Dec 08 2009
More photos from free clinic.
Thanks to Matthew Koch with www.adriftimages.com for sending me some new pictures of the free clinic for this write-up.
Hope to see you all on the river soon after a short leave of absense.
Jeremy Adkins
Tag Archive 'alabama'
Nov 19 2009
Free Clinic with Jackson Kayaks and Coosa Outfitters
A few months ago I called Dusty Stinson about helping him out as the new Jackson Kayaks dealer in North Alabama, which has been long overdue to our area. Coosa Outfitters is the first company with a selection of gear to get you into whitewater kayaking while having a positive motivated attitude towards our great sport. He is making it fun for everyone. This would be the first annual free pool and river clinics. With Clay Wright, Dane Jackson, Samantha Brunner, Boyd Ruppelt, Burress family, Gavin Rains, Chris Wing, Anne Connolly and Andrew Koch. With warm temperatures and great water due to the recent rains it was a great weekend to be in a pool or on a river. The pool was outside, which was great with 75 degree temperatures but the water could have been warmer. The instructors taught rolling, eskimo rescues, playboating, stokes, bow stall, stern stalls, wet exits and much more. With the help of Matthew I was able to complete the Shred Ready throw rope man. He will be used at NAWFest as well to help you with your rope throw. I am the champ Gavin. Check the video lol…
During lunch which was provided by Dusty’s family (sandwiches, drinks, fruits, cookies and drinks) we did the Shred Ready belly flop competition which was awesome. It is amazing how big someone will go for a free piece of hear. The winner was Scott, a Father of 6 children that recently had his son’s helmets chewed up by their dog. Way to go big. Some of the notable belly flops were EJ, the corkscrew guy and the ankle grabber.
That night we stayed at an apartment that Dusty’s dad owns. Dusty only had one rule and that was nooone open the back door. EJ and Clay walked in and I proceeded to share the piece of information with them. No sooner that I told EJ he went over to the door to find the bathroom and set off the alarm. Very funny. That night we walked two blocks to the local pizza joint (Maynards- AWESOME!). This place is suppose to be one of the top 100 restaurants in the country. The pizza was too good for words. Thanks Dane for not eating all of yours because I got wings.
On Sunday we split into two groups. The beginner’s group went with Dave Blanding (JK Rep) and Dusty to Terrapin Creek. Terrapin is a mild class 1 river with minimal consequences. Their trip would include all types of whitewater and sit on top kayaks. At the same time Team Jackson Kayak went down the Locust Fork of the Warrior, home of the NAWFest. Locust Fork is a class 2-3 river that is great for beginners and intermediate paddlers wanting to step their game up. You can always check the levels of Alabama rivers at AlabamaWhitewater.com. We had around 60 people in this group which was an amazing thing to see. With only one broken paddle and one lost paddle the highlight of the trip for was my first hand paddle or hand float of the entire Locust Fork River. The Locust offers up a lot of eddy line moves, rock spins, slots,surfing and Ender Hole, one of the best playspots around.
It was great weekend paddling with the Burress family and I truly enjoyed every second of this past week. I hope to see you on the river soon.
Special thanks to Kathleen Burress and Samantha Meadows who took wonderful photos. Another special thanks to Mark Armistead for making this short video of the entire day on Sunday.
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.
Jeremy Adkins
Team Jackson Kayaks
Nov 02 2009
2010 All Star is a surfing machine.
Here is a couple of pics from Corner Pocket Wave on the Mulberry Fork of the Warrior River. These waves come in at high water level and have been consitently in with all the rain. You can go to AlabamaWhitewater.com and read more info. Here are some pictures of clean spins, cutbacks, just surfing, donkey flips and more. These waves are amazing so come on down.
Here is a video of the Mulberry from the same day. Taken by a friend. You can see the Corner Pocket Wave on the right as yu go through Hawaii Five-O. Notice the big Macho Move at 3:22.
Here is a video from the day from my boy from high school Craig Wilson.
See you on the river soon,
Jeremy Adkins
Team Jackson Kayaks
Sep 28 2009
Quick stop for low water, Tellico River.
With a quick rain on the Upper Tellico Tyler, Jessica, Shannon and I drove over to see if it was still running. This would turn into the lowest run I have ever done on the Upper Tellico. This creek was so fun in the Jackson Kayak’s Hero. This boat boofs so good and turns on a dime. I think this is most stable and comfortable creekboat on the market. Just go to your local dealer and try it. Here are a couple of pics I took of Tyler and Jessica at Baby Falls downstream. Make sure to go to the Upper Tellico and do some laps.
