World Class Kayak Academy

Lachine Rapids

2010-10-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

World Class goes to the infamous Lachine Rapids.
Thanks to Weaver Froelicher for the edit!

Apurimac Multi-Day, A WCKA First!

2009-12-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

Ben, Griff and Erik Johnson on the Confluence section, Urubamba River

The Group at our home, Cola de Mono

Confluence section put-in, just downstream from camp

I believe the last blog left off midway at our stay at Colo de Mono in Santa Teresa. Basically we all enjoyed our three weeks of bugs and sick paddling on the Urubamba. We spent one rainy day on a lower-volume creek called the Upper Sacsara. We all had fun in our shiny new creek-boats.

Our last night in Santa Teresa, the group helped Gian Marco, our beloved host, build a relaxing sweat-lodge made out of sticks and plastic tarp. That night he heated boulders, to pour water on for steam, and most of the students spent several sessions sweating out our body’s toxins in an enjoyable and new experience, preparing ourselves for the long and awaited over-nighter expeditions.

Take-out at Santa Teresa...otherwise known as town recess

After a scenic canyon drive back to Cusco, we spoiled ourselves with pizza, burgers, cake, multiple cappuccinos a day, cheap hour massages and finally a nice hostile with beds and Internet. Over the next few days we prepared ourselves for the Apurimac by buying personal snacks such as chocolate bars, nuts and sausage sticks with our 45 soles (Peruvian currency) allowance and distributing the backpacker’s pantry mountain meals. We each received four dinners including any of the following; Wild West Chili, Pad Thai, Spicy Thai with Peanut Sauce, Chana Masala, Lasagna, Macaroni and Cheese, Mexican Rice with Beef, Rosotta with Chicken, and Kung Pao Chicken. Boats packed, we were ready to start our first journey.

Cody, excited to eat his meal in a bag...mmm, tasty!

Day one on the Apurimac after a three hour drive from our beloved Cusco we hiked our boats through stone arches and over piles of rubble, through a small town and onto the river. This first rapid was a little tricky and about half of the group ran it, the other half walking, not wanting to risk messing up our lines in our unfamiliar, heavily loaded creek-boats. The rest of the day consisted of some fun rapids with some technical moves accompanied by a few scouts. That night we camped at a rocky beach with a little bit of sand that we took advantage of. Students tested out their bivies and Griff and Johnson even found a rock cave to sleep under for rain protection. Kleve and I, along with Capo and Ben, fortunately didn’t have to worry about any unnecessary moisture due to our light tents that we packed along.

Filtering water on the Apurimac River

The next morning Parker woke up to a bivy full of water and realized he would have some creative work to do if the rain came again. Day two was a short and mellow day of flat-water and beautiful scenery. We made camp early at lunch and several students spent hours building “shanty’s”, what they called their rain shelters, out of bamboo and grasses in hopes of a dry night. The rest of us spent our free time setting up camp and swimming across the river to some small cliffs to jump. That night people stayed dry but we all woke up in the middle of the night to a savage and loud rockslide on top of us, caused by the rain.

A Shanty, Hopefully it Worked!

Day three was once again mellow. We spent an hour or so trying to surf a fun wave with eddy service with our loaded creek-boats. Camping on a big sandy beach, shanties were built and when darkness came around 6 p.m., so did the rain. Our pattern seemed to be going to bed around 6-6:30 and getting a good 12 hours of sleep.

Well rested, day four was our long and fun day of rapids. The canyon walls were beautiful and the sun was shining. The day consisted of pretty continuous big volume read-and-run rapids due to increase in water with the nightly rain. The dark chocolate milk colored water made it challenging to read but we were all stoked on the day and our experience as a whole!

Griff soaking in the South American sun rays!

Day five we woke up, ate our daily morning breakfast of Avena (brand of oatmeal) mixed with gorp, and paddled a few hours of flat-water to the takeout, after a stout portage, where our cargo truck driver met us. From here we made the short drive to Cusco to get ready for the Cotahuasi and prepare for our next episode full of adventures…

Words: Olin Wimberg

Photos: Susan Hollingsworth and Kristi Murrin

Physics Demo: #2

2009-11-21T21:04:00.001-08:00

Check out our Physics Class' Demonstration #2: Momentum, Collisions and Impulse

Emily Allen
Griff Griffith
Olin Wimberg

Santa Teresa, Peru!

2009-11-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

After a much needed and greatly appreciated ten-day fall break, we all arrived in Cusco early last Thursday. After several long flights from Denver to L.A., L.A. to Lima, and Lima to Cusco, we finally arrived. We drowsily disembarked the plane and were happily greeted by Kristi and a tour bus to take us to our Cusco hostel. Despite the lack of sleep, we were all excited to finally be in the greatly anticipated destination: Peru.

We spent two nights in the city of Cusco and had plenty of opportunities to practice our Spanish with the locals and buy loads of souvenirs. Our Spanish classes consisted of a citywide scavenger hunt, forcing us all to use our somewhat limited Spanish vocabulary to interact with Peruvians.

Workout: Climb up the mountain (base=11,000 ft), sit-ups next to Incan Ruins

After our time in the city we packed up to head to our next destination. We had another seven hours of traveling over mountain passes and driving along deep canyons to our new home in Santa Teresa. Currently we are camping at Cola de Mono and will stay here for the next three weeks. The site is a few minutes outside of Santa Teresa and we have room for each of our tents and a large canopy to eat and have class under. The location is close to several creeks and river runs, not to mention three meals are cooked daily for us. The only setbacks are the amount of mosquitoes, most of us were covered in itchy bites by the first morning workout, and the absence of one major thing: kayaks.

Swiftwater Rescue Review Day

Our home base in Santa Teresa

Shortly after we had arrived in Santa Teresa we were greeted with the bad news. All 14 of our new Jackson boats are stuck in Lima customs, and have not yet been released into the country. Obviously a major part of our daily school routine is missing. World Class Kayak Academy has become more like World Class Camping Academy. Despite this, we have still been able to find plenty of activities to fill time that is usually spent paddling.

Community service day, putting those muscles to work

We have assisted with some community service, which consists of moving wheelbarrow loads of dirt down the road to build a driveway over a marshy patch of land, enjoying a night-time hot spring soak, and also making an impromptu trip to Machu Picchu. We rode a train into the town at the base of Machu Picchu and spent the night. Early the next morning we headed to the top of the mountain, and spent the entire day exploring the ruins and absorbing Peru’s history. In the afternoon, when we were left to explore the landmark on our own, half the group hiked to the top of Wayna Picchu and enjoyed the perfect view of Machu Picchu below. After a full day, we walked along the railroad track back to Santa Teresa.

Machu Picchu visit (students have a million more photos!)

Since then, our days have been filled with double amounts of classes and a review of swift river rescue. The group has kept up a positive output and morale has been high, despite such a long hiatus from paddling. Soon, however, we will rent boats to use until the others arrive and we will be able to train and prepare for the upcoming multi-day/self-support trips. Our long stint as World Class Camping Academy will soon be over, and we can be World Class Kayak Academy once again.

Article: Emily Allen

Photos: Susan Hollingsworth

Field Trip to the Coal Fields of West Virginia

2009-11-13T04:53:00.000-08:00

On our final day at the Gauley River we packed up camp and drove two hours to the home of Larry. Larry’s home sits on a small mountain in Marsh Fork, West Virginia, the heart and soul of American coal mining. The 50-acre property is filled with this "black gold" and is valued at around 60 million dollars. Larry told us all about his life and the coal companies that he has to deal with on a day-to-day basis. After the presentation, the students were able see to dozens of mountain top removal sights from the safety of a nearby peak. I think I speak for every one when I say it was a bitter sight; we could see thousands of acres of destroyed mountains. Thick vegetation used to cover the vast hillsides; it has now been reduced to dirt and rock. It was hard to comprehend the damage to the surrounding environment. This unique experience opened our eyes to harmful ways of the American coal industries.

After the tour of Larry’s property we drove to Marsh Fork Elementary. The elementary school is less than a hundred yards from an enormous coal silo. Ivan Steifel, a former WCKA teacher and anti coal activist, gave us a brief presentation about the poor air and water quality in the surrounding area. The school also sits just below the dam of a 2.8 billion gallon coal slurry. A coal slurry is a large body of water that serves as a dumping ground for coal waste. Coal slurries create highly toxic waste that can leak into surrounding wells and ground water supplies. I had never known how coal companies can affect the health of local communities.

During the last leg of our journey we visited the Coal River Mountain Watch base camp. The CRMW is a group of people fighting against coal mining. The students piled in to House #3, in which we were able to interact with members of CRMW and discuss the issues with coal mining. Every one at the Coal River base camp had interesting perspectives and stories to share.

