# Stikine head cam footage



## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

This was posted on BT... great footage.

Level Six


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## Canada (Oct 24, 2006)

Wow. When he stuck in those two holes it had me clinching me teeth sitting at the computer! Very strong!


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## stubby (Oct 13, 2003)

Yeah, that second hole I was surprised he came out of it...was getting maytagged for a while there.


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## cosurfgod (Oct 10, 2003)

Sic video! Was most of that shot on the front range?


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## Ture (Apr 12, 2004)

The Stikine footage upsets my stomach. You can see the power in the funny water. I'd be dead within the first few minutes in that place. Definitely view in HD.


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## Canada (Oct 24, 2006)

*Just watched again*

That is full on. I don't think I've ever encountered that kind of continuos class five big water. A couple of those rapids look like they go on for a mile. Lateral holes that eat you like that. Just awesome. Where do you practice for that in North America?

I think my favorite shot is when the red white and blue boat enters a fall, he hits his boof already over the lip, and angles it perfect. Very nice.

This one certainly made my day!


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

Pretty much all the stikine paddlers practice on the NF of the Payette.


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

Canada you train by running shit way over the recommended level. Looks like quality for sure.. stokine doesn't look like the beast everybody talks it up to be.. Gary e when you gonna get it I hear you are itching for it.. either way I think the ill goods up this way have dropped in 2 good level if somebody wants to do some Cronic boating. Be quality for sure


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## Canada (Oct 24, 2006)

*The Payette has more padding.*

I've never been there anything near flood however. I think you could practice big water hole punching and hole escapes and all that, but those rapids seem longer. Look how long it runs after he gets caught in that pour over and makes it out. It would have been an epic swim in the middle of nowhere if he hadn't punched out. Would love to here his story and if it flushed him or he just found the right paddle stroke. Imagine how tired you would be after that hole ride and then have to finish that rapid. Simply awesome stuff!


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## Force (Apr 27, 2004)

Casper, the Stikine is all that and more. Check out the other side of the equation;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UvUxUkhojc


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

Canada said:


> That is full on. I don't think I've ever encountered that kind of continuos class five big water. A couple of those rapids look like they go on for a mile. Lateral holes that eat you like that. Just awesome. Where do you practice for that in North America?
> 
> I think my favorite shot is when the red white and blue boat enters a fall, he hits his boof already over the lip, and angles it perfect. Very nice.
> 
> This one certainly made my day!


Come down to the SE following a hurricane. Some of our class 4/5 runs turn into that stuff at flood levels. I think what makes that run so epic (besides the difficulty of the water), is the remoteness and the temperature of the water. Varying water levels also add a dimension that most never experience, considering it can fluctuate >10,000cfs overnight. I remember talking to Kincaid (I think) about his experience up there about 10 years ago. They put on way too high, and they all had to walk out (after nearly drowning).


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## atom (Jan 14, 2004)

*Part 2*

The rescue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMafMwvQh8c&feature=related


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## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

Canada said:


> That is full on. I don't think I've ever encountered that kind of continuos class five big water. A couple of those rapids look like they go on for a mile. Lateral holes that eat you like that. Just awesome. Where do you practice for that in North America?
> 
> I think my favorite shot is when the red white and blue boat enters a fall, he hits his boof already over the lip, and angles it perfect. Very nice.
> 
> This one certainly made my day!


Yeah, that delayed boof was beautiful.


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## blutzski (Mar 31, 2004)

Which is harder in terms of the whitewater only (taking out the remoteness factor). The Stikine at normally run flows (assuming it was roadside) or the North Fork at 5000-6000. The footage of the North Fork at 8000 from this year looks way harder than that footage of the Stikine. Not that I'll be doing either.


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

I think the holes on the stikine are much larger than those on the NF. I remember seeing the film that Grace shot a few years ago. Very impressive holes, with some crazy ferries.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

I don't the specifics of the NF rapids, but from what I've seen there is nothing on the NF that has the pucker factor that Wasson's has. Giant lateral feeding into a very big, very scary and very terminal looking hole. Named after a member of the first successful decent, after a near fatal ride. LVM 32 has some pretty good footage. 

With reference to the rescue video he had it very easy. It sounds like his hike to the rim was relatively easy, and he had a nice spot to camp for 2 days until he was picked up by a heli. Mosts exits from that canyon are far more difficult and dangerous.


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## Mut (Dec 2, 2004)

glenn said:


> With reference to the rescue video he had it very easy. It sounds like his hike to the rim was relatively easy, and he had a nice spot to camp for 2 days until he was picked up by a heli. Mosts exits from that canyon are far more difficult and dangerous.


He did have it easy. To the extent that his crew had planned ahead for something like that, good on them. He had it easy becasue his bros pulled through.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

Mut said:


> He did have it easy. To the extent that his crew had planned ahead for something like that, good on them. He had it easy becasue his bros pulled through.


No doubt they had an exit plan if things went south but he still got lucky. He got lucky with the spot he was at. He could have easily been in a sheltered area where no heli evac was possible for miles and miles. He could have been somewhere where escaping the canyon wasn't nearly as easy as it was. He was lucky having a water source. The list goes on...


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## Gary E (Oct 27, 2003)

Freddy Coriel said it best this year when paddling the NF of the Payette at 8 grand. "if the stikine was this big when we first ran it, we would've hiked out" Anything on the NF over 5000 you're playing with your life on every rapid including the lower 5.

Mike the stikine is the everest of big water class 5 in north america, show respect.

Sweet vid for sure


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## deepsouthpaddler (Apr 14, 2004)

Headcam vid of the big water hole beatdowns were awesome. I got that "oh shit" feeling just sitting on my couch. 

