Palm Lightning Throwbag First Look....

Now we all have that 'Beater' friend that we go paddling with, that's why it's important to have the right safety gear for when things go wrong. Most essential in my view is a throwline, but there is so many to choose from and surely they all do the same thing? Well I've been fortunate enough to get my hands on the hugely anticipated Palm Lightning Throwbag and this is why I'm choosing this line to pull my Beater friends out of sticky situations.....

Firstly the Lightning has a fresh look with some new bright colors that will stand out on the river and in low light/poor visibility conditions, you're not going to miss this flying at your face! Considering there is 18m of 8.5mm floating line it is seriously light and compact, perfect for sticking in your boat and not adding too much weight and bulk on long hike ins or on the river. This is without a doubt the most compact line on the market.

The most exciting addition to the Lightning is the Fidlock closure, which is essentially a plastic clip which locks in place easily with a magnet. Opening the bag and getting line out quickly is essential and with this system you can pop it open with a thumb, closure is just as quick and easy. The closure is also not reliant on the magnet so once closed it is secure. This is a massive step up to competitors popper closure which I find fiddly and hard to close.

The biggest complaint I hear about throwlines is that the neck and opening are too narrow and that packing the bag is a pain. Palm have responded with a super wide opening that has been modeled on climbing chalk bags, the neck has been stiffened so it stays open by itself which makes repacking a breeze. Again there isn't a bag like this on the market!

The line inside has also got a fresh new look to match the bag which again is highly visible. Although the bag is crazy small the line inside is a nice hefty 8.5mm which has a real nice feel and will feel really nice for the thrower and receiver to hold onto during rescues compared to other compact lines which can be a little cheese wirey on the hands. The line is attached with a figure 8 not to a heavily stitched tape, the line can be removed and used by itself or put back in with a knot of your choosing. Finally the line has a breaking strength of 8kn which is more than enough for your paddling needs.

The bag has two loops on the back so it can be carried on a waist belt which is ideal as a lot of compact bags only have one loop so the bag hangs awkwardly, not with the lightning!

And finally the tape pops out of the bottom and makes a small loop so the bag can be attached to karabiners and rescue rigs. The loop is only big enough for a karabiner so there is no chance of someones fingers or hands getting trapped, this is a snag free bag!

In my opinion this bag is going to lead the way in the watersports rescue market, everything has been thought out and there are plenty of minor details that put it apart from the competition. This is my bag of choice and I look forward to carrying it with me through the year, you never know when you'll need it!

The Palm Lightning Throwbag is currently due to be out in May so keep an eye out in your local store next month!

P.S you should probably buy it from Escape Watersports as they are ridiculously friendly and have great stock. https://www.escape-watersports.co.uk/equipment/safety-rescue/palm-lightning-18m-throwline-detail

Paddle safe kids and remember always bring your bag!

Welsh Waterfalling!

Just before New Year, we got treated with a little rain which topped up our local Welsh creeks nicely! 

We decided to hit the Nedd Fechan which is one of those rivers where the higher it flows, the more fun it is! After smashing the warm up drop we decided to lap the 20 footer four times. This is one of my favorite waterfalls. With a fast lead in and a large hole guarding the lip, it's difficult to get a clean line. If you stay dry over the entrance hole you can carry your speed and fly off the lip. If you get subbed out, you lose your speed and pencil which isn't great as the landing is unreliably shallow. 

After some sweet lines and some not so sweet we cruised down the rest of the run which has so many fun drops and rapids which you need to be on your game for. 

The Nedd Fechan has a tributary called the Pryddin which is a small creek with a number of large waterfalls. The levels seemed good and Lady Falls is something we all wanted to tick off the list, so we hopped out and headed up the trail to the raging falls. 

Lady falls is a near vertical 40 foot waterfall with a very shallow pool. The lead in which is a slow moving flat pool is perfect and the lip is fairly clean. Whilst scouting waterfall we had two decisions, play it cool and let the bow drop to a sweet 45 degrees and risk penciling it, or boof and tuck to save our backs from the huge impact. Ben went first..... 

Ben went for the 45 degrees and he had a great line. All smiles, Success! I was up next. I took my time getting in my kayak and made sure I was comfortable and ready to go, a quick splash of water in the face and I started paddling toward the lip. 

I gained some speed heading to the lip hoping I would cruise away from the base of the falls where it is rocky. I placed my blade on the lip and with a big boof stroke I tucked my body forward as far as I could. 

The impact was pretty big. My skirt partially blew off and my back ached but no injuries, success! Pods Turn! He went for a similar technique to me with the same results, big impact but all good. 

Ben was so stoked on his first run he decided to go again. This time he went for our technique, but he didn't tuck enough and winded himself. After Ben got his breath back we paddled down to join back up with the Nedd and headed to the take out with big grins on our faces. 

I'd been looking at this waterfall for years but never caught it at a high enough level, finally it was under my belt! 

Looking forward to some more rain and hopefully many more laps of Lady Falls! Happy paddling people! 

Palm Camber Shoes

I've been fortunate enough to be rocking the Palm Camber shoes for the last 12 months and I feel like it's time to share how impressed I am with them! 

The Camber shoes are a slightly lighter, cheaper and simpler version of the Gradient range. But don't stress if you can't afford the Gradients, the Cambers have a lot to offer! We'll start with the cosmetics, they look great. The lime green mixed with a little grey and black looks great and matches many other Palm products which for OCD color coordinators is great. 

Having used the Gradient range also I was expecting a large downgrade of the grip with the Cambers. I have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of grip from the Vibram soles of the Cambers. Sickline was a big test for them with loose, rocky and slippy put ins and they stood up to the task with no issues. The shoes are super lightweight, you barely feel them on your feet, which is what attracted me so I could use them for racing, 

Comforts important and that isn't compromised with the lightweight construction, there is plenty of padding and drysuit socks slip easily into them. Durability wise, mine are holding up great with only the usual cosmetic scuffs and from what I've seen, these shoes are going to last. As you can see you can even wear them to pick up your groceries!

I'd recommend these shoes to anyone on a budget who is after a great quality shoe with plenty of grip, lightweight and looking fresh! 

 

That's a wrap!

So 2015 is coming to an end and what a year it has been! I've had a fantastic year using and testing gear with Palm Equipment and I'm super excited for the new products coming on the market in 2016, keep and eye out for those! So a big shout out to Palm, also a big shout out to Escape Watersport's for their support and I look forward to our partnership in the coming year!

It's been a busy year with 3 trips to America, an epic trip to Sickline, Austria. And also finding out that out that I'm going to be a daddy! 2016 is looking jam packed already and a little scary but I'm excited to take it on!!

Thanks to everyone who made 2015 so great and here's to an epic new year! See you on river.

Out To Sickline Series.

So last year my good friend Simon Wyndham filmed and produced 'Eddy Mead Whitewater Kayaker' during the 2014 Adidas Sickline. The link to this awesome clip is here: https://vimeo.com/110261569

We didn't want to do that again as obviously it's now been done and it's a lot of equipment and effort on Simon's part. What I did want to do however is whip up a few episodes of our experience of the week leading up to the race.

I filmed it all on my Gopro, Garmin Virb and Nikon DSLR and although these were thrown together in an hour whilst eating dinner I hope they are entertaining. Watching people paddle down the Wellerbrucke can be very repetitive so I wanted to make it mildly amusing and throw some funny clips in there.

I ended up putting 3 episodes together which are linked below, enjoy!

Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXgiTtRiqp8

Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orRqmjZDQrI

Episode 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PYiu5ko0bY

CIWW Sickline Mission!

It was that time of the year again and myself, Jessica, Simon and Emily started the long journey from the UK to the beautiful valley of Oetz. We drove through the night and arrived in the early hours of the morning, so we grabbed a few hours kip in the Wellerbrucke carpark then went to check in to our apartment at the Nature Resort.

After unpacking I was keen to hit the water so I met a friend and we headed to the Wellerbrucke all excited! At this point of the week the river was at a medium level and I had a great practice session on Champions killer and then a couple of the whole course, amazing first day!