SYOTR,
Jeremy Adkins
Team Jackson Kayaks
Sep 28 2009
Review on Ophion Paddles- Rapture
Here is a review of my paddle sponsor, Ophion Paddles. Ophion paddles are the best paddles I have ever used. I am super excited to be a part of this great team. They are lightweight, strong, powerful blades and super stylish.
Here are the links of the reviews.
http://www.canoekayak.co.uk/categories/articleitem.asp?item=298
http://broadbandsports.com/node/29540
Jeremy Adkins
Team Ophion Paddles
Sep 13 2009
Free Kayaking Clinic in Alabama on November 14-15th.
Free Kayaking clinic on November 14 and 15th. If you want to learn this is your chance. Special thanks to Jackson Kayaks for all their help and providing kayaks for all those interested in learning. Email me at FlyinSkeleton@cs.com and I will give you all the details and add you to the newsletter.
Hope to see you all there.
Jeremy Adkins
FlyinSkeleton@cs.com
Jul 18 2009
2010 All- Star, Best birthday present…EVER!!
Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending my birthday with my wife, good friends and in the most amazing freestyle boat I have had in my 20 years of boating. Most boats are one-dimensional and are good at specific aspects of freestyle, but fail to meet the standards at other playspots. Many of my previous boats have either spun well, cartwheeled, looped big or paddled downriver, but never did any one boat excel at it all…until now. The 2010 Jackson Kayak All Star does everything so well, it is a dream to paddle. On the Ocoee River, I realized that each move I have executed throughout the past 20 years was suddenly easier and more consistent allowing me to feel as if I was running the Ocoee for the first time. What a great experience it was while productive as I was able to take the opportunity to work on almost every move depicted in the Triktionary. Make sure you get in this boat and try it, I cannot recommend it enough. The All Star will change your view of freestyle kayaking and make all the moves you are working on so much easier to hit. So, If you see me on the river, please don’t hesitate to ask to try it out. It is truly indescribable so give it a shot and see for yourself. The following are top ten reasons to paddle the 2010 All Star though I’m sure you will find there are so many more.
10 reasons you should paddle
a 2010 Jackson Kayak All-Star
1. Speed/ Faster- The 2010 All Star is faster than 2007 All-Star despite being 4 inches shorter. It actually holds speed better toward the corner than any other boat I have ever paddled. This makes setting up for moves easier, better downriver freestyle moves and more consistently surfing those hard to get waves like the top wave at Hell Hole.
2. Edge to edge transition- The boat has great edge-to-edge transition. Whether getting speed to the corner or carving to the top of the pile the edge to edge transition is great for setting up for moves. In addition the boats edges aids in your downriver creativity because you can change from one carve to another so quickly.
3. Comfort- The boat is narrower but has more knee and foot room making you train harder with no breaks. With the Happy Feet, Happy Seat/ Thruster Combo, 200 beaded Sweet Cheeks there is nowhere you do not have contact with your body parts that are essential for doing any freestyle trick. The new hip pad design holds your hips into the backband giving you more response when you are upside down or trying to roll quickly. Comfort also plays a key roll in your learning curve. If you can not stay comfortable in the boat you can never paddle it as long as you want to. Being comfortable definitely aids in learning faster.
4. Volume Distribution- With all the volume around the cockpit you are more retentative, get air more consistently and have a better center of balance, giving you an easier time sticking all the moves. The volume distribution also aids in paddling downriver because you can still turn the boat quickly but it resurfaces well in the waves and holes.
5. Hull- Many features are either easy to set up on by bouncing down the face or spinning on the corner. This boat is amazingly good at bouncing down the face or spinning to the corners. This makes all features extremely fun because any move is possible. The hull of the boat that gives you endless possibilities at any playspot will not limit you. The boat spins, carves and surfs better than any boat I have paddled yet.
6. Downriver Ability- This is one thing many people were worried about because the boat is so short but do not worry because this boat is a dream to paddle downriver. The boat length, resurfacing ability, edge-to-edge transition, speed and comfort make it hard to put into words how fun it is. Just take it out and see for yourself. You can make a class 2 rapid feel so much harder but still stick the lines on the class 4 rapids.
7. Boat Length- The boat is shorter making moves easier because you have less swing weight and will not hit bottom. The length also aids in completing moves because you can throw it around faster and stronger. Just go back to your favorite spot and you will hit more moves in a day than ever before. With this length the downriver moves will really open your eyes because you can commit to rapids that usually would not have the depth to attempt them.
