# Video of the 127ft Waterfall run.



## Canada (Oct 24, 2006)

*Wow*

Looks like he landed upside down.


----------



## JHimick (May 12, 2006)

Landing completely inverted, on your head, is all skill? Bold and sick... but no points for style.


----------



## HINDS (Oct 14, 2003)

The photo is more impressive since you can't tell the flop happened.


----------



## paddletime (Mar 2, 2007)

Brutal.....0 points for style is right...beginners luck or maybe just dumb luck!


----------



## nervouswater (Jun 3, 2008)

That was the biggest alleyoop in history. Rush Sturges will be jealous.


----------



## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

alleyoop? don't kid yourself Rush has already run it, he just didn't tell anybody.


----------



## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

that is quite possibly the biggest freewheel attempt ever on record

Yahoo! has a brief video story about it, its worth watching just to listen to how dumb the anchors are...."EVEN his kayak survived intact"....jabronies

Yahoo!


----------



## Gary E (Oct 27, 2003)

Loved the pic when I got the email, video hurt. OUCH! Did he wash behind the falls and eddy out? Big balls, to send that drop though.


----------



## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

The skill involved with that was picking a drop and a line that was so forgiving you could blow it that badly and survive. Might as well have been in a barrel.


----------



## tallboy (Apr 20, 2006)

looks a little like jamie pierre's ski jump, except without the jesus chatter...
YouTube - jamie pierre


----------



## thecraw (Oct 12, 2003)

So here is the deal according to the guys that were there... That waterfall is was so huge and so much pressure that there was no way possible that you could keep from going over the handlebars, unless you boofed which would be pure death. 

Call it what you will boys and girls, but Pedro went for 127 feet and pulled it off. He lost his paddle, went behind the veil, and rolled up off rocks behind the veil... paddling out with his hands! He's a great boater and fired off a world record. Jackson Kayak is proud of the Hotel Charley boys... Sending it huge.


----------



## WyoPadlr1 (May 5, 2005)

Hugely impressive, just to step up and make the commitment to sending it. 

Wonder if using Tao's old method of sticking a couple of milk jugs full of water in the bow could have kept him from going over the handlebars????? Just curious. My spine was cringing the moment he went inverted.......


----------



## Gary E (Oct 27, 2003)

I know Ben will put an open throw rope and a few gallons of water in his bow to help. Pedro is a stud, so calm down Marty. But he took a major header from his world record waterfall. That looked brutal, it also looked like he tucked too early which caused the invert. What the hell do I know though I've only done half of that.He stayed in his boat and there you have it. Props to the new WR.

You guys can see Ben and Pedro on the today show tomorrow live. Thurs March 26 to talk about his once again pushing boundaries in a kayak along with some great and sick expeditions. 

Gotta give it to the Jackson team as they are all solid and nuts. Getting a super hero this summer.


----------



## mvhyde (Feb 3, 2004)

*Impressive*

Nice to see the envelope being pushed. The landing was a bit interesting, but that definitely took big cajones and a some of that Texas "Watch this, oh shit" insanity. Henry freaking loved it. Someone remind me to keep him away from waterfalls.


----------



## Ken Vanatta (May 29, 2004)

*Congrats!*

So he didn't stick it, but he did it. That's how things get accomplished. He wanted it, he got it done. Perhaps, if there is a next time he might style it like no one else can. Perfection is usually only gained through experience. If not Pedro, then perhaps someone else learns from having watched him. Nonetheless, showing up is half the battle. I think it is awesome to see a team out their experiencing the amazing opportunities life offers us. Cheers to all the explorers that have ever existed and to all the courages successes achieved. Let's hope we never stop.


----------



## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

marty. "That waterfall is was so huge and so much pressure that there was no way possible that you could keep from going over the handlebars, unless you boofed which would be pure death. "

why the f*ck would you run it than?


----------



## jomama (Aug 7, 2006)

to me this is a funny thing. mainly based on the fact that he didnt not only fall over the bars but front flipped the waterfall. usually when running drops of larger size, over 60 feet you will do all in your ability to stick the line be it ones ability to maintain an angle, or know how to re-correct part way through free fall. To me it seemed as if pedro came off the lip, tucked, and held on in a sense of oh shit! which is known to send a paddler out of control. world record, maybe but to me a decision that was far from thought through.


