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Alex Clayden |
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Squad image:
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Preferred Products:
Top
5 gear picks from CKS and why (please make the items hyperlinks):
Kokatat
GMER Drysuit: Not
only does this drysuit keep you comfortable and warm on all-day or
multi-day river outings, but it is an important piece of safety gear
for me. When you are working your way down a creek, you never know
when you'll find yourself standing in an eddy setting safety or
directing traffic. In Colorado, the weather changes all the time
and, especially during spring runoff, its common to put on in the sun
and finish in a thunderstorm. In these situations, staying dry and
warm all day is mandatory.
Werner
Shogun Straight Shaft Paddle:
The Shogun straight shaft paddle is my favorite because the blade
has a powerful grab in the water, never flutters, and makes critical
adjustment strokes like duffeks and C-strokes easy. The buoyancy of
the blade is also great for feeling the surface of the water when
setting up for a roll and keeping the paddle light in your hands on
all-day adventures.
Salamander
Dart Spectra Throw Rope:
If you have ever been on the receiving or throwing end of a life
saving throw bag toss, you will never paddle without a good one
again. The Dart stands out because it is available in a 90' length,
ensuring that your buddy won't miss your toss because it came up
short. The spectra is my choice because it is strong enough to
rappel on.
Astral
Bouyancy Greenjacket PFD:
This jacket is the most comfortable one I've ever worn. Not only
that, it has great coverage providing ample impact protection, has
good buoyancy, and is sure to stay in place if you find yourself
swimming whitewater or getting hoisted up by the belay loop.
Liquidlogic
Jefe Grande: The
Grande is a confidence inspiring creekboat that can do it all. It
has plenty of room for overnight storage, a friendly displacement
hull that can still carve into eddies, and enough volume to keep me
gliding over chaotic currents. It is also exceptionally easy to
boof, allowing me to log many frequent flyer miles of my favorite
drops, while landing softly and predictably at the bottom.
YouTube
Link: 1st
Annual Embudo Fest Update
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Squad Bio:
Name: Alex Clayden
Age: 29
Hometown: Denver, CO
Currently
Resides in: Denver, CO
Work: Lawyer
Years Paddling: 10
Top 3 Rivers:
Vallecito Creek;
Big South fork of the Cache la Poudre River;
Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone
The Perfect Vacation is: An opportunity to filter out all of the feedback
and noise of daily life and focus on the things that make me tick –
time with good friends, time in amazing places, and time on the water
finding the cleanest line. A couple perfect vacations of the past
include a mid-summer road-trip to California to run West Cherry and
Upper Cherry Creeks and a Labor Day trip to the North Fork of the
Payette for some soul boating with a big posse of Colorado creekers.
I find overnighters and trips that allow camping next to the creek to
be one of the best aspects of whitewater paddling.
Hobbies other than kayaking: Skiing, mountain biking, cyclocross, climbing
and travel.
Favorite websites:
www.therangelife.com
http://boofingtonheights.wordpress.com/
http://rfkayakers.blogspot.com/
http://www.kayakphoto.com/darinmcquoid/blog.html
http://egcreekin.blogspot.com/
http://www.bombflow.com/
Favorite paddling video: LVM, The White Album,Wild
Water
Best day of paddling ever: Day 2 of Upper Cherry Creek. You find yourself
in the midst of an incredible, almost alien-looking granitescape
surrounded by the highest quality creeking imaginable. You can start
this day off with a run down the ultra-classic Cherry Bomb Gorge, run
the famous Teacups over and over again, and then continue downstream
through one of the most stacked sections of river anywhere – with
infamous drops including Perfect 20, Double Pothole, Waterfall Alley,
Kiwi in a Pocket, and Dead Bear Falls.
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