tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190791982012-01-27T12:51:55.306+13:00mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.comBlogger6581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-57543365581547457632012-01-27T12:51:00.001+13:002012-01-27T12:51:55.318+13:00

Check out www.mikedawson.co.nz

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-72784792945132048822012-01-24T19:38:00.000+13:002012-01-24T19:38:46.867+13:00

Race video is available here. Check it out. http://youtu.be/NJKndmmHgEk Thanks to Galasport. The sun shined in Kawerau over the weekend as 65 people turned out in force to battle for their place in the NZ National Slalom teams. With only 3 in each class there was some extremely tight and harsh racing. Since qualifying for the Olympic Games, this meant I had already secured my spot on the

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-44388423833205804082012-01-10T09:22:00.000+13:002012-01-10T09:22:13.988+13:00

The rain just keeps coming! And because of it the rivers a pumpin. This time the rivers weren't high, but just as epic. A solid crew of 11 of us made the journey over the hill to the Kaimais to complete the Mangakarangaranga Wairoa high water combo. Entering the rollercoaster This has got to be one of the most fun, chill but on edge runs around. It begins with a classy 3m boof, and then is

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0Kaimai, Lower Kaimai 3171, New Zealand-37.836735 175.97439600000007-37.870627999999996 175.91603100000006 -37.802842 176.03276100000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-11789527388607743822012-01-09T08:12:00.001+13:002012-01-09T08:14:40.814+13:00

On New Years day a massive cyclone thrashed all the holiday makers in NZ. We woke up a little bit slowly to the heavy heavy rain that had been falling over the last 3 days.  We headed up the Kaimais Mountain Range, up the back of Tauranga to check out what was going on. Coming straight from a New Years holiday we only had our slalom boats, so decided to test the Manga's out in glass boats. It

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-27960171554810492012012-01-03T21:33:00.002+13:002012-01-03T21:36:16.611+13:00

Since returning from the Tekapo camp it's been game on up here. Tripping up and down the country for the holiday season. Martina flew into Auckland and we headed up to Coromandal  and we went straight into the KauaerangaValley, after a sweet Christmas in Auckland. This valley is only a few kilometers from Thames, but it feels like you are in the middle of no where. The valley is filled with

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-30460217504403831312011-12-23T13:52:00.001+13:002011-12-23T13:52:40.191+13:00

The last 3 weeks have been a hectic travel schedule clocking up some epic kilometers around NZ & Australia. It's been heaps of fun and I've got in a few cool paddling sessions, a race & a training camp in Tekapo. First stop was Australia. I spent a week there training on the Sydney Olympic Course just out of Penrith. The AIS let me train in some of there slots, but mostly I spent  alot of time

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0Lake Tekapo 7999, New Zealand-44.00507460000001 170.47746170000005-44.126214600000004 170.42548970000004 -43.88393460000001 170.52943370000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-8237798995217724702011-12-05T11:54:00.001+13:002011-12-05T11:59:41.558+13:00

Ortlieb has shipped a bunch of awesome fully waterproof gear bags to NZ for testing on the rivers around here! Check out there website  The NZ distributor is Outsider - get in touch for all the information to find these products in NZ Check out www.mikedawson.co.nz

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-43344110936043584442011-12-05T11:49:00.001+13:002011-12-05T20:06:19.727+13:00

A windy wet and cold weekend has been and gone. This was the weekend that the Criags Investment Partners Tinman Triathlon came to town in Mount Manganui! It was an awesome event that consisted of a swim in Pilot Bay, a bike down Marine Parade to Papamoa and finished with a run around the Mount. I raced in the sprint distance, which included a 750m swim, 20km bike and a 5.5 km run. I felt good

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-39467376208582967442011-12-03T08:00:00.001+13:002011-12-03T08:01:54.068+13:00

I try to mix my days up as much as I can - and spend a bit of time behind the camera shooting. Here's a bunch of shots with Rotorua Mountain Biker Samara Shepard For more information on doing a photo shoot. Please contact me directly at info@mikedawson.co.nz Check out www.mikedawson.co.nz

