Stand + Descend: Exploring the Rivers of the Canadian Rockies
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Mike Harvey
In the summer of 2016, a group of paddlers from the Canadian Rockies set out to explore rivers in the beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains on their Badfish inflatables. Emmet Mcpartlin, Michael Kearns, and Brandon Olsthoorn had a goal to take their boards to rivers that had barely been paddled, and that had almost definitely never seen a SUP. That doesn't mean they were paddling the gnarliest water in the Rockies, (though they did find a few crazy sections) - but they're pretty proud of the lengths they went to to get there. They spent hours hiking with boards and gear strapped to their backs, camped in stormy weather, repelled into canyons, and donated pints of blood to the local insect population.
So why the funk would anyone put themselves through that just to paddle a river? Because accessing those rivers was always a huge part of the adventure - and the paddling itself was amazing! Untouched wilderness, epic views, and a few crazy rapids. They covered a lot of water and came away with some cool stories to tell at the pub!
Enjoy this edit from the guys adventures exploring the wild and beautiful waters of the Canadian Rockies.
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