Dan and I arrived in Dala-Floda (Sweden), for the Masters of Water festival, after a month of rainy times in Norway.

A friend of mine, Mikael, recommended checking out the big rapid up the road, so we did.

It was big, and would probably be very fun in our playboats, but the sun came out giving us a rare chance to dry out kit out and…

LOOK at this awesome mini-golf course! I’d even go so far as to call it CRAZY golf.

Above: Dan tees off on hole number 7; his first attempt of many.

We may paddle the awesome Fanneforsen rapid (or whatever it’s called) before we leave Sweden… but mini-golf is pretty cool.

I think this may make a nice DVD extra for MOP2.

Every year, the Sjoa River Festival kicks off with the Pimp & Ho party.

This year, the British and Irish representatives kicked into action quickly to make this video:

Read more about it here: Click me.

It’s been a pretty tough year and, after temporarily quitting teaching, I was more than happy to represent Pyranha by taking the Team Van around Norway and Sweden.

First stop: Picking up fellow team paddler, Paula Volkmer, from her house in North London. Some hard labour  was needed to reorganising the van but we got everything in without squashing a single can of lager.

36 hours it took to drive to Norway via France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Sweden.

We managed it by driving in 4-6 hour shifts while the other person took short power-naps on the passenger seats (35 minutes seemed to be the average).

By the end of this harrowing journey, Paula and I, who were only vaguely acquainted at the start of the trip, probably now know far too much about one another than is legally safe.

So first stop: Voss and the Voss Extreme Week for some steep and scary fun, amongst competitions and partying.

Above and below are Paula and me respectively on the upper Brandseth. The extreme race however, usually held here, was moved to the Upper Rundalselvi (for fear of low water-levels).

It was carried out on a terrifying stretch of whitewater that resulted in 1 in 4 competitors swimming out the last hole and many more turning away from the starting-line, tail between their legs.

My run was hilariously bad, resulting in a reverse hero boof through the last hole. However two of my closest friends swam out of said hole, which means I technically beat them… and isn’t that really what it’s all about?

In the boater X, fans cheer on Lucy Huddard – Britain’s last hope for victory!

Obviously there was more fun to be had outside of the competition: encouraging sheep to climb into the van and attack Paula, for example.

And getting to grips with my brand new head-cam was certainly entertaining, as is trying to follow Paula closely and safely down slides on the Myrkdal and Brandseth (See this video).

Fortunitly I was able to get in 4 or 5 runs of the Lower Myrkdal (My favourite river and also the birth-place of the MOP Monster).

I won’t describe it here; there’s certainly a good description of it, somewhere in this blog, written 3 years ago. Or you could check out Paula’s description on the Team Van page.

The put-in slide: Paula above, me below.

There are no photos of the slides, unfortunately, but I did manage to run them twice, fully exorcising my demons (see here). Some video may pop up somewhere later.

Above: Paula on the Triple Drop.

Above: Paula on the drop/slide/drop afte the portage. Below: Me at the bottom after boofing the fudge out of it!

I love the Lower Myrkdal! But we have our duties and it was time to move on.

However it is sometime possible to do something new in Norway; our friends Doug and Julien suggested this little number: 3 clean waterfalls in the middle of nowhere on the way to Valldal.

Paula and I set up camp (Read: slept in the van) and paddled this little beauty before breakfast… because we couldn’t find anywhere to buy breakfast!

Then Rainbows…

And Fjords! Nice. More to come… stay tuned xxx

Photos by Paula Volkmer, Max Bilbow. Nick Pearce, Ben Thompson and Fraenzi Gloor.

I will eventually write a couple of thorough articles regarding this year’s Norwegian Odyssey. However, for the time being, I will be fulfilling my duty as a Pyranha Team Van driver on the Team Van Blog: www.pyranha.com/teamvan

Photos and other little updates (including the odd video) will appear on the Team Van Facebook page.

So over the past seven months I have been trying to pass my induction year as a newly qualified Maths teacher. As a result of this –  in the seven Months since I returned from Russia – I have been burning the candle in a particularly inefficient way.

