Immersion Research 2010

More goodies from Mexico this winter with Aaron Koch and crew!

Joel wrote us this really nice comment the other day-

The first year IR was around and these were in production was also the first year I was paddling C1, having switched from OC that summer. At the time, a few people thought I was taking a gamble picking up an IR Session from CKS while guiding on the Arkansas. The skeptics were wrong. That drytop has survived four seasons of guiding in Colorado and seven years of year-round slalom training since. With the help of a little 303, I am even still on the original gaskets. Every other piece of paddling gear I had from then has completely disintegrated by now. I still use this top. Just this morning when going for a morning paddle in my DR boat on the Catawba, this top went with. Nice work guys.

Thanks Joel. You can find out more about Joel and his involvement with paddling and whitewater slalom at http://performancepaddlesport.com

I have a confession to make: I’m a dirtbag kayaker. By dirtbag, I mean cheap, and by cheap I mean thrifty, which is an alright thing to be, I guess. I stretch my gear as far as I can, patching and mending it and using it until it’s thoroughly used up. This thriftiness becomes a problem in certain situations, however, such as when I made a two-week kayak trip to the North Shore of Minnesota last May and packed only an old, leaky drytop and a pair of nylon running tights for insulation on the river. I survived the snowy, icy conditions of that journey thanks to the generous help of the Minnesotan and Canadian boaters who supplied me with extra layers and cold weather gear.

John Alt surveys the chilly shores of Lake Superior.

This past fall when my friend Adam Goshorn offered me a spot on his December Grand Canyon permit I knew it was a trip I could not afford to miss or to scrimp on. Shivering through an afternoon river run is one thing when you’re a couple hours from civilization and something entirely different when you’re two hundred miles and a helicopter ride away from help. Cutting corners on a winter Canyon trip would be to mess with the safety of my entire group. After years of getting by on an over-active metabolism and high tolerance for cold it was time for me to slip into the warmest piece of paddling gear around: the drysuit.

On the morning of December 1st I received a package from IR containing the Double D drysuit, a fleece top and bottom, and the Lucky Charm spray skirt–that evening Adam (our trip organizer), Kim (the lone woman in our group) and I started the 24 hour drive west from Mentone, Alabama to Flagstaff, Arizona. We met up with the rest of our group in Flag, and we all promptly began panicking about the frigid temperatures that greeted us out west. Flagstaff is at 7,000 feet elevation, which is higher than Mt. Mitchell, the tallest peak on the East Coast. It was crazy cold, and the morning of our departure to the Canyon our group of seven made a stop at the local outfitter where we all shopped like hungry people at the grocery store. Between us we bought about sixty handwarmers (which later proved entirely ineffective down in the Canyon).

Loaded down and headed west--it's colder than it looks out there.

When we arrived at Lee’s Ferry, reports were listing temps at the South Rim as low as negative 5 degrees, and the ranger who gave us our Canyon tutorial chuckled as she mentioned that a major winter storm was heading our way. Of course, in our anxiety we had forgotten that the Canyon bottom is fully 5,000 feet lower in elevation than the rim and that there is an entirely different climate along the banks of the Colorado River then at the tourist shops high above. The first day-and-a-half of our trip we enjoyed balmy temps and sunny skies. Things were looking up.

Adam paddling into a river bend. Day 2 in the Canyon.

Kim paddles the runnout of House Rock Rapid in an 18-foot Sotar raft.

By day three of our journey down the Colorado our group was settling into a rhythm of work and progress that was unlike any paddling I’d done before. We would wake at dawn (7′ish), make breakfast, load the rafts and be on the river around 10:30. We covered 15 to 20 river miles each day, and in the afternoon of our third day we arrived at Nankoweep, the site of ancient Indian granaries dug into the river right Canyon wall.  The steep hike up to the granaries presents an amazing (and oft-photographed) downriver view:

Clouds blowing in.

It was at Nankoweep that the winter storm finally caught up with us, setting off a string of four or five days that were thoroughly cold and drizzly wet. This was the part of our journey where I learned to be deeply thankful for my drysuit and layers. The combination of the suit and the Lucky Charm skirt kept me completely dry in my boat, and on days when I was steadily active in my kayak I was warm enough that I could layer light poly-pro beneath the drysuit and save the warm fleece for wearing around camp in the evening. As most boaters have experienced, being on the water in mid-winter can be a daunting challenge, but when you’re properly equipped to be warm and comfortable it is one of the coolest ways to experience the river–no pun intended.

Morning after the storm--loading the rafts. It's colder than it looks.

