Tour 09 begins

- In English its 'Waterfall'. In Thailand it was 'Nam Tok'. In Norway its 'Fossen' but now we are in search of the 'Chutes of Quebec'!


Where do I start this story of such epic moments in its first week...
It all started relatively smoothly pulling out of 269 Twyford Rd with boat on roof, bags in boot and passport in hand.
The trip to Auckland was not a bad one and the check in to the plane with my years worth of gear and kayak was a breeze! Things were going so well! I got off the plane and settled in San Francisco Airport for the expected 18hr Layover with some wireless internet, an uncomfortable chair and regular updates on the loud speaker about terrorist treat level ORANGE!!! What does that even mean?
Anyway the hours ticked over and as it came time to sleep I made my way to the domestic terminal to sleep before my flight and check in at 6am!!! At 12.45am I made it to American Airlines check-in area and someone came over and said if I was on one of their flights I could not come with my kayak... They then changed me to 'Air Canada' and said they will now take you at 8am. I was a bit unsure about this but could do nothing! When I went to check in at Air Canada they had the same story and NO KAYAK policy! With only a few minutes till my original flight boarded I raced back there and made up a totally outrageous story about why I was switched over and they bought it! As the flight was boarding they rushed me through and i missed the $250 over sized baggage cost and made the plane! I then went on to leave my wallet on the plane in Chicago on my connecting flight which I just made it back for in time and then although I had told Lou when my flight was coming in we missed the vital info on flight numbers etc and they went to the wrong terminal in Toronto... about an hour later they found me and we were off!
So that was by far one of my worst travel experiences but all good because I made it and am now sitting in Quebec after a week on a sick mission!

-Josh and Lou Hanging out, Photo Tyler Fox

The first few days we hung out near Ottawa sorting cars and things and did a sneaky run on the Ottawa before heading into Quebec. On our way toward Quebec City we took a detour and ran a cool drop called Chutes Mont De Peine with a spectacular backdrop of a massive cascading manky drop.

-Josh Neilson, Mont de Peine - Photo Lou Urwin

-Josh Neilson Mont De Peine, Photo Tyler Fox

-Lou Dropping in, Mont De Peine, Photo Tyler Fox

-Tyler Fox Silhouetted in Mont de Peine, Photo Josh Neilson

After this we checked out Chutes Saint Ursule, which was run a few years back by Steve Fisher and Dom Chaput for 'Black Book'. In the case of this film it by far makes this drop look smaller than it really is! standing next to it puts it in perspective for sure! Its Massive and well worth going to see!

-Saint Ursule in it's entirety, Photo Josh Neilson

The next morning we headed a bit further north in search of a river called the Mastigouche. I had seen it in some clips before and it was the run in Quebec that I knew I wanted to run!

-Josh Neilson, top slide Mastigouche - Photo Tyler Fox

-Lou Urwin, Top slide, Mastigouche - Photo Tyler Fox

With a small hike in we were at the lake which marked the start on continuous gradient downwards!
Slide after slide was on the cards as we made our way down.

- Josh Neilson, Bottom drop of middle slide - Photo Lou Urwin

-Tyler Fox, Bottom drop, Middle slide - Photo Josh Neilson

-Lou Urwin Sliding the middle one - Photo Josh Neilson

Everything was clean and managable apart from one drop in the middle that had me on my toes.. It wasnt a big drop, it wasn't super vertical and it didnt have a big tow back... what it did have was most of the the flow going into an undercut wall at full pace on one side and into a toaster on the otherside with a narrow boat width ridge down the middle. With all the calculations made I rolled off the lip and along the ridge to the bottom in one piece and stoked!

Josh Neilson, The tight slide - Photo Tyler Fox

While this got the heart racing I knew that the best was to come. The take out slide is amazing, You enter on the left and slide down toward a wall then turn right and hold on... Coming off the left wall into the middle and down the ramp to the bottom! We ran this one over and over till we couldnt go any more. The run at this flow was sick and could definalty use a bit of extra water here and there but all in all it is a super fun run!