I have there for decided that I will not likely find the time to write an appropriate story to accompany the following photos.

However there will be more detail available for those of you who are following the development of Means of Production 2:

 

 Means of Production 2: Russia: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

New trailers will be available, in the near future, that will include footage from The Republic of Gorgia, Vietnam, Mexico, Iceland, Corsica and a couple of undecided destinations.

A waterfall on a brilliant little tributary to the Choosman

Anton takes a break

I can’t remember where this is but it looks fun. That’s Anton before he broke his Diesel.

The walk out of the Choosman valley is almost worth it for this view. However we would have preferred Vasilii’s van to have been able to drive us all out!

Kostya is still learning the meaning of ‘homoerotic’.

If you’re fed up of walking, you can always paddle the scrapey tree-infested source of the river… not all boats will make it down intact.

A can’t remember what river we’re driving to. It was a 5 day trip and seemed bigger than the Zambezi at points! I just can’t remember what it was called.

Our modest camp on day 1.

Ivan and the Gray Wolf: my first Russian book… I’m still reading it.

Watch out for potholes!

Another fun rapid on the choosman.

However I had to walk out after cracking my ribs on a awkward seal-launch.

маси

Anton on the earlier mentioned waterfall.

After which it is necessary to portage the 35 metre fall that lands on rocks.

The above picture is from (probably) my favorite river in Altai: The Majoy Gorge.

It starts of with 10k of continuous, and slightly crucial, class 4-; this brings you to a short inaccessible class 5 canyon (portagable) leading into 10k of 4+. Brilliant.

And this I believe is an angry fish.

Top Tip: Write you blog entries as soon as you can; not seven and a half months later!

Coming soon (really): Some vaguely exciting waffle about our recent jolly in Corsica.

The award winning National Student Rodeo 2008 Movie has now long since sold out.

In light of this, I have released the 24 minute extravaganza on the Liquid Satisfaction podcast: http://www.maxbilbow.com/?feed=podcast

Download the movie or watch the trailer in the videos section.

 

 NSR 2008: The Movie!: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s 3am UK time and I’ve had little-to-no sleep since I left. However I am in Irkutsk and Vasiliy is telling me (in what he calls Monkey English) that my journey begins now.

So I try to assemble all the things I might need for a 10 day expedition on the Kitoy River, where we shall be hundreds of kilometres from any notable civilisation and surrounded by mountains.

Fortunately for me, a couple of the 9 Russians on this trip have a fairly good grasp of the English language. This makes it possible for Vasiliy and me to improve our understanding of each others’ languages without too much frustration.

So after only a couple of hours of class I/II (Thank God!) we make it to our first camp and, while our food supplies for the trip get divided between everyone, I am able to brush-up on some basic Russian. Nye Prosto.

That night, before I pass out from exhaustion, I am handed a cup of Vodka and a piece of raw onion. Drink the Vodka then eat the onion… Like a Tequila slammer I guess, but more oniony.

Day 3 and I was all geared up and ready to film 9 indiscriminate Russians toss themselves down the first class V of the trip when Vasiliy says, “Come Max. We go now”. At this stage, I have not developed the linguistic skills to refuse, so off we go.

The rapid is short, not too dangerous but pretty hard to nail. However, after a quick natter about the line, we both get it spot on, chicaning around the cushions and holes that lie in wait.

Now it’s into the main gorge section. There may have been some chatter but I missed it and all the Russians pile over a horizon-line leaving me a little bemused. So I follow anyway, making my best guess at what the pour-over will look like and which direction to aim my boof… I am mistaken but fortunately I am in the mood for a little freestyle and am able to work my way clear to the whooping of many cheery Russian kayakers in the eddy below.

Every day the trip seems to get progressively harder. Today we seem to spend a lot of time paddling a fairly continuous class IV gorge. Water levels are high and the enormous amount of equipment is making kayaking feel a little more like raft guiding, with technical decisions being made much earlier than usual.

But I’m used to it now and, having moved my seat forward and mastered the art of using Russians as hole-bait, I’m even enjoying the extra challenge.

