Freestyle clinics in Graz

Last weekend we spend in Graz. At Friday I had there freestyle clinics with some nice guys from the local kayak club. The level was perfect for the wave and they should stay until this week competition. Because of this we spend lot of time to preparing how to compete. Michi and others was doing really good , it is perfect if you can see after the paddling the rides in television. We spend almost hole day in the water with perfect weather.

Next day was a free day because it was a working day and not everyone had time to kayak. My friends came from Bratislava to met us and also for sure to kayak. We had a nice day full of kayaking and kebabs.

At Sunday the training was continuing. Everyone was doing better and better. After the lunch we watched the rides again and after everyone was stoked to kayak and to make the tricks even better.

After the second session me and Nina we went to the Augsburg again to train there. We had trainings almost a week here and now we are ready to travel back to Graz for the first freestyle event there in this year.

See you

Peter & Nina

Teva extreme race

After the Bitches we went for one day to Augsburg to train on the local spot calls ‘’Waschmashine’’. This spot is amazing hard hole to train. From the edge it is looking like a nice hole , but if you are inside it’s a really strong. I think all hole tricks are possible but it is not easy. The worldcup will be here soon , than we was practicing there little bit.

After Augsburg we went to Italy for the Teva extreme race. Thursday we had some trainings rides and then at Friday was the competition on Egua river ( team race and single race ). Next day was extreme slalom and kayak cross on the Sorba river. On Saturday top 30 from man category and all woman category went to the head to head cross. It was a nice event , you can find results and some other pictures on the http://www.tevaextremeoutdoorgames.it/index.htm?page=kayakakresu

Jakub doing a freewheel

Next days we was kayaking with Olaf , Manuel , Florian , Mat , Stephane and Markus. We made some nice pictures on the rivers , than some guys like Honza Lasko , Pat Keller , Sam Sutton , Markus , Florian … went to the Devil slides which was a really crazy rapid. After that we went home really tired and spend some time on our white water course Cunovo.

See you.

Bitches

Last 3 weeks we were on the little tour true Europe. We spend the time in Bitches (UK), Piemont (ITA), Augsburg (GER), and Plattling (GER). I would like to start with the Bitches.

Deb Piniger and Olaf Obsomer came with an idea to spend a week at the famous wave Bitches in Wales area. They put the trip together and took the players (freestyle kayakers all sponsored from Adidas) with them. We had borrowed 2 RV vehicles , in the first one was Olaf (camera ) , Manuel ( photo ) , Markus ( kayaker ) , Florian ( kayaker ) and in the second one was me self ( kayaker ) , Nina ( kayaker ) , Jens ( photo ) , Mat ( kayaker ). Deb joined us on the place. After long drive about 1500 km from Augsburg we finally arrived. Everyone was tired, but the sunset at the coast was so beautiful that we used it to make some really cool lifestyle pictures.

The crew :)

Jens and Manuel are really good photographers and it is cool to work with them. Next day the morning was free for us , because the wave is situated on the sea and it is working just when the tide is high and then you have 2 times a day the perfect level. We had it about at 5 in afternoon, that means also about at 5 AM, what is little crazyJ. As a kayaker you have two options to go for the wave. The first one is to paddle over there when the tide is down, not that big stream from the sea, usually its 3 hour before the big tide; it took about hour of paddling, than you have some hours for play the wave and the hole and than an extreme went out from the play spot. Extreme because on the way back is a bad place called Horseshoe , which is sometimes really bad to go true , because in the past some kayakers disappears in this place. The second option, rend a jet boat or have an own one. How I said before we went there at afternoon. After long paddling up there, we figure out that the wave wasn’t working properly, the tide wasn’t that big like should be, but we spend our time with playing in the hole right next the wave. The hole was still pumping up and down and it was funny to surf it.

Bitches...

After good time of paddling we went back down. We were really scared about the horseshoe. We were paddling as hard as we could to rich the eddy line before the well known horseshoe. Everyone went fine out from there. We came back almost at night, but party and good dinner made from Manuel was like a gift. Next day we went to the White - Sand beach for surfing. We spent half day on the water ripping the 2,5m high waves, then we went to the city for the original fish&chips, and for the Bitches again.

Hard day full on with kayaking. We still had two days, one of them we spend with photo shooting on the White – Sand beach and in the town, played soccer and had fun with cooking and drinking bear.

The last day Olaf and the Adidas crew borrowed us a jet boat, which was really awesome, we jumped down from the boat straight to the wave. Great day sunny for making pictures, Olaf, Jens and Manuel was still on the boat almost 2-3 meter before the wave and making their job.

It was our last day and then after surfing, we were ready to go back to the Germany.

Thanks for the awesome trip.

Enjoy the pictures (all of them are made by Jens Klatt) www.jensklatt.com