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-77881229782915651772011-12-01T16:23:00.000+13:002011-12-01T16:23:46.413+13:00

Make sure you follow the NZ Olympic team on Facebook to keep up to date with the NZ athletes, their qualifying and where they're at in the build up to the 2012 games.  I'm going to be posting monthly updates, along with a lot of other NZ athletes, on the www.nz2012.com site as part of their blog roll to build profile leading up to August next year. The goal of this it to help you stay in touch

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-50442715491357240532011-11-29T13:14:00.001+13:002011-12-01T16:28:04.032+13:00

Si Davidsons memorial paddle - the whole Okere Falls crew out  The 2011/2012 summer is coming. With December quickly approaching the Okere Falls community is getting into the summer games! The river toys are coming out - and this year it looks like S.U.P boards are going to be the new thing. Jamie Sutton rocked the first descent of Okere Falls on his board last week. I've just picked my one up

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-20616569918937904892011-11-22T15:26:00.001+13:002011-11-22T15:27:14.595+13:00

It's now been a few weeks since I returned home from an epic trip and I am falling into the kiwi-style lifestyle at the Kaituna River. Doing laps of the slalom course and getting prepared for the next season. Here's a shot of Ryan Lucas running Trout Pool Falls last weekend as we were doing a little bit of filming for a little edit that we should drop in a few days. Check out

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-88369651838939884392011-11-06T15:54:00.003+13:002011-11-22T15:24:09.063+13:00

I've launched a new website "www.mikedawson.co.nz Check back there for updated news and a direct link to this blog da Check out www.mikedawson.co.nz

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-3130656084896150262011-11-06T14:51:00.005+13:002011-11-06T15:11:32.493+13:00

After the Adidas Sickline I headed up to the Netherlands for a few weeks of rest and relaxation.It was a great way to get out of the boat before the 2011-2012 seasons training begins. I stayed at Martina's place in North Holland, in a small town called Schoorl, right by the dunes that keep the water out of the Netherlands!It's near Alkmaar which is the home of cheese - a lot of cheese, and food

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-43249231450697230602011-10-31T07:15:00.003+13:002011-10-31T07:17:51.513+13:00

Following the Adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Champs the NZ national weekend paper did a feature on extreme kayaking & the road to London twenty 12. Check it out here. Unfortunately, they mixed up the photo - but it's still a picture

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-66121037073709386752011-10-26T09:43:00.004+13:002011-11-20T12:48:35.072+13:00

Well I've strained a little thing in my arm, so I took a free day to film and edit a 3 minute video of all the boys and girls from around the world training for the games next summer. Check it out.. Lee Valley Whitewater Course from Twelve Productions on Vimeo.

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-9580424146653101192011-10-10T21:34:00.008+13:002011-10-26T09:45:15.289+13:00

Celebrating with the crewThe 2011 season has been a sick ride! From Sickline in 2010 where I blew chunks after qualifying first for the semi-final I have been to 22 countries, 40 races, driving thousands of kilometers, flown countless hours and had a hell of a time.A sick ski day pre SicklineSince Sickline in 2010 I've tried to step up my racing game a bit. I flew to USA to try and redeem myself

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-45548632882922493432011-10-05T04:30:00.007+13:002011-10-10T21:10:56.068+13:00

The Sickline Extreme Kayak World Champs have drawn to a close in Oetztal Austria. Another amazing event in the Austrian Alps on the Wellbrucke Rapid. The course was a little bit juicier than previous years, and the field that showed out to battle for the title was intense.The race format begins with a qualification event. This culls the field from 150 competitors down to 45 + the 3 medalists from

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-46674327405136204202011-09-26T04:53:00.003+13:002011-09-26T05:08:38.347+13:00

Otztal, Austria has been overrun by mac books, go pros, iphones & a bunch of paddlers here to get fired up and learn their lines for the 2011 Sickline World Championships. The weather is warm meaning the river is jacking up to a flow a bit more staunch that 2009 &2010.We've been here for about a week since getting away from KanuMesse in Nurnburg and heading South. Here's a few shots from Skiing