Then we reach the main gorge. Most of it (class IV+) can be paddled. However we must first portage a big class VI section that could not be inspected or portaged once inside the canyon.

In the evenings I attempt to brush up on my Russian… even if everything I say is still a sort of comedy show for everyone else.

Getting naked on this trip seems to be something of a daily ritual but well worth it after hours of hiking through wilderness… It turns out my mosquito spray is some kind of horse-fly aphrodisiac. Not impressed!

I’ve never really tried fishing before so I was quite keen to have a go. I find it interesting that fish always look so surprised when they are caught.

Vasiliy leaves me on my own and I catch the biggest fish of the day. But what do I do with it now? After some gruesome amateur fish wrestling, Vasiliy is there to show me how to gut it, skin it and eat it raw. The fish was flabbergasted.

Later that night, someone hands me a cup of Vodka and a raw fish. It’s a bit like a Tequila Slammer… only more fishy.

This trip involves running two tributaries of the Kitoy, both of which involve a hike up to the put-on. The first of these tributaries, The Ehe-Gol, has some good class III/IV technical creeking  which culminates (just below our camp) in the following…

A 16 metre high waterfall that is not for the faint hearted, especially considering just how far we are from any form of civilization.

So with that out the way, it’s off – via some awesome class IV/IV+ Kitoy big volume canyon paddling – to our next camp for a big meal and some rest… Because we all know what’s coming.

Later that night, someone hands me a cup of Vodka and a cube of raw pig fat. It’s a bit like a Tequila Slammer but less lemony and more… chewy.

In order to paddle the second trib – The Beluty – we must spend one day off the river… off the river and hiking through wilderness with our kayaks (and kit for 2 days camping) on our backs.

For over 10 km, we hiked up and down the valley’s side, through the trees, guided only by Vasiliy’s GPS system.

Towards the end, it was necessary to cross a steep tributary, making a rope bridge for out kayaks (above).

The next day is not much easier; hiking almost the same distance as again, now only with kayaking kit, we head to the put-in for the Beluty.

This beautiful section of class IV/IV+ creeking takes us all the way back down to our current base camp.

Amazingly there was only one real portage on the entire section.We stop for the night at our camp and the following day head on down the Beluty to rejoin the Kitoy.

The day kicks off with a 12 metre waterfall that is similar (if slightly cleaner) to Norway’s ‘Nose Breaker’ fall in Voss (as featured in Means of Production).

It’s so much fun that we spend a good hour here practicing out big-drop boofing technique; much fun.

This was followed but a few more waterfalls, the last of which being the most difficult move of the day: A ‘double drop’ that, after watching Vasiliy and me take dreadful lines, the rest of out team decided to portage.

The last night included a well-earned sauna and night in a wood hut… luxury!

But possibly the highlight of the trip for me: Sitting naked in a sauna with my new comrades, attempting (with little success) to explain to Vasiliy the meaning of ‘homoerotic’ whilst Kostya vigorously slaps his back with a leafy branch.

As usual, I had missed a lot of the finer logistical details and was expecting a short bumpy ride to the main road, followed by another short ride to Irkutsk.

Nope. 12 hours of disused track and off-road driving that would make even the most hardened Ugandan boda-boda driver tut in disapproval.

And now? After 2 days on the inter-Siberia express (a surprisingly agreeable and sociable train journey) I am sitting in Vasiliy’s house in Novosibirsk, waiting for our boats to arrive by train so we can head out tomorrow and start running the gnar of Russia’s Altai rivers.

For anyone considering a trip to Russia, I’d strongly suggest you consider travelling with Kayak USSR. Take a look at their website and, if you have any questions about my experience, drop me a line!

You can also check out some of these rivers on their latest film: Empire.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the latest updates to the British Universities Kayak Expedition in Vietnam: www.kayaknam.com.

Photos by: Alexey Markushev, Ivan Kozlachkov, Sasha Steklov, Kostya Lubyagin and Artem Palvelev.