By the end of the day we all came out with a plentiful set of knowledge on coal mining. Being able to see coal mining and its effects on the environment was one of the coolest field trips I have ever been apart of. I feel that I learned more about coal mining at WCKA than I ever could have in a formal classroom.

Eric Parker

Youghiogheny River Update brought to you by WCKA Video Class

2009-10-05T09:09:00.001-07:00

Video Update from the Youghiogheny and ASCI Whitewater Course

Physics Lab Demonstration: Newton's Laws

2009-10-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

Physics Assignment: Demonstrate Newton's 3 Laws for future WCKA classes

Washington DC Field Trip

2009-09-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

Walking through the Mall

During the long drive from Montreal to Maryland WCKA decided to stop, take a short detour, and a few days off of paddling to have class and go explore our country’s capitol. The lively city was enormous and left endless opportunities for wandering and new discoveries. Many of the students and teachers had never been to DC and those who have, had never been there during a time like this. The two days there were spent during the thirteenth and fourteenth of September, the following days of 9/11. This brought huge numbers of people that were on marches and parades for those lost.

We found ourselves surrounded by some of the most political extreme people you could imagine. When crossing busy intersections the students would look up at the corners to see people holding up signs with comments like, “Obama is a Nazi”. While packed onto the metro students listened keenly to these people’s views, despite often sounding ridiculous.

Washington Memorial

View of Lincoln Memorial and Reflection pool

When the students and teachers were off the metro and on their own exploring they were able to forget about the current politics and enjoy some of the long standing national monuments. Some of the monuments visited were The Washington Monument, The Abraham Memorial, The Whitehouse, and many more. Students stood and looked out at the city while standing in the exact same place as Dr. King when he made his ‘ I Have A Dream’ speech.

Photos of the Whitehouse with teachers Capo and Ben

Natural History Museum

They also went to some of the city’s best museums. They visited the International Spy Museum, The Smithsonian Natural History Museum, and The Air and Space Museum. Surprisingly, both students and teachers found the Natural History museum to be the most interesting of the three. Hours were spent in the museum looking at things from soil in the states to gigantic hippos seen on the rivers throughout Africa. The Spy museum was also very interesting. The artifacts were some of the craziest things you would imagine. Weapons ranged from the traditional umbrella gun to bombs that would go off if a girl tried to open her lipstick.

Hudson Moe, Kleve Peaslee and Capo Rettig anticipating a tarantuala feeding demonstration

Evolution of Man exhibit

While the students and teachers all had an amazing time exploring the city, they are also all ready to go explore the rivers on the east coast. The next few river destinations will be the Youghiogheny, the Gauley, the Tygert, and The Green. Theses rivers will make up the creeking and river running portion of the quarter. The playboating that was done so far was epic and some of the biggest waves students had surfed. Both students and teachers showed rapid improvement and the majority of them are now able to throw blunts and backstabs (vertical front/back 180). The group is getting along well and are all looking forward to the rapidly approaching trip to Peru (less than a month).

Emily Allen, Susan Hollingsworth and Ohiopyle friends getting ready for a trip down the Youghiogheny

Words: Griff Griffith

Photos: Susan Hollingsworth

Ottawa River Update, Fall 2009

2009-09-16T06:18:00.001-07:00

Eric Parker, Isaac Holden and Olin Wimberg in a group surf on Left Side Wave and Babyface

Bon Jour! Welcome to Ontario, home of large cows, poutine, and Maple forests. We arrived here in Canada on the afternoon of August 28, just in time to catch our first surfs on the at McCoy Chute where Corner Wave, Phil’s Hole and Baby face are all located. For many kids and teachers the Ottawa has been a new river on the list. It holds some of the world’s best high volume playboating and river running in the spring, but has top notch kayaking year round. One of the greatest things about the Ottawa is its fantastic temperature. It feels more like a bathtub than a river most days and provides for some good non-dry top boating.

Cody Wasuta and Hudson Moe, Chemistry Lab

To get to McCoy’s was about a 15-minute drive from our resort at Wilderness Tours. We parked below the rapid and paddled across a football sized area of flatwater to get to the waves. Half way down the main rapid, McCoy’s, is a large surging, crashing, hydraulic named Phil’s Hole. Many daring souls paddled hard to punch through. A few tried to surf it only to get a ride comparing to one that a bull rider gets in a rodeo. Lower down is Corner wave which is a medium sized wave with a large eddy that can be tricky to catch the longer and more tired you get. Corner Wave provides a great area for many kids to start learning tricks or sharpen up existing skills.

Olin Wimberg setting up on Cornerwave

Erik Johnson on Cornerwave, Ottawa River

At the run out of the McCoy’s Babyface, the last wave, forms. It is the mellowest of the waves and is great for learning how to surf and fundamentals of playboating. The team has been paddling especially well together so far with excessive screaming and yelling to cheer on each other (the locals may think we are crazy). Everyone took full advantage of our weeklong stay here and what the Ottawa has to offer. Off the water at WT we partook in many extracurricular activities such as pool, evening hot tubs, boxing and the first ever World Class Olympics. We had several events including basketball, soccer, and the boating leg is still to be held. Everyone won at least one event so far and has brought a new competitive edge to the group.

Emily and Head Coach Ben Kinsella

Staying at Wilderness tours is more of a resort than anything. We had the luxury of beds for everyone and five star meals three times a day. Breakfast includes pancakes, French toast and assorted cereals while lunch was usually burgers and brats. Finally dinner was between the favorites of juicy steaks and potato’s or spinach stuffed chicken. Reality soon will be upon us, getting into routine of cooking all our own meals for once. We are off to the huge city of Montréal where we will be surfing Lachine on the Saint Lawrence River. Stay tuned for another article.

Words: Erik Johnson
Photos: Susan Hollingsworth

US Freestyle Team Trials at Glenwood Springs, CO

2009-06-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hannah and Althea excited to hit the wave

We left Missoula, MT on the afternoon of May 25^th eager to get to Glenwood for the highly anticipated wave and Team Trials event. After spending a night in Salt Lake City at Hannah Kertesz’s house, we finally arrived at the wave with the full team of: Scott Doherty (MT), Ben Kinsella (MT), Quinton Barnett (MT), Brian Jamieson (WA), Hannah (UT), Althea Sullivan (OR), and Quinn Connell (OR). Following our first practice session on the terrific breaking wave we then headed to the Palmer’s house. The Palmer family graciously put us up with excellent accommodations at their warm home, along with numerous other members of the paddling community. On behalf of everyone you housed and fed, Thanks!

First class accommodations at the Palmer's home

The next three days were spent visiting the wave twice a day, resting in between sessions to review video, work on homework, or to socialize with the other paddlers in town for the event. As the days progressed we all became more confident with the wave and each of our individual approaches to having our best performances over the weekend. One afternoon was also spent at the Glenwood Community Center assisting with the local boat swap, which turned out to be a fun activity and a great opportunity for our group to get to know many of the other junior paddlers.

Hannah Kertesz looking smooth and solid in the wave's chaos

Big tricks on big waves

When the weekend arrived we were all excited to compete and to watch the other competitors performances. During the event, we also had a tent set up for a nice place to hang out in the shade while we weren’t competing or assisting the event organizers with time keeping. All in all, World Class had a proud showing with four of our present and past students making the U.S. Freestyle Team selected to represent the U.S. at the world championships in Thun, Switzerland later this summer. Of notable mention were also Hannah Kertesz and Quinn Connell, the first ones out for the junior women’s and junior men’s teams, respectively.

Quinn, mid-McNasty

World Class Kayak Academy representation on the 2009 U.S. Freestyle Team

Michael Palmer (10’) – Jr. Men’s – 3^rd

Johnny Meyers (04’) – Men’s – 3^rd

Rush Sturges (03’) – Men’s – 5^th

Adriene Levknecht (05’) – Women’s – 2^nd

Quinn getting his moves perfected

A great, fun and well-organized event!

Nice work, everyone, on your efforts at the event. You worked hard to get there and competed with grace and determination – we are proud of you. Thanks, as well to the entire community of Glenwood Springs, you have an amazing playspot and a supportive atmosphere for kayakers. We look forward to coming back soon!

Scott Doherty

WCKA Athletes at Teva Mountain Games

2009-06-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

School might be out of session, but World Class continues to bring young kayakers to the best rivers and competitions the summer offers. For the month of June, Colorado happens to be one of these hotspots with a different competition every weekend all throughout the state. Our students originally from this part of the country will rave to you about the variety in paddling this state offers. From the big waves in Glenwood Springs to the creeks in Crested Butte, no matter where a kayaker travels here, there is whitewater to paddle.

