The Kayak Nerds

24/06/2023

There's a new episode up! This one has been requested for a while and we hope you enjoy the live rendition of our into song with this episode's special guest.

You can listen to the show in other places, but here's the Spotify link if that's your jam!

Listen to The Kayak Nerds on Spotify. Alan Cammack of Canyon River Instruction and Ryan Wiegman, , talk whitewater kayaking in the Arkansas River Valley.

27/03/2023

Anybody interested in the new liquidlogic?

High performance river running with a side of play. Nothing is sweeter than playing your way down the river. Especially in the Sweet Ride. This half-slice beauty will get you boofing your way downstream, carving turns through rock gardens, pulling onto a catch on the fly wave and squirting a nice se...

26/03/2023

Our most recent episode of The Kayak Nerds is now available! We had a great time talking with our friend Josh about his Mexico paddling adventure last year. In this episode, we listen to his story including, border patrol, breakdowns, hiding from strangers in the night, and stray dogs. This episode will restore your faith in humanity and make you ache for adventure!

You can find the most recent episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also follow this link - https://www.thekayaknerds.com/

While this story isn't much about kayaking, Josh is one of the best kayakers we know. The video below is a short video resume from Josh proving his kayaking prowess and is from his kayaking adventures in Chile back in 2016.

24/03/2023

Super quick trip report: just got off of the San Juan from Sand Island to Mexican Hat. 3 nights. Good flow. Rained most of the time. Was snowed on one day. Tent broke the last night. Excellent suffer fest!

Now, I’m stuck in Pagosa Springs because Wolf Creek pass is closed. Wish I had just stayed on the river longer! Could have gotten more food in Mexican Hat and been out for an extra 5 days…

19/02/2023

Some cool paddling history including the Ark River Valley!

The Duffek Maneuver A Carolina Paddler Article By Alton Chewning The Duffek Stroke is one of the most enigmatic techniques in the history of kayaking. The stroke itself is hard to pin down. It ha…

15/02/2023

There are only a few rapids that make Alan this happy, and your opportunity to apply to paddle this one is closing on Tuesday, February 21 at noon! Any guess which rapid it is?

You can click here if you're lazy to get to the application page! - https://grcariverpermits.nps.gov/

14/02/2023

It's been nearly 8 months since our last podcast, but we're back with Season 3 of The Kayak Nerds! Check out episode 1 in the video below. You can also find the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find podcasts.

Thanks for listening and we'll see you on the river!

20/10/2022

Ryan and Alan check out the new and improved Scout Wave in Salida, Colorado. Looks like excellent year-round surfing!

Ryan and Alan check out the new and improved Scout Wave in Salida, Colorado.

24/08/2022

This is a bummer...!

It is with great regret that American Whitewater must announce that the Class V Gore Race for 2022 will be canceled. After purchasing race insurance in May, on Friday, August 19, we were informed that our policyholder can no longer provide insurance for Class IV and Class V whitewater events. Americ...

01/07/2022

Look at how the water beads… 🥹

28/06/2022

Oh boy! New boat time! Anyone guessing?

26/06/2022

21/06/2022

Settling into regular summer flows on the Arkansas isn't so bad! Last night's boater cross slalom race was a blast and we already know next week will be fun!

02/06/2022

Getting the loop-de-doos dialed in thanks to a random stranger's advice in the playpark. Thanks, for the pointers and the video!

31/05/2022

Guess this kayak! More to follow!!

30/05/2022

Today Ryan ran Pine Creek rapid with twice the amount of water from the last video! It's a very different beast at 1080 than it was at about 550 last week.

27/05/2022

Over a month ago, we made it out to the Western Slope of Colorado for some early season runoff and low water creaking. Check out our adventure over at our YouTube Channel!

It's been a few years since Escalante Creek has been runnable, and we were able to make it out there this year for the run-off! We caught it on the high side...

27/05/2022

About a month ago, we went and ran Escalante Creek. Ryan Finally got around to editing the footage and a video of our adventure is up now on our YouTube channel (also "The Kayak Nerds"). Check it out!

