Kayak Session Numéro 72 - Print Edition

MISSION: PATAGONIA TRIPLE CROWN

Ben Stookesberry, Erik Boomer, and Nouria Newman embark on a journey of picnics and first descents across Southern Chile. As they attempted to check off the Pascua and the Bravo, they couldn’t resist adding in the Engano and the Ano Nuevo, among others. Along the way, they found that sometimes the mission is less about the rivers and rapids you run than the journey itself.

FEATURE: CALIFORNIA 2019

A strong snowpack in the Sierra Mountains offers the tantalizing possibility of a California season to remember. Sure enough, high water abounded throughout the Golden State in 2019, but California’s whitewater proved a fickle mistress. Though flows were far from predictable, they proved there is always something to paddle in Cali.

INTERVIEW: ADRIAN MATTERN

As a kid, Adrian Mattern dreamed of someday running the waterfalls he had posters of on his bedroom walls. Now, the 24-year old German native is inspiring a new generation of paddlers with his wide-ranging skillset and direct style. His secret? A little bit of luck, a lot of hard work, and the patience to trust the process.

EVENT: THE DEVIL’S EXTREME RACE

For thirteen years, the Devil’s Extreme Race has slowly gained renown as one of the must-attend events of the European summer circuit. But train shuttles, live music, and wild whitewater in the Czech national forest are only part of what makes this weekend on the Vltava River so special.