A classic event for the Colorado tour is the Teva Mountain Games held in Vail June 4^th-7^th. This event has it all and draws in some of the world’s most talented athletes in multiple extreme sports. The kayaking events always end up being the most attended and most exciting of the games.

Kicking off the weekend, the Homestake Extreme Creek Race sets the bar high for anyone who thinks they can maneuver through class IV/V whitewater the fastest. World Class' Sebastian Scholl competed in the race alongside the fastest and smooth athletes in the world, powering down the creek with a powerful finesse. Head Coach Jesse Shimrock made it to the finals in this event, also representing WCKA with style.

Sebastian daftly maneuvering Homestake's technical and steep rapids

WCKA alum, Adrienne Levknecht, flying off one of Homestake's many drops

Back in the town of Vail Freestyle competitions continued throughout the weekend with current and former students throwing down hard. This wave is one of the best venues for a large competition. Two bridges, up and downstream of the wave, allow for 360 degrees of viewing pleasure for the massive crowds draw to this event.

Current student Michael Palmer competed in his new Guiguiprodd carbon fiber boat. This lightweight boat, along with some serious freestyle moves, allowed him to hold his own among the world’s most talented kayakers with a 12^th place in the qualifiers.

Michael hitting a massive loop for the crowd's pleasure

Michael in his lightweight boat, smiling at his high scoring run on the wave

Griff Griffith, another student signed on for this fall’s Peru semester, also threw down with the best in the competition giving the pro’s a run for their money. In addition to competing in the freestyle competition, Griff placed an incredible 11th place in the downriver sprint, just seconds behind pro athletes Tommy Hilleke and Geoff Calhoun.

Griff getting reading to head out on Vail's wave

Griff hitting all the right moves

Many other junior athletes competed over the weekend showing the world that the next generation will be pushing the limits! I'm really looking forward to traveling around the world this these guys and all the other incredible young athletes already signed up for the fall semester.

Check back in for updates on Team Trials, the upcoming FiBark festival in Salida and WCKA's summer sessions!

by Susan Hollingsworth

Oregon to Washington - by Ben Stanistreet

2009-05-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

After leaving our yurts in Florence, we spent a few days in Eugene. We would like to thank the River House, Eugene’s recreation center, for accommodating us. While in Eugene we surfed a small wave right in town called “Cotton Candy,” and also paddled the Miracle Mile on the NF MF of the Willamette River. The Miracle Mile is a fun class III-IV run with continuous boulder-garden style rapids. We held class daily in the Eugene public library. Libraries have been a very useful resource during our west coast tour.

The "Unbroken Chain" on Miracle Mile - photo by Ben Stanistreet

We left Eugene on the 18th and drove to our next destination, the Columbia River Gorge and the rivers of southern Washington. We would like to give a big thanks to All Adventures Rafting for letting us camp in their back yard, which is conveniently located at the take out for the Green Truss section of the White Salmon. Our first day here, we woke up early and drove to Tao Berman’s house for morning workout. Tao is a local of these parts and a famous kayaker. He has a nice home gym and was “nice” enough to let us use it. The next day our arms felt like they were going to fall off from the hundreds of pull-ups we did at Tao’s, but it was a cool opportunity to work out “like the pros.” Tao also paddled with us on the Green Truss section later that day. Scott Doherty met us here for a few days of paddling and hanging out with the school as well.

Ben Hurd fires off Big Brother on the Green Truss - photo by Jason Cohen

We spend most paddling workouts either on the Farmlands or the Green Truss on the White Salmon, but the Little White Salmon and Upper Wind have also been fun, after-school river runs. We took advantage of a weekend day to hike-in and run Punchbowl Falls on Eagle Creek. At about 30 feet, it is the biggest drop most students have ever hucked.

Jesse Shimrock boofin' Punch Bowl Falls - photo by Jason Cohen

It’s amazing how fast the time goes by when we stay in one place for more than a week. On class days we drive across the Columbia River into the town of Hood River, Oregon, and take advantage of the public library. Dog River Coffee Co., right down the hill from the library, has been a favorite spot to have class and relax. I am sitting here in the coffee shop as I write this, enjoying the laid back atmosphere and the smell of fresh ground coffee. The coffee here is very good, and so is the food. “The chicken pesto pizza is da bomb,” says Eric Parker.

Sun set in the Columbia Gorge - photo by Ben Stanistreet

We just began our last week of classes. In Ivan’s literature classes we are reading different books and presenting in class. Ivan allotted each of us a half hour of class to teach what we have read and whatever else we want to include. This allowed for several interesting and fun learning experiences like watching movies and having class discussions. During one class, we all left the library to walk around town by ourselves and see if we could have conversations with strangers on the street. We then regrouped in the library to discuss our experiences.

I think most of us would agree that the Gorge has been one of the coolest places we’ve stayed, and the area offers some of the best paddling we’ve seen during our west coast tour. With the end of school approaching fast, everyone is ready to be done with classes but also sad that the year at WCKA is almost over.

Coastal Dreams Come True by Eric Parker

2009-04-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have two words for you: ocean surfing. Without a doubt, the ocean has offered the best playboating of the quarter. 7-foot waves crashed on our brightly colored watercrafts. The play features gave big bounces followed by big blunts and psychedelic pan ams. The Oregon coastline hosted some of the more unique paddling experiences of the semester.

Walking up after a great day on the beach! photo by Susan Hollingsworth

Sam Makman sets up on the face of a nice wave in Brookings, Oregon. photo by Susan Hollingsworth

Along with the ocean, we paddled various rivers while based in Florence. One great Coast Range run was Sweet Creek. Sweet Creek is a low volume, rocky riverbed full of slides and waterfalls. It offered the perfect opportunity for a World Class race. Thirty seconds apart, 16 student and teachers flew down the quarter mile run. After ten minutes of aggressive paddling, head coach Jesse Shimrock grabbed the gold medal with a time of 1 minute and 7 seconds, closely followed by sophomore Danny Doran. Senior, Dave Meyers, summed up the race, “It was a sick point sick on the sickter scale!”

During our time in Florence we studied in our spacious yurts, one of the more unique classrooms I have ever had.

Redwood Forest and Smith River Update by Jason Cohen

2009-04-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

A weekend stop in the Redwood Forest proved to be a great time for World Class. It began with a quick stop in Arcata to wander around for a little while in the city. It was an interesting place, to say the least, but after a few hours we were ready to return to the real world: Crescent City, California and the Jedediah Smith National and State Parks. We camped out under the beautiful and famous Redwood trees of Northern California. Our tents were dwarfed and we all felt like little gnomes scrambling around in a world for giants.

One day all of the students, except for Donny Doran and I, went to surf the ocean. The two of us chose to cruise up to the Upper South Fork of the Smith River with three coaches, and it turned out to be an awesome expedition, partly because it was a break from 19 people crowded onto one small river. It was a fairly continuous Class III-IV run, but the most amazing part was the scenery and the crystal clear water; At all points on the run I could clearly see the bottom of the river. The untouched wilderness surrounding the river reminded everyone of Narnia, and we were expecting Aslan the giant lion to jump out and slay us. He didn’t, and we made it to the take out. While discussing the run later on, Program Director LJ Groth said, “Although we didn’t get slain by Aslan, I was still frightened that the White Witch might get us during the hike out.” Overall, it is a great run and I would suggest it to anyone.

The incredibly clear waters of the Smith River. Photo by Paul Twist.

The next morning, we comleted a day of school in the forest before heading up to Florence, Oregon. Our US History teacher, Susan Hollingsworth, had us go to the ranger station to learn about things that have happened in the Redwood Forest in history. In Biology, which Susan also teaches, we went on a walk in the woods talking about life in forest. I never knew so many things existed and depended on each other in places as small as under a rock. I’m glad we can go to so many places for interactive learning experiences.

The Feather River Update by Ben Dann

2009-04-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

LJ lays some treats off the C-rail. Photo by Paul Twist

After spending upwards of a week in Three Rivers California paddling the Kaweah River we loaded up the vans and headed north for our next destination, the North fork of the Feather River. Taylor Robertson, a good friend of World Class, set us up with info about water levels and free camping. He also joined us on the river and showed our large crew the ropes. The entire group was able enjoy the epic class IV-V water. The North Fork of the Feather was filled with bald, granite rock which made for perfect boofs scattered throughout the river. This sparked the idea to have a boof clinic with the group, perfecting our creeking strokes. Sam Makman said, “It was a turning point in my paddling career,” and everyone benefited.

