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Peak UK - News
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Peak UK - The Kayaking Company - Team, Event, Product and Website News
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Pete Astles - Three Peaks Challenge
Our illustrious leader Pete Astles is currently undertaking the classic Three Peaks Challenge but with his own personal twist. He's cycling and sea kayaking between the Peaks rather than driving.
To find out more check out the Three Peaks website and his Blog.
All the best Pete!
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Fabian Alejandro in Italy and Switzerland
Last month we were kayaking for 5 days in Valsesia Italy and Swiszerland around the Versasca valley.
We were 3 days in Valsesia and 2 days in Swiss.
We were 4 kayakers and 2 cars, the first 3 days a friend of ours was our shuttle driver. we paddled Gronda, Sorba, Egua, Sermensina. then we drove towards Swiss. we arrive a bit late to paddle a small creek, so we decided to set up our camp. It was raining all night very hard.
Next morning we went to scout Verzasca river. In the guide book it said that the max level recommended was 20 m3. but that day had almost 50 m3. We went in any way and it was a great run. Next day we paddled the Rivo river which started with a 16m waterfall, fantastic!! Then continuous in a narrow gorge with 4 and 5 rapids for one more hour.
Enjoy some photos from the trip below.
Words and Photos Fabian Alejandro Bonanno.
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£5.50 to get into Wales?! Best be Good... : Cardiff Bay Premier Race Report
The PeakUK slalom team commandos took a trip over the Severn Bridge last weekend to race the inaugural slalom event to be held at the new Cardiff International White Water Centre, located in the hip, up and coming Cardiff Bay area.
The new whitewater course at Cardiff is unique to the UK as itâs the first high quality pumped venue. The designers at the site have to be praised for the fantastic job there; being able to squeeze such a great amount into a very small footprint is incredible, honestly it has to be seen to be believed.
To paddle on the course thereâs a very European feel to it, the water pushes pretty hard from left to right throughout and quite surging eddies makes you believe your on the mainland Europe. This along with the great weather experienced all weekend almost felt like we actually had left the country!
Gareth and I were given the honor to set the race course for the weekend, which weâd later find out to be a) harder and more stressful than first imagined and b) a nightmare when one attempts to paddle one's own course well...
So the scene was set; the country's top slalom racers were all in attendance and ready, beautiful weather conditions and a brand new slalom course. (This is also by the way the definition of 'Perfection' in the slalom paddlerâs dictionary)
The slalom squad had mixed fortunes in terms of results; the newbies to the team were a mixed bag. Lizzie Neave came away with a very impressive win, Lizzie was the only K1W to come away with two cleans runs. Greg Pitt struggled with penalties but had a strong pace to his race and finished 7th, the same can be said for Gareth and I, we were disappointed to head home in 8th position.
PeakUK slalom legends Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott fell victim to the demons of penalties also but came away with a 2nd place finish. Fiona Pennie had a busy weekend, competing in both K1 and C1. Fi finished 2nd in her kayak making for a PeakUK loaded podium, which is always nice to see! Fi then went on to post a very respectable second C1 run time, which would have placed her well in K1W, C1M and K1M standings!! Racing was as always predictably tight in the kayak mens category and our representative Huw P Swetnam didnât disappoint; coming back from a off form first run to slot him himself on the podium in 3rd place.
So with 5 out of a possible 7 podium finishes, we can class the PeakUK slalom squads first racing visit to Cardiff Bay as a successful one. So yes we probably would pay the £5.50 to come again or at least come down the M50 instead...
Peace!
Words by Paul Ramsdale.
Full race results available at: http://www.canoeslalom.co.uk/results10/110710cardiffP.pdf
Pictures: Mike Roberts www.mjroberts.co.uk and Chris Worrall
More extensive photo album to follow.
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More Medals at Slalom World Cup 3
This past weekend Augsburg in Germany played host to the third and final race of the 2010 ICF World Cup Series. The race was held on the world famous Eis Kanal which is an artificial channel built for the Canoe Slalom event of the Munich Olympics in 1972.
The Kanu Schwaben Augsburg club, who celebrated their 50th anniversary this year, did their usual excellent job of the race organisation. It was slightly disappointing for spectators that there was no jumbo video Screen since it's hard to see much of the action on such a narrow channel but it's understandable considering the cost of hiring such a screen.
The PeakUK Slalom Squad arrived in good form with Lizzie Neave having recovered from the illness that forced her to miss the previous weekends race. Friday was Qualification racing for all categories so everyone was in action.
Huw Swetnam showed some very fast pace once again but unfortunately on this occasion collected too many penalties on the swirly unpredictable course and so missed the cut. The rest of the Squad progressed to the Semis.
Saturday was Finals day for the Mens C2, Womens C1 and Mens K1 categories. The finals course was continuously technical again but had a little bit more flow than qualification and only a couple of places where you were at the mercy of the water. Similarly to last weekend the Mens C2 class was very tightly contested. All of the crews had a mixture of different good and bad sections but the overall times were coming out very close. Tim and Etienne came out top of the pack in the Semi-Final aided by a clean run. In the final they produced another solid run with some really fast sections but also some time lost in places. At the finish they missed out on winning by just 0.37secs but were happy to still make the podium in 3rd place.
The Mens C1 and Womens K1 had to wait until Sunday for their Finals which meant they missed out on the legendary Saturday night Schwaben club party. It was worth it for Lizzie Neave who placed 6th in the Semi final but then went on to score 3rd in the final thanks to a blazing run.
In the Semi-Final Greg Pitt put in another solid performance to score 25th. Won't be long before he is working his way up the field.
The Slalom Squad have a few weeks at home now before the re-scheduled European Champs in August. Check out the links below for full results and video from the race.
Official race Website: http://www.kanu-schwaben-augsburg.de/
Video on Demand: http://vod.sportstec.tv/icf/
Words by Tim Baillie. Photos by Michal Jane and Ian the Driver.
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Peak UK Summer Sausage Sizzle 2010
The first annual Summer Sausage Sizzle hosted by the Peak Shop Nottingham was a tremendous success! With 200 sausages ordered and the sunshine booked, it was guaranteed to be a splendid weekend all round!
Pyranha and Jackson had turned up for the special event offering free demos and advice to everyone all weekend and huge savings throughout the store meant everyone was sure to get their moneys worth.
The rodeo event was held in the second 'pool' (or twin waves as its known to some) which is one of the more tricky features to get to grips with on the whitewater course and many juniors, newcomers and even seniors made their rodeo debut! We saw some huge moves being thrown, big air, classic swims and superb moustaches, party dresses and old school air guitars! Prizes were awarded fairly and all the competitors enjoyed a sausage fest on the Saturday night with ball games chucked in for good measure!
Thanks to all the customers, helpers, judges, scribes and competitors for making the weekend a huge success and we hope to see you all again next year for the second annual Sausage Sizzle at the Peak Shop Nottingham!
Check out the Sausage Gallery for more photos.
Results:
Senior Kayak Women Frestyle (PDF)
Senior Kayak Men Frestyle (PDF)
Junior Kayak Men Frestyle (PDF)
Words by Jenny Chrimes, Photos by Pete Astles.
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