Sunday, July 26, 2009

Now that's an extreme sportsman!


Thanks to Charl M. du T. for e-mailing me a link to an article in the Missoulian newspaper, plus links to photographs and a video clip.

Back in April, US canoeist Tyler Bradt set a new world record by kayaking over the 186-foot Palouse Falls in Washington state.



Palouse Falls, WA (picture courtesy of Wikipedia)



It took him almost four seconds to fall from the lip to the base of the falls, and a further seven or eight seconds to fight his way through the roiling water at the base and emerge into clear water beyond.




Here's a short video clip of his preparations, and making the run. I recommend watching it in full screen mode, to get some feel for the scale of the challenge.





Congratulations to Mr. Bradt - and no, I don't think I'll try that myself! You can hear an extended interview with him here.

Peter

2 comments:

  1. I'm planning on adding a kayak to the compliment of personal vehicles aboard the Privateer.

    I'm happy to report you will NEVER hear of a headline that says "Biker & pirate Strings went over X falls today in an attempt to prove the difference between brave and stupid"

    Ain't happening...

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  2. I kayak, but can't say a 186-foot waterfall is on my to-do list (or a 50 foot waterfall, for that matter!). There's a lot of discussion in the whitewater community as to how meaningful these rapids are. Paddling off a 186 foot waterfall requires exactly the same skillset as paddling of a 50 foot waterfall. The consequences of error are much higher though. If you land wrong off a 50 foot waterfall, you're probably a paraplegic. Off a 186 foot waterfall, you're dead.

    I think running class IV looks like more fun than hucking off waterfalls anyway!

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