Ben Dann drives for that good boof stroke. Photo by Paul Twist

Our campsite was very roomy with beautiful views of snow capped mountains and deep forestation. Unfortunately the night time temperatures were the coldest we had seen so far on the trip. This resulted in the majority of morning classes being held huddled around the campfire or loaded in the vans. The road next to the campsite had minimal traffic and the perfect incline for cruising on our long boards. It was so fun that it inspired a few kids to buy longboards in the next town, Chico, California.

While in Chico, we held classes at the local university. The Cultural Studies class conducted a social experiment in the center of town. They walked around town and asked strangers why it was so difficult to talk to strangers. Ben Stanistreet said, “Through my studies I found that once you break the awkward barrier of starting a conversation with a random person they are usually happy to talk to you.”

The entire group enjoyed the North fork of the Feather and the California life style.

Trinity Update by Quinn Connell

2009-04-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Looking up the gorge from the takeout. Photo by Paul Twist.

After the Feather we made our way to the Burnt Ranch Gorge of the Trinity River. We stayed at a campground that had a large open area in the middle. This was perfect for morning workout games of capture the flag, and Dave killed it, using his speed to maneuver through the trees. The Burnt Ranch Gorge itself was a fun stretch with much more water than the other rivers we had just been paddling. It was a pool-drop run through a basalt canyon, according to Sam, “It was a sick big water run with some awesome rapids!” A couple drops had stout holes and there were many sweet boofs. A big thanks to the guys at the Straw House, a hay-insulated café where we spent a rainy class day, got to hook up to the internet and planned our world-premiere WCKA Cribs episode for journalism. We met a couple of wild characters during our stay and the teachers got a glimpse of the Burnt Ranch lifestyle first hand thanks to local Tim Thompson.

WCKA Cribs

2009-04-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

kaweah Paddling by Quinn Connell

2009-04-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

After a long drive, we found ourselves at a trailer park in Three Rivers, CA which was to be our home for the next week. There were some interesting characters in the park that we grew to know over out time there. There was Dave, the owner and manager who we owe a big thanks to. From letting us stay here to allowing us to invade his office at all times of day and night to use the internet, Dave made our time a lot easier. We met a guy called Big Joe, whose small terrier Bambino was so full of energy it seemed ironic. Once we settled down we were ready to get out on some California granite after a week of taking it easy.

Sam flying by the last drop of the upper hospital rock Photo By Ben Stanistreet

Susan killin it in the "green boat" photo By Sebastian Scholl

The first couple of days we ran a section of the Kaweah from the entrance of the Sequoia National Park down to our campsite. With low water this continuous boulder garden was the perfect warm up to get us back on the water and used to our creek boats which some people hadn’t sat in since before we left for China.

We took a trip up into the National Park in search of better whitewater, and were helped out by a friendly ranger “April,” who got us set up with all of the permits we would need for the next week. We ended up running the section above the Hospital Rock run, putting in below Chuck’s drop. This is a stout slide that head coach Jesse Shimrock and WCKA’s friends Justin Patt and Shon Bollock ran later in our stay. The section below starts off with Diggin’ to China, a granite slide into a four foot boof in the middle, or a pillow ride to plug on the far right. There’s also a slot down the far right that saw some carnage. We ran several laps on this rapid and then made our way downstream. After a ton of small, clean boofs the run ends in a series of slides with a giant sieve on the far right that we ended up losing a paddle to.

Stani setting up for the final slide by Photo Sebastian Scholl

Kristi taken it to china By Photo Sebastian Scholl

Our take out also served as the put in to the Hospital Rock section. This starts off with a big angled slide that you can either run against the wall, or ride up high on the right side and fall down into the pillow. The entire run is continuous whitewater with a few bigger drops thrown in. The river narrows down to a few feet wide then falls off a 12-foot boof, Little Niagara. A lot of smooth slides later, 420 gorge begins with a series of slot-drops known as 420 rapid. A couple of fun drops later, past a dam and “Wonder Boof,” which is exactly as it sounds, we hit Zero to Sixty, the biggest rapid on the run. The line starts by boofing your way through the entrance, sliding over some granite on the right that slows you down, then hitting the pillow on the left that instantly shoots you over a 15 foot ledge. This section is a classic, incredibly fun and perfectly represents the clean granite drops characteristic of California paddling.

We took a day trip to the Tule, and after a couple hours of driving stopped for a quick lunch before putting on a rarely run section of the south fork. More slides and boofs- we’re all beginning to love this style of whitewater. The most memorable rapid on the section is a double drop. It starts with an eight foot sliding drop, and after a short pool falls off a 25- foot nearly vertical wall that everyone fired up. The rest of the run had several portages and ended in a fun slide.

Dave Getting high on wonder boof Photo By Sebastian Scholl

We returned to the Kaweah on the last day of our permit for a race. We were in teams of three and the race involved running from the put-in to Hospital rock to the put-in to the upper section, tagging a team mate waiting in their boat, and racing down the upper stretch. It continued relay-style until everyone on the team had both run and paddled. Sebastian, Erik and Dave took first and won free t-shirts from the trailer park we were staying in. As we left, a ranger reminded us that we had no days left on our permit, so we decided to take off the next day to Justin Patt’s and the Yuba.

Weekend Warriors by Ben Dann

2009-04-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

Danny Doran styling the 20 footer on the Tule. photo by LJ Groth

Here at World Class Kayak Academy, a two day weekend on a “real world” weekend is almost unheard of - saturday and sunday free!?! Generally we use our days off for paddling longer stretches or for travel. With a little break from classes and homework we finally get to relax a little and experience some new paddling. What more could a world class student ask for?

On Saturday we were able to drive further and take more time exploring a new stretch of river. The run of choice was the South fork of the Middle fork of the Tule river. The first mile of the river is clean granite bed rock that created some of the best drops we have seen on the trip so far. Some of the rapids consisted of fun s-turn slides and some decent sized slides and water falls. Due to the small amounts of water there was lot of portaging involved but still entirely worth it. Eric Johnson said “We have water falls, portaging and poison oak. All we need are rattle snakes.” And sure enough, at the take-out we spotted a remarkably large rattle snake slithering between rocks of the river bank. In one day we saw everything these amazing California rivers had to offer.

Eric Parker boofing a sticky hole. photo by LJ Groth

Since we were near Sequoia National Park we thought it would be a prime opportunity to go check out some of the monstrous Sequoias that grow high in the hills of the park. The drive started from camp at the banks of the Kaweah and continued 40 minutes up a windy California road. We found ourselves surrounded by some of the biggest trees in the world. The further we drove the bigger they got. We finally pulled in to a parking long that had a large sign that said General Sherman. After about 200 yards of walking we found ourselves staring up at the worlds biggest tree. It stands at 36.5 feet in diameter at the base and is 275 feet tall. If the trunk was hallowed out and filled with water, that would be enough water for some one to take a bath every day for 27 years. It was one of the most remarkably large things I have ever seen. Later that day we headed back down to the Kaweah and had yet another great day of class IV V white water.

Site-seeing in the park. photo by Jason Cohen

Food here at World Class is quite the sacred thing. We had the privilege to go out to dinner to a pizza joint in the town of Three Rivers. We chose our pizza buddies and got a 12 inch pizza for each pair. Everyone crowed around a couple of tables and waited anxiously for the amazing food to come. I started to feel really bad for the waiters and waitresses because every time they called out a pizza every kid in the room tried to beckon them over to their table. About 10 minutes after all the pizza had been brought out each platter had been licked clean. Every student left content, full and satisfied with their weekend.

Greetings From California! –by Ben Stanistreet

2009-04-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Our East to West adventure has moved west as we start 4th quarter in California. I cannot even describe how unique and valuable our trip to China was. We are very fortunate to have experienced a part of the world that very few Americans have actually seen. When I asked George Milheim, a sophomore here at WCKA, about the differences of traveling with World Class in China and in the US he said, “In China we really made an impact on the local communities, here we are just like everyone else.” We were probably as foreign and interesting to the Chinese communities as they were to us. “I have gained so much by visiting the Yunnan province rather then the cities of eastern China”, says Kristi Murrin. This was her second time to China with World Class and she was just as amazed by the culture and customs as she was the first time. Our experiences in Yunnan have left us all with life long memories.

After a ten-day spring break students reunited in Portland Oregon for a long and grueling drive south to the Kaweah River. “The drive was long but well worth it” says Eric Parker. Long days in the vans are common when traveling with WCKA in the US. We take advantage of the time by doing homework, watching movies, or catching up on sleep. I enjoyed staying in California over spring break and visiting my sister in Santa Cruz before meeting up with World Class at the Kaweah in the town of Three Rivers. Everyone seems to have really enjoyed some relaxation time over break, but we are all stoked to be back, living the World Class life on the west coast!

Looking down on our camp site at Three Rivers Hideaway - Photo by Ben Stanistreet

Schedule:

April 4-6 – Feather River
April 7-10 – Paddling on the Trinity River
April 11 – Surf Crescent City and Camp at Jedediah Smith Redwoods National Park
April 12 – Paddle Upper South Fork of the Smith River
April 13 – Surf Oregon Coast and drive to Florence, OR
April 14-16 – Surfing and Paddling Sweet Creek in Florence
April 16 – Drive to Eugene, OR
April 17-18 – Paddle the McKenzie River
April 19 – Paddle the Miracle Mile on the Willamette River
April 20 – Paddle then Drive to the Columbia River Gorge, Hood River, OR
April 21-30 – Camp at BZ Corner in Washington and paddle rivers in the Columbia River Gorge
May 1 – Drive to the Payette River, Idaho
May 2-7 – Paddle various forks of the Payette River
May 8 – Drive to Crystal Springs, MT
May 9-13 – Paddle Alberton Gorge
May 14-15 – Surf Brennan's Wave
May 16 – GRADUATION!!!

We've Made the Front Page!

2009-04-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

We've Made the Front Page!... of the Keweah Commonwealth, a local Three Rivers, CA newspaper. Two journalists came and interviewed us at The Three Rivers Hideaway, the trailer park where we were staying.

Quinn Connell catching up on local Three Rivers news by reading The Kaweah Commonwealth. Photo by Jason Cohen

They learned a lot about us, but we also learned a lot about the town of Three Rivers. It used to be a massive communist colony until the mid 20th century. The famous General Shermann Sequoia actually used to be called the Karl Marx Tree until Anti-Communist Americans decided it would be more politically correct to name the tree after a Civil War General who swept a wave a destruction and death throughout the Southern States.

We also learned about the flood habits of the Kaweah River, which we all found very interesting being the amateur hydrologists that we are. Anyway, read the whole article at: http://www.kaweahcommonwealth.com/features.html !

Final China Photos by Jason Cohen

2009-04-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

Our translator and friend, Zachary.

Quinn Connell paddles hard upstream to catch a monstrous wave.

Locals crossing the Salween River.

Dusk begins to settle over the Dredger Wave.

Some ducks eating food while waiting to become food.

Final China Photos by Ben Dann

2009-03-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

A group of women gather around a giant frying pan to perpare a meal.

Beach front hotel on the Salween.

The colorful drysuits of World Class students gives a little extra to their current home.

Some modes of transportation for the streets of river side villages.

A handful of students wait for their turn to surf one of many amazing waves on the Salween.

More China Photos- Quinn Connell

2009-03-26T10:17:00.001-07:00

Our chef and host going to get food for breakfast.

The Salween on the way up to the put-in.

A local restaurant. Dog is a delicacy here.

The kitchen.

One of the local children, watch out for incoming fireworks.

Final China Photos by Eric Parker

2009-03-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

A motorcycle truck, one of the most popular forms of travel in china.

Danny Doran and Eric Parker’s spacious and well kept room, a common sight at World Class.

Dave Meyers gettin’ down in one of the groups’ favorite play holes on the Salween.

A woman herding her cows through the streets of ChenGan.

The group hanging out on the banks of the Salween River.

Final China Photos by Ben Stanistreet

2009-03-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

A typical scene on the road through the rural town of ChenGan, Salween Valley

Local chef Li Hong fires up some delicious tofu.

Surfing at the Dredger wave on a rainy day.

A sustainable mode of transportation in the Salween Valley.

There are many bridges like this one spanning the Salween River.

Salween Video Update by Nate Garcia, Sebastian Scholl, George Milheim and Ben Stanistreet

2009-03-02T04:27:00.000-08:00

Salween River- Magi Section by Quinn Connell

2009-03-01T04:50:00.001-08:00

George Milheim leads Jason Cohen in between holes on the Salween. Photo by Ben Stanistreet

The bus jolts along a windy road riddled with rocks. IPods drown out the rattling of windows with broken latches, and crochet hooks jerk through partly finished hats. The dust clears from the air and flies leave their places on the ceiling in order to inspect molding uni suits as the bus halts near a bridge. A couple of hundred yards down to our right flows the jade water of the Salween River. We have reached the put-in.

The Magi section of the Salween has been a favorite in our voyage throughout China. The run begins with one of the burliest rapids we have run. Nate Garcia pauses at the entrance of the rapid to surf a small but powerful hole. After flushing, he charges down to the right, breaking through several seams that grab at his edges, trying desperately to flip him. He breaks through a curler and drops into the meat of a gigantic crashing wave hole. Deceptively retentive, the monster devours, and after some chewing, spits him out to surface downstream. He rolls up and gasps a breath of air. The oxygen hits his blood stream and allows his exhausted muscles the energy to push right once more, avoiding a powerful pourover even bigger than the beast he just escaped. A few were not so lucky, and got to practice their swimming skills, courtesy of the diagonal hydraulic.

Ben Dann whips into an eddy near the top of the next significant rapid, and like ducklings, the rest of the World Class student body chases him. Ferrying out, he looks over his shoulder and powers upstream. Just when it seems all is lost, the wave he is trying to catch has an unexpected surge and crashes, sending him skipping down its face. He slides out in a grind, spinning around as the feature greens out, sending him downstream. Danny Doran follows him, snapping a kickflip over an exploding wave in the wave train below. It shoots upward just as his hips cross the peak, launching him into the air. His boat swings around his spray-soaked face, landing flat with an audible thump as he sticks the move.

Eric Parker, shredding. Photo by Ben Stanistreet

Our group flies down through several small rapids. Erik Johnson stern squirts on an eddyline and Ben Hurd throws a macho move over a diagonal wave feeding from shore. The rest of us work on our flatwater skills and make small talk as we soak in the mountains on either side of us. The pool above the next major rapid suddenly becomes a stage. Jesse Shimrock directs our attention to a footbridge swinging 30 feet above the next set of waves, on which it seems an entire village turned out to get a look at the strange westerners down on the river. They whistle and yell at us, and are only encouraged by our whoops in return.

We enter the rapid with excitement; there is a roar coming from downstream that promises more excitement. The rapid begins with a gentle entrance to a smooth glassy wave, about head high. Just what I have been looking for. As I drop into the rapid and feel the water pulling me towards the wave, I reach my paddle blade across my boat and pull myself vertical with a crossbow sweep. This sends me spinning on my bow, and just as my pirouette is about to flatten out, I glimpse the wave coming at me. I jump over its crest and huck myself forward to my deck. Finally I hit the move I have been trying the entire trip- a downriver Phonix Monkey! Elated, I paddle through the rest of the wave train and see Ivan Stiefel throwing clean cartwheels in a steep hole.

Nate Garcia is ready for some Salween "treats." Photo by Eric Parker

The rest of the group has eddied out, in the second part of this rapid lies a huge wave with a beastly pile, offering an exhilarating and incredibly bouncy survival surf. After catching it on the fly we scrape our way up the eddy near the bank, fighting rocks for position as we prepare to make the difficult ferry back out to the wave. Ben Dann hits the pile and is rocketed forward, out of the water. He surfs the wave, getting tossed around. On one pass he drops from the top of the wave, digs in an edge upon landing, and is launched into a massive air blunt above the wave. We all give the ferry a couple tries and head downriver, exhausted but content. On our last rides, Erik Johnson flew in a huge pan am to airscrew combo on the sporadic giant, and I was hurled into the biggest flashback I have ever thrown.

We ride out the rest of the run, several more fun wave trains fly by. LJ Groth lays some treats on a wave as smooth as butter that he discovered on WCKA's last trip here. The eddy above is crowded with people waiting their turn to carve and grind the friendly spot. Before we know it we recognize our bus and truck parked above the river, and scramble to catch the eddy. We hike up to meet our drivers, “Wang Sher Fu” and Clark, as well as our translator Zachary, who have made our trip possible. LJ climbs into the back of the cargo truck, and we pass him our boats before piling into the bus with our wet, stinky gear to ferment for an hour on our drive back to Gong Shan.

Photo by Jason Cohen.

Chopsticks and Tea Pots- The Food of China by Jason Cohen

2009-03-01T04:45:00.000-08:00

Gong Shan market. Photo by LJ Groth

The usually mundane and uninteresting task of eating is very different in China. Every meal is a unique experience unlike anything in the United States. Let it be known that the food in China is completely different than U.S. Chinese food. For the school, the entire process of eating a meal begins the day before. A World Class Kayak Academy student will go with the translator, Zachary, to the restaurant and place the order. Most often, WCKA orders eight dishes (plus rice) for each of two tables.

