Is de eerste kayakker die succesvol -zonder te zwemmen- de 30mtr
grens heeft overschreden. De Allexander Falls is geen kleine afsprongetje
zoals je het fimfragment kan zien maar er eentje in de categorie
"don't try this at home".
Typically the game of rock-paper-scissors determines a clear-cut winner. But
when the game decides who will be first to paddle his kayak over a thunderous
107-foot waterfall, there’s some room for debate over who actually “wins.”
“He threw paper, I threw scissors, so I was the first one up,” said
paddler Tyler Bradt, 21, of Missoula, Mont. “It was really nerve-racking
for the hour before I went, while we were waiting to get all the media set
up. That was probably the most stressful part of the day, aside from when Rush
(Sturges) disappeared behind the waterfall.”
The waterfall of reference is notorious Alexandra Falls, a towering behemoth
found along the Hay River in Canada’s Northwest Territories made famous
when Ed Lucero of New Mexico paddled over the lip in 2003 and established it
as the longest drop ever survived in a kayak.
But here’s the rub: When Lucero hit the pool at the base of the drop,
he immediately was ejected from his kayak, creating a now four-year debate
over whether an unplanned swim nullifies an otherwise ob- vious world record.
As far as the folks at Guinness are concerned, the record waterfall drop stands
at 98.42 feet. Tao Berman of Seattle set the mark after sticking the drop in
Alberta’s Johnston Canyon in August 1999. And even that record was disputed
when Welsh paddler Shaun Baker argued that Upper Johnston Falls isn’t
completely vertical (Berman touched a rock during his fall) and should be classified
in a different category from his own then- record descent of 64-foot Aldeyjarfoss
Falls in Iceland. Guinness agreed to split the category into “waterfall” descent
and “free fall” descent.
Enter the latest contender: On Sept. 7, Bradt apparently unified the titles
with his undisputed stomping of the drop he and Young Guns Productions partner
Rush Sturges of Forks of Salmon, Calif., would later measure at 107 feet from
ledge to pool. Although the skirt exploded off the cockpit of his
Outdoor Extremes Blog
Post reporter Jason Blevins posts entries on this blog devoted to adventure
sports. Visit it here.
Dagger Nomad 8.5 kayak on impact, Bradt managed to paddle away without even
flipping.
The feat, which was captured for the forthcoming YGP video “Source,” will
be submitted to Guinness World Records, Bradt said. “My main goal and
main motivation with paddling is progressing the sport itself,” he said. “I
think this can offer an undebated world record, which is healthy for the sport.
It can clear the slate and provide a foundation for the sport to build off
of.”
As further evidence of Bradt’s achievement, Sturges, 22, followed with
an attempt of his own and was shoved into a cave behind the waterfall’s
curtain after a skirt implosion separated him from his kayak. It took four
attempts before Sturges could swim through the falls to safety.
“Alexandra and any waterfall of that nature and size offers some immediate
consequences. If your kayak lands flat you’ll decelerate incredibly quickly
and crush your spine. If you go over-vertical and land on your head, the same
thing could happen. It’s also scary because of the cave factor - really
scary,” said Bradt, noting the duo considered the drop for a week before
actually pulling the trigger. “A lot of it is just experience. Of course
there could be consequences, but we each had confidence in our ability to run
it and stick it.”
Expecting the “most ferocious, heinous hit of my life,” Sturges
described the splashdown as “amazingly soft, like falling into a bunch
of cotton or something.”
Does that mean we can expect a second attempt? “With a drop of that
size and character, I think we’re both perfectly content never running
that waterfall again,” Bradt said.
“Ever,” Sturges added.
Powered by
Deze pagina
is voor het laatst gewijzigd
26-12-2009