26/05/2022

What's better than Pine Creek and the Numbers when the water starts to come up? Ryan took out his new Jackson Antix 2.0 last week for some hot laps and so far it's working out!

24/05/2022

Rocker and not very much rocker. Two very different, both enjoyable, boats! We'll have a video up soon comparing both boats focusing on the new Pyranha Scorch X! Thanks CKS Mainstreet for letting us demo the new boat.

28/04/2022

Photos, videos, blogs, merchandise, and more! Check out our new website, "TheKayakNerds.com". We'll be adding content to the website in the months to come and are excited to have this outlet for our kayak thoughts.

Whitewater kayaking gear reviews, trip reports, and more! Learn more    Reviews, helmet cams, and live podcasts.Youtube is the place where we put everything that can’t go into the podcast, check out all of our reviews, video podcasts, helmet camera,s and more there! Make a donationWe do this bec...

25/04/2022

We have a new episode out!

In this episode, we chat with Ryan John, who recently uprooted his life in the midwest to chase kayaking in the pacific northwest. Ryan brought us a list of questions including, what boat is the best to start in, how to be safe on the river, and w...

24/04/2022

Name that rapid! A quick mission and we found a Colorado classic! More to follow…

21/04/2022

Looks like this won't be in play for river shuttles this spring!

Midland Tunnel Stabilization Project Postponed, Pending Historic Property Review

The Chaffee County project to structurally reinforce the Midland Tunnels on County Road 371 north of Buena Vista is being postponed in order to complete federally-mandated historic preservation evaluation. The tunnels along this portion of CR371 are located on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Midland Tunnels stabilization project, originally planned to begin on April 11th, must undergo additional review by the BLM before work can commence. The review process has recently begun and the timeline for the review process is still being determined at this time.

The Midland Tunnels are considered a historical feature of the Midland Railroad Grade, built in 1880. Since the Tunnels project relates to such a potentially significant historical feature, it must comply with the requirements of the federal National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). This includes review and evaluation by the Bureau of Land Management and consultation with the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office to ensure that any possible negative impacts from the stabilization work can be reduced or eliminated. Chaffee County Road and Bridge department will continue to work with the geotechnical/tunneling engineering team from STANTEC Consulting Services in the meantime to finalize the project plan.

Postponement of the project means that County Road 371 will not be closed to through traffic in the vicinity of the tunnels during the months of April and May as originally planned. Vehicles, bicycles, and foot traffic will continue to be allowed through the tunnels and the full length of CR371 until further notice. The Tunnels project timeline will be updated and communicated publicly as soon as the NHPA evaluation is completed.

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18/04/2022

Whitewater season here in Colorado is on the very edge of the beginning! The anticipation is killing us, which is why Ryan took Friday off of work to go paddle Gore Canyon for the first time, check it out!

Gore Canyon is a classic section of Colorado whitewater. It's a popular run in the fall because it still runs via dam release while many of the other local r...

17/04/2022

Check out Ryan's run today from Kayak's on snow at Monarch Mountain!

16/04/2022

Water levels are looking good for this year!

We’re above last year and last year was not at all so bad. True, there’s no water in the river now, but it will be here soon…

10/04/2022

A warm day with low water is still a warm day! Alan made it down to the play park this afternoon and took his kayak for a spin in the nice weather.

04/04/2022

You can listen to the podcast episode we released today on Spotify! You can also listen to all of our other episodes there too...

Listen to The Kayak Nerds on Spotify. Alan Cammack of Canyon River Instruction and Ryan Wiegman, , talk whitewater kayaking in the Arkansas River Valley.

04/04/2022

A new episode is up! Season 2 Episode 2 is here just in time for your Monday.

Alex, our guest in this months episode, is featured in the video below kayaking one of the Arkansas River valley's classic creeks. Check out the video for some context on Alex's skills and we hope you enjoy the episode as much as Alan and I did!

Dustin Urban, Andre Spino-Smith, Jed Selby and Alex Telthorst show us how great kayaking can be in the mountains of Colorado. Lake Creek is on the eastern si...