More Photos…

Well I didn’t get off to the best of starts; I Arrived at Heathrow only to find that my visa wasn’t going to be valid until the day after I touch down in Moscow. So pay the fine and book onto tomorrow’s flight.

The following morning however I am all ready to fly, once I’ve haggled down my excess baggage fees.

After I’d unpacked and repacked my kayak so that all its content may be weighed individually, I started to wonder: What sort of drug/bomb smuggler would hide their naughty bits inside a 2.5 metre long kayak weighing 32 kilos fully laden? And then to get rumbled anyway! No… I think I’d stick to body cavities if it were me.

If flying alone into the middle of Siberia wasn’t enough, I have to collect all my gear at Moscow, run to another terminal and check it back in; boat and everything, and all in less than 3 hours.

Since there were no trolleys I was forced to put the first scratches in my brand new Karnali; dragging it from terminal 2 to the bus, and then from the bus to the check-in at terminal 1.

Somehow, even though I was quite stressed and sweaty, I still had a 20 minute wait before check-in opened! Still – a pretty hard graft the first time around.

And even though the check-in attendant first looked at me with an expression that said “I’m pretty sure you just urinated on my best shoes”, I only ended up paying about £100 for my excess baggage in all. Bargain!

But what happened next? I Arrived in Irkutsk at 5am (9pm in London) and slept for 3 hours before being awoken by my new comrade, Vasiliy Porsev saying “Come, Max. Your journey starts now. 10 day expedition on Kitoy River. Many waterfalls.”

…but that’s another story.

It has been a long year, stuck in the UK all winter. But with my PGCE course over and a job secured for September, I have a bit of time to play with…  So before my 5 week jolly to Russia, Emily and I decided a 2-week warm  up holiday in The Alps would be just lovely.

Rory Woods (above) paddles a particularly narrow and fun slide on the Sorba.

After a bit of a ‘chossy’ start in the French Alps, we headed over to Val Sesia, in Northern Italy, where we were told to expect high levels; even quite late in June… We were not disappointed!

After a quick look at the Sorba Slides, on the advice of a friend, we drove a few kilometres upstream on The Grande – a tributary to the Sorba – to find the gem pictured above. A 10 metre waterfall with an exciting run-in and a clean landing.  What more could you want? 2 hours of steep creeking back to the car? Snap!

Nothing but tight drops and slides all the way to the take out. I haven’t felt the need to wear elbow pads in a while but this run seemed worthy. (Above: Me on the lead in to the waterfall)

The above shot is the drop just below the fall. I opted to leave my cameras in the car for the rest of the run, hence why there are so many pictures of me.

Every time we reached the horizon line above a drop (which was usually at the foot of the drop before) our internal clocks would tell us that we had underestimated the descent time of this run.

But with a bit of look down stream we were amazed to see that yet another tight drop or slide contained a perfectly navigable line. Sometimes the lines were less orthodox than others, as Matt (above) demonstrates.

And of course it would be rude not to paddle the well-photographed Sorba Slides at the end of the run.

But it’s not all about the steep creeking. We had a great time paddling a few sections of the Sesia with Sheffield Uni.

And back in France, Triple Step (on the Guil) was going off with the massive water levels. (Above: Rory Woods, Below: Max Bilbow)

Though that is all well and good, The French Alps wouldn’t be The French Alps without the statutory trip to the Fornel for a boof and hammer work-out. (Below: Jake Holland throws his weight)

Too late for the Student Boater X (in more ways than one), we had a little race of our own. Textbook shenanigans, really (Below: Max Bilbow, Jake Holland).

All in all, a fine Alpine holiday that wouldn’t have been as great if it weren’t for all the lovely Brits we hooked up with over the duration: Students (and old boys) from Sheffield, Leeds, Warwick, Southampton and Bath University clubs; Jake and Danny and others.

I’ve got a big old sticker in my passport and am heading off to Russia on Saturday. So until next time, play safe and enjoy my latest podcast (below).

 

 Warming up in The Alps (Faster Connections): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Warming up in the Alps (Slower Connections): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

- SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST -

Photos: Emily Bayne, Jake Holland, Danny Malkin, Rory Woods