8. Old School Ability- Even though the boat is short it still held stability on edge and on ends. This enables splats, blasts, bow and stern stalls, wavewheels, blunts and super cleans to be more prevalent and consistent. When you can throw a huge loop into 50 ends without stopping the possibilities are endless. The future is now upon us. Get in the boat as soon as possible.
9. Multi colors- Get your boat with the colors you want and have your niche on the water.
10. Goes bigger- Because of all the things we have talked about the result is bigger/ faster moves. You can throw more consistent big moves because of the length but when you get to the right spot you can absolutely go huge. This boat is unbelievably amazing and I cannot wait to get it out on the Locust Fork (Home of NAWF) and the Mulberry Fork of the Warrior.
Because I had so much fun on my birthday I decided to tell you my top ten things that I did on my birthday weekend.
Top 10 things I did on the Ocoee River for my birthday.
- Paddled the 2010 All Star on a river with thousands of playspots.
- Brought my wife (Great company and you get more photos.)
- Got into a Mega Rocker at Hell Hole and did huge enders and pirouettes.
- I saw a black bear, Gray Fox and Emily Jackson Troutman. No Nick though
- Taught a playboating clinic the first day I got there with a Father and Son from Texas.
- Did a 5 second mystery move at Flipper in a plastic boat.
- Took a friend down the entire river for the first time. (Way to go Kelley)
- Did a Macho Move so big I landed looking right back at the raft in front of me.
- Mountain biked 4.5 miles downhill Chilhowee Mountain in 20 minutes.
- Threw a 50-point cartwheel somewhere on the Ocoee River.
After 20 years of boating and it being my 20th year on the Ocoee River I want to tell EJ thank you. David and EJ have completely outdone themselves on this new boat. Way to go guys. I am proud to say that I paddle for Jackson Kayaks and look forward to building a foundation to start kid’s programs in the Southeast.
Hope to see everyone on the river soon.
Jeremy Adkins
Until Next Time!!!
Jun 23 2009
First Day in 2010 All- Star
First day in 2010 All- Star. What do say about this boat? With not much water around and Sunday being Father’s Day another trip down to the Coosa was in order. The water on this trip was around 4,000 cfs which makes all the waves flushy. My goal on the day was to play with the boats edges and get the outfitting set to the upmost comfort. Unlike the other trip we learned from our mistakes and brought along a sit-on-top to carry two coolers of beer. Quenching the thirst is a must on the Coosa due to the 100 degree temperature, water and rocks. I did not take many pictures due to the water level but I did want to take a few of the new boat just to see how the trim was in the water. Needless to say it was great. I will paddle it on something bigger and give a better review. Here are few pictures so you can view the boat on the only water we have in the entire state right now.
The boat carves great and has stability on edge.
The boat is short enough to get some great party surfing.
Here is a picture of me doing some old school Ender to test how the boat would feel on the feet when I stood up.
This boat has some of the best edge to edge transition of any boat I have ever paddled. Truly is one of a kind.
Here is a picture to all my friends in Colorado and Tennessee while I am stuck in Alabama. It is so hot!!!!
I hope to see everyone on the river really soon and shredding it up.
All the best,
Jeremy Adkins
flyinskeleton@cs.com
Jun 14 2009
Quick Trip to the Coosa… A.K.A. Gump Town.
Coosa River
With the Spring to Remember over the water in North Alabama has started to decline. This brings us to the only dam-controlled river in Alabama, the Coosa. The Coosa is an old favorite that with the right water is a great place to train and throw some of the biggest loops in the world. It used to be home to the Coosa Rodeo but soon might have a competition coming back thanks to World Kayak Hometown Throwdown. In addition there have been many videos that have done segments on these great rapis and the environment. The Coosa divides into many channels on the way down but at 8,000 c.f.s (7,800 on this day) the Big Side and Small Side of the Mocassin’s Gap were the only ones going off. There is a large rock dividing the two with plenty of people to interact with.
The Big Side has three waves in a row with the first being the most fun. It is nice to surf a wave where the water comes in smooth for over a mile upstream.
At lower flows this spot can offer up some really nice hole moves when it becomes a pourover. My favorite move here is the old school blunt sandwich, which is a blunt to backstab combination and at higher flows the really big Macho Moves, Kickflips and Flipkicks. Here are few pics of this wave. The second and third waves change a lot depending on water levels. The biggest wave gets glassier at higher flows but at this level is
great for blunts,
throwing edge turns,
learning to carve hard toward corners,
old school paddle twirls and shutter rudders and
flipping over the locals.
The main hole in the back is the best feature on the river but takes around 8,600 c.f.s. to become consistent. Here is a picture of it forming. When the water comes it is super deep and has a green highway of water to plug. You can throw a huge flip in a creek boat here. Here is a photo.
Most people do not realize that the Space Godzilla and Air Loop were actually invented in this hole. Meaning the aerial revolution actually begun in Alabama. Cray Huh! And yes it is true I was in the eddy with Javid. Here are a few pictures so you can see the different waves. Even though it was extremely hot, the water felt great and there was a lot of eye candy on the rocks. At times the rocks were actually too hot to stand and shoot photos. There are not many places you see that many bathing suits on the rocks while all holding a beer. The Small Side offers a great purover for bigger tricks and an even better little hole/ wave. This little feature was one of the first to have professionals really perfect the blunt. Be careful here though the rides can get really long and the eddy lines are no forgiving on this side. If you are in Alabama and the Coosa is running remember it has great playspots and a lot of flatwater but most importantly on a river trip watch out for snakes, jetboats, alligator gar and fish hooks. They are more dangerous that the rapids.
Hope to see everyone on the river soon and remember if the sign says ONE WAY please go ONE WAY.
Jeremy
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Jun 09 2009
A Spring 2 Remember!!!
Finally a SPRING to remember!!!
The past few years have been rough for boaters in the Southeast, or should I say, DRY. Record levels in Alabama were set in some areas and everyone in the state was boating somewhere in the past few months. I really think we could have just logged most rivers paddled by a state in one day in the spring floods. WOW! After an incredibly long H2O hiatus, finally all levels of boaters were out having a good time on all levels of rivers. And for me, this opened up multiple opportunities to enjoy, for the fist time in years, warm paddling days in my local area. We started this entire trip out on South Sauty.
Since I have actually been able to do several runs in the past few months in my Hero and All Star, I thought this a perfect time to write a little something on the boats, the different rivers I visited and how they compared on each run. So here we go:
All Star- Wow, in 20 years this is the first boat I have ever paddled where it is just right as it comes. No need to spend days and days outfitting…just unwrap and hop in. Perfect for road trips, this boat is easy to handle and has all the comfort any boater could want. The edges are great for carving to set up on the corners, yet wide enough for creating a stable platform to land on after tricks. This is great when you have generated speed in completion of each move. The volume is distributed in the right places therefore quite impressive in helping to retain balance on the surface, while allowing for better resurfacing as well as over-all river running. Thus aiding in better consistency in hitting bigger tricks and showing others what you are going to do next time when you roll up in the hole. With the Happy Seat and Happy Thruster combo keeping my skinny legs in the thigh hooks, making snappier loops was a synch. My favorite thing about the boat, however, is the downriver capability from just turning rapids to throwing big Macho Moves. By allowing me evenly distributed volume, stable ends and great inside comfort, this boat can throw some of the largest downriver moves I have ever been able to accomplish. Look out for new write-ups on the Triktionary.
Hero- This boat is absolutely perfect for the Southeastern United States. The boat is one of a kind combing 7’ 6” short length, speed, edge control and volume in the perfect mix. It is love at first SIT, as you will be in awe from the moment you settle into the boat. My advice, however, seek guidance on the outfitting system to help you understand how comfortable it can truly be. The boat touches on all major points of the body giving you the perfect contact. From the Sweet Cheeks & cushioned feet bulkhead to the backband system and hip pads, you will understand what I am talking about. The boat is firm, squishy and makes you feel like you can kayak all day without feeling the need to get out and stretch. There was one thing that I found surprising: To be so short, the speed of this boat was impressive. Its small length does however allow for turning on a dime making fast, tight technical moves easier to execute.
Easier to Hit = Better Lines. Well placed volume lets you sit a bit higher on the water not only giving you a better view point of the next feature, but also making resurfacing a breeze. The bulkhead system is meant to give way upon pinto impact, which worked great for me when those unfortunate lines snuck up. The relief of full impact and pressure on the ankles was well worth it.