-Josh Neilson, Bottom Mastigouche Slide - Photo Lou Urwin

-Josh Neilson, Bottom Slide - Photo Lou Urwin

-Tyler Fox Claiming it! - Photo Lou Urwin

-Folow the leader, Josh and Tyler - Photo Lou Urwin

-Lou Urwin getting into it! Photo Tyler Fox

Successful days on the river like this are not as frequent as they may seem looking at different sites over the net. For every quality drop or river there are numerous drives up winding roads to see waterfalls that land on rocks or have dams above them etc etc. For the next day we found this to be the case but as energy levels were dropping we came across more!

- One of the ones that had potential but doesn't go! Photo Tyler Fox

We met up with David La Rouche and his mate John and headed to camp at a Riviere Gouffre Du Nord where we would put on in the morning and run a nice sloping drop now named 'Breakfast drop'.

-Josh Neilson having waterfalls for breakfast - Photo Lou Urwin

-Tyler with a serving of the same! - Photo Josh Neilson

- Lou following suit - Photo Josh Neilson

-David getting vertical - Photo Josh Neilson

-John rolling off! - Photo Josh Neilson

For the rest of the day we were in unfamiliar territory for everyone and headed in search roads next to blue lines on out maps. Within an hour we were standing next to more drops and slides but left these for the way home. The winner of the day though was hidden in behind a farm in the hills which thanks to John and Dave and their French speaking abilities we were up the farm track in to find 2 classic waterfalls and a third marginal one. With a bit of google earthing we have found that the section above has a series of waterfalls and slides which may be on the cards in a few days.

- Bottom 2 of 3 standing yet to be run, We'l see soon - Photo Lou Urwin

We are now based at Pat Levesque's house in Chicutimi planning for an epic week on the river. Yesterday we ran the Bras Louis which was a nice run but very cold! We put on and ran the A section first which was an hour of boogie water then the other guys had to leave back to work so they did our shuttle from the top again and we ran down to the end of the B section. The B section was a step up from A and had one portage for us but the rest went like mad! The last drop was unlike anything Ive run before. A skateboard ramp like entry which once at its lowest point then headed back up again over a huge rooster tail and then straight into the next drop. Super fun and even went back up for a second go!

-Josh Neilson rolling into the ramp drop - Photo Lou Urwin

-Tyler Fox doing the same - Photo Lou Urwin

the rest of the day we spent Driving up those roads in search of drops that all came to dead ends and no sight of the rivers... The never ending search for whitewater is often a long and slow process but when you find the goods its all worth while.
The next few days is set out for a possible few first descents, one which we found and others that Pat has found and keen to search out more. Stay tuned...

- Map Books, a must for every waterfall search mission - Photo Josh Neilson

- Believe it or not, The dark figure behind this 'DANGER' sign is a BEAR!!!! obviously the focus is a bit blurred as I am swiftly making my way back to the car! AGHHH RUN

'Ways of Life' Film tour 2009

Where do I start... After 3 months of working on the orchard and editing in the evenings I finally at the end march had a film ejecting from the DVD burner. One final watch over to check it was good and it was off to the printers. I was definatly stoked with the final product and happy to have a week rest before the shows started! First up was the home town show in Hawkes Bay. A good social affair with all the local friends and family along to see the third addition. This was the venue for my first ever show and was cool to see the regulars along for the third time to see the story. The response from the crowd was great and the personal aspect to 'Ways of Life' was a real hit!
Battling a week long migraine leading up the show was not the ideal way to start but things went well and an early night after the show was much needed!
The next day I was off to school. Back to the halls where 8 years ago I had once walked, socks pulled up and shirt tucked in and now i was back but this time up the front! Friday morning I did a show for the senior school at Karamu High School and talked a bit about what I had done since leaving school.

-Keen kayaker at a young age!

