Dan Burke- Worlds Update 2, #Thun

Worlds.

Sorry no pictures, I am working off of the blackberry since I couldn't find a internet connection.

First of all, Switzerland is amazing, thun is beautiful and the general vibe of the Worlds is great.

That being said, it is hard to go from having the Worlds at Buseater to this. At buseater paddlers were catching air larger than this wave. And when Buseater greened out you could still go huge.

After watching almost every country's training times it is clear that the wave is inconsistent. The US training spot would be a prime example. I saw some truly amazing boating done buy Stephen Wright, I saw him throw huge blunts, kick flips, monster back blunts and so on. And for the next paddler the wave would green out and you could barely front surf.

I have seen some of the best paddlers in the world flush on a front surf, and I have seen some of the best paddlers in the world show why they are the best in the world. The wave is truly holding back the true potential of each paddler, but that is life.

Is this the best place for the Worlds? I don't know? The Worlds haven't started yet, for all I know they are conserving water so they can have enough for the Worlds. It seems many people have their conspiracy theories on the subject.

What I do know is that it is truly spectacular to see what the best paddlers in the world can do on a mediocre wave.

I am not going to say names because I can't spell them correctly and I don't know everyones names and the BlackBerry is no help on that. But, there is some serious talent here, and anything can happen on a flushy wave. One thing for sure, is there are going to be some upsets and pure moments of glory in Switzerland.

I will try to get some photos in soon. If any one has any questions on what is going on at the worlds please let me know and I will try to get back to you.

More to come in the next couple of days. Once the comp starts I will try to post results daily.

Cheers and happy paddling

Dan Burke
Team Bliss-Stick
Danburke1981@gmail.com

Brian Jennings- Worlds Updates- #Thun

Michael,

After a few days here in Thun, things are going well. I haven't surfed the wave yet because I don't want to take practice time from the team members that will be competing on it. We're doing squirt in another channel, but it's open practice, so I can go out whenever, as opposed to the surface boat classes that have assigned team practice times.

Lots of great athletes here, and there are some great rides being thrown. Jason Craig, Bryan Kirk, EJ, Stephen Wright, Peter Czonka, Nick Troutman, Kelsey Thompson, Billy Harris, and the German Strohmeier Bros are having the best rides so far. Lots of practice left!

After JK and WS, Bliss-Stick easily the third most represented brand, with RAD's and Smoothy's being the boats of choice. It's crazy to think that a boat that has been around as long as the RAD is still out there killing it. It's a great testament to the BS design team!!

Dan Burke arrives today, and we'll be sure to get some pics of his custom RAD 175. I'm going to try and get out one evening during open time to surf the wave. Photos to come soon!

Brian Jennings
Team Bliss-Stick USA

Dan Burke- Hurricane Bill, Warm up for the Worlds, #Thun, Switzerland

Hey Michael.

I have got things all wrapped up in NH and I am getting reading to fly out to Switzerland today.

I made some final adjustments to my boat, layed in some more carbon around the knees, and fine tuned the outfitting. This boat is slick. wicked fast and goes huge.

Hurricane Bill washed up on shore the other day and I took my Rad 175 for a test run. The waves were breaking around 15-20 ft. Not allot of people out but there were thousands that showed up to watch. There is a wall that stretched for a little over a mile on the coast and it was covered with people watching the surfers and the waves. It is hard to take photos since i was so far out but i managed to get one good one that my wife took. you can hardly see me, it gives good perspective on the size of the wave.

Switzerland or bust. I will send an update once I get over there.

More to come

Dan Burke
Team Bliss-Stick USA

World Premiere of Vital Films, Facing East, 08/28/2009, 6:30 PM

WHO: Bliss-Stick USA and Highland Brewing Company

WHAT: World Premiere of Vital FIlms, Facing East
Movie Trailer

WHERE: Highland Brewing Company, Asheville, NC

WHEN: Friday, August 28th, 2009 6:30 PM. Admission to the show is a canned good item to be donated to Manna Food Bank.

WHY: Working to try and end hunger in WNC, World Premiere of Facing East, drink great beer from the source!

Please come out and support the cause!

Highland's doors open at 4 PM, and provide free tours of the brewery, so if you have time, come early and check out Asheville's first brewery!

Directions to Highland Brewery:

From West on I-40 East
Exit 53B to I-240 & 74-A
Stay in the far right lane, which becomes Exit 8 off I-240 then follow directions below.

From East on I-40 West
Exit 53B to I-240 & 74-A
Stay in far right lane.
Take first exit--Exit 8.
Turn right onto Highway 74-A.
Go straight through one more stoplight. (Stay in right lane.)
Get into right turn lane & make hair-pin right turn onto Old Charlotte Hwy.
(From the light at the exit to this turn, it's 2/10ths of a mile.)

