Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year 2014!!

I wish you a Happy New Year 2014!!
All the best for you, your family and friends!!

Ride Life. Cheers

Video - GIRLY TRAIL Session


GIRLY TRAIL Session - 15 Décembre 2013 from Val Grollemund on Vimeo.

GIRLY TRAIL Session - A special day especially made for the ladys who wanna discover, share, improve their level in Trail Running!!

Session guided by a mountain guide!!
GIRL POWER!!

Event organized by:
Marianne SAGOT / vibrezmontagne.fr

Partners of this GIRLY TRAIL Session:
i-run.fr, Errea, Bryton, Nutrition & Santé and Run-N-Trail.com

 The staff

 Marianne, the amazing organizor!!

Yep, sometimes you've to sweat a bit to get the pretty images.
Not an easy task even it wasn't going too fast.

 Sylvaine and Maud, trail runners expert, was here to give advices to the girls.
The girly group before the long last downhill section.

Few stretchings and a good lunch to finish the day!!

Many thanks to Marianne for this great day and for trusting in me for this job!!

Video DJ Eric Kaufmann at Bowling du Rouergue


DJ Eric Kaufmann - Bowling du Rouergue from Val Grollemund on Vimeo.

On Nov. Saturday 30th, DJ Eric Kaufmann was live at the Bowling du Rouergue Bastide in Rodez (my home town), some massive and pure sounds with a great atmosphere!!
Video realized for the Bowling du Rouergue.

Music:
DJ Eric Kaufmann "Braxxx-duck" // erickaufmann.ch

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Turning a page

Can’t believe I’m writing those lines and turning a long, exciting, intense and full of stories page voluntary and not as often because of life decides that I’ve to turn it.
I always drove my life full gaz on, following what my feeling said, always having a close look to family, friends and my bank account (yeah you need it for doing the life you want), or I least I tried.


Gorges du Tarn - summer 1996 - 6 years old
 
I have this bad feeling, or let’s say this bad taste in your mouth of stopping something which always makes me happy, make me dreaming, makes be a better person I guess too, and for sure taught me so many things.
It’s probably the first time I decided to turn a page of my lifeby myself, by stopping kayaking as my main sport.
Don’t know if it’s a question of those too many hours in the car to paddle a 2 hours river run, or the smell of wet kayak gears in my garage and in my car which make me stop. 
It’s probably not.
I don’t live along a class V river and the closest one is at 2 hours driving, yeah I’ve a class 1-2 slalom course at 15min from home but it’s not in the perception of I want to do in the future or what I want to easily do.

Tapoul canyon - 2006 - at 16                              Salles la Source - 2008 - 17 years old

 
Nevados, Chile - 2009 - 19years old                      Upper Tarn River - 2013 - 22 years old

I’m now working more and more as filmmaker/producer and as river guide (on summer time), having my own company to make rolling as good as possible, and less time to kayak and travel.

And yeah kayaking doesn't pay my food...
Also my vision to make sport has changed these past 2 years. 

Kayaking has been so good, I discover how to manage fear and adrenaline, tight situations and hard rescues, basically I feel “good” in all mentally hard paddling situations. 
But now I need to find myself in hard physically and mentally situation.

At work with my camera and on my Stand Up Paddle on summer 2013

From few months now kayaking has been less and less a priority in my everyday life, even if I was training hard for, and by the way never have been stronger than today.

Last weekend I was filming a really close friend running a 75km trail run during one of the major French trail running races. 
It suddenly clicked for me to see him pushing himself physically and mentally deep in his capacities and he managed to win the race, ripping the reference record time for more than a 1h (on 8h racing…).
I had pain to sleep for the next 2 nights, and editing the video was exciting me and makes me wanted  to discover myself deep inside in something else, in something new.
The 3rd day after the event I had a dinner with my friend to show him the video, and telling him that I’m stopping kayaking this same day.

Sources of the Tarn - 2007                             National Champs - Summer 2009
 
A year ago I registered in an “adventure race” club, mixing trail running, MTBiking and kayaking (the easiest part), and by the way the guys of this club won an adventure race World cup this year…
I didn’t want to compete and also didn’t want to be part of the trainings quite often. It was easier for me to go at the gym and push hard some weights.
Now I see it like it was to me an open door to stop kayaking. And today I stop.
There’s no idiot choice taken…

So yeah I stop kayaking as my main sport, as sponsored athlete but I stay a kayaking lover!!
And yeah there’s kayaking on adventure races!!!!!