That afternoon we were all loaded up in the car and off to the big smoke. The capital city of NZ is a great place for a show. Wellington is home to many people I went to school with and where my aunty lives which makes organising a show a breeze with her help!
7pm Saturday was show number 3 and a cool new venue. Close to town and once again Joeli came to the party with a great introduction and help with getting the show going!
With the migraine subsiding and lots of old friends round we went out for a few beers to catch up once the show was done. It was cool to see Hayley and Soph's family there watching and they were very proud to see the part these girls had played in the film but more so the efforts they had put into the Nepali Womens Kayak Expedition.

-Some quality NZ forest
With show 3 over, number 4 was right around the corner. Well actually over the cook straight and back to were I, and all the kiwi crew from the Nepal Expedition studied. Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology would host the show for the second year in a row with a great theater set up for the night. The crowd here were made up of mostly CPIT Recreation students and old friends from when I was down there. I think it was good for these younger students to see where previous students were and how far they had taken the skills learnt on the program. I even think a few of them were a bit shocked at the skills the nepali women had gained in kayaking in just 10 days too!

-West Coast hideaway

-View from the Bach door

With Easter falling in the middle of the show dates it was a perfect opportunity to have a rest and go kayaking. With family flying down to the West coast for Easter and a good bunch of mates on the coast it was set to be a great week off! My parents had hired a bach on the beach to relax for the long weekend but for me it was a mix of relaxing and mad phone calls trying to sort a helicopter ride into the river the next day! It was decided... Pat and Josh had a spare seat on a trip into the Wanganui and I was prepared to fill it! Pat and Gina drove down and picked me up and early the next morning we were loading the sack and off we went!

- Early morning views of Aoraki, Mt Cook

-Wanganui River Heli Airport Terminal, next to DOC sign

-Pat holding down the gear as the machine nears

-Heli coming in for pick up

-The view Pat and I enjoyed for Easter

-West Coast Easter eggs!

It never gets old. The smell of the chopper, the feeling of lift off and th low swoops over ridges as we made our way into the Southern Alps. Since Pat moved to the coast and I live in the North we hadnt got to paddle much in a while so this was a wicked way to spend Easter on the cool, clear waters of the Wanganui with a good mate!

-Unloading amongst the beauty!

-Pat in perspective

-West Coast days!

With the thought of chocolate easter eggs hidden around the bach we headed back to 12mile to the family to share stories of the day. Early monday morning I was on a plane heading further south to the adventure capital of NZ, Queenstown. With a day spare I caught up with some mates at Q-town rafting and went kayaking on the Shotover River. Tuesday the 14th was show 5 in Cromwell. With a bit of last minute organising we had a picture on the wall and the show went smoothly from there. This was the smallest show so far but was all new territory and good to get the story out anywhere possible.

-A spot of clothes shopping in Queenstown

The next destination was somewhere I had never visited before but heard a lot about. Te Anau is a small town on the lake on the way to Milford Sound famous for its amazing rainfall but also stunning scenery! Fiordland National Park Centre came on board and organised this one in their theatre room. A wicked venue all set up and ready to go. It was a very cool croud who brought up some interesting questions about the Nepal trip and my lifestyle. One of the big questions I was asked at every show was how are the nepalese women getting on now after the trip? It has been great to be a part of the Nepali Womens Kayak Group on Facebook as I was able to get day to day updates before every show so each time i answered it I was able to add new things and let everyone know how things were going.
-Lake Te Anau an hour before the show, beauty!

As I had a spare day in Te Anau before my flight home we decided to have another show the next night for those who couldnt make the first one. Another great evening!
Back up in Hawkes bay it was back to work for a few days before shows 8 and 9. Thursday night I headed out to Taranaki for a show in New Plymouth. A cool coastal town with a keen kayaking community!
-Fish and Chips at the beach in New Plymouth!