Once on Old Charlotte Hwy.
Take second left into Blue Ridge Motion Pictures (past the guard shack and up a long, winding driveway). At the top of the driveway, continue straight ahead to the last building on the left.

From Downtown Asheville:
I-240 East to Exit 8
Turn left onto Highway 74-A.
Go through two stoplights.
Merge into right turn lane & make hair-pin right turn onto Old Charlotte Hwy.
Take second left into Blue Ridge Motion Pictures (past the guard shack and up a long, winding driveway). At the top of driveway, continue straight ahead to the last building on the left.

Matt Jensen- Midwest Freestyle Championships

Hey Guys,
Last weekend I was up at the Midwest Freestyle Championships in Wausau, Wi . Man what a good time. After practice paddling on Thursday and Friday I figured it was going to be a quick competition for me. Most of my moves were flushing or just not coming around. After the prelim's I snuck into the finals in the 8th seed (top 10 advance). Sunday went much better. My team in the team freestyle event placed 1st, did the boatercross and placed 5th(out of 60) and placed 2nd in the intermediate division. Sweet 2 belt buckles (the prizes for 1st,2nd, and 3rd). My streak of good luck continued into the raffle when I won an astral willis pfd.

I also have apparently made it into the 2009 Wausau Whitewater Magazine, I'll send you down a copy.
Enjoy the pics,

Matt Jensen
WI Bliss-Stick Agent

First Descents: Nolichucky Splash, August 29th, 2009

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Team Bliss-Stick's, Dan Burke, C-1 Outfitters Guide to the Universe

Ok Guys. Here it is.

My C1 outfitters guide to the universe.

First. I would like to say that this is only one way to outfit a C1. There are many different ways to outfit your boat, I have tried many different styles and have come up with one that I keep coming back to for playboating.

What you will need to outfit your playboat.

Fiberglass / Carbon Fibre and resin (this is a optional step. I was turned on to this by fellow US C1 guru Joe Stumpfel. The layers of glass and carbon make your hull wicked still and also allow you to glass in d-rings for your straps.

Foam (as much as you can get your hands on)

a sharp bread knife / for cutting the foam

glue (i prefer weldwood contact cement.)

straps and buckles (*****DISCLAIMER ****** USING SEAT BELTS IN A KAYAK IS UNSAFE... STRAP IN AT YOUR OWN RISK)

D-rings

Bolts

PBR, COORS LIGHT, JIM, JACK, any or all of the above (or for the under 21- Redbull)



And so we begin.

Start by taking out all of the existing outfitting in your boat

If you decide that you want to put in the glass in your boat you need to first glue down a layer of thin minicell foam. The glass will not adhere to plastic and will eventually separate from the boat.

after the foam is in, lay down your fiberglass or carbon fibre and coat it with a thin layer of resin. then also lay down you d-ring in the center of the boat, just a couple of inches behind were you kneel. continue with another layer of glass or carbon. let cure over night.

this is when it gets fun. find out were you want to kneel in the boat. i never get it right the first time, i always end up outfitting and micro-adjusting a couple of times before i get it solid. once you have a good idea were you want to be glue it down.

then shape your backrest. and glue that in place.

once you backrest is in place kneel in your boat. get in a position were you are comfy and trace your knees on to the floor of the boat so you know were you need to glue the foam

glue your knee pads.

now for the straps. I have been using 3 GM seat belts in my playboat. one over each leg and one across the lap. *******THIS IS NOT SAFE*******. if you swim you have to pull skirt and undo 3 buckles, very hard to do if you are not a fish. I recommend one strap over each leg for starting out. the same straps they use for open canoeing.

once you have a solid fit in your boat. GO SHRED. take some rides. it will be very easy to find out were you need additional pads, after each session fine tune your boat until you find that you are solid.

Take a look at some of the photos to get an idea on what to do. i have photos of 2 boats, a super rad (Green) and the Rad 175 that Bliss-Stick built me for the worlds in Thun. I am still getting the hang of the 175, but i know by the time I get to worlds I will be ready to rip.

I will keep you posted on what goes down.

Cheers,

Dan Burke

2007 C1 Freestyle World Champion

Seth Stoenner, Team Bliss-Stick, Climax Wave Surf Session

Bliss-Stick Smoothy, Grand Canyon, Colorado River

Hey Michael,

Brian Pickett here. I have meant to do this for a LONG time. Here are a few pictures from the Grand Canyon from my July 2008 trip. Thank you again for getting me the Smoothy. Most people were in and out of their kayaks constantly, but the comfort of the Bliss-Stick outfitting allowed me to spend more time in my kayak than any other member of their group. I even had the shortest kayak of the group! All in all, I spent 15 of 16 days in the Smoothy and would have gone all 16 if it wasn't for the massive beatdown I took in Granite and Hermit Rapid!