The "rescue" video was interesting as well. Makes you think a bit more about the "what if" scenarios. I did my first self support wilderness overnighter in Cali this season. We did tons of planning, but one thing I didn't really think of was how to split up gear if you lost a boat and someone had to hike out. You don't want to overload your boats with extra gear, but you also don't want to be SOL if you lose a boat.


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## Cutch (Nov 4, 2003)

Nice video. And much respect for the Stikine. That place is chilling. 

I've contemplated how I would train to potentially run the Stikine, being stuck in Colorado. The NF Payette is treasured, and just a bit too far of a drive to make routine trips, so the best big water options I've found are as follows. For quality and goods I think the Upper Taos Box around 3k, Gore above 2600 and up, Barrel Springs 4k and up, Upper Animas w/Rockwood at flood and Cross Mtn Gorge above 6k all contain big water paddling environments that are comparable to what you can get in Idaho, and thus suitable to develop big water paddling skills needed for the Stikine (or wanted for the Payette). Of course that doesn't mean just running those makes you ready, you best have some years of experience, and be running the sick lines on the local big water runs with style before the Stikine. I would also mix in some regular playboating sessions more often.


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## Meng (Oct 25, 2003)

cosurfgod said:


> Sic video! Was most of that shot on the front range?


Nice one!

Seriously though, that is one of the better paddling vids I've seen recently. That guy is a steezy paddler - and they put the regular/head cam/multiple headcam shots together really well.


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## Canada (Oct 24, 2006)

*Training options*




Cutch said:


> For quality and goods I think the Upper Taos Box around 3k, Gore above 2600 and up, Barrel Springs 4k and up, Upper Animas w/Rockwood at flood and Cross Mtn Gorge above 6k all contain big water paddling environments that are comparable to what you can get in Idaho, and thus suitable to develop big water paddling skills needed for the Stikine (or wanted for the Payette). Of course that doesn't mean just running those makes you ready, you best have some years of experience, and be running the sick lines on the local big water runs with style before the Stikine. I would also mix in some regular playboating sessions more often.


(UTB) As a guy who grew up in the vicinity, how often does it actually run? Every year it seems like you get a week and then the irrigation kills it. All others at flood. You are a much better boater than I will ever be, but to catch them that early and already be at that kind of level is pretty awesome. Barrel in full looks about as long as a few of those rapids by themselves. You could do it, and some of you will, but I think it would require some winter work in the southeast, South America or Africa. Being a full time sponsored pro would help, but so many of those guys are obligated to be at parks. I guess just being in the boat every day year round would help.

One of the things I found really awesome in that video was that even at "low water" it has that power. There were no sneaks. It seemed full on bank to bank. It was certainly a differnt perspective than what I saw in the videos of Doug A. and his bretheren That I had seen in the past.


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## Canada (Oct 24, 2006)

*Black canyon box at around 3 K?*

seems comp. to me. Thoughts?


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## doublet (May 21, 2004)

Canada said:


> seems comp. to me. Thoughts?


Is this your Caspermike impression?


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

Doublet thanks for adding nothing... black canyon co or yellowstone? I imagine at 3 k on black to be some puckered factor holes as does Fremont canyon at 2700... holes that you probably have no chance of possibly making it thru... hydraulics that seem to work against you. I'm sure the cold as water and long swims have something to do with the rating not saying what's there isn't big but seems to be gettin done regularly... side note what's highest clarks fork box been run?


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## doublet (May 21, 2004)

doublet said:


> Is this your Caspermike impression?


That's mountainbuzz code for "Your post didn't make sense to me. Please explain in more detail."


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## Canada (Oct 24, 2006)

*cutch talked about training for this.*

I don't know why this one is sticking with me. I guess it's just the first time in a while I've seen something other than a big fall that made me say wow. 

So, I've been thing about what might have that kind of power wall to wall in Colorado. I agreed with Gore and Barrel at run off with the dams open. I then thought about later in the season when Colorado boaters had a chance to step up. Blue Mesa usually turns it up later in the season and that seemed like a place people could get to that level. So that is what I was getting at.

As far as bashing Casper, he seems to have become a bit more of a gentlemen after stepping away from his parents roof. I have no problem with him and enjoy what he brings here. Frankly, I'm a bit bored with the whole saturn sucks and here's 600 ways to rig a raft thing.


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

Canada gore isnt much for wall to wall... you have to be in the no portage environment to understand the big hole no bros with bags scenerio... gore does have that big feel anybody else remember watching stooksberry and combs video of there huge water d? Is say train in that environment for solid 30 days and you would be just that solid.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

Kayaking Gore Canyon at floodstage on Vimeo

Awesome


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

Chronic Glenn, pots tomarrow f yeah to mank.


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

That gore footage gets more unbelievable every time I watch it. So good
Joe


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## Xtraheat (May 10, 2010)

I didn't see anyone mention the Milner Dam section of the Snake as a good prep run... It is longer than any rapid on the Stikine (I think?? 1.6 mile long constant rapid) and has huggeeee waves and holes


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## phlyingfish (Nov 15, 2006)

The Milner Mile is certainly real deal big water. Perhaps the reason why it isn't mentioned here is because it almost never runs. Idaho water law allows the entire Snake River to be dewatered at Milner Dam. So, the section below the dam never flows during irrigation season and it's a rare year when there is enough flow in the river before irrigation starts. I hear the crux is terminal below 10,000 cfs. But, it was nice and splashy during Spring 2009.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ePjTyvT2nk


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

That's big shit.


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