This was to be the last show raising money for the clinic as the Rotorua one was going toward the NZ Freestyle Kayak Comittee to keep that on the water. With a small competitive freestyle community in NZ it is hard to get enough funds to keep it going so this was a good opportunity to gather some people and raise a bit of money for another cause.
With all the shows over I was relieved, happy, proud and exhausted! I have now seen the film about a hundred times and it is now set on the shelf for a while.
Up at the Kaituna for the weekend over a few beers hatched a plan to run the whole river in the morning. I had done the Upper run many many times and the next gorge down, Awesome gorge, once. From the take out of Awesome, the river steepens rapidly and carves its was deeper into the earth. In places less than a boat length wide and up to 30meters deep. Its dark, loud and fast. This gorge is called Gnarly gorge and definalty lives up to its name! 7 of us dropped in one after another and did just a Brendan said! "Keep your speed, keep your nose up and watch out for wood, its about to get intence!". One by one we got on the liquid rollercoaster and one by one came out the other end. well to the half way point at least. After a quick breather we were back in the Gnar again till we paddled out the other end! A few close calls but everyone was ok and excited to be out the other side! From here there was one last gorge, Smokey Gorge. This is still tight and fast but more mellow than Gnarley! a good way to end the run.... Well not quite.... an hour of flat water marks the true end to the run as exhausted kayakers haul their boats onto the road and waited for the 5.30 pick up. Soph and Hess brought the cars down but not only were they awesome for doing that but they also brought HOT CHIPS!!! a much needed re-fuel after an intence day out!

-Southern Alps from above!
What an amazing tour! 9 shows, 2 islands, 3 new rivers, lots of new friends, and a film that has seemed to inspire a lot of people. For some it was an adrenaline hit, others it was motivation to get out and do something new but the main responce was that people were inspired and proud to know that there are people out there like the Kiwi women on the Nepal trip doing amazing things and caring about other peoples lives. 'Ways of Life' set out to show a different perspective on some interesting people doing something different and encouraging change in our world.

-Aotearoa, like no other!
Thanks very much to everyone who helped make this film project happen! My sponsors, friends, the crew in the film, music people, and the amazing help from the crew at KEEN for giving me the opportunity to be on the Nepal trip! Thank you to ALL of you! But moslty thanks to my family for all the help and support you have given me while I have been working on this project! I couldnt do it without them! CHEERS!

If you would like more information about this film or how you can get to see it please dont hesitate to contact me at joshneilson@gmail.com



- New Plymouth an hour before the show

Summer fun

Central Plateau - Photo Sophie Hoskins

Kayaker - Tyler Fox, Filmer - Josh Neilson, Photo - Sophie Hoskins

Soph tucking in - Photo Tyler, Lou or Brendan???

So summer back in NZ has been pretty dry on the kayaking side of things but I have managed to get out a bit. After returning from Nepal I have been tied up doing the new film due out in April. I have spent a bit of time at the Kaituna and thats about it. My days are taken up working on the farm and getting $ for the next mission. I did get away for one weekend to go run a waterfall but on the friday night while out wakeboarding I tore something in the back of my shoulder!

Sam going for the Forward flip - Photo Josh Neilson

Nothing major but just a pain in the neck as the saying goes!
So the next day we headed out to run the waterfall we were planning on doing but i had to hold the camera instead.

Brendan lining up for the Manu! - Photo Sophie Hoskins

With low flows the guys decided it was too low to run so opted for the jump and headed to Tawhai Falls to test out the prototype for a camera system we are building..... Proto 1 is back to the drawing board but im happy to say the new model is SICK and going to make for some sick new shots!



Sam running the falls and Me filming while falling - Photo Tyler Fox

So that was the weekend of kayaking as the sunday we spent on the lake while the others wakeboarded I rowed round in the dingy and then came home!
Stay tuned for some more kayaking coming soon and the Nepal trailer! still coming just had internet troubles and it wouldnt upload!