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-6496458165616255902011-09-13T23:37:00.005+12:002011-09-13T23:47:24.642+12:00

Thanks to everyone for all the help during the world. Esp my old man, Wairaiki and the crew that was there supporting NZ!!The World Championships have finished. It has been an epic week for NZ. The course in Bratislava is one of the coolest places to paddle in a slalom boat. It's fast and flowing and if the course set is good it'd be amazing. The worlds started and stopped on day one with to much

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-90264515228263798922011-08-31T05:21:00.002+12:002011-08-31T05:33:43.775+12:00

I spent the weekend in Lipno nad Valtalva, Czech Republic. It's an epically beautiful place with one of the sickest rivers I have ever had the opportunity to paddle on. It's like a perfect mix of the forgivness of the kaituna with some characteristics of the wairoa. It drops continuously the moment the water is released from the dam, until it reaches the lake in the city 15km later. I raced

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-82652126227077124472011-08-22T04:45:00.004+12:002011-08-22T04:53:30.083+12:00

This Summer a mate of mine Sam Sutton is starting a White Water Rafting company on the Kaituna River in New Zealand, so if any one is heading through NZ this summer they should check out Rotorua Rafting. They Raft the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world in one of the most beautiful gorges on planet earth so check it out here www.rotorua-rafting.co.nz  Watch this to get to

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-83147248798759277332011-08-02T23:39:00.002+12:002011-08-02T23:41:54.061+12:00

Qual Run 1Qual Run 2Saturdays run

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-19937203369298127902011-08-02T18:48:00.007+12:002011-08-02T19:49:37.925+12:00

London Parliament Building, & Big BenThe 2011 London Test Event was held over the weekend at the Lee Valley Canoe Park, just 35minutes from the city center in London.The course got better and better with the more time you get on the course. The 1hr20' slots meant your body was completely broken at the end of the sessions. The weather turned it on, and the racing kicked off on a blue bird "English

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-2869806094822329552011-07-26T21:17:00.001+12:002011-07-26T21:26:05.765+12:00

The 2012 London Test Event kicks off in Trafalgar Square tomorrow and signals the 1year countdown until London hosts the world for the Olympics. We're here for the London Prepares event on the Lee Valley Whitewater Park just out from London. The Venue is awesome! The water is big and push and pretty hard on the body. Its around 300 meters long and drops continuously the entire length of the

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-11267844078682242972011-07-13T23:47:00.000+12:002011-07-13T23:48:09.850+12:00

What an awesome week. We headed from Bratislava through Prague via Zbuzany to Leipzig for the 3rd and final world cup. I was super fired up to see this course. I've only been here before the course was built but now I was going to get to race on it. It was pretty cool. a lot of gradient and drops and a lot of moves that were really cool.The race din't go to plan as much as I wanted. I Smashed

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-46398825473764654702011-07-06T00:40:00.003+12:002011-07-06T00:50:48.201+12:00

After leaving Ljubljana, Slovenia I skipped out on the 2nd World Cup in France basically because it was a long long long long long.... drive. I headed instead to Bratislava, Slovakia to train a bit in the windy wet and wild conditions that were thrashing the city while we were there.Our training was pretty sick despite this. The course was running all the time, and it proved to be a pretty cool

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-8336677873644137072011-06-27T03:47:00.003+12:002011-06-27T07:21:03.464+12:00

The first world cup is over. It was held in over the last 3 days in Slovenia, on the course in Tacen just 20 minutes drive from the city center of Ljubljana.The race kicked off on Friday with the qualification race. The course was really special! A couple of tricky tight moves to keep us on our toes. It was designed by Nick Smith and Mryim Fox.I had a good first run and was sitting in 3rd place

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-38450740730297190092011-06-22T04:38:00.004+12:002011-06-24T03:39:44.778+12:00

