If you can see Mt. Baker, you are part of The Experience
If you picked up our summer issue, you may remember this photo:
The shot, taken by Tait Trautman on Bear Creek near Mt. Baker, depicts world-renowned kayaker Fred Norquist on the first descent of Klahanie Falls. When contributor Eric Parker sent this photo in, we were blown away by the power of the waterfall and the skill (not to mention guts) it must have taken to send it. Parker was the third person to drop the falls, after Norquist and Brendan Wells. He described the drop like this:
"It’s a 50-60 foot waterfall with a fast paced, technical lead in. The pool is questionably deep and the drop itself is very difficult. I charged into powerful curling waves above the lip and what felt like a split second later, I was soaring down the falls to the pool below. I took two strokes down the drop, tossed my paddle, and braced for impact. After a substantial hit, I rolled up and was immediately overwhelmed with joy and adrenaline."
Parker captured Norquist's descent on video and the clip was entered into Tribe Rider's fourth annual Rider of the Year awards in the Best Line (Waterfall) men's category. Norquist was a featured athlete in Bomb Flow TV's "Porque Ganando," which won Best Online Film (Long) in the Rider of the Year awards in 2013. Will he win for best waterfall line this year?
A panel from Tribe Rider decides who wins, but we'll let you be the judge. Watch the clip below and view the other entries at rideroftheyear.org
Fred Norquist (USA) - Entry for Best Line (Waterfall) - Bear River Falls - 1st D, Bear River, USA from Rider of the Year Awards on Vimeo.
