Agout River Gathering

As every year, the last weekend of October took place the Agout River Gathering which is the oldest kayakers gathering in France.

They open the dam for the weekend so all kayakers and kayak clubs from all France drive to the little village of Brassac and paddle the Agout river.
Brassac in center south of France.

This year the weather was really cold, 2°C in the afternoon...

Few of my local kayak club members, Hugo, Marc, Gautier my brother, myself and Yannis.

Actually there's one rapid where every one stopped at least to wacth all the carnages and then paddle down the "Escalier de la Peyre" (a class 5 they said, but it's a 4+).
Due the really cold weather we only stopped there to take few photos.

Marc

Pascal had a good line at the top...

...but got stucked and swam... BEER!!

My brother Gautier.

Gautier

First time down the Escalier de la Peyre for Hugo, a kid I coach at the kayak club.

A smooth line and this smile says all!!

First time too for Yannis another kid I coach, what a smooth line!! Well done!!

Grollemund borthers together in!!

myself

myself

I use the Large FLUID Bazooka, yeah it's large but soooo good!!

I loved so much my Level6 kevlar mitts during the weekend!!
The grip is great and it's super warm!!

Well, once again we all had good times on the Agout river and I'll be back next year for sure!!
Thanks to the organizors for all the work they did!!

FLUID kayak - Dope test

At the end of September, I was at the KanuMesse in Nurnberg, Germany, and picked up there my new FLUID Dope playboat.

The Dope is the last kayak produced by FLUID Kayaks.
It's a playboat in the line of the playboats produced on the market.
You'll say me, it's the same than the other ones... It probably looks like in the dark at 100m away.

I had the chance to test it in Saint Pierre de Boeuf in a wave and a different holes with a really good water level.

The Dope is really easy to handle. It glides super well and bounce easily in a wave.
Honnestly, these last days, it was hard to find a playboat you can simply enjoy surfing a green wave and doing flatspins.
Yeah, not every kayaker does airscrews and helix on a 30cm wave... And I don't for sure... But I know how to surf and spin those toys!! ;-)

Blunting the FLUID Dope.

As the new playboats, in a hole, you'll fly doing loops and space godzilas.

  I was happy to see the Dope doing proper cartwheels and didn't jump in all the ways during my wheels.

Easy air times

Well, new FLUID Dope is an easy and performing playboat for paddlers who wanna enjoy all kind of waves and holes and for those ones who wanna perform and score as never before!!

Traversée de Lyon - Teva BigAir

End of September, during the weekend in Lyon for the "Traversée de Lyon", famous photographer Paul Villecourt and his son Evan joined me in one of the World famous kayak wave "Hawai sur Rhône".

Hawai was at super low water level, but anyway it was good to paddle down, make some wavewheels and get wet a bit!!
Was actually the first time there for Evan who ran it few times and styled it like a pro!!

Myself

Myself paddling down

Evan getting ready to paddle down for his first time there!!

Evan's first time in Hawai sur Rhone!!

Next morning took place the "Traversée de Lyon", which bring together more than 1000 paddlers on canoes, kayaks, dragon boats, Vaa and Stand Up Paddle boards.

The mass start

Myself, it was a really hard race, 1h30 long and massively upwind so we had 0.5m waves coming up...
not that easy on a SUP board.
I was completely smoked at the finish line, I had a really hard period after 45minutes of racing and no water to drink...
I finished 3rd SUP overall and 1st in the 12'6 SUP class.

Eric Deguil, 1st SUP overall and I.

The overall SUP podium

Right after the SUP race, I was competing at the kayak BigAir event.
We had to do the tricks the judges ordered us to do.
There were few of the world best kayakers there like Casper Van Kalmthout, Benny Marr, Mike Dawson and others

Ready to go...

...Dropping in...

... Flying and styling it!!

I went to the super final finishing 3rd after qualif but didn't manage to double kickflip which kicked me out of the podium.

The kayak Big Air event place.

Happy Super final riders!!
Mat Coldebella finished 3rd, Ben Marr 2nd and our lovely dutchy Casper Van Kalmthout wan the contest with a massive backflip!!

Was a really good weekend in Lyon enjoying the Rhone in different versions and definitely having fun with friends!!
Seeya next year!!

Summer 2012

This summer season has been long and tiring for me.
Not much time to post on the blog but I’m now in holidays for few weeks to rest and get lazy a bit!!

Yeah since May I’m my own boss, I set up my company Esprit Plein Air (=Outdoor Spirit).
We propose canoes and Stand Up Paddle Boards rentals in the Gorges of the Tarn in Sainte Enimie exactly, we proposed also some River Camps and guidings.
And I work now professionally as filmmaker and photographer the rest of the year!! SIIIIICK!!
Well I spent my whole summer in the Gorges du Tarn, not that exiting except the fact that I was the boss and had a company to make rolling as good as possible.
Was really good to be back in the Gorges du Tarn enjoying canoeing and SUP Boarding on this crystal water river!! Well few photos are way better than blabla…

My private beach

David, enjoying a lil channel of the Tarn.

Kids happy to paddle the Tarn.

Guiding kids on the Tarn on a day trip.

Clément SUPing

Antoine and Gautier relaxing on a little island of the Tarn.

Clément.

Clément and my office behind.

Antoine

Do you like it??

Antoine

I took the time to paddle the middle Tarn section at super low water level but enjoying the new FLUID Do It Now kayak which is really good!!!!

Was a good summer enjoying outdoors everyday and working for myself.