What Up All!
Chris Gragtmans here, checking in from the Southeastern US. I just returned from the
Whitewater Grand Prix, a six venue traveling competition throughout the province of Quebec in
Canada.
It was an absolutely incredible experience. The event was scheduled during the peak runoff of a
high snowfall year in Canada, so the water was both extremely high and extremely cold.
Here is an idea of the kinds of conditions that were up there. Unbelievable whitewater with
some icebergs in the eddies to give you added motivation to not pull your skirt!
From the "you have got to be kidding me" dept. Photo Bryan Kirk
Also, check out the full event coverage over at http://WhitewaterGrandPrix.com. The media
team did a great job of capturing the experiences with video and photos of the action.
My Union Suit and DD Drysuit kept me warm every single day for two weeks. Those two
pieces of gear make wintertime and cold weather paddling infinitely more pleasant, because all
you have to do is step out and let the exterior of the drysuit dry out. Your thermals stay dry, so
you can throw those directly back in the car, ready to go for the next day of paddling.
Reflecting on the event, I’ve got to give a big shout out to Patrick Camblin and Julie Crépeau-
Boisvert for an incredible job organizing such a sick event, all of the volunteers that made it
happen, and also the other athletes, every one of whom I have the utmost respect for. Dane
Jackson, fellow IR team member, consistently dominated and took the win… congrats dude!
Until next time, see you on the river.
Chris Gragtmans