It's time to race some more races!! But this time I'm putting my plastic boat away. I was in Italy only a few days ago, before heading across the amazing and huge Petite St Bernado Pass. It was epic.We headed to Bourg St Maurice in the French Alps and stayed with Ciaran & his family in their amazing place. It was great relaxing at 1100meters looking out over the mountains! Beautiful.Each day we

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-7628129940284181202011-06-16T05:08:00.007+12:002011-06-16T07:41:49.761+12:00

Day 3 and 4 hosted the remainder of the individual events. This was going to be a full n couple of days. After racing the teams slalom in the evening the night before everyone looked pretty broken on the start line of the sprint in Ivera. After practicing the night before I just took it easy in the morning, and relaxed before the race instead of doing a few trial runs.We started from the 4meter

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-1708501868939390072011-06-14T01:05:00.006+12:002011-06-14T07:52:11.230+12:00

A rapid decent into Europe from the USA left us on the banks of the river in Ivera at 4am after a brutal transit from Vail, Colorado. The 30+ Hour journey meant a precious few hours sleep were what we were looking for. The light of the morning arrived far to quickly, and we headed up into the mountains behind this historic city to train on the Val Cussiella River. The course was on the same

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-16340505470670597722011-06-07T01:42:00.005+12:002011-06-07T06:53:04.067+12:00

The last and final day went off on fire. Another 70+ degree day dawned as the Teva Bal wound down in the early hours of the morning.I woke up early and headed to the 10km Spring run off. To say it was hard would be an understatement. It was brutal. The most pain I have ever endured. The run began with a steady incline, followed by a steep ascent, that changed to a steeper and steeper climb. The

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-61390466332559046882011-06-06T05:21:00.002+12:002011-06-06T05:30:28.506+12:00

A video from Day 3The Teva Mountain Games have continued into their 3rd Day. An action packed day with some epic endurance events to make the lungs burn. And you could not believe how much your lungs burn racing distance events at this altitude. The day kicked off with the Down River Sprint. This is a 17 minute race of pure hell. Shallow water, small waves and plastic boats make you work for your

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-71815999411626772912011-06-05T05:59:00.003+12:002011-06-05T06:35:55.370+12:00

Day 2 of the Teva Mountain Games continued after the Homestake Race on Thursday.The freestyle was rowdy, the guys are getting fired up for the 2011 ICF Freestyle World Championships in Plattling in just over 2 weeks and you can see the gains these guys are making as they get in shape for the event.The icy cold water of Gore Creek is perhaps the hardest part of the freestyle !! It's around 42f. So

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-76570021698421055872011-06-03T12:03:00.003+12:002011-06-03T12:10:41.153+12:00

An epic day on Homestake Creek for the 2011 Steep Creek Championships. The results were crazy with Honza Lasko and I being 1st equal with timing to the 100th of the second, on a 3 min 34.67 second race . Out of it.The racing was tight, I had a really nice first run, and finished with a 3sec buffer. Honza creamed it in his 2nd run, and I took a deep line in the "leap of Faith" rapid losing some

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-48982914366938157272011-06-01T04:17:00.004+12:002011-06-01T09:51:08.916+12:00

Snowy night in Vail.. Imagine winter.I left Prague on Saturday and begun a somewhat mammoth journey from Europe to Vail, Colorado for the Teva Mountain Games that are beginning on Thursday 3rd June.It was a super smooth journey, flying out of Munich after hitching a lift with Vavra to Augsburg, and then the Aussies to the Airport. The lack of snow meant that the Eis Canel has no water, and we

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-18239950973756096932011-05-27T07:11:00.004+12:002011-05-27T07:20:21.379+12:00

I'm in Europe already, and kicking it Czech style. I've been in the Bratislava, Slovakia following the race in Susice for a 4 day training camp at the course in Curnovo with Vavra Hradilek. It was a rowdy camp, with awesome water levels, and a practically empty course making for ideal training conditions. After 4 days I was ready to die. It felt as though my arms were going to drop off, as we

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-26209022959426422082011-05-22T15:51:00.003+12:002011-05-22T16:19:33.184+12:00

A 30hr flight, and I made it into Europe. It all went pretty sweet. Picked up my sick wagon and headed East.I stayed at the Galasport factory with Vlada and Anna, and raced in their local race. It had 220+ paddlers - A lot more than we usually have to at our club races. Most were youngsters, and that's the cool thing. The next generation in Czech is well and truly strong.Vavra killed it and took

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-6640652187540042672011-05-18T12:37:00.003+12:002011-05-18T12:46:04.361+12:00

A wicked training camp at NZ's Premier training facility almost went a little bit haywire this week after our boats got nicked from the site, and dumped in a grassy paddock a few meters away. Before a friendly hunter picked them up on his way home from shooting a stag, and chucked them in his garage for a day. Fortunately the T.V and almost every news media in the North Island was on our side and

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-61763667273591203792011-05-06T13:57:00.004+12:002011-05-06T14:37:10.149+12:00

Toni George getting in the First Chick Descent!!!The Bay of Plenty has been getting hammered and hammered by rain off and on for the last few months. This wild weather has sent the usually dry riverbeds of the Kaimai ranges into overdrive creating the best whitewater playground around, if you can catch it with the right water level!! And this Tuesday we did.Andi Uhl getting amongst G.T flying of

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-5132523357950388662011-04-29T08:23:00.004+12:002011-04-29T08:38:42.237+12:00

The NZ National Slalom Championships were held over Easter weekend, amongst the wild weather that has been battling the East coast of NZ. A little bit more juice in the river made for better racing.Kawerau district council has done a lot of work retaining the side of the river further, and taken a couple of the mis-placed rocks from the river bed making it a nicer course to paddle on.The racing

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-24293375116294664002011-04-06T13:55:00.000+12:002011-04-06T13:56:17.848+12:00

The latest twelve productions edit

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-34745602423635835452011-03-29T08:33:00.000+13:002011-03-29T08:34:25.265+13:00

The High Quality 12 Prod VersionTwelve Productions - South Island Heli-Kayaking. from Twelve Productions on Vimeo.Like 12 Productions here

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-33495695282016057552011-03-21T23:12:00.001+13:002011-03-21T23:13:35.794+13:00

A short edit from our time on the West Coast of New Zealand heli boating! Good times, hard lines. No carnage! But a lot of fun.

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-76617227135307089402011-03-20T21:55:00.005+13:002011-03-20T22:23:05.763+13:00

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and this wasn't my day. Wills Martin showed class all day, holding his own on the water and progressing through the rounds to pick up the NZ National Extreme Race Championship. Lukas Polaczyk came through in the final, but as a foreigner he wasn't able to claim the NZ title.The event was a 4 cross race starting on a ramp above the citrion rapid on the

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-5081828232962641632011-03-16T11:55:00.005+13:002011-03-16T12:17:13.148+13:00

Another bluebird day greeted us as we stepped out from under our tarpaulin in Hokitka this morning, making it look like mission on for anything. A few hours of breakfast and discussing, the Hokitika River's upper gorges looked pretty attractive. A call to the chopper pilot, and we were set. The group grew as the day went on, from 5 to 8 to 11 finishing at 13 when we reached the top of the

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-45040909247879875582011-03-11T22:05:00.002+13:002011-03-12T08:50:45.417+13:00

Another early morning mission high into the southern alps with the great door to door service with a smile that is Kokatahi helicopters left us up in the mountains on a shingle bed beach ready for one of the all time greats of the West Coast. With the recent rain the water was push, and the rapids coming at us fast as...I flew up with Isaac the American, Fabian the Argentinean, Sam, Ryan, Wills

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-51537703070947554552011-03-09T15:06:00.003+13:002011-03-09T15:29:51.019+13:00

The last week has been full on. I headed home from an awesome training camp in Sydney. Sydney was great- I trained hard, and had some good sessions on the course there. The racing was average as... But great training. After 3 weeks it was time to get back to NZ. So I headed home.Almost as soon as I arