EXPEDITION
BOATER X
As rivers in the area rose towards historic
levels, UNLEASHED moved to the Rouge River.
The Gauntlet is a rapid that was created for
boatercross: a chaotic environment formed by
high volume, massive waves and unpredictable
reactionaries. Chaos ensued from the first
paddle strokes of the day. Dutch paddler Raoul
Collentuer took a paddle to the face off the start
line yet still managed to win his heat, earning the
nickname Honey Badger. Athletes went under,
over and around each other, fighting for a place
in the finals. A challenging final move put Brooke
Hess first at the finish, showcasing her skill. In the
last race of day, with rain pouring down, Dane
Jackson, Kalob Grady and Bren Orton crashed
into the finish line too close together to tell who
won. Though Dane took the win, the photo
finish exemplified what UNLEASHED is about:
great friends, amazing whitewater, fun, friendly
competition and good times.
Glory and
chaos during
the men’s finals
on the Rouge
River BoaterX.BIG WAVE FREESTYLE
The crown jewel of the north, the elusive Molly Wave,
lives 60 kilometers upstream of the normal put-in for the
Mistassibi. Since its discovery a few years ago, many crews
have journeyed to the Lac-Saint-Jean region hoping for
Molly to come alive, but the wave’s location far above the
gauge makes levels almost impossible to predict. Levels
were in range for Molly, so the crew made the two-hour
trek upstream for the slim chance of competing on this
legendary feature. Peering off the bridge that marks Molly’s
location, the world momentarily stopped. Downstream
was an absolutely perfect Molly. Upstream was a never-
ending train of ice. The question “Is it worth it?” was heavily
debated. After hours of patience and deliberation, as the
ice melted, athletes decided, “Yes. It was.” An all out free-
for-all ensued. Bren Orton consistently threw down some of
the biggest tricks of the day, while James “Aussie” Rowlinson,
Raoul Collenteur and Kalob Grady linked massive KY’s and
Pistol Flips. On the Aussie’s final ride, a ridiculous KY kicked
off an impressive sequence of massive tricks, putting the
pressure on current leader Dane Jackson. Dane left nothing
to chance. With some of the most creative combos and
impressive airtime of the day, Dane secured first place for
the 4th consecutive stage. The ladies also stepped up in
Stage 4, overcoming the tumbling eddy lines, freezing
temperatures and oncoming ice to charge onto the wave.Arthur Paulos
flashing his
kayak to the
crowd during
Stage 4 on
Molly.