A brief explanation of all the pictures:
The day06_001 shows our playboats up against the massive commercial rafts. You might notice the hand paddles. We tried that for fun one day. For future reference, hand paddles do not come highly recommended on the Colorado! Day03_005 is just a classic picture of the Grand Canyon. You can see me in the Smoothy in the bottom right-hand corner of the picture. Day 07_009 is my beatdown in Hermit Rapid. Last, but certainly not least, day13_058 thru day13_061 is a series of shots thru Lava Falls.

Thanks again for delivering the Smoothy and the great customer service before, during, and after. One year later, and I am still in love with the kayak. Of course, I love my Bliss-Stick Mystic, and my wife will soon be enjoying her Mini Mystic.

Take care,
Brian Pickett

Ottawa River Update- Training for the Worlds

After an unfortunate 2 year absence, I was finally able to make it back up to one of my favorite rivers anywhere...The Ottawa!! With levels at springtime flows, I was treated to a variety of playspots and really fun rapids. My mission was three-fold....1) Visit my girlfriend Eileen, who is guiding on the Ottawa this summer, 2) to train for Worlds and 3) to enjoy a few days off from work in the process. I'm happy to say all 3 missions were accomplished. Enjoy the photos from my 4 days on the Ottawa.

Brian Jennings
Team Bliss-Stick USA

USNWC Demo & Charlotte's Last 2009 HTTD

Last Saturday we were invited to the last Charlotte Home Town Throw Down, where we provided demos for the day and for the competition. We had a huge crowd show up to demo the boats. Needless to say, the response was very receptive.

Helping us with the representation was High Country local, Pete Pickering, longtime member of the Bliss-Stick family and Jono Davis, a member of the Australian Bliss-Stick team, visiting NC for the summer.

Huge thanks goes out to everyone that demoed and participated, along with Pete and Jono. As well as Samantha and Jason Miller, they are the event coordinators for the WK Charlotte HTTD series.

Here are some pictures of Pete and Jono. Pete is in the light blue Smoothy and Jono is in the dark blue Super RAD 180.

Stephen Forster, Low Water High Tension, Ottawa RIver

Bliss-Stick T-Shirts Now Available

Our introductory crew neck short sleeved shirts printed on Hanes heavyweight 50/50 tees. You have the choice between solid black with lettering on chest and Bliss-Stick logo on the back or solid white with mania figure on the back.

Sizes run from small through extra large.

Ideal uses: Road trips, running shuttle, brewpub, pimpin.

Mill Creek, a West VIrginia Classic!

After numerous storms yielding no fruit, we were finally lucky to get on Mill Creek last Friday. Mill is a WV classic, with the first mile being fun class IV, the second mile being solid class IV-V, and a sweet 20 footer that separates the two. The more I paddle the Mystic, the more I like it...fast, stable and predictable. After missing my boof stroke at the top of Powderhouse, I subbed out, but thanks to the Mystic (and a well timed brace) I resurfaced and styled the rest of the rapid. Unfortunatly, I missed some great water in WV last week, as I was on the Ottawa training for Worlds. Stay tuned for more updates to come!

Brian Jennings
Team Bliss-Stick USA

Nasowdnahunk Falls, Maine, USA

Hi Michael,
We took some shots of the falls last night. This is Zack Desilvestro,Todd Mercer and I at Nasowdnahunk Falls. A really nice spot for a evening sesh. Hope things are well in the South as up here it is warm and sunny.

Take care,

Adam Swett
Maine Bliss-Stick Agent

Vital-Films Presents Facing East

Snow melt and runoff converge off the Tibetan Plateau creating some of the world's largest river corridors. These rivers support millions of people and countless ecosystems. China's rivers are the lifeblood of this world's booming economy, but their ecological health and their ability to sustain the communities that depend on them has never been in more danger then now. Currently undergoing the largest construction project since they built The Great Wall in 220 B.C., China is now home to the largest hydroelectric project on earth. Due to over population and over consumption, the Chinese government is choosing to harness the power of these mighty rivers at the expense of losing some of the world's most unique regions. These projects have forced over 10 million people from their homes and land, many of whom are still suffering the impacts of displacement. And now the third largest river in the world, the Yangtze River is home to the construction of over 13 large dams.

Vital Films presents the story about the last experience of the Yangtze River before it is completely underwater and transformed into reservoirs. Come on a journey with a group of kayakers and explorers as they make the final decent down the Yangtze River and experience it for one last time Facing East.

Produced by Matt Hobbs and Cael Jones. Co-produced by Tino Specht and Matt Fullbright, both members of Team Bliss-Stick here in the United States.



ORDER TODAY

US Bliss-Stick Team Member, Harlan Taney, Member of Huckin Huge, Checks In

Harlan has had a pretty busy schedule this summer, but managed to send us some pictures from his trip from Japan with Huckin Huge. Most of the footage from this trip can be seen in their last production, The Risen Sun, that premiered around the country earlier this spring, but we wanted to share these few with you.

Thanks Harlan!