----------



## RiverWrangler (Oct 14, 2003)

Hate to be a hater but... style is and should be a huge part of our sport. World Record sure, style points zero. Having no style i.e. going upside down/landing on your head/floundering out of control are actual factors in the safety of yourself and your group, meaning they actually matter. 

If somebody runs Gore rapid but gets flipped in the sneak, peels out and gets broached on Gilligans and rolls two more times in the bottom of the rapid, did they still run it? Ya. Are they a solid class V paddler. Probably not. If you watch jomama or his brother run a giant waterfall you can tell they are amazing at tucking at the right moment and holding their chosen boat angle into the pool. This is the skill and the style for running huge waterfalls. 

Props to the Jackson crew because they are doing some amazing things. I just wish the mainstream media and the kayaking media would latch onto the truly amazing feats these guys are accomplishing instead of the height of a waterfall that wasn't even run properly. The Indus expedition... OMFG! If you haven't been following that you're missing something way more exciting than this waterfall. Huge water, huge scary rapids in committing gorges in a very dicey war-torn zone of the world. That's where the props are due. 

P.S. Marty I think you are wrong and that there is a way you could run that waterfall correctly and land with the perfect entry angle. Am I going to try it, probably not, but I bet that jomama or one of these young bucks is going to prove me right in the near future. Nice knee jerk defending of the team though, which kind of is your job.


----------



## David Spiegel (Sep 26, 2007)

caspermike said:


> marty. "That waterfall is was so huge and so much pressure that there was no way possible that you could keep from going over the handlebars, unless you boofed which would be pure death. "
> 
> why the f*ck would you run it than?


Not here to criticize or judge but that excuse screams BS to me. The volume on the slave is probably 100 times that. And its not like he went over vert at the last 30 feet, he did it like 50 feet in. Oh yeah and Tyler didn't go over the handle bars. Just seems like a really lame argument when you start to think about it.

Just admit that you blew the line bro, no need to justify anything when you ran something that big.


----------



## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

even, hell yeah. the film on that expedition will be off the wall. it will be one of those dvds you buy twice cause you watch it as you take a morning shit and while you eat lunch and eat dinner. the pictures are amazing. beautiful water and huge rapids.


----------



## thecraw (Oct 12, 2003)

Evan... David, No argument here. Especially your description Evan. Yes, it was a zero for style in my opinion as well, and that is very important if you are going to run something of that nature. Safety is king and a good entry is key. What is great though is that the boundary is pushed. Now it will fill in with others that will add style and then it will be pushed again. Designs and technology will improve... pushed again and so on, and so on.. 
No excuses from me either, just direct words from Jesse who was there and is here in TN with me at the moment. After putting this up on Buzz, he and I talked more (along with the rest of the team) and Jesse's more detailed opinion was that there was a particularly sharp lip and that he just didn't get off it well enough to keep that forward rotational momentum under control. I can only imagine that he had a few things on his mind at the time.
I can't comment either way under any condition. It will never happen for me.


----------



## latenightjoneser (Feb 6, 2004)

I'd say he survived it, not "ran" it. To say one has successfully run a rapid ought to require staying upright throughout and maintaining all your gear, not yard sale-ing. Otherwise, I would venture to say that anyone who can hold their breath for 10 seconds could "run" just about every drop in the state. 

Touting it as a world record is going to draw a lot of attention (Today show?). It makes us look dumb, like Lemmings. It will reinforce most people's misconceptions of kayakers as foolish daredevils relying on chance rather than skill. 

It's cool and neat to watch, but should only be considered a world record for what it truly was: washing over a waterfall while coincidentally being in a kayak.

my 2 cents . . .


----------



## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

i would have to say good choice on the landing ben and crew. would have sucked if that was his last rapid heh. no more fun 5's and overnighters.


----------



## cokayakn (Feb 26, 2007)

*Woman boater?*

...couldn't actually tell if the boater was moving. Looked like it could have been a Resussa-Annie CPR doll to me. Pretty mouth.


