If you knew someone who had kayaked off a 189.5 foot waterfall, you’d want to have a beer with them and ask them a few questions right? Well we can’t arrange that but we’ve got the next best thing. Outsider’s paddling editor Kipper Maguire recently caught up with Tyler Bradt, the 25-year-old American professional white-water kayaker who holds the unofficial world record for the highest waterfall successfully run in a kayak. Here’s what the kayaker had to say about that fateful paddle off Palouse Falls, Washington, back in April 2009 and a few other things besides. And if you want to watch the video of his record-breaking paddle, scan this code here. Insert qr-tyler.png here Olly. Maybe run the text around it?

“Palouse Falls is about 20 feet higher than Niagra Falls. It’s 189.5 feet tall and quite a phenomenal waterfall. It was created by an ice dam holding back a huge glacial lake which broke and sent a huge volume of water rushing from Montana across the west and into the Pacific Ocean. The Palouse River is one of the many canyons it carved out and so the falls are quite an anomaly because the pool at the base and the canyon it is in are much more dramatic than a river its size could have ever created. It’s the reason it is such a perfect waterfall.”

“Palouse is a picture-perfect waterfall and I ran it simply because I believed it could be done. I assessed it as runable. I knew it was risky but I believed it was possible.

“I was quite anxious when I woke up that morning. I hadn’t slept much the night before.”

“As I paddled towards the waterfall, I was concentrated on the line. There is actually quite a fine line on the waterfall and not hitting it would be disastrous. I was focused and peaking with adrenaline.”

“The last paddle stroke I took before I went over the lip was a left forward draw stroke to bring my bow into the crease of the waterfall. I carried that same stroke through into my tuck.”

“There are many techniques for running waterfalls and it doesn’t matter which one you use as long as it has the same result – your boat dead vertical on the landing. I have watched many people develop their own waterfall techniques but many of the basics are the same; controlling your angle off the lip, tucking forward slowly to maintain the angle and holding that tuck through the impact.”

“More than a thought, it was a feeling as I dropped of the top. I knew I was in the right place and my angle was perfect. I had a great positive feeling in freefall.”

“The impact was hectic. It knocked the wind out of me, sprained my wrist, jack-knifed me out of my tuck, shattered my paddle and left me totally dazed.”

“When I realized I had landed safely, the feeing was incredible. It was a feeling of great relief and sheer joy to be safely at the bottom of the falls.”

“It felt great to have Palouse behind me. After so much time thinking about it, it was just a huge relief. It was a very thought-through and calculated decision which went accordingly. I look back at it with only positive thoughts. I was happy with the result but completely unprepared for all the media and attention it was receiving. I wanted to run it because I knew I could but I had not thought it through to the point of considering the publicity and popularity the drop produced.”

“When it comes to preparation for something like this, mentally, it is just a natural talent you have to have. I run lots of difficult rapids and huge waterfalls and I attribute it as much to my mental stability as my physical ability. Really the two go hand in hand. Physically, I was in great shape at the time having spent the previous month in Mexico living on a sailboat, surfing, swimming and hauling up the anchor multiple times a day. It’s very important to be in the best shape you can when doing a waterfall of that height.”

“I was planning the drop for about three months. I invented a device I name the chastity belt. It clamps the spray skirt on so it cannot implode or explode on landing. Apart from that my kayak was standard.”

“I had two kayakers in the water and one on land at the base of the falls. I also had someone on a rope from the lip of the falls ready to rappel behind it should I end up in the cave. We had the direct line to a helicopter on standby should something have gone wrong. Safety is the most import thing in doing what we do.”

“In essence I had been training my whole life for that waterfall.”

“My family didn’t know of my plans and I didn’t have children. I am sure having kids would affect my decision to do these things.”

“My goals are not to run a waterfall bigger than Palouse. I have numerous goals but just like Palouse I don’t like to talk about them until they are underway. I just came back three days ago from an expedition to run the last un-navigated section of the Congo River. In doing so we ran the highest volume, biggest rapids on the planet. That was a huge accomplishment that I am happy to be on the other side of.”