Whether it be after morning workout, between midday classes or after paddling, WCKA has an immense appetite. Hurriedly moving down the street, the group of conspicuous westerners arrives at the restaurant and packs around the sturdy wooden, round tables. The tantalizing food sits on a glass Lazy Susan in the middle of the table. In the center, spinning, but never changing position lies the giant bowl of pressure-cooked white rice. Surrounding it are the other dishes, which provide a wide spectrum of colors to splash up an otherwise drab restaurant.

The lazy Susan leaves just enough table exposed for a set of chopsticks (sometimes disposable bamboo and other times reusable strong wood), a tiny teacup and a small bowl. All chinaware of course. Greedy hands controlling chopsticks with trained precision dive into the food. It gets stockpiled into people’s bowls so they can wolf it down. Hopefully it will get finished in time to scoop more helpings out.

The favorite dishes disappear rapidly, such as pork ribs in a semi-sweet gravy, strips of pork in broccoli or peas, spicy tofu and the ever-classic steamed dumplings. As dinner goes by and people still try to put an end to their hunger, the less popular but still tasty dishes start to disappear. These include spicy green peppers in oil and vinegar (tiger skins), cold and spicy cucumbers, boiled fresh green leafy stuff, eggplant and tomato with eggs. When all of the food is gone people remain around the table and sop hot tea. The restaurant’s population gets smaller and smaller as people filter out to go get some banana bread dessert at the bakery on the way back to the hotel. Stomachs full and satisfied, the World Class day continues as usual.

Damming of the Last Free Flowing River in China by Eric Parker

2009-03-01T04:35:00.000-08:00

"Small" Hydropower on a tributary of the Salween. Photo by Ben Stanistreet

Currently we sit on the outer banks of the roaring Salween River. The big water kayaking here is some of the best paddling of the trip, but a sad awakening was recently brought upon World Class. As of February 20, 2009, four enormous dams have been permitted to be built. To date, the Salween stands as the last major river in the Yunnan Province, and in the whole nation of China, that is free flowing (no dams). Upon completion, us crazy people in little brightly colored boats will be known as a thing of the past.

Four sections of the river are already being surveyed for construction: The Sage, Liuku, Magi and Yabiduo. The water regulating devices will stand some 300 meters high, with one planned to be the tallest in the world. The water will be raised to levels that will completely submerge the city of Gong Shan, and the city will be moved 70 kilometers upstream. In five years’ time, one can expect to see these cement structures in full operation. According to the Chinese government, two goals are kept in mind with these dams: Firstly, they will supply extensive amounts of electricity, and secondly, the hope is that the projects will help the local economy.

There are a multitude of questions and issues that arise from China's damming frenzy. First and foremost, “Does China really need the power?” Many say no. This includes Travis Winn, local outfitter and river activist. It is estimated that much of the power produced by these dams will be sold to other countries in Southeast Asia. I asked Winn what he thought about the Salween dams and he said, “The dams are not executed in a way that helps China.” Well, if people do not believe China needs the power, then what are the dams helping? China claims that the dams will help boost the local economy by providing jobs. One must think of the thousands of acres of farms and human inhabited land that will be lost. As a result, tens of thousands of people will need to be evacuated and relocated. This does not sound like a helping hand in boosting the economy.

Gong Shan - your next SCUBA vacation? Photo by Ben Stanistreet

Rivers embody one of the most essential resources to nature…water. With no free flowing water, eco systems will suffer. When a body of water is dammed, it increases pressure in ground springs, which will erode landmasses into muck and mud. Also, when a once fast moving river becomes a vast reservoir, it stands a chance to become stagnate and toxic. Populations of fish and wildlife may become endangered or even extinct. Dams put a large amount of stress on the environment.

The dams lack benefit and supply a list of problems, but whether the people want it or not, it appears the dams of the Salween will continue to be built. According to Winn, if it were not for international outcry, the dams would have been processing years ago. Disagreements over the dams will continue, but no one can single-handedly halt or prevent the destruction of China’s rivers. At this point, there is little one can do to stop the production of these dams. For now, we will need to do all that is possible to enjoy what we have and preserve what we can.

Videos about the Salween RIver- The Human Costs of Damming

2009-02-19T18:04:00.000-08:00

These videos were produced by both foreign and national conservation groups to raise awareness about the future damming projects on the Salween River in Tibet, Yunnan and Burma (upstream, midstream and dowstream of our current experience).

Watch to see what's going on in this part of the world

The following video features Alou, the co-ordinator of the WCKA service project in China. Alou is working to organize village waste management in Dimalou, an area affected by a recent "small" hydropower project on a tributary of the Nu Jiang (Salween River).

Just because dams aren't being constructed on the Salween in China (for the moment...), does not mean that the river will remain free-flowing. Chinese and Thai investors/engineers/power companies are currently working with the military dictatorship in Burma to construct 6 large dams on the Salween in Burma. The following video focuses on the cultural and biological losses that will result.
Burma Rivers Network

Many governments and their dam investors use the term "clean energy" to defend major hydropower projects all over the world. What is "clean" about the destruction of fertile land, culture and wildlife? Where is the economic value for locals displaced by such destruction if the power is not made available for them, but is then sold internationally?

Mekong Video Update by Erik Johnson and Ben Dann

2009-02-16T23:45:00.000-08:00

Mekong Update from World Class Kayak Academy on Vimeo.

edited by Erik Johnson

directed by Ben Dann

Athletics- Upper Moon Gorge of the Mekong by Jason Cohen

2009-02-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

The group relaxing between rapids. Photo by LJ Groth.

Under a delicately suspended wooden bridge, 18 kayakers balance on a steep rocky bank in an equally delicate manner. Welcome to the put in for the Upper Moon Gorge of the Mekong River. Surrounding the put in are acres of terraced farmland pushing high up the gorge walls. In the distance these kayakers can see the Mei Li Snow Mountain Range, which makes them seem miniscule in comparison. Pushing off the banks, World Class Kayak Academy is on a mission to enjoy this mighty river.

Quinn Connell and Erik Johnson double teaming the first rapid. Photo by LJ Groth.

The Moon Gorge of the Mekong River is located in Xidong, Yunnan Province. World Class is staying in a beautiful wood-crafted guesthouse 45 minutes away from the river’s put in. However, the take out is only 10 minutes away. The students (and some teachers) have been waking up in time for head coach Jesse Shimrock’s brutal but rewarding strength workouts. Occasionally yoga is lead by assistant coach Susan Hollingsworth or World Class veteran Kristi Murrin. Yoga is a great way to start off the day, stretching sore muscles and leaving the students relaxed before another epic day of school and kayaking. In order to fit kayaking into a day with limited sunlight and to still include school, World Class has class until lunch, going kayaking, returning and finishing class before a 7 o’clock dinner.

The Mekong River is commonly known as the large Vietnamese river that was so prominent in the Vietnam War. This is the same river. Others may know the river from many dam projects that will be constructed on it in the future. For the time being, the amazing whitewater is not affected. Directly after the put in is the largest rapid on the river. Some of the group has been charging down this rapid, coming out with smiles on their faces. Others portage it and receive a just amount of excitement from watching others. After moving through some wave trains comes the next rapid, a super long one that dispenses crashing wave after crashing wave. Directly after the aforementioned rapid is another similar one, although not as long. It does have a large hole in the middle, which many people have been playing in.

Ben Hurd throwin' down above S-turn. Photo by LJ Groth.

Around the next bend comes, yes you guessed it, another rapid. This one is different though. So different, it’s not even possible to run. World Class gets out of their boats and walks past this rapid, keeping their feet dry. This rapid possesses a hole of massive proportions that no kayaker in their right mind would want to go into (except Ivan). Staring at this rapid for a moment makes boaters feel a surge of respect for the many CFS the Mekong constantly rushes through itself. There is one major rapid left, and it goes by the name of S-Turn. No, not the famous S-Turn of the Alseseca River in Mexico; this one has way more power and volume. S-Turn has a great play-hole at the beginning, which many people have been taking full advantage of for looping practice. After that there are two possible lines. One is to go straight down the center, charging through two diagonal holes. This line has been very popular. The other line is to ferry hard over to river right. This move will take the kayaker to a large green tongue, which shoots out to the pool of flatwater below. Either line is challenging, exciting, and most importantly, fun.

