This summer a lot of European Liquidlogic team members spent some time in Norway. I was there myself to make an article for the magazines. The article will be about the Sjoa valley, check your favorite mag to see some cool photos and have infos about that paddling paradise. But as we were there we went for  2 days with Mariann Saether and Ron fisher to the Rauma.

We joined there a group of kiwi paddlers and spent one of the nicest day of the season. But enough said here are a few photos of the Rauma:

Mariann on the upper Rauma, first day was not really sunny.

Mariann Saether on the first rapid of the Rauma

Ron Fisher on the first rapid of the Rauma

Rapid number 2 and confluence with Ulvoa

There’s a real magic atmosphere in that place and you know why it is called the Troll’s valley. you expect to see some fantasy créature coming out of the bush at any place there.

Paparazzi on rapid number 5

Mariann flying over the entrance of rapid 7

Ron Fisher enjoying the long slide in number 7

hope you enjoyed those photos

See you
Raph

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

…and make sure you watch the video to the end

Click here to view the embedded video.

Just after the next bent there is another cool and very long slide of 200+ meters with some nice gradient. After the first half of the section the sky darkened and it looked like a heavy rain would come down within the next hours. So we had to hurry a bit and didn’t took too many photos of the second half. But there will be a video coming soon.

The next day we went to the direction of the famous Sjoa valley. On our way we ran the Store Ula, a small creek in the middle of nowhere. It is starting in Rondane National Park on a high plateau. When you’re at the put-in parking lot you cannot imagine that there is a river somewhere in this area. As far as your can see there is just the typical and beautiful Norwegian Fjell landscape surrounded by mountain tops up to 2000 meters. It looks a kind like the landscape in Lord Of the Rings. You have to walk a dirt-road for about ten minuets until you catch the Store Ula.

We had a very low level but nevertheless it was much fun to run the slides and to enjoy the landscape. There are two slides with a little eddy between followed by a 9 footer and a 18 footer. The higher one needs to be ran exactly to avoid injuries. You have to cross the river over a small slide from left to the far right side to boof a curler onto the final table before the drop. Then you just have to wait for the right moment to set your boof. If you miss the line there are rocks left and right of the landing zone.

Alex portaged the slide combo completely, Susanne just ran the very first slide and portaged the rest. Reiner and I ran it completely. I was first on the slides, we both catched good lines and met up in the eddy right before the drop. Reiner went first. From above it looked like a good line, the others gave the ‘Okay’ for me and I started. I got the perfect line in the entrance so I could set a well timed boof and had a very soft landing.

Fully stoaked I took the next eddy where Reiner was standing. His face was full of blood and his right hand too. He hit his boats’ deck and had a deep cut on his thumb. He had to quit and went to the hospital. The rest of us finished the section and hoped there would be enough water for the three drops at the end. Unfortunately there was not enough water to huck’em.

The following days we spent in Sjoa valley and did different sections. The most demanding section is the Åmot Gorge. It a classic big water run here in Norway. A friend of us who is a local raft-guide joined Alex Keller and me. It is a short but intense run in a partially narrow gorge. Especially one of the first rapids needs an exact line because of a siphon. I missed the line a had to roll just a couple of meters before the siphon…not the best way to do this rapid The best part of this section is the V-drive, a 300 meter long section in which the walls get closer and closer.

At the end of the V-drive is a nasty hole which is the perfect place to show your freestyle abilities in a creek boat.

All in all Åmot Gorge is the best section on the Sjoa and the perfect evening run.

Today it started raining so we took a day off waiting for better weather. Maybe I drive to the west coast to meet up with some friends in the village of Voss. We’ll see.

Cheers, Max

Thanks to Harald and Reiner Glanz for sharing the photos!

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The sections starts with some smaller rapids until the first slide shows up. Directly after the slide there is a small drop with some nice backwash on the left.

Me going the first slide.

The drop after the slide.

In the middle of the section there is a cool combo called Little Huka Falls. You first go a small slide/drop thing of 12 ft than a short technical section ending in the main fall of Little Huka which is a 20 footer. Reiner went first and was a bit right of the perfect line. I went second and did the technical route with an eddie right before the lip, then went a bit left of the perfect line. Finally Susanne showed us guys how to catch the perfect line. Well done

The entry drop/slide to Little Huka Falls

Me in the main drop, a bit too far left

Tomorrow we are going to paddle the Upper and Lower Jori near the city of Dombas. It has some super fun slides and drops. So stay tuned for more.

Cheers, Max

Thanks to Harald and Reiner Glanz for sharing the photos!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Liquidlogic team kayaker Martin Vollen and Mathias Fossum on Visa river in Norway.

Photos by: Daniel Egger, Robert Machacek and Alexander Hirako

greets Stocki

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://www.teamliquidlogic.com/trip-to-norway/feed 1 http://www.teamliquidlogic.com/liquidlogic-team-europe-on-tv http://www.teamliquidlogic.com/liquidlogic-team-europe-on-tv#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:24:15 +0000 Max Eberl Continue reading →]]> On February 17th the German TV Show Ehrensenf showed a scene from the Team Liquidlogic Europe’s video Liquid Norway. You can see the team members at 1:21 min.

Am 17. Februar waren Teile des Liquidlogic Team Europe in der deutschen Fernsehsendung Ehrensenf zu sehen. Die Szenen stammen aus dem video Liquid Norway und sind bei 1:21 Minuten im Beitrag zu finden.