The following day my fellow colleagues from CIWW arrived and we spent the last few days leading up to the event spending as much time on the water as possible sussing out the quickest route down the rapids. I used my Fuse jacket for most of the week which was perfect with its comfy glideskin neck seal. It kept the icy water off but was lightweight and breathable enough to keep me cool when the sun was shining, couldn't have asked for a more perfect cag!

As the week went on the river got lower and lower and this made the river less pushy, but it also made it more technical and hard to be fast! During most of the week I used my Palm Camber shoes which I wasn't sure on as the sole is slightly less grippy than the gradients and the put ins at the Sickline are usually loose dirt and wet rock. I was blown away at how comfy and grippy these things were, I had no problem climbing down the slippy paths all week. On the 3rd night five of us headed for a soak in the Aqua Dome which is a set of outdoor hot springs set in a stunning valley. We went at night time so it was quite impressive watching the sun go down over the mountain ranges surrounding us.

On the Thursday I did one training session in the morning to allow some recovery before racing on Friday. So in the afternoon four of us hiked up to the lake above the Wellerbrucke which had amazing scenery. We obviously had to stop for coffee and cake and spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun before hiking back down and watching people squeeze in those last laps on the Wellerbrucke.

I slept well and woke up pretty relaxed on the morning of qualification. My mandatory training run wasn't until 11:30 but I got up early to watch my friends as they were on at 9:30. Before I knew it, it was my turn. I always hope for a good training run as it sets the tone for your race, and luckily for me I did have a sweet race run, blasting through Champions Killer.

Lining up is always tense time. I try and keep as calm as possible and visualize a perfect run. You only get two runs which both count to your final time, no second chances. So there is just no room to mess up!

You are set off in 20 second intervals so I quickly snapped my deck on and splashed some icy cold water in my face. I was glad to be using my Palm Impact spraydeck as it is really easy to put on with out compromising strength. "GO!" I cruised out of the eddy and got my speed up boofing through 'Minus 1' with a sweet line through champions killer. I got hung up on a couple of rocks but overall it was a solid run which came out at 1:26:09, not bad but needed to be better.

My second run started great but I had to make a small correction above champions killer which I think lost me a second. I quickly put the power on and again flew through champions killer. I knew I had to make time up on the bottom section and I had a great run through there. I again got a 1:26 which in the end put me in 58th place, 10 place short of the next round. Its tough pill to swallow but every year I am improving so hopefully next year will be the year!

Our last few days consisted of relaxing, watching the finals and finally packing up and heading home. I had an amazing time at Sickline as always and I look forward to heading back there for another shot next year! Its such a great event with great facilities and a really friendly and fun feel to it even though its a serious event. Thanks to everyone who made my trip so much fun and thanks to the guys who organize such an incredible event!

New Palm Torrent Drysuit Review!

So last year I did a review of my Palm Torrent Immersion, and after a lot more time spent in it I thought I would give it more detailed going over with my thoughts and feelings on the suit.

Before I  start I would like to say that my suit is now nearly 2 years old and it is as dry as the day I bought it. This thing is a keeper!

So lets start with the styling and the cut. The suit comes in a stylish blue and grey which looks great a variety of other Palm gear. The neck and wrist seals have comfortable latex seals and velcro adjustable cuffs which are easy to adjust and hold in place no problem. The adjustable strap on the neck gasket is also low profile so it does not irritate the neck which is a big plus.

The entry zip is great quality and it has been cut to wrap around the shoulders so there is not restriction of movement in the suit which is really important whilst racing. There is also a crotch zip which is obviously extremely handy for those nervous wee's at a put in! Inside the suit there is a elastic waist cuff which allows the suit to hang from you're waist when it is half on, without letting it drag on the floor. The reinforced socks are comfortable and big enough for a variety of foot sizes and they easily slide into boots.

The suit is nice and fitted so it isn't flapping around or snagging on bushes or rocks when portaging or hiking to the put in. And even if it does, the tough rip stop material has you covered. Mine is yet to have any rips or scuffs!

So let's move on to the water. With the suit being low profile it slips into boats easy and you don't even know your wearing a Immersion Suit. As mentioned early the zip is really comfortable on the shoulders with no restriction to movement at all. I have done a number of races in it now and have had no issues at all!

The suit drys quickly over night and if looked after with stay water tight. Obviously any suit will need servicing overtime and all Palm products come with a 1 year warranty if any problems do arise.

I look forward to spending more time in my Torrent suit this winter and it'll be my home in a couple of weeks at the Adidas Sickline. If you wish to pick up on of these badass suits head to Escape Watersports who will do you a sweet deal!

See you on the water!

Spring in Maine

Just before another busy Summer kicks in we figured we would take another trip out to Maine to visit the family and enjoy some Spring fun out there! We went for 2 weeks and had a pretty amazing time as usual.

We did way too much shopping and visited a bunch of family and friends. We always celebrated my other half's 30th Birthday at her parents house!

We had a coast day and had fresh Maine lobster and clams from a lobster pound. Yum!!

On the 2nd to last day we took a trip out to Moxie Falls which is the tallest waterfall in Maine. I've wanted to scout this drop for some time after seeing photo's of it online and reading countless online posts about it seeming to be unrunnable. I wanted to see it for myself and make my own judgement on it.

The first thing I noticed was the amazing set of class 5 rapids above the falls pictured above (photo doesn't do it justice). I thought at least if the falls aren't runnable I'am coming back for this! After the getting to the main waterfall first impressions was that the lead in and lip was a little messy but doable, pictured below.

The falls are claimed to be 90 feet tall but I guessed at around 70 feet (I could be wrong). The flows were medium-high and it looked powerful! The first and most obvious put off in the sketchy flake of rocks at the base of the falls making a right line impossible and this covers about 3/4 of the pool. This leaves the chance of a left line but after throwing a few large branches off the falls they struck the bottom of the pool.

For me at that level I would say the falls are unrunnable. BUT I will be back to look at in at super high flows. I believe this drop is runnable, it just needs to be at the perfect level. However the falls above and below look amazing and I will be making plans for next spring to paddle in Maine but mainly to come to these falls.

We spent our last day relaxing with family and made the long journey home. Some more awesome shots of the falls below, enjoy!

Palm 2015

Since I started kayaking in 2002 I have used many Palm products from spray decks and cags, to throwbags and drybags. I have always loved using the gear and trusted it when out on the water. The guys at Palm are continuously creating modern and top of the range gear which is affordable for paddlers, and I have wanted to be a part of it!

Last year I was lucky enough to be supported by Surflines/The Palm Store in North Wales and what a year it was! In November I applied for the 2015 Palm Team and was kindly invited onto the team. I am extremely proud to be a small part of this fantastic brand and I look forward to what this year has to bring! Hopefully lots of paddling, good results and overall good times on the water!

If anyone has any questions or opinions on any Palm products feel free to give me a shout! Bring on 2015!!

Eddy Mead; Whitewater Kayaker

So before the Sickline my friend Simon Wyndham and I decided we wanted to make a short doc/film of my experience at the Sickline as a regular competitor. However Simon didn't want to shoot the film unless he got his hands on a good camera before we left, and it was starting to get close!

Luckily a few days before we were due to leave Simon managed to find one that took his fancy so it was all go! Throughout the week I had a camera shoved in my face at lots of awkward moments but Simon was getting some really amazing footage for us to use. Although we were getting lots of great footage we realized without a crew for Simon it was difficult to get the volume of footage that we needed to make the video purely about the Sickline. So what Simon decided to do was make it more of a profile video for myself so when we got home we set up an interview and shot some footage from my home in Cardiff and at CIWW.

We wanted to wait till I had a chance to paddle some Welsh rivers and get some footage of that but unfortunately after waiting for the opportunity, it didn't happen. So figuring we could be waiting for a long time, Simon released the final edit! Personally I love the edit, Simon did a fantastic job considering he had to deal with my ugly mug. So a big thank you to Simon and my Dad for carting camera gear around in Austria and putting in the time to put this clip together! And here it is.... Enjoy!

 https://vimeo.com/110261569