Athlete Stories

Paddling stories from professional athletes. Get stoked with tales from those pushing the boundaries of today’s kayaking, stand up paddling, canoe, and whitewater rafting.

Athlete Stories

TikTok Influencer Paddles 450 Miles Down Congo (And Creates Meme Game for Followers!)

Welsh explorer Ash Dykes spent weeks telling his TikTok followers he was about to paddle into the Congo Basin, and now he has officially walked the...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

Paddling Camps and Clubs, How our Sport Can Grow

What brings folks into whitewater paddling, and did the introduction scare them off or make them lifelong boaters? How did it come to be...
Nick Hinds -
Athlete Stories

Film Out on 1,300-mile, 52-day “Columbia River Canoe Project”

In 2023, professional outdoor athlete Robert Lester spent 52 days in a Navarro canoe traveling over 1,300 miles from his home in Butte, Montana, down...
Eugene Buchanan -
Events

US Freestyle Nat’l Championships/Team Trials Wrap

That's a wrap. More than 50 paddlers competed at the Nantahala Outdoor Center for the 2026 National Championships on October 3–4, with the event combining with...
Brad Burden -
Athlete Stories

B-Flow Sessions Podcast Joins Paddling Life, Adds Road Show

Paddling Life is now the official media partner of B-Flow Sessions: The Whitewater Kayaking Podcast, hosted by longtime industry veteran Brad Burden. With the...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

Geologist Paddles, Studies Mighty Stikine; Releases Film

For Rye Hester, the seventh time is the charm. That’s how many times the kayaker has been down Canada’s famed Stikine River, descending it...
Eugene Buchanan -
Athlete Stories

Hearn and Others Cleared on Reflecting Pool Vandalism Charges as DOJ Admits “Botched Installation”

According to multiple national news sources, Federal prosecutors asked that indictment charges against former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn be dismissed. He was previously...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

Oklahoma City Hosts the World—and Evy Leibfarth Takes Silver (By Kent Ford)

The lead story from the World Championships in Oklahoma City has to be Evy Leibfarth's silver-medal performance in women's kayak, where she was beaten only...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

Kelsey Pfendler Breaks Speed Record for Cali to Hawaii Row

So, the US celebrated its 250th anniversary. In the paddling world, there was almost bigger news on the 4th. On July 4, at 12:54 a.m.,...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

Analyzing New Paddling Film Apex

There’s another Hollywood movie out putting whitewater in the limelight. Fifty-four years after the release of the Burt Reynolds movie “Deliverance,” and 32 years...
Eugene Buchanan -
Athlete Stories

Three-time C-1 Olympian Davey Hearn Arrested in Reflecting Pool Incident (Bonus: Hearn’s Attorney’s Video!)

While he might just use one blade paddling, three-time whitewater C-1 Olympian Davey Hearn had both hands cuffed after being arrested recently by U.S....
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

The Top 10 Whitewater Kayaking YouTube Channels!

“Alright, just one more video...” It's a phrase said by many-a-paddler deep into a whitewater YouTube binge session. Yep, there’s no shortage of epic...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

Packrafting In Grand Canyon…Who Really Was The First?

Patting yourself on the back for packrafting the Grand? Before you bruise yourself, consider that people have been doing it for a long, long...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

International Whitewater Hall of Fame (IWHoF) Welcomes 2026 Class of Inductees

The International Whitewater Hall of Fame (IWHoF) welcomed its newest class of inductees on May 2, 2026, during a ceremony at the Canadian Canoe Museum in...
Eugene Buchanan -
Athlete Stories

Irish Eyes Are Smiling: Two Ireland Paddling Expeditions to Scope This Summer

All eyes are on Ireland this summer, with two marquee paddling expeditions planned for the Emerald Isle. Ireland By Paddle Juliana Brotzman and Nate Gueltzau have...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

Cali’s Golden Gate Is In! (Watch Rapid-by-Rapid Footie Here!)

Golden Gate Canyon on California's South Fork of the American is in, and boaters are getting after it large time. Don't believe us? Check out this...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

“Freeland: A Blackwater Story” Film Released on YouTube, Honors Steep-creekers, Pioneer Tim Gavin

It's never too late to honor someone you love. Such is the case with Justin Harris, an East Cosat boater who recently released a...
Eugene Buchanan -
Athlete Stories

Internet Sensation, Adventure Seeker Juanpa Zurita Takes on Kayaking (Courtesy of Evy Leibfarth)

He's wing-suited, big wave surfed, slacklined, cliff dove and off-road raced. Let's see how he does with whitewater kayaking. In a new six-part series...
Eugene Buchanan -
Athlete Stories

Lorenz Barone/Hard Guy Central: Crossing the Sahara, Atlantic, Amazon, and Andes by Human Power

Complaining about the logistics or length of your next paddle (no matter how long)? Take a chill pill and consider the plight of Italian...
Eugene Buchanan -
Athlete Stories

Half the Paddle, Twice the Man: Catching Up with C1 Sensation Erik Amason

Who tries a “new” line on the Southeast's notorious Oceana Rapid? In a C-1, to boot? Erik Amason does, going far right on the...
Eugene Buchanan -
Athlete Stories

Susan Norman Releases “Risk: A Life Saved By the River”

Susan Norman is a fixture in paddling circles throughout the country. She began paddling at age 2, introduced to whitewater while canoeing in the...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

Half Slices vs. Creekers on Creeks (by David Hughes)

Half-slice kayaks promise play and precision—but can also carry hidden risks when paddlers push them into high-consequence water. The tragic death of Dylan Wallace...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

It’s Back!!! Past-flood 30th Annual Green Race Goes Off Nov. 1!

After Hurricane Helene decimated portions of the Southeast in late September 2024, organizers of the popular Green River extreme kayak race near Asheville, N.C.,...
Staff Post -
Athlete Stories

Inside the White Salmon’s Orletta Time Trials

Each autumn, kayakers in the Columbia River Gorge region load up their longboats in the back of trucks and make their way to the...
Staff Post -
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Latest news

Paddling Industry News

Ocoee River Sees Historic Flooding

Historic Flooding Hits Ocoee River Region, Shattering Water-Level Record It's not just the desert Southwest of the Rockies getting record...
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Accessories

Summer Swagalicious Gear Roundup!

Okay okay, it's still a little early for Christmas. But it's coming, and the goose is getting fat. So,...
Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Isle Paddle Boards: A fun alternative to whitewater kayaking

ISLE Pioneer 3 & Pioneer Pro 2: A New Perspective on Stand-Up Paddling Looking for something to mix things up...

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Athlete Stories

TikTok Influencer Paddles 450 Miles Down Congo (And Creates Meme Game for Followers!)

Welsh explorer Ash Dykes spent weeks telling his TikTok followers he...
Athlete Stories

Paddling Camps and Clubs, How our Sport Can Grow

What brings folks into whitewater paddling, and did the...
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