The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he’s done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.

I left last Wednesday for the East fork of the Kaweah, in the Southern Sierra. Thursday morning we put on the river at the highest flow that most of had done it. We had an excellent group of people and it turned out to be a great day on one of my favorite day runs in the world. We had to walk the best water fall rapid on the river because the river was simply to high, but other then that everything was as run able, or not run able, as usual.

That night I drove the three hours south to Kernville. The next morning I met up with the Jackson’s and we did a few practice runs on Brush creek, the location of the extreme race the next day. The water was a lot higher then I had ever seen on that creek and it only made it that much better.

Saturday was the Brush Creek Extreme Race, and with lots of water and lots of competitors it was sure to be a great race. It seemed as if everyone was there. There were Olympians, World Champions, Extreme racing Champions, expedition kayakers, and everyone in between. Eric Jackson came out hard and won the race. Dave Garinger finished second, and I finished third. I always compete to win, and that is always the goal, but I didn’t feel bad about finishing third. I have high expectations for the races that I am going to be in this year.

Saturday night I went out on the Slalom course and did a work out in the new Jackson Kayak Ricochet. I had Eric on the bank giving me instruction, and that was awesome. It was the first time that I had been in one of the new slalom boats and it is definitely something that I am going to do more of.

Sunday Morning I met my group of people who had signed up for my play boating clinic. We headed up the river to a small wave and I spent the next couple of hours helping everyone to learn and refine their play boating skills. I think that everyone had a great time and I know that it was fun for me to see everyone learning.

When I left Kernville to drive home it was 75 degrees. Four hours latter it was 25 degrees and snowing like crazy. Last night it snowed 3 inches here in Reno, but seems to be melting off pretty quick. I am hoping that it gets warm fast because I am meeting Jason Craig in two hours at the white water park. I cant tell you how ready for summer I am!

The American River Festival is this next weekend, so I will heading back over the mountain in a couple of days.

The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he’s done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.

I left last Wednesday for the East fork of the Kaweah, in the Southern Sierra. Thursday morning we put on the river at the highest flow that most of had done it. We had an excellent group of people and it turned out to be a great day on one of my favorite day runs in the world. We had to walk the best water fall rapid on the river because the river was simply to high, but other then that everything was as run able, or not run able, as usual.That night I drove the three hours south to Kernville. The next morning I met up with the Jackson’s and we did a few practice runs on Brush creek, the location of the extreme race the next day. The water was a lot higher then I had ever seen on that creek and it only made it that much better.Saturday was the Brush Creek Extreme Race, and with lots of water and lots of competitors it was sure to be a great race. It seemed as if everyone was there. There were Olympians, World Champions, Extreme racing Champions, expedition kayakers, and everyone in between. Eric Jackson came out hard and won the race. Dave Garinger finished second, and I finished third. I always compete to win, and that is always the goal, but I didn’t feel bad about finishing third. I have high expectations for the races that I am going to be in this year.Saturday night I went out on the Slalom course and did a work out in the new Jackson Kayak Ricochet. I had Eric on the bank giving me instruction, and that was awesome. It was the first time that I had been in one of the new slalom boats and it is definitely something that I am going to do more of.Sunday Morning I met my group of people who had signed up for my play boating clinic. We headed up the river to a small wave and I spent the next couple of hours helping everyone to learn and refine their play boating skills. I think that everyone had a great time and I know that it was fun for me to see everyone learning.When I left Kernville to drive home it was 75 degrees. Four hours latter it was 25 degrees and snowing like crazy. Last night it snowed 3 inches here in Reno, but seems to be melting off pretty quick. I am hoping that it gets warm fast because I am meeting Jason Craig in two hours at the white water park. I cant tell you how ready for summer I am!The American River Festival is this next weekend, so I will heading back over the mountain in a couple of days.

The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he’s done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.

Last Saturday Lisa and I went to Napa and we did the usual wine tour, which was a first for me. It is important to know that my attention span is fairly short and I hardly ever drink, so maybe a whole day spent tasting wine isn’t the ideal situation for me. It was however a lot of fun for a few hours.

After that all of the wines started to taste the same to me, I was feeling a little bit tipsy, and I was pretty much ready for a nap. That night we headed toward the coast so that we could be at the beach early the next day.

Sunday we spent a couple of hours walking on the beach while the two dogs were absolutely flipping out. Porter, the older of the two, was running up and down the beach at top speed harassing anything living or dead that he felt necessary, and he must have found it necessary to harass everything. I wish that I had half of the athletic ability of that dog. Cash, our 4 month old pup wanted to find and eat every dead thing on the beach, and I mean everything. He also was obsessed with the seagulls and a couple of times chased them right out into the surf, with no fear at all of the water. Very cute!

