/Kayak's Lisa Fish. "There were a ton of people watching, and it provided great exposure for the sport and our sponsor, Eddie Bauer. And they made sure to put Lauer in a stable boat, a Dagger RPM, so he wouldn't tip over." While Jenkins and Newton kept Lauer afloat, national champion Kathy Colin promoted the sport by joining Bobby Kennedy on Fox Family for a discussion about Kennedy's River Keeper clean-up program.
—edb

Outfitters Unite on the Web
Whether your fantasy is rafting China's Yangtze River or running a turbid stretch of Maine's Penobscot, many of the world's finest whitewater river outfitters are now only a mouse-click away. Riversearch.com, a first-of-its-kind Web site, has used the Internet to unite a growing membership that includes 35 of the world's best whitewater outfitters from 10 countries, representing more than 53 of the world's best rivers. "Until Riversearch, there was no central site for someone interested in river adventures," says Wayne Hockmeyer, owner of Maine's Adventure Outdoors and co-founder of Riversearch. "A newcomer could easily overlook outfitters who've spent their lives developing high standards."

More than a site to service paddlers, Riversearch was designed to encourage "co-opetition" between outfitters, promote and preserve the world's great rivers, and maintain outfitters' integrity. "A serious concern in the industry is outfitters who operate for the one-time sale with little concern for the customer or the rivers," says member Joe Kowalski of Ontario's Wilderness Tours. "Riversearch outfitters agreed that a single source of information that could guarantee a positive river experience was the best way to combat less conscientious practitioners."

Riversearch.com is organized by geographic region, with outfitters identified alphabetically by river. Surfers merely point to the region of interest and click on a link that opens a detailed map. Outfitted rivers are indicated by name with an icon revealing member outfitters operating on that river. Links to individual member Web sites let users research each outfitter's specialties, prices and services.
—edb

Chicken Soup Heads Outdoors
Have an interesting anecdote from a paddling trip? There may be a market for it. The best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series (more than 40 million copies sold worldwide) is seeking inspiring stories, anecdotes, poems, quotations, cartoons and other material for its newest title, Chicken Soup for the Outdoor Soul. True-story submissions should rekindle the spirit on such topics as It's All in the Attitude, Our Common Bond, Powerful Places, Wild and Free, Living Your Dream, Overcoming Obstacles, Encountering Nature, A Matter of Perspective, Love, Special Moments and Making a Difference. Keep submissions under 1,000 words and send to P.O. Box 69774, Los Angeles, CA 90069; or e-mail submissions@outdoorsoul.com. For more information, visit www.outdoorsoul.com.
—edb