Tyler Fox Happy - Photo Sophie Hoskins

Brendan Bayly SAD, Broken! Photo - Soph i think!

nepali girls kayaking expedition part 3

Floating past one of the many bridges - photo Whitney Hansen


Lunch break and photo shoot - Photo sourced from www.ugandosomething.blogspot.com

Day 4 - The first of the sickness. Early on morning 4 Laura and Emi went down as the first patients of the trip. It goes without saying when you travel in places like Nepal that while you can be as careful as possible around food but some sort of sickness is not far behind you. These two were the first but definatly not the last on the trip.
By now we are about 70kms from our start point and deeper into the Sun Kosi. Tomorrow we hit the biggest rapids of the trip. A small village called Hakapua will mark the entrance to the Hakapua rapids.

Raft in Hukapur rapids - photo Hayley Segal

Early starts on this trip have become inevitable as we rush round packing gear and loading our kayaks. Tents come down and the words "packy, packy" are heard from the gear boat guides. A familiar and welcome sound of "Breakfast is ready, on the table" in a loud Nepalese accent is heard and everything is dropped! Breakfast Usually consisted of toast with peanut butter and jam, curried potatoes, and sometimes rice pudding which was a real treat!
Lots of breakfast was needed today as we were approaching the biggest rapids of the trip. Hakapur is a small village which marks the start of 2 big rapids stacked on top of each other.

Shower time - Photo sourced from www.ugandosomething.blogspot.com

The first being technical and the second straight down the middle of some huge waves. At the rapids it was a great opportunity for the girls to learn how to read bigger rapids and see how water changed when it was steeper and more constricted. They could also look into choosing the best line through the hazzards and talk to the others about their choices.
By the end of the day the first sick girls were feeling better but now Hayley was feeling it and was off to bed early at camp tonight. At camp we all sat round and had a drink and talked about who we were and what we had done in our lives. this was great to find out more about the people on the trip.

Paddling among the locals - Photo Hayley Segal

Day 6 was an easy day on the river with a bit more teaching and some cool easy rapids. During the day one raft pulled over at a village and brought some chocolate and some live chickens for dinner that night. It took them a while to cacth them and arive at camp so it was a very late dinner but it was worth the wait for the chicken curry! best meal on the trip so far!

Radha getting some coaching - Photo Hayley Segal

A supprise at breakfast today was porrage! so tastey! Today i sat on the raft at the start so i could get some shots from the boat but kelly swapped out with me due to a few swims and more rapid to come! Today we entered the 'jungle corradoor'. This was a section of river where the trees and vines stretched out over the banks and the rapids made their way through the dense jungle! Monkeys ran through the trees and we kept our eyes out for tigers but only found their tracks!
By camp today everyone was feeling the effects of being on the river for a solid 7 days! For the nepali girls this was their first river trip and they had to get used to all the paddling and long days. For the western women this was some of their first multi day trips and they also had to get used to the drematic diet change! Ive never seen so much rice!

The colorful crew - Photo Whitney Hansen

Morning of day 8 and i had hit the wall. It took me 10 minutes to pack my sleeping bag and i was not feeling good at all! Lucky it was a slow moving morning and i was in no hurry to get packed quick. Once up i noticed a few problems going on in camp. One of the male guides who had been on the paddle raft with them had been giving them trouble and being very negative to them. The tension finally broke and they talked to Inka about it. This cause a few arguements in camp and a lot of tears. We had expected that there would be some trouble from some of the men in the community but never expected it from males who had voulenteered to come on this specific trip. Not a good start to their carreers.

Forward paddle! Photo Anna Bruno

Once things settled we were on the river and the girls were looking at ways to deal with the problems encountered at breakfast.
That night one of the nepali girls, Sita, talked to Inka and said she was good enough to guide the raft out and so they didnt need the male guide who was causeing them trouble. So the call was made to put him on the gear raft and sita took over. It was cool to see them step up and take charge and let them know that they were not going to be mucked around! They wanted to be a part of this industry and the males were not going to stop them!

Kola with a determined look on! Photo Hayley Segal

Day 9 was early starting and early finish! Our last camp was at a small village where an old lady brought us down cold beers and suplies. The afternoon was left for some teaching and an opportunity to talk to some of the girls about how their trip has been.

