# The "Brown"



## deepstroke (Apr 3, 2005)

Today Brown Claw received this message... "the brown claw is cool but what does it mean?????" So Demshitz decided to write the story of The Brown Claw...
The Brown Claw. It all started one summer day when Demshitz were in Buena Vista Colorado. The movie Borat had just been released and Demshitz were obsessed with Sasha Boren Cohen's style of outrageous reality shock humour. The brown - YouTube
Kayakers frequently use the term "run the shit" which originated out of the Tdub and lvm crew and lots of other good boaters. "The Shit" can also mean something is bad ass or cool or the river levels are high or the drop is stout and "The Brown" can replace this term anywhere "the shit" is used. So Demshitz would joke around and say "run the brown". Whenever Demshitz would say brown Demshitz would do the hand motion like borat did in the movie. It wasn't until that day in Buena Vista when the brown was first done in a kayak by one of Demshitz while playboating at the BV playhole. And then it wasn't called the brown "claw" it was called the "aerial brown" and it was done while throwing a big loop. A friend then went out to the bar and explained the brown to everyone. He explained with much excitement the new trick Demshitz invented, "you get air from the loop do a brown and land still browning." Nobody really understood it then so it was like an inside joke to Demshitz. Demshitz were competing that summer at the professional level in freestyle kayaking competitions and were watching it start to plateau. Every trick had been done in competition with huge air but for some reason competitions in small holes were becoming sort of lame, (especially because Demshitz was getting their asses kicked by pretty much everyone). So Demshitz started throwing Aerial Browns as a way to be funny and laugh instead of being so serious all the time, and losing embarrassingly. After many aerial browns in competition (worth no points) somehow the name got changed I think when announcers would use their own name for it when they didn't know what Demshitz were doing, they would say, "there's Demshitz doing that claw thing again". Ironically, Demshitz started getting scored for Aerial Browns, worth 10 style/pity points. Demshitz even then starting noticing some of the best freestyle paddlers practicing Aerial Browns in their practice heats. Demshitz then started bringing the Aerial brown to the creeks and on small boofs. The thought of browning a drop would actually make the drop more interesting and harder and of course funnier. Demshitz would say "you think you could brown that drop?" Which brought on a new style to creek boating sort of like the rail grab did. Now Demshitz take the brown off of some stout brown drops and they are still bringing the level of the brown higher and higher each day. The real popularity started when the Brown Claw facebook page was made. Pictures of kayakers from all over the world Demshitz had never met started popping up with them throwing up brown claws while kayaking and now Demshitz sees paddlers brown to the passing car with boats on the roof instead of a regular wave or peace sign. The Brown is popular because its funny and everyone browns and its kinda like a new international whitewater handsign. Brown if you want, everyone Browns, or hate the Brown, thats fine too, that just makes it funnier. Demshitz thinks its better to fool around in life and be funny rather than take things so seriously. But at the same time, be careful when you brown, you can end up eating Brown! Because when you're running the Brown sometimes brown hits the fan. And Demshitz will tell you its still possible to hold your paddle with both hands and Aerial Brown yourself while running ridiculously stout brown. And that is the story of Brown Claw. 


From the Brown Claw facebook page.


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## JP Griffith (Sep 7, 2010)

deepstroke said:


> The Brown is popular because its funny and everyone browns and its kinda like a new international whitewater handsign. Brown if you want, everyone Browns, or hate the Brown, thats fine too, that just makes it funnier. Demshitz thinks its better to fool around in life and be funny rather than take things so seriously.


If you didn't read the whole thing deepstroke posted, at least read what I quoted... Enough said.


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## bolsito (Aug 26, 2007)

Mut said:


> I think it is stupid. It's kind of like a rail grab off a waterfall.


I don't follow the logic here...rail grabs are awesome


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## cmack (Oct 15, 2006)

The brown is totally stupid, which is precisely one of the reasons it is so awesome.


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## [email protected] (Apr 26, 2006)

The brown claw is fine until you take your helmet off so you can gopro yourself brown clawing to take up time in your video showing off how cool you are


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## marko (Feb 25, 2004)

Knowing the OG Demshitz crew, I am laughing my ass off right now. That write up about it is f'ing classic brown. 

And, Mut... are you getting old or something? 

And, from an anthropological standpoint, I find watching and observing the spread of the brown trend over the years to be fascinating. 

Also, for any of you young budding kayak entrepreneurs... Take some notes boys and girls... the brown is a prime example of guerrilla marketing working its magic.


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## cmack (Oct 15, 2006)

Speaking of Brown... has anyone seen the new Bomb Flow episode 2 yet? Holy crap... there is copius brown and the Little White Salmon segment is fucking hilarious.


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## smauk2 (Jun 24, 2009)

cmack said:


> Speaking of Brown... has anyone seen the new Bomb Flow episode 2 yet? Holy crap... there is copius brown and the Little White Salmon segment is fucking hilarious.


Yes! "Here comes Fred ready for the brown, look at his moustache". But ya ranting about The Brown makes ya sound real old.


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## NathanH. (Mar 17, 2010)

Bomb Flow Episodes make me brown in my pants.


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## Mike Harvey (Oct 10, 2003)

Mut said:


> Alright,
> 
> Even though some of my friends do it (even while some are running the goods) I think it is stupid. It's kind of like a rail grab off a waterfall.
> 
> ...


Mut, fact...you are old and the sport has passed you by...I know this for sure because I am too....just pop in a VHS of Paddlequest or Falling Down and sigh deeply...it's over bro...it was a good ride...pretty soon your kids will be old enough to live vicariously through them...


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

this thread and your attitudes are not brown.. go brown something...


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## rg5hole (May 24, 2007)

I'll be right back, I have to go brown down...


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## TheKid (Aug 25, 2004)

Brown and Browning, is quite homosexual! (not in a derogatory way, just stating a fact!)


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## BmfnL (May 23, 2009)

On the Denali Park Road, that is the hand signal among bus drivers for "grizzly bear ahead".


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## tallboy (Apr 20, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> The brown claw is fine until you take your helmet off so you can gopro yourself brown clawing to take up time in your video showing off how cool you are


Is it still cool to gopro yourself brown clawing while browning? It makes good b-roll


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## ednaout (Jun 3, 2005)

*totally childish*

My 2 week old niece has even gotten the memo about the Brown Claw being "in." Sheesh, get with it.


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