“I love running big waterfalls but my main area of interest is multi-day creeking and expedition kayaking.”

“I’ve too many favourite moments on the water to choose one but paddling away from Palouse is up there.”

“I am motivated by having fun.”

“Of course I get scared. The scariest thing that’s ever happened to me was breaking my back.”

“For me taking risks is normal but I don’t categorize it as that. If I didn’t do what I do I wouldn’t be happy or satisfied. It’s both who I am and what I do.”

The course will run in Killarney National Park. There will be hands-on scenario-based learning along with classroom lectures which will be taught by two army special forces medics and PHECC paramedics. The course costs €700. For further details, email RemoteMedicine@gmail.com; tel. (066) 9481944.

Amateur and professional filmmakers are invited to submit short films (max 10 minutes and HD if possible). This is your best opportunity to share your adventures with an adrenaline-addicted live audience. WAFF Awards for Best Amateur Film, Best Professional Film and Audience Favourite will be presented on the night. Check out www.waff.ie for more info, terms and conditions, or get in touch with the festival director john@waff.ie. Closing date for film submission is the 6 January 2012.

Expert instructors will be on hand to guide you through the basic skills you need to get on the water. Participants will be taught how to set up the boat to your specifications, the basic strokes and how to get in and out of the boat – even when you upside-down in the water. Further details about the course are available at www.tollymore.com

The Irish competitors put in an impressive performance last year with Richie Fitzgerald, Peter Conroy and Glyn Ovens showing off the skills they have acquired from years of practice on big waves. Easkey Britton stole the show however, as the only woman in the competition. She proved to be fearless as she took on a 30ft wave which subsequently saw her nominated for a Performance of the Year award at the Billabong XXL Big Wave Global awards, dubbed the ‘Oscars’ of surfing.

These surfers are now again be on call for the invite-only event and will be joined by an elite collection of the world’s best big-wave surfers. The event is supported by Monster Energy, the Irish Surfing Association and the Irish Surf Rescue Club.

Setting off from Christchurch, the group climbed the Southern Alps heading across Porter’s Pass, Haast Pass, Arthur’s Pass and the Otira Gorge around Death’s Corner. Many were unprepared for the severe weather conditions thrown at them, and several suffering from stage-one hypothermia in the early stages of the challenge.

The IRFU Charitable Trust was set up to support seriously injured rugby players. The tour jersey can still be purchased from irfucyclejersey.com and 2Wheels Cycles with all proceeds going to the Trust.

This 55km hiking/hill running adventure runs from Dublin Castle to Glenmalure Valley starting at midnight. Participants keep going through dawn and deep into the Wicklow Mountains. Eoin Keith, last year’s winner, described it as the gnarliest event on the hill running calendar in Ireland.
Although the challenge is one of the toughest events on the calendar, it is achievable by a wide range of folk and organisers revel in helping everyone achieve personal milestones by finishing this epic journey.

The challenge marks a defining moment in Irish history as participants retrace the 1592 prison escape of Red Hugh O Donnell and Art O’Neill from Dublin Castle.

Due to environmental reasons, there is a limit to the amount of participants who can take part in the Art O’Neill Challenge. To avoid disappointment visit: www.artoneillchallenge.ie to sign up. The site also has lots of information on what kit you’ll need and will detail when talks on the challenge will take place in Great Outdoors, Chatham St, Dublin 2.

The majority of participants walked as part of a group with the exception of a few hardcore soles who chose to run the route solo. The hike followed the Wicklow Way for 24km before heading towards the summit of Paddock Hill and on to the finish line in Trooperstown Woods.

The Moonlight Challenge is the main fundraising event for the Glen of Imaal
Red Cross Mountain Rescue Team. It was started in 2010 to assist with sponsorship to construct a rescue base. The base will allow the rescue team to fully protect precious equipment and manage every aspect of the team’s activities more efficiently. Funds raised from this event will allow the rescue team to finish the construction of the base. To take part in next year’s challenge, visit: www.wmr.ie