Some smaller rapids follow, but soon enough World Class is at the take out. It isn’t very often that river runners are able to take out in a pine forest leading up to a Buddhist monastery. Bus and truck waiting, World Class scurries back to their guesthouse to finish off a day of school. Mission successful, World Class! Another river to add to the old quiver.

Ivan Stiefel charging. Photo by LJ Groth.

Academics- Mekong Valley by Eric Parker

2009-02-16T19:00:00.000-08:00

Nate, Kristi and Dave studying hard. Photo by Jason Cohen

Never before have I studied Algebra II while sitting in front of a Buddha shrine in Tibet. This is an experience that World Class has made a reality for me. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that classes here offer many unique learning experiences.

The past few weeks have been filled with rigorous study and exams. Fortunately we were able to take a three day break from school to go and explore Yubeng, a mountainous Tibetan village. It was an amazing experience that we will all remember for years to come. But soon following the trek to Yubeng, class was back in session.

Currently we are located in Xidong, a village on the banks of the Mekong River. Our geographical location and culture is something that Ivan Steifel, 23 has strongly absorbed into his literature and cultural studies classes. Chinese Cultural Studies is beginning a unit on Tibetan history. “I am really interested in the political and cultural backround of Tibet, and I like to get my students involved with social issues,” Ivan says. Clearly we are in the perfect environment for studying this subject. I asked senior, Dave Meyers, what he thought about Cultural Studies and he said, “Nothing is as unique as learning a subject as interesting as that of the Tibetan culture, while in cultural Tibet.”

Over the course of the trip Biology class has had and ongoing experiment. We have been focusing on water quality throughout China and Tibet. This experiment is just a small part of Biology’s study on the Three Gorges dam and how it will alter its surrounding environment. We have witnessed villages and towns that will be greatly affected due to the dams. One Yangtze riverside village in particular, Baoshan, will lose 60% of its valuable farmland. We have much more interest and first-hand knowledge of the damming and its negative affects after living there for several days. This first-hand learning is something I never would have experienced in a regular public school.

World Class’s next and final stop is the Salween. We will be taking another three-day break from school for travel. Although it is the last stop, we will have nearly a month of classes and kayaking there. School continues to be a mind-blowing experience, and unique learning opportunities continue to arise through out the course of the trip. I am excited to see what the Salween has to offer.

Travel and Culture - Mekong Valley by Ben Stanistreet

2009-02-16T18:38:00.000-08:00

While driving to our next destination, the Mekong River, we stopped for the night in the town of Shangri La. Upon arriving in Shangri La we visited a large monastery. At the entrance there were several locals with tables covered in cheap Tibetan paraphernalia, eager to sell it to the enthusiastic tourists. We climbed a hundred and fifty something steps up to the temple. Inside was a very elaborate giant golden Buddha, in front of which people had left offerings of food, money, photos, and trinkets. Visiting the monastery was a very cool experience, and our first look into Tibetan culture.

The monastery outside of Shangri La. Photo by Jason Cohen

We arrived in Xidong on February 4^th for a week of paddling the Mekong, hiking, and absorbing the culture. Although we are still within the borders of China’s Yunnan province, the people in the Mekong valley are Tibetan. They speak a Tibetan dialect, so the few Chinese words we have learned are somewhat useless here. Xidong is a very small town with one dirt road that runs through it. The people here farm on terraces and produce most of the goods they need. The night we arrived we attended a Tibetan New Year’s Party. Young girls dressed in elaborate and colorful outfits and performed dances. Several village elders sang traditional Tibetan songs. We were asked to sing a song in English, and chose “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin because it is simple to translate and everyone knew it. I found it particularly interesting that while performing everyone is expected to face a portrait of Mao Zedong. I have since learned more about China’s control over Tibet and the importance of Mao Zedong’s photo in small Tibetan towns. Mao is viewed as a hero and great leader by rural, agrarian communities like this one. The locals do not choose to view him as this but are forced to act as if they did by the Chinese government. They do not have extensive formal education, if any at all. When I asked Zachary, our Tibetan translator, about this he said that the people here would get in a lot of trouble for taking Mao’s picture down if the Chinese government found out. He also said that he could get in trouble for even talking about the China-Tibet issue with the locals.

Our hosts from Xidong in traditional clothing. Photo by Jason Cohen.

Perhaps our most unique cultural experience was our brief stay in the mountain town of Yubeng. Yubeng is a small, roadless Tibetan village nestled beneath the Meili Snow Mountains. After driving a couple of miles up the road from our guesthouse in Xidong, it was about a three and a half hour hike to Yubeng. The hike started with a 3,500-foot climb that leveled off at an elevation of 12,000 feet. Hundreds of prayer flags fluttering in the breeze created a peaceful atmosphere at the top of the ridge. As we climbed over the crest we were stunned by the spectacular view of a massive snow peak pushing 20,000 feet. Yubeng is in a valley with an elevation of about 9,500 feet. We stayed there for two nights and enjoyed a day off from school. During our day there we hiked up to the base of a very large snow covered peak known as Buddha Head. Thousands of prayer flags hanging from the trees and bushes made for some excellent photos. At the top of our day hike we filled our water bottles with clear, refreshing glacial water. It was the most beautiful hike I have ever been on. When we were not exploring we were chilling in the sun playing cards, hacky sack, reading or just enjoying the scenery. The food in Yubeng was excellent and we had quite an appetite after so much hiking. We tried yak butter tea, which is popular throughout Tibet. When the tea is brewed a chunk of yak butter is added for a creamy, salty flavor. Some of us really enjoyed it while others didn’t care for, or had a strong dislike for it. Yubeng was an incredible experience and well worth the intense hike in.

View from Feilai Si. Photo by Jason Cohen.

After Yubeng we came back down to Xidong to paddle and finish the week of classes. With our translator Zachary’s help I was able to interview the native family that owns the guest house. Ci Li Zong is the grandmother of the family. She was born here in Xidong and has lived here all of her life. They started the guesthouse in 2003. Many of their clients are foreign tourists that hike to Yubeng or other destinations in the area. Other guests include people traveling through or Buddhists on a pilgrimage. They said that foreigners are easier to entertain because they are cleaner and easier to please. Apparently some Chinese guests are less environmentally conscious and tend to leave trash lying around. Foreigners are usually here to experience the culture so they are less likely to find things to complain about. When I asked Ci Li Zong how often they leave town she said only about once a year. For most of the year they are very busy tending crops. We got to know the locals in Xidong better than in any other town we have visited yet. Tomorrow we are starting our three-day drive to the Nu Jiang, or Salween River. Although it is sad to be leaving Xidong and the Mekong Valley, I am excited for the next adventure on this incredible journey.

Video Update - Great Bend of the Yangtze!

2009-02-01T03:18:00.000-08:00

WCKA Yangtze Update 2009 from Danny Doran on Vimeo.

filmed by WCKA Video Class

edited by Danny Doran

Athletics - WCKA paddling with Last Descents River Expeditions down the Great Bend of the Yangtze by Ben Dann

2009-01-31T20:08:00.000-08:00

Ben Hurd throwing a massive blunt on the Kim Jong Wave. photo by Ben Stanistreet

There I was on the Great Bend of the Yangtze river. This is what I had been looking forward to for the last few months of my life. Everyone had their gear loaded on the rafts and we were ready for action. Soon we made our way down to the first rapid of the trip, and each of us was anxious to experience the power of Yangtze. We decided not to scout the rapid, and dropped in with only the verbal directions of our coaches. As I paddled over the horizon line I saw what I was least expecting. Huge haystack waves were crashing in front of me. An immense surge of excitement shot though me. As I reached the bottom of the rapid, I knew that from that point forward the rest of the trip was going to be epic. The honor of being one of the last people to ever paddle these amazing rivers will be with me for the rest of my life.

We spent seven days on the Great Bend of the Yangtze and every second of it was amazing. Our trip was led by the local rafting company, Last Descents. Travis Winn and Adam Elliott created the company to inform people of the endangered, beautiful white water in the gorge. The Great Bend of the Yangtze is on its last leg. Many dams will soon turn its stunning canyons into a series of giant reservoirs. With the rising water level, many farmers' homes and land will be submerged. On this trip we had an earlier take-out than the trip in 2007 because of the construction of dams downstream. The upper section of the river we paddled had not yet been affected by the dams. On our third day on the Yangtze trip we headed down river to spend the day on a wave called, "Kim Jong... because it's ill." World Class Kayak Academy named this wave on its first trip to China. The wave was nicely shaped and had some potential for huge tricks. Everyone had a good time and many people added a few new skills.