----------



## Gary E (Oct 27, 2003)

"I think when you double the size of anything that has ever been done before, you're a loud to slap on your side. As long as your skis stay on, til someone goes out there and stomps it cleaner, I don't think anyone has much to say." Jamie Pierre---Love him or hate him, he goes big and if you don't think he can ski you're an idiot.

Pedro looked at that waterfall for years. He miss calculated and did a header. He still dropped a world record and I guarantee he has ran more big falls then anyone on this board. Props for sackin up! Take Tyler, he followed after Ed who also got crushed. Takes people like Pedro to show others what is possible.

"Touting it as a world record is going to draw a lot of attention (Today show?). It makes us look dumb, like Lemmings. It will reinforce most people's misconceptions of kayakers as foolish daredevils relying on chance rather than skill." 

You're talking about one of the best expedition and waterfall crews on the planet. Filming you might make us look dumb or like lemmings, not that group of paddlers. I would put Ben up against ANYONE in the world on huge expedition class 5 kayaking. Read Jamie's quote!

My 2 cents
Gary


----------



## Don (Oct 16, 2003)

*Waterfall*

For cool factor it has it all. For style, maybe not. But, it was still awesome.

Props to Jackson for still excepting "Dreams Big" on a team Resume. I think one of these guys are going to start thinking outside the box and design a Waterfall "Big Gun" kayak. A boat that would help the kayaker stack the deck in their favor. Right now it looks like they're rolling the dice a little (too much for me, it's not in my comfort zone) (it's about 100 feet off mine.). 

We'll look back in couple years and see more of the path. Right now I'm just enjoying a little procession. They'll get it dialed.

Ben and Jessie are amazing paddlers, and they are becoming even better film makers. Be sure to check out the next Hotel Charlie video. Help support the dream, and take a look into the future. keep exploring guys!


----------



## rwhyman (May 23, 2005)

I just saw that the dude is going to be interviewed on NBC Today in a few minutes.


----------



## latenightjoneser (Feb 6, 2004)

Gary E said:


> Filming you might make us look dumb or like lemmings
> 
> My 2 cents
> Gary


Thanks, the difference is I would not be claiming that my video represented the pinnacle of kayaking. 

Those guys are obviously badasses, maybe the best. The issue is whether this level of success merits "world record" status. I say no. I guess some disagree. Oh well.


----------



## doublet (May 21, 2004)

This brings up an interesting question: What is the biggest drop that has been legitimately stomped in a kayak? I'm gonna say Tyler's descent of Alexandria was pretty dialed and is probably the biggest drop that was totally stuck. Seems like the Garcia brothers have stomped the hell out of some really big drops too. Any thoughts?

WTF watches the today show anyway? Forget stunt kayaking - the real kayakers recognize that Indus trip as one of the coolest things to go down in the last season. At least Ben & crew are doing 100% legitimate stuff in addition to falling on their heads.

Also, on the topic of Jamie Pierre: I remember 8(ish) years ago he broke the record in Wolvie Cirque with a 150'er that he landed on his head. 2-3 years later Julian Carr stomped the shit out of the same huck. You could definitely argue that Pierre's antics opened the door for people like Julian to start stomping 100'+.


----------



## jomama (Aug 7, 2006)

I will have to say many of you are really steeping beyond the line with what you are saying. who ever is thinking that pedro's drop has double the hight of anything ever run before is far off. i can give a list of everyone who has run 100+ footers. and the reality is that pedro out did the recored. but only by so much. less than 20 ft. and drops up to around 10 ft smaller have been attempted, with cleaner lines, just resulting in swims. Personally i would prefer to see the line of Rafa lacing the shit out of Anaconda Falls, the one Ben attempted last year and swam. If Pedro stuck it, he stuck it, but there is a lot of gray zone and the video is not helping anyone believe him. Casing the drop, and then walking out behind the pool is not making it look to ligit.


----------



## mvhyde (Feb 3, 2004)

From what I saw, I say he has a qualifying drop. Whatever happened to honesty and giving people their due respect? It took huge nuts to drop off that sucker, bigger nuts than I got for sure. I'd need a drag chute to slow down my fat a$$.


----------