As for life, it has been busy. With less kayak time due to lack of water this past year, it has given me the opportunity to focus on and make headway in several of my many projects. With NAWFest, (http://www.nawfest.com) behind me after having been the main focus of my time and energy for the past few months, I can breathe a bit easier, but not for too long before it all begins again. If you missed the festival, make sure to check out the pictures and see what all is going on. It is truly a lot of work but we have a great vision and ambition for what we want it to become. Come throw it down and earn some money if you think you can. With new gadgets come more projects making progressions. The Team rEvolution website is really coming along as it will soon be posted sometime in mid-summer for everyone to check out. But I must admitt, most of my year was dedicated working on the biggest, most difficult project of all…the Triktionary, World’s First Comprehensive Online Freestyle Trick Dictionary. It will soon reach a point where it will be updated frequently as key elements have put themselves in place to make it better. From new video cameras in HD, water levels staying good in the Southeast to old footage sent by Jackson athletes such Nick Troutman, Dustin Urban, Greg Parker, Jonathan Shales and others, the Triktionary is becoming the spot to view some of the more difficult tricks caught on film. If you are interested in contributing, please send anything you can to Flyinskeleton@cs.com. Going hand in hand with the Triktionary- Freestylekayakmoves.com is starting up and helping out with multiple examples of the moves. Besides that I have been busy working on some designs for Gaia Paddlesports’ Stow Float, a few more to be designed, soon to be out and some art designs for Shred Ready new custom graphics line. You can check out the art at Custom Helmet Art. If you are interested in getting one, please contact Team rEvolution member, Charlie Simmons, to help you along.
As for boating, it was great as we hit up Big Scirum that comes in right before Ender Hole. Even though it usually comes in at 3-4.5 feet on the Locust Fork gage, it finally hit 24 feet. When the water came down later that week we got some good play time in and also with a great trip with my wife in the Dynamic Duo.
Big Scirum is one of funniest quick runs in the state of Alabama. The day before we were on some of the Bama Boyz had to hike out due to extremely high levels. I met up with Timmy and broke out the headcam. This footage will soon be available on Alabama Whitewater as it will give first timers a first-person view of the drops. There are three main drops on this river including
The Dam Slide
The Slide to Waterfall
and the Cave
Each time I go boating, I hope to continue to update our home states river pages. After 2 runs we ran over scouted Blackburn, a little on the high side and thanks to upcoming trees, we really needed a crew of three. From there we went over to Fall Branch and shot the headcam of the drops and removed a few logs. This river is surprisingly fun and not very far away from my home.
After a great day of running Big Scirum we went to a fun, wide, play river know as the Mulberry Fork of the Warrior and it is one of the most popular rivers in the state and my personal favorite freestyle run in the Southeast.
Comparable to a mini version of the Dries of the New it is challenging enough for the beginner/ intermediate paddler but in chance leaves something great for advanced paddlers as well. The run is short but has some of the most pristine surfing waves in the Southeast United States and a few surfing holes that dot the run at different levels. The waves were good on these days were called Joe Momma’s Hole,
Lunch Stop (2.6- 5.2 ft.),
Dessert Wave (5.5- 8.0 ft.),
Mary’s Hole (1- 8 ft.),
Doo Doo Hole (4- 6.5 ft.),Mini Garb (6- 8.5 ft.),
Secret Wave (4- 6.5 ft.),
Corner Pocket Wave (11- 15 ft.), Party Surf Wave ( 8-12 ft),
Hawaii 5-0 (.3- 10.5 ft.),
Joe Momma’s Butt (5- 12 ft.),
This is a photo of Hawaii 5-0, Joe Momma’s Butt and Last but not Least/ Cat Gut
Last but not Least/ Cat Gut (.3- 10.5 ft.). This river is truly one of a kind and one of the best unknown spots in the southeast not to mention all the different things we have seen floating down the river which over the years have included: trees, chicken house, BFI garbage cans, unopened cans of Slim Jims, oil canisters, kegs, boats, broken canoes, railroad ties, refrigerator, freezers, houses, big f trees, basketballs, footballs, soccer balls and many others. Make sure to go to Alabamawhitewater.com and look at the full write-up. I hope you all enjoy the pictures and videos from the week. Since I just broke my video camera so here are a few cameo appearances in friend’s videos.
Video 1-
Johnnies Creek, Big Scarum, Fall Branch, Blackburn Fork (Rainbow Falls)
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/WxXE6-AmcHA" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Video 2-
Just about everywhere in AL in a short period of time.
Video 3-
Another video I made a cameo performance in from the Mulberry Fork on Corner Pocket Wave.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/iHI0wAyzows" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
I hope this is enough information for all of you and I look forward to seeing you all on the river soon.
Jeremy Adkins
