EVENT
romthemediaeditsto fine-tuningthedetailsofeachstage,fororganizersDane
Jackson,BrenOrton,AdrianMattern,andKalobGrady,Unleashedis meantto bea
pinnacleof competition,designedto inspirethenextthegeneration.In April 2019
Unleashedreturnedto whereit began,onthespringfreshetsof easternCanada,
witha newwaveofathletesreadytoprovethemselves.Lastyear,uncharacteristicallylow
waterlevelsforcedorganizersto cancelUnleashedat thelastminute.Theannouncement
wasdevastating,butit helpedto shapefutureeventsandcreatedmotivationfororganizers
to overcomethechallengesof operatingin fluctuatingconditions.Drawinginspirationfrom
thesuccessof surfingcompetitionsdesignedto givemoreauthorityovertheuncontrollable
forcesofnature,for2019,insteadoffixeddates,Unleashedseta 22-dayeventwindow
fromApril26thtoMay18th.Theresultanttime-frameandlevelofcommitmentrequired
drasticallyimpactedthefacesseenatUnleashed,andpotentiallytriggereda changingof
theguard.Withmanyexperiencedridersofthepastunabletotakepart,thedooropened
fora freshnewfieldof paddlers.Thiscropof young,untestedtalentprovedthattheyarethe
neweraofkayakingbythrowingdownonbrand-newfeaturesandestablishedwhitewater
classicswhilebattlingcoldweather,rowdywhitewater,andtheconstantelementofthe
unexpected.Theneedforaneventwindowformatwasimmediatelyevidentasa ‘perfect
storm’springrunoffamassed,givingrisetoa delugeofrecord-smashingspringflows.
Though12-16potentialeventslocationsaroundQuebechadbeenestablishedpriorto
the 2019 event,asthestartdateneared,theinconceivableamountofwaterthroughout
EasternCanadameantmostwereinaccessible.Asathletesandfriendsgatheredatthe
WhitewaterBrewery,beersinhand,theywaitedtoheartheanswertothequestionon
everyone’smind:wouldtheeventcontinue?Thefinalverdict:“Yes.”Drawinginspiration
fromDwightD.Eisenhower'sstatement,"Plansareuseless,buttheactofplanningis
indispensable,"thedancewithMotherNaturebegan.Theeventdemandedparticipants'
fullinvestmentandcommitment.Fourstagesunfoldedina short,seven-daywindowfor
a weekofsleepdeprivation,challengingwhitewater, moments of fear, and self-discovery.
But ask anyone involved, and it’s all worth it.TheloneupgateontheGiantSlalom
putathletestotheultimatetestatthe
end of a rigorous week of competing.ExperiencedbigwavesurferArthurPaulus(FR)showswhy
his nickname is “Mini Benny” with a big Pan Am on The Rib.Safety volunteer Matt Hamilton surveys the scene in the forests of Quebec.