The year 2012 is already off to a good start.




From the first day of this year, the winter offer us between Ardèche and Doubs area some good water level. It was a good opportunity for the DK boys team who paddled on big wave surfing like Lyon, La Malate and La Scie (which been working very rarely in recent years).
Here is the last DK movie filmed and edited by Mister Hugo.
It was also a good opportunity for myself to tried the easy-mix 2010 in some big waves and the boat was perfect like a machine !!
Few sessions more and it’s could be perfect… ☺

I wish you an Happy New Year and a lot of good thinks for 2012.

"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