With David Arnaud - May 2007                        Sources of the Tarn river - April 2008

French west coast - Feb 2009                          Palguin, Chile - Dec 2009 - 19 years old
 
I feel more comfortable today with this choice, I can train everywhere, every time, just have to jump on my bike or run somewhere in the forest, I don’t have to wait for rains to go kayaking and/or travel a lot for.
But for sure, I’ll keep going on the french events and I’ll join buddies for few class 5 river runs, and yeah I’ll take photos to show you how kayaking is good!!


 FLUID Kayaks team trip, French Alps - David Arnaud, Paul Villecourt and I - August 2011




I’ll stay faithful to my current sponsors who are now friends since those 7 years as sponsored kayaker and keep working with them for my river guide activity.

Thanks FLUID Kayaks, LevelSix, TyWarp, NIL style, Astral and Land Mountain. You guys rock!!
Also wanna thank my previous partners Adrenagliss, sandiline, Teva and ATpaddles

Rio Turbio, Chile - Dec 2009                               Cauterets "les 800", Pyrenees - May 2012
 
A special mention for the persons who taught me so many things and had a close look at me on the river, the most important ones:
David Arnaud, Paul Villecourt, Fabrice Poueyto, Eric Deguil, Fred Dumont, Max Mitaut, Bastien Dantin, guys from PEK, Raph Thiebaut, Stefun Pion, Nouria Newman, Mat Coldebella, Gael Kernin, Mat Dumoulin, Mariann Saether, the guys at St Pierre de Boeuf, the MJC Rodez Kayak Club, my parents and my brother, my girlfriend and many more!!

It’s now time for me to discover another myself, and I’m sure the kayaker one will be not that far.

Upper Tarn river, France - June 2013
 
See you really soon!!

NB: I’ll keep posting news and photos on this blog, about kayaking during my adventure races but also simply about kayaking!! ;-)

Monday, November 18, 2013

Oxsitis 2014 promo video


OXSITIS® Innovation - Promo 2014 from Val Grollemund on Vimeo.

Two weeks ago, I went to the Festival des Hospitalier in Nant - Aveyron, France - which is one of the most famous trail running race in France.
I was there to film Adrien Seguret and Anne-Lise Rousset  for Oxsitis which is a company producing hydratation and alimentary products, and also some awesome backpacks.

Anyway, everything is in the video!!

Thanks to Adrien and Anne-Lise, to Gautier for his help, to Laurent, Stephan, Baptiste and also Yvan!!
And many thanks to Oxsitis!!

www.oxsitis.com

Agout River Gathering 2014

End of October, I was on the Agout River gathering, a 37th years old gathering whish bring together all kayakers from beginners to experts, from from freestyle to downriver racers.
A good breath of what kayaking really is!!

On saturday it was only 13th cumics in the river, with grey weather and not that many people.
But on sunday, with 18cumics, all guys came and the river was full of boaters!!
 Yannis Brousset.

 Marc Cailhol

 Myself

 Fred Lascou

 Hugo Crépeau

 My kayak club team!!

 Baptsite Mignot

 My brother, Gautier Grollemund

 Myself

 Myself

 Gautier Grollemund

Gautier boofing the L Bazooka

And myself again.

Thanks to the kayak club of Rodez, and to the organizors for this incredible weekend of pure kayaking!!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wet holidays with Paul Villecourt

Paul Villecourt came with his family in the Gorges du Tarn for a week so we enjoyed a full week playing with nature in the river with stand up paddle boards, kayaks and others!!

Well, we had fun!!
Here are few photos taken by Paul Villecourt.

The Gorges du Tarn on SUP!!

SUP is SUPer!!


We also went for a day in Millau to pratice a bit our freestyle kayaks!!

Evan Villecourt.


My brother Gautier who didn't paddle his C1 for the last 3 years was simply impressive!!
One of the first real loop of Evan!!

This new DOPE from FLUID Kayaks is soooo good!!!


Well, a good week with friends to finish the long working summer it's just perfect!!
Thanks Villecourt family was just perfect!!
And many thanks to Paul for those great photos!!