S T A n D I n g W a V e S
Upper Ottawa Valley
Christmas is not a date.
it is a state of mind
DOCTORS
Photo tArA mcGrAw
WANTED
PRACTiCE.
gear For good
PADDlE.
KARl MOSeR PlAyS SAnTA In ugAnDA
When hARD-cORe hucKeR and Team Riot of and the poor quality of equipment they had,
freestyler Karl Moser graduated from the universi- Moser began to think their skills deserved better.
Why wait until your holidays to go
ty of Oregon in 2005 he wanted to get as far away So slowly from there the seed got planted for
as possible from the influences and demands his a christmas for Africa gear drive. Moser returned
paddling when you can paddle
degree would bring. he was looking for greater home with his idea and spent a year or so ham-
and practice in the heart of the inspiration than starting a career, but little did he mering out how they could gather equipment and
Whitewater Capital of Canada?
know a short stint as a river bum would lead to so ship it overseas. After a few phone calls to poten-
much work and reward. tial supporters Moser realized his idea of donating
Live here and enjoy rivers like the
“I was young and completely addicted to kaya- gear would take off.
king from watching Wicked Liquid [Steve fisher’s “The response was incredible,” he said. “nRS
Ottawa, Madawaska, Petawawa,
1999 playboat movie on the Zambezi River in Af- literally gave us a shopping cart and told us to
Dumoine, Colounge, Noire and
rica] and I would watch it over and over again un- ransack their warehouse.” Soon after Wave Sport,
Barron, plus Algonquin Park
til the tape finally gave out,” says Moser, now an AT Paddles, Shred Ready helmets and Astral
award-winning filmmaker with epicocity Project and Buoyancy jumped on board.
all just minutes from our
a head coach with the World class Kayak Acad- The gear was collected over the summer and
state-of-the-art regional hospital.
emy. “I had this dream to go to Africa and huck shipped on a two-month sea voyage for deliv-
my meat on the Zambezi. When I finally graduated ery just before the end of December. In all, 14
Don’t believe us? Come and enjoy
from college—much to my mother’s lament—I flew kayaks, 21 paddles and lifejackets, 15 skirts, 18
to Africa for a two-month kayaking adventure.” sets of booties and 22 helmets made it into the
true Ottawa Valley hospitality while
Knowing little about the ugandan kayaking hands of ugandan kayakers living and working
our local river runners show you the scene when he left, Moser says he was com- on the rivers.
rivers and our medical experts
pletely blown away by how good the local boat- “The big thing to understand is that kayaking
ers are, despite poor-quality gear or sometimes for the ugandans represents a way to better their
show off our health care, cultural
no gear at all. lives. The average ugandan makes $600 at par
and educational facilities. “It’s not uncommon to see local kayakers bomb- annually or about $2.50 a day for back-breaking
ing down class III in a broken kayak, a makeshift labour,” Moser explains. “A safety kayaker on a
There is no obligation,
paddle and no helmet. They just don’t have ac- commercial rafting trip can make between $2.50
just an invitation to experience the
cess to very good gear, but they have an amaz- to $5 per day, and gets fed. If they have medi-
ing learning curve,” Moser says. “We literally had cal training and speak good english, they can
best paddling in the country.
guys start rolling on Monday, and then trying don- become a guide bringing home $20 per day. So
Call our resident Master Canoeist
key flips at nile Special on Saturday.” kayaking isn’t just a sport to them; it’s a way to
he and paddling partner Aaron Rettig would have a vastly better life.”
Fred Blackstein at (613) 638-1994
meet up with local paddlers each day. They de- Christmas for Africa is also the title of Moser’s
veloped friendships and started to teach them upcoming documentary showcasing last year’s
skills like rolling. As the days passed, more locals effort, a film Moser hopes will raise awareness
Sponsored by a volunteer group of concerned outdoor enthusiasts
collected to watch and learn and eventually an in- and further his charity work.
www.christmas-
and paddlers who live, work and play in the Upper Ottawa Valley.
formal club began to take shape. Seeing the lack
forAfrica.com. —Neil Etienne
RAPID
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52