The last major rapid we ran was called "Windy Corner." The river took an abrupt turn and was pushing a lot of water against the far wall. It formed big waves and holes much larger than anything I had ever seen before. The waves had big pillows and were not afraid to push us around. As we progressed down the river and crossed a major fault line past "the bend," the canyon walls slowly drifted away. It was great to have been in such a beautiful place and have shared this experience of going to high school on the beaches of the Yangtze.

Scott Doherty digs into the Yangtze. photo by Ben Stanistreet

Along with education and character building, World Class is all about athletics. Not only do we go paddling almost every day, but we also have a morning workout every day before the sun comes up. Our head coach Jesse Shimmrock leads the main workout, and our assistant coach Susan Hollingsworth leads us through stretches and occasionally yoga. Our workouts usually consist of intense physical activity, such as muscular strength and muscular endurance training with the occasional game thrown into the mix.

One of our campsites was on a sandy beach right below the biggest rapid on the stretch, "Judgment Day." For morning workout that day we took a little break from the strengh workouts and played a game of foot ball. It was definitely not the normal game of two-hand-touch. We used paddles shoved in the sand as goal posts and a throw bag as a the ball. It was so fun to be running around in the sand in a beautiful gorge playing football WCKA style. Everybody is fairly reluctant to get up in the morning for workouts, but starting off the day with some exercise helps everyone wake up in the morning. It's also good to keep our bodies balanced because kayaking is mostly upper body strength.

Ben Dann and Ivan Stiefel charging the Windy Corner. photo by Ben Stanistreet

This experience is a life altering opportunity. It is fun, educational and most importantly, it will shape who I am as a person. The ability for me to be on this trip to China will change my life forever. Not many kids get the pleasure of going to high school, river-side, doing the thing we all love the most, kayaking.

Travel and Culture - Damming of the Yangtze River by Quinn Connell

2009-01-31T19:57:00.000-08:00

photo by Ben Stanistreet

Huge peaks tower thousands of feet into the sky. A massive river rushes by, tumbles and roars through waves and holes as it makes its way downstream. The mountain faces are speckled with tiny villages, home to natives who have lived there for generations. The mighty Yangtze is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. But not for long.

The sudden leap in wealth and industry that China has experienced in the past 10 years is creating a rift. It is quite literally tearing the country apart, both socially and physically. Not too long ago, China was largely an agrarian, developing nation. The sudden influx of wealth has given the upper class much more money and influence, but has done hardly anything for the lower class. This new wealth is centered around the larger cities. When the self-sustaining farming families are presented with a glimpse of this westernization they are captured by a new-found sense of materialism and believe they need to go work in the cities to make money and live this new lifestyle.

In one village that we passed, as is the case throughout the country, the upcoming generation of adults had left their village and their family to go work in Lijiang, one of the largest cities in the Yunnan Province. In many cases, by leaving with the hopes of creating a better life for themselves and their families, they leave their parents with the burden of not only sustaining a farm and themselves, but of raising their grandchildren. The division of families is now fairly common in China, and this is a direct result of the advancement in industrialization its culture has recently experienced.

Another effect of China's industrialization is the rapidly increasing exploitation of its natural resources. The cliff walls and mountain sides that once formed the pristine Great Bend of the Yangtze are now riddled with gold mines, limestone quarries for dams, and hydroelectric stations to power these. As we moved further downstream and closer to civilization, roads and telephone wires began to rob the landscape of its natural beauty. The benefits of such devastation is not widespread, however. The money simply goes into the pockets of a few wealthy individuals and to the government to allow these companies to continue their destructive practices. As one Tibetan national said, "These mines are here no gain wealth. If they really wanted to help the villagers, they would build them a bridge to get across the river."

Both the provincial governments and the companies that are enabling this industrial growth continue to ignore the well-being of the local inhabitants. There is currently one dam in operation, and a string of eight more likely to be approved. Once built, these dams will turn the free-flowing river into a series of stagnant lakes that will conquer the valley, forcing the relocation of over 100,000 people. This is on the Yangtze alone; hydroelectric projects are happening throughout the country, all of which will have a detrimental effect on the livelihood of the villagers.

The people are told that their quality of life will improve as a result of the dams. Once they are there however, the companies who built them will have rights to all of the fish in the reservoir, leaving the many fishermen without means of income or sustenance. They are told they will be given great resettlement packages with resources better than those they currently live with. Brandon Zatt, a journalist who has studied the topic said, "These people are rarely given fair compensation, if any at all." A village nestled deep in the gorge of the Yangtze is launching a formal protest with the local government, but not to try to stop the construction of the dam and save their homes. That, they feel, is already a lost cause. They are simply trying to ensure that they are not overlooked and will hopefully receive a more fair repayment for their property.

Like the people who live here, the natural life will take a large toll as a result of these dams. The stopping of the river that provides a third of the country's fresh water is no small endeavor and will have huge repercussions. All of the rapids will be gone, all of the species that depend on the river will be forced to adapt, and none will be able to experience the untouched beauty of this place as it naturally occurred. In a place where earthquakes cause mountain ranges to crumble upon themselves like a house of cards, one is left to wonder about the longevity of such a monumental dam, or the catastrophic impact should it fail.

There are currently no highly effective NGO's fighting the development of the dam. "Organizations like the Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Federation can't afford to have a policy on hydroelectricity here," claims Travis Winn of Last Descents, a small whitewater outfitter that runs trips down the Great Bend of the Yangtze. "They will be shut down if they don't agree with the provincial governments." As we continue into the 21st century, we should not be asking ourselves, "How can we further ravage the earth to better fit our lifestyle," but, "How can we adapt our lifestyle so that this isn't necessary?"

Academics- Great Bend by Ben Stanistreet

2009-01-31T19:21:00.000-08:00

photo by Ben Stanistreet

On our first day of classes here at World Class Kayak Academy we awoke to the roar of the Yangtze river and head coach Jesse Shimrock's voice calling, "Time for workout!" After morning workout and a hearty breakfast of potatoes and eggs, we settled down in the sand for the first period of spring semester 2009. As the day continued I would hear new students as well as returning students making comments like: "I can't believe we are China!", "This is incredible," or " I just had chemistry class on the banks of the Yangtze River!" Similar enthusiasm has continued throughout our trip on the Yangtze and first week of class.

While in China and on this river trip we have had some unique academic opportunities. Some people joining us on this trip are Li Hong, a professional photographer from Chengdu and Brandon Zatt, a journalist from Shenzhen, a city on the border of Hong Kong. Brandon is originally from the US but he speaks fluent Chinese. While sitting around a campfire he discussed his experiences as a journalist living in China for the past 10 years. He had many interesting things to say and gave our journalism class some good advice on writing a captivating and successful story. His main point was that a good article needs to be about a topic you feel strongly about so that you can get the reader just as excited as you are.

Journalism class also benefited from Li Hong and Adam Elliot's willingness to teach us about photography. Adam is a guide for Last Descents River Expeditions, and he is our trip leader. He is also a very experienced photographer. He taught us some basic principles of photography such as "F:8 and be there." This phrase refers to having the camera on an appropriate setting and recognizing the opportunity for a good shot. The students with SLR cameras were able to learn more about the manual settings and their cameras' capabilities. Li Hong doesn't speak any english, but thanks to Brandon's translations we were able to enjoy a couple of photography related stories and gain some more valuable advice about snapping good shots. He gave us a quote that he really likes: "If your photos are not good enough, you are too far away." Most of us are very excited to be taking quality pictures in this beautiful and culturally rich place.

In cultural studies, teacher Ivan Stiefel has been teaching us about the meaning and characteristics of culture, and we just dove into Chinese culture. We have been reading Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler, a very well known journalist who reports on China. All of the other classes are going smoothly as well. As students we may complain from time to time about the amount of homework assigned or how early we have to get up for workout, but all it takes is a quick glance at the bigger picture to realize this is about as good as high school could get.

As I sit here in the sand, listening to the river and the crickets, I cannot help but flick my headlamp off and look up at the few scattered lights on the steep hillside in front of me. They are from the houses of local Naxi people who live off of the land, fishing in the Yangtze and building terraces to grow food. It is heart breaking to think that because of the construction of so many dams this mighty river may not be here in a few years for others to enjoy as much as I have. It will just be a bunch of lakes and concrete. The small village that I am looking at now could be under water as the tourists zoom around in their speed boats above.

This past week has been one of the most amazing I have had in my time as a student at WCKA. I learned more about this place by experiencing it than I ever could have with books. I found the most valuable things a student learns at World Class are usually outside of the classroom. I am in my sleeping bag, looking at the stars and listening to the Yangtze river while doing my homework. This is the World Class life.