We left the beach at around noon, and after a quick stop at In-And-Out-Burger we were back in Reno at around 4 o’clock, just in time for me to get a quick paddle in down town.

This week I have been paddling with Macy a bunch. He is all fired up to compete in the River Festival, and is paddling really well. He will hurt the feelings of many invited athletes.

At feature number 5 on the white water course there is a really good mystery move spot right now. I have never been very good at mystery moves, probably because I never practice them, so it is a bunch of fun to spend 15 or 20 minutes at the end of a session doing them. Macy is really good at them, and to be honest, it really motivates me to get it figured out as well.

This weekend we are having a bachelor party here in Reno for our best friend Taylor Robertson. It should be a wild couple of days. I am actually kind of scared, as I feel like I should have trained for such an occasion. My alcohol tolerance is at an all time low, and I am in bed by 9:30 at the latest anymore. It could be a ruff one!

The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he’s done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.

Last Saturday Lisa and I went to Napa and we did the usual wine tour, which was a first for me. It is important to know that my attention span is fairly short and I hardly ever drink, so maybe a whole day spent tasting wine isn’t the ideal situation for me. It was however a lot of fun for a few hours. After that all of the wines started to taste the same to me, I was feeling a little bit tipsy, and I was pretty much ready for a nap. That night we headed toward the coast so that we could be at the beach early the next day. Sunday we spent a couple of hours walking on the beach while the two dogs were absolutely flipping out. Porter, the older of the two, was running up and down the beach at top speed harassing anything living or dead that he felt necessary, and he must have found it necessary to harass everything. I wish that I had half of the athletic ability of that dog. Cash, our 4 month old pup wanted to find and eat every dead thing on the beach, and I mean everything. He also was obsessed with the seagulls and a couple of times chased them right out into the surf, with no fear at all of the water. Very cute!We left the beach at around noon, and after a quick stop at In-And-Out-Burger we were back in Reno at around 4 o’clock, just in time for me to get a quick paddle in down town.This week I have been paddling with Macy a bunch. He is all fired up to compete in the River Festival, and is paddling really well. He will hurt the feelings of many invited athletes.At feature number 5 on the white water course there is a really good mystery move spot right now. I have never been very good at mystery moves, probably because I never practice them, so it is a bunch of fun to spend 15 or 20 minutes at the end of a session doing them. Macy is really good at them, and to be honest, it really motivates me to get it figured out as well.This weekend we are having a bachelor party here in Reno for our best friend Taylor Robertson. It should be a wild couple of days. I am actually kind of scared, as I feel like I should have trained for such an occasion. My alcohol tolerance is at an all time low, and I am in bed by 9:30 at the latest anymore. It could be a ruff one!

The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he’s done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.

It’s tax season, and “the man” has got me down. I know that I am not the only person in the world with complicated taxes, but that doesn’t make it any more enjoyable. I have dedicated this week to the idea of hammering it out and getting them done. I think that I would rather go kayaking in the snow with no top on then work on taxes. Skin to win, baby!

Other then that, I have been paddling a ton. I have some new moves dialed, like the reverse Mcnasty, both ways, and have relearned some older moves, like the Phonix Monkey, both ways. Oh, it is pretty!

My favorite local training partners, Macy Burnham and Jason Craig, have been out on the water with me most every day. It has been really cold, but once you are on the water it feels just fine. Macy is paddling like the Macy of old and it is really awesome to see. I am trying to talk him into competing at the River Festival, so fellow competitors beware. Macy’s got skills!

And Jason Craig is paddling awesome as well. The other day I told him that we should work on some move combinations, like the Back Loop to Mcnasty. He stuck it on his second try, and to be honest, I thought my eyes might water up. It kind of hurt my feelings, and made me proud at the same time.

Kayaking has been really fun for me this winter, despite the cold. This is something that I haven’t experienced in a few winters, and it is really refreshing.

The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he’s done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.

It’s tax season, and “the man” has got me down. I know that I am not the only person in the world with complicated taxes, but that doesn’t make it any more enjoyable. I have dedicated this week to the idea of hammering it out and getting them done. I think that I would rather go kayaking in the snow with no top on then work on taxes. Skin to win, baby!Other then that, I have been paddling a ton. I have some new moves dialed, like the reverse Mcnasty, both ways, and have relearned some older moves, like the Phonix Monkey, both ways. Oh, it is pretty!My favorite local training partners, Macy Burnham and Jason Craig, have been out on the water with me most every day. It has been really cold, but once you are on the water it feels just fine. Macy is paddling like the Macy of old and it is really awesome to see. I am trying to talk him into competing at the River Festival, so fellow competitors beware. Macy’s got skills! And Jason Craig is paddling awesome as well. The other day I told him that we should work on some move combinations, like the Back Loop to Mcnasty. He stuck it on his second try, and to be honest, I thought my eyes might water up. It kind of hurt my feelings, and made me proud at the same time.Kayaking has been really fun for me this winter, despite the cold. This is something that I haven’t experienced in a few winters, and it is really refreshing.