Dave working across the long pool below the confluence of the Little Colorado River. Spend drift gusts off the peak overhead.

The author, cozy at Cardenas Camp (day four on the river).

Throughout that stretch of inclement days on the river the snow accumulated on the rim and moved progressively lower down the canyon walls until it was a just a hundred feet above us. Many days the Canyon would be closed in by a roof of low-hanging clouds, making that expansive landscape feel just a little bit smaller. At night, the crisp winter air revealed a host of stars overhead more brilliant than I’d ever seen before. I began pulling out my astronomy book each night and boring the group to sleep with my search for new constellations and stories in the night sky.

Ninja Kim trying to stay warm on one of the coldest river days. It's as cold as it looks, folks.

Campfire and stars.

Of the seven people in our group, six of us were seeing the Canyon for the first time from the bottom. No amount of description can prepare one for the majesty of the Grand Canyon. The play of light around the canyon walls, the varicolored rock formations, the deep green (and sometimes brown) waters of the Colorado River–it all has to be seen to be appreciated.

It’s particularly special to be there in the winter when no commercial trips are running. Of the fourteen days we were on the river, we passed three other raft groups and were passed by one pair of kayakers. Our group never had to negotiate for camp sites in the evening, and we saw only one helicopter fly high overhead. Just before we reached our final major whitewater hurdle at Lava Falls the sun came out and the temperatures warmed up for good. As is fitting of the extreme contrasts in that environment, we all went from stifling ourselves in layers of polyester to wearing cotton t-shirts and air drying in the afternoon sun after a bath in the river. It was still plenty cold in the shade; so I continued wearing my drysuit on the river through the end of the trip; but that breath of sunshine and warmth did wonders for our group morale and energy.

Our two rafts in the sun: Julia and The Deuce.

Considering that I have never been down the Canyon in summer I have no business making comparisons, but I can’t resist giving my full-hearted endorsement to the winter experience. The extra solitude of a winter trip amplifies the wildness of the landscape, and if you’re well-equipped to enjoy it, the winter elements add a stark beauty to the Canyon. I’m grateful to Immersion Research for building gear that can stand up to the harsh conditions of the Grand Canyon in winter, and I’m grateful to my fellow paddlers who made this experience truly memorable and enjoyable.

Soaking it all in.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for sharing the experience. A lot more photography of the Canyon is available on my flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12168432@N00/. Stay warm out there folks, and happy paddling.

Chris Gallaway, Diamond Brand Outdoors Ambassador

http://www.diamondbrand.com/

http://www.horizonlinepictures.com/home

http://www.rapidtransitvideo.com/

Winter is the season for warm tones, like mango!

EJ just dropped us a quick note top let us know how his IR gear has been performing while paddling in sub-freezing conditions at Rock Island:

This is as good as it gets!  IR top, pogies, skull cap, Uni-suit, and new sweet bungee skirt! I am dry and warm (I am wearing glacier gloves under the pogies, however, so cheating, but it is only 19 degrees out.)

And some pics:

Daniel, an instructor/event coordinator at the NOC, has been getting a lot of paddling time in this winter, and is quite pleased with the new lay up!  Bone dry and throwin down!

Last week I was able to get the new Molan out and about.  I fit in the medium Molan very well.  I was able to where shoes in the boat at 6 foot and 170lbs.  The boat was very easy to through around and looped with ease.  I think you all are going to be very excited about this one.  Check it out!!!

What do you think is the least popular whitewater kayak made in the last 25 years by a major kayak manufacture? We based our answer on a boat we knew existed, but have never seen on the river. We don’t have a clear understanding as to why the  Perception Lucid was ever created and sold. Or was it sold.

The Perception Lucid

Adriene Levknecht is one of our favorite people in the SE!  Recently, she had a bit of a “paddle malfunction” and took a little plunk in the drink.  She was stoked to have remained snug as a bug in her Double D Drysuit after such an event on a chilly afternoon on the Green.

Also, Check out these sites:

www.adriene-spankinit.blogspot.com

www.kayakthekimberley.com

Snowy Top Yough

Ben Lediwitz runs a seasonal swallow falls

Suckhole rapid with an icy exit

Jon Harmon puts in after the frozen over river

After 15 inches of snow near the IR headquarters Ben Lediwitz and I decided to go kayaking. It was off to the Top Yough. A local class IV favorite that is extremely beautiful in the winter time. Needless to say the river wasn’t as busy as the ski resorts. During the trip Sunday afternoon we encountered lots of ice shelves and scenic views. Enjoy some of the photo we took while staying warm in our IR gear.