"Rain Drop" is in the place !

After a great sucess at the film festival of L’Argentiere La Bessée in the French Alps (two prices) and the Rider of the Year II Award (best online video), here is a new distinction for "Rain Drop" attributed by Kayak Session for the Best Short Film of the Year. This award recognises the great edit and effect made by Hugo Clouzeau and myself on the spirit of kayaking.
I would like to thank everybody who supported the video (11669 votes over the world) and notice the closeness of the votes between Rain Drop and Biluty movies of my friend Tomass (10 864 votes ) as well as the sweet come back from the White water Grand prix video by Tribe alliance (9 657 votes).

Huge Thanks to everybody!!



Stefun

Jura area



The Jura area from eastern of France but they are many small rivers, we runed some classicle rivers like Saine, Ain, Anguillon, lemme but somewhere water flows in the gorges at the middle of forest.
So, last week I spent 3 days in the jura area, we found two rivers, La Cimante with some small waterfalls, it was beautiful but not really interested and “Le Bief de la Chaille” river. A really funny river close Les rousses village where we did the first descent. The river was narrow, really steep, the eddies was pretty small and many trees across the river but we were at the middle of the completely untouched forest !!







We started the river with a small water level, one kilometre later groundwater that comes up spontaneously in a spring and give us more water along the descent.
The river never stop and just one time after a old bridge, you can stop and scout the long rapid, 400 metres with 14 dropes without eddies finished by a waterfall slide of 5/6 metres.


It was really funny to discovered a new river like this in the Jura area !! Now time to go clean every trees and come back asap…

It’s was also a good opportunity for us to go on the Ain river, scout big waterfalls and made a session to the Malate wave to 350 cubics.



La Cimante river pics
Le Bief de la Chaille river pics
L'Ain river pics
Malate wave pics

Between Hérault and Ardèche area !



I came back at home after I have spent two weeks in the Cévennes in France (Hérault, Lozère and Ardèche area). We started this journey in the famous French gorge of Valgarnide on the Dourbie river where we spent two days in an awesome scenery. It was the first weekend of November, one of the public holyday in France. Every year the Dourbies villagers organise the chestnuts festival; it was a good opportunity for us to join the party, eat some chestnuts cooked on the fire, drink some wine and dance… During the last days, we went on the Hérault River which has a beautiful gorge view, visited the Couvertoirade village one of the most beautiful village from XI century, then we took a breakfast in the south Mediterranean coast in Palavas-les-Flots, just before we came up in Ardèche area.




Every year, when I am going to the Ardèche area, I usually paddle the classical rivers (such as Upper Ardèche, Bourges,…). This year I decide to explore and run “unknown” rivers. Thanks to Henry Denis, a local paddler and famous writer of the book
“Cévennes guide”, we discover a set of beautiful rivers from class III to V+ , such as Saliouse, Escoutay, Eysse, Loire River gorge that Henry has the “secret” knowledge.







He brought us across some awesome scenery, where young and former paddlers gathered. This creates, all along the week an atmosphere I am in love, almost addictive!!

Thanks every paddlers
Enjoy the photos :

Cévénes Octobre-Novembre 2011

Stefun

Jura 2011




At last, we’ve got some rain in the Jura area! As often, when the rain “comes home”, we decided to scout some new rivers’ section in the South of Jura (next to Saint Claude) taking advantage of a rarely “higher” water level. We found some new sections, but unfortunately the levels were too low. Finally, we went back in the center of Jura, closed to Champagnole. There, we kayak the middle Lemme River and run some waterfalls on the Ain River… and the next day, we did the Saine River under a beautiful sun!

More photos here :

October 2011 Jura session

Siberia 2011





Back from Siberia after a 10 days self support trip in the middle of nowhere, close the Baikal lake.

The Adidas team member Tomass Marrnics organised a trip guided by himself on the
Sayan area with the goal to do the Kitoy river with a pretty good team from five different
countries (France, Germany, England, Latvia and Russia). 250 kms on really good white-
water and beautiful scenery.

It’s in Irkutsk that the trip was started for all the French guys who were part of the trip,
Tomass came to the airport to bring us and meet the other paddlers.
After a six hours drive, we were at the put-in of the kitoy river and started the first kms to the
first campsite by night
At the morning, we put the food in every boats and off we went to start and enjoying
the kitoy river.

Not many french people can have this kind of self upport experience in France, so it was a really good opportunity for them to get a good whitewater experience of group living, good
cohesion and team spirit on the river. Each days we ate rice, pasta or lens with some fresh fish fished by our self.

The rest of the river was magic, sometimes grade II on amazing scenery to grade IV in
some awesome gorges with nice big water. One portage of 40 min to avoid a nasty rapid
with many siphons on one of part of the kitoy river. We arrived on the Ekhe-gol river, one of
tributary to do a waterfall. Just benny the clown was courageous enough to did it.
Then, We got back in the gorge of the Kitoy river with more and more water and some big
rapids grade IV. Some paddlers tasted and enjoy the swim !!
The evening we joined an other campsite on the Biluti confluence. Six hours of portage in
the Russian jungle to reach one of the put-in of the Biluti river. Waterfall, drops, slides in the
beautiful canyon with some nice colours.



We finished the Kitoy river in Irkoutsk by 80 kms grade II and a super vodka party with all
of new friends we are meet on this trip …

A ship price trip with a good organisation from Tomass and his friends who have been
building the campsite so fast every evening...
Many thanks to all of you !!
all information about this trip on this blog : http://marnics1.blogspot.com/

More photos here

Siberie 2011

Stefun

French Kayak Magazine N° 219




Here is the new current issue from CKM with a new look and more cool photos. You can check out a new pic of myself on one of the beautiful waterfalls of the Ain river source.

Many thanks to Raph for this nice photo !! ;)

Hey, I just received my award of the 14th Rosenheim Kayak Film Festival where the French Tour 2010 won in new comer category.
One sweet crystal award !!!

The french Tour 2010 will be on the 6th Mountain Film festival to Valmorel in French Alps on April 22- 25rd 2011.
http://www.metsdlawax.com

Cheers
Stefun

FRENCH TOUR 2010


First of all, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all my partners and friends for such a great 2010, who make my dream come true: paddling all over the world - it was absolutely amazing! Once more THANK YOU for your continued support throughout my paddling adventure and generosity that you gave me along the way.

Since 2005 I am taking my favourit video « French Tour ». At the beginning this movie was created together with “3 French Riders“ Romain Guirao, Sylvain Riffet and Stephan(e) Pion,who have been paddling a lot on French rivers. Iit was a good opportunity for us to thank our sponsors plus to wink to all friends who have been paddling with us.

The first movie edit by “3 French Riders“ won the Film Festival in Rosenheim organised by Olaf six years ago.

Now I‘m paddling, traveling and filming even more on different rivers around the world. I want to keep « French Tour » as the name for my friends and the annual video.

A recap of the year 2010 in the Jura, Pyrennees area and an awesome trip in the Russian mountains.

Enjoy the footages,

Discover Russian.


One trip with one of the best russian kayaker to discover the sayan place in Russia and the amazing landscape, with any multidays trip on the rivers
check out the Tomass Marnics blogsite. http://marnics-sayan1.blogspot.com/
join us and be part of travel!!

See ya
Stefun

The French Canoë kayak magazine current issue N°218 is available with a cool article from Raph Thiebaut about the Dourbie river.
You find a free DVD inside with my movie "Dourbie river"
Thank a lots of all my sponsor for this awesome first multidays trip in the french river...










here is movie :

Dourbie river from pion stephane on Vimeo.

Enjoy it !!

Happy 2011 with lots of pleasure !!