AT Paddle Test

Alright, so I got bored the other day and decided to drive a car over my old AT paddle to prove that it can take a beating, and that it will hold up my 3,000 lbs Subaru. Now this is a bit risky because I have an AT 2 that's two years old, has paddled in four countries, and has seen more days on the water than most paddler do in their entire lives.

So we broke out the video cameras, and had some fun....

In the end we did manage to break the paddle, but I was pretty impressed with the amount of abuse it has taken from me to date. I also look forward to testing the new Ultralight paddles from At, but don't expect to see it under my wheels any time soon.

EP Launches a Gear For Good Program in Africa

EP is starting a gear donation drive where kayakers and kayak companies donate gear to go to Ugandan kayakers living and working on the White Nile River. These boaters have found a way to support themselves through kayaking, but they don’t have access to proper gear.

With the help of the kayaking community we will be able to ship a container FULL of gear to Africa in support of the first ever Ugandan Kayak Club. You can become part of the project by donating you old kayaks and kayaking gear to the cause. The entire project will be captured in HD film, and every person who donates will become part of the documentary.

So far we have NRS and Wavesport kayaks kicking off the project as the first donating sponsor to donate lots of gear. So go check out the website, read up on the project, watch some video, and get a chance to donate.

Go to: http://www.ChristmasForAfrica.com

Amplify Release and EP Trucker Hats at Gauley Fest!

Amplify is finished and we're stoked to have copies available in time for Gauley Fest! And in honor of the occasion we've printed a short run of EP Trucker hats to go along with every copy of Amplify sold.

The trucker hats are a limited edition run featuring the EP logo and our unofficial slogan "We Love Cougars." We have put in many many hours of testing and can confidently say that these hats pull in the kittens and the cougars alike.

So swing by the Heliconia booth to pick yourself up a video, hat, and hopefully something 40+ to go home with*.

Happy Hunting,
EP




*Supply of hats and cougar at Gauley Fest are limited so first come, first served....

EP in Papa - Preping for a mission

Tomorrow, the six-person kayak team is combining forces with a 3-person caving team to execute the mission of our dreams. We are leaving at 8:00 am to drive to the end of the road and then hike in to the town of Tuke that Trip and I previously explored.

In Tuke, we will drop into a sinkhole and descend 1500ft in about 1.5 miles to the mouth of the cave. The mouth is amazing - a huge archway with a gorgeous crystal blue river flowing out. The plan is to drop into the cave at the top, work our way though paddling along the way and then paddle/swim out into daylight.

About 100 meters below the cave exit, the river flows over a series of cascades that are about 800 ft from top to bottom. Trip and I scouted the drops out last week and all of them go except for the last drop of about 50 ft or so.

For the full write-up check out Andy's blog at The Wandering Generalist