This year I decided to go check out the Adidas Sickline Kayak World Championships. Its not the first time I have tried to go to Sickline, I nearly went there two years ago but ended up breaking my collarbone about two weeks before the race which put a bit of a dampner on that plan. Then last year it was too far to travel but this year I was working in Voss over the summer which is a lot closer to Austria comparative to New Zealand.
This year was a pretty good year to attend Sickline because it is only the 2nd year ever that the race organisers have allowed the women to race on the Wellebruke section of the race course, formerly they were only allowed to race on the section starting at the minus 1 rapid through champions killer and down through a grade 2/3 section. Considering that this year four men had DNF results in the race, two of which were in the top twenty-six final and only one women had a DNF (and she went on to get the 2nd fastest time in the second round) and Nouria Newman’s time in the final would have placed her number eleven in the men’s superfinal, I think its a little bit arrogant of the race organisers to say that only the top three or only the top five fastest women are good enough to paddle the Wellebruke section. From my experience women are just as rational and level headed as men when it comes to making decisions on what they can and can’t paddle.
Nouria Newman ripping it up on the racecourse
Keeping warm and dry on the glacier melt in my Palm drytop
Martina styling it in some new Palm gears she picked up from the Paddle Expo
Safety first … the Austrians love safety and tight wetsuits
Me lining up the boof at champions killer
Finalists
Cheers Olaf and the race organisation crew for and awesome event!