Games on the beach- Photo Whitney Hansen

The last day of the trip had seemed to take forever to arrive but now it was here and the trip was coming to an end so fast. We had covered 280kms through some amazing rapids, villages, mountains, jungles and were now almost coming out of the hills into the plateau not far from the Indian border. The last day was short and the sun was hotter than ever on the trip. As we neared the takeout the hills sank into the ground and we paddled out into a wide stretch of river. The river was now hundreds of meters wide and the hills were behind us. As i paddled ahead to the takeout to film everyone coming in it was a sad moment to think that i only had a few more minutes on this wonderful river. One by one the group arrived in to the beach.

10 days and 280kms later, Anita and Rama celebrate making it! - photo Hayley Segal

The nepali girls had come from struggling to swim in a pool 3 weeks ago to being able to paddle rapids and work out how to run a multi day trip. It was amazing to see them develop this much in such a short time. From here we loaded up the buses and headed out for our forementioned 20hr bus ride! Luckily it only took like 14 but we made it to the town where we would now compete in the Himalayan River Festival.
For more info on this check back soon


Team Kiwi - Photo Whitney Hansen

Off the river dinner...Dal Baht!! photo Anna Bruno

Anna Bruno on the gear boat! - Photo Hayley Segal


Liv, becky and Mina having a laugh - Photo Whitney Hansen


Jump! Photo Whitney Hansen

(Sorry if i have credited any of these photos incorrectly, email me and let me know. Thanks)

Intermission update - Upper seti mission and head cam footage

Heading into the upper canyon, Porters make life a lot easier! photo Anton Immler


Montage pic of Me on and looking at OUT, Photo Anton Immler





While i take some time out to update you on the Nepali Girls kayaking Expedition I had the opportunity to head back into the hills once more with some old and new friends to check out what Will Clark and Anton Immler had found a few weeks ago. At 5.45 the alarm went off and Anton and I gathered our gear and in the darkness headed for the main st. As light came in over Pokhara a few other guys we had met arrived for the same mission. With the Jeep loaded up we headed about an hour out and with porters laden with all our gear we headed for the Upper Canyon of the upper Seti River. We thought we may have time to get the Upper canyon today also but with no idea on where the track was and diminishing daylight we were forced out of the first descent and down into the gorge that had only been run for the first time a week ago. This was no dissapointment as i knew we were still in for a ful on afternon! We nailed about 100m of First descent then it was into the lower canyon section. About 20mins of class 3 bombing then we were at the canyon entrance. We made the call that we had enough time to make it out with light and dropped in. Within minutes we were at drop 1, now named 'IN'.

Josh Neilson - Rapid IN - Photo Tim Ripper

The reason for this is this is the only way to get into the gorge is to run this drop, no portage. It is a sweet 40foot drop but has a nasty cave on the right and a not so bad one on the left. After comiting to the gorge there is another must run drop called ' twist', a manky drop which u have to bust hard left but avoiding the wall so u dont bounce back into the right and into an undercut seive! 2 people have been through this sive already and its no t pretty. They made it through fine though. Right after twist is 'OUT'

Me loking at Tim Riper running OUT - Photo Anton Immler

The reason for it being called this is the only way out of the gorge is to run this drop, no portage. Once again it is a 40foot drop with a fast wavey lead in. this time there is also caves on both side but not so bad.
Now that your out of the canyon you still have 2 more sweet drops, 'Scream' and Shout'. Smaller but a lot of fun! from here the steepness lowers but the drops keep coming. Due to our late afternoon paddle we got in a line and bombed our way down to the take out following the tail in front and keeping an eye out for the person behind. At the take out we thought we might have the natural hot springs to ourselves but no luck, seems there was some sort of festival on and people everywhere.

Paddling away from OUT - Photo Anton Immler

The boys have headed back into the Seti today with overnight gear to try get up above the Upper Canyon and explore up there as well.
Chur
josh

Tomorrow there will be more info on the Himilayan River girls trip and maybe a head cam vid from the upper seti, Internet here is pretty slow so have to do things slowly. It will come
Cheers