The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he’s done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.

The last week here in Reno has been really cold until today. A little cold weather didn’t bring me down though. I have been feeling tuff on the river, kayaking everyday, but admittedly coming home after and whining like a baby.

I am yet to get any sympathy from Lisa, but I haven’t given up hope.

A few days ago I paddled up at Floriston and when I left Reno it was 26 degrees. That means that it was probably in the low 20’s up there, but because of my great gear it really didn’t seam that bad. I was hoping to find a new play spot that the river had created during the flood, but there was no new play spot to be found. I did call my session off when I had inch long ice sickles hanging from the bill of my helmet. Enough was enough!

The next day I went over the mountain into Cali with Macy and we paddled the Chamberlain Falls section of the N. American. It was a lot warmer and we managed to find a bunch of really fun play spots. Kayaking was somehow a lot more fun that day.

Since then the weather has slowly been getting better and I even paddled today with out gloves. Actually, I started my session with gloves on but had to remove them because my 12 year old paddling partner for the day wasn’t wearing gloves. I paddled with Jason Craig today and it was awesome. We played in a small hole in the south channel of the white water park and I think that we both had a really good time.

The forecast calls for the trend of warmer weather to continue, and as far as I am concerned that is a good thing.

So, until next time I will be on the river. The competition season isn’t far away and I plan to be at my best ever this year.

The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he’s done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.

The last week here in Reno has been really cold until today. A little cold weather didn’t bring me down though. I have been feeling tuff on the river, kayaking everyday, but admittedly coming home after and whining like a baby. I am yet to get any sympathy from Lisa, but I haven’t given up hope.A few days ago I paddled up at Floriston and when I left Reno it was 26 degrees. That means that it was probably in the low 20’s up there, but because of my great gear it really didn’t seam that bad. I was hoping to find a new play spot that the river had created during the flood, but there was no new play spot to be found. I did call my session off when I had inch long ice sickles hanging from the bill of my helmet. Enough was enough!The next day I went over the mountain into Cali with Macy and we paddled the Chamberlain Falls section of the N. American. It was a lot warmer and we managed to find a bunch of really fun play spots. Kayaking was somehow a lot more fun that day.Since then the weather has slowly been getting better and I even paddled today with out gloves. Actually, I started my session with gloves on but had to remove them because my 12 year old paddling partner for the day wasn’t wearing gloves. I paddled with Jason Craig today and it was awesome. We played in a small hole in the south channel of the white water park and I think that we both had a really good time.The forecast calls for the trend of warmer weather to continue, and as far as I am concerned that is a good thing.So, until next time I will be on the river. The competition season isn’t far away and I plan to be at my best ever this year.

The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he’s done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.

Since my last update everything had been great, until today. It was Spring time weather, warm sun shine, high water, a great play hole, and again, Spring time weather.
Last night the cold came and snow fell. The white water park is being worked on because of the New years floods. This means that they just yesterday diverted the water out of the North channel and around the new play hole at the bottom. It sounds like maybe this is going to take a couple of weeks to finish. I am hopeful that there will be a play spot in the slalom channel but I didn’t go check it out today because of the cold.

So, tomorrow I will be back on the water regardless of temperature. I am also hopeful that the rapid up river at Floriston might of changed and given the gift of a new play spot. Last winter with the high water it took my favorite summer time hole away. Maybe, this time it will have left us a little present. I will be checking that out in the next couple of days, or sooner if the play park is no fun.

Other then that, I am enjoying being home. The dogs are for the most part a lot of fun, except at this particular moment they are driving me crazy. For sure my blood pressure is a lot higher then normal. Okay, ten deep breathes for me… Yes, I am feeling better now.

I have been in the gym a lot, but not doing the things that I used to do. I only lift weights a little bit now, and then it is all about the aerobics. Feel the burn!

The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he’s done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.

I am a Daddy, again! Lisa and I got a new puppy just in time for her to leave for Hawaii, and for me to have to deal with a little monster. He is a German Shorthair Pointer, just like our other dog. A hunting dog, of course.

His name is Cash and he has been a ton of fun and work.
I am back on the river and my neck is feeling not too bad. It does hurt, but it is just irritating, not bad enough to bring me down. The Truckee river is up, the weather is warm (well, it is sunny at least), and we have some new play holes at the white water park that are a ton of fun. Thanks to Snap Dragon and Kokotat, I have some brand new, super dry, dry decks, and all of the cold weather gear to keep me happy and warm on the river. That combined with a truly dry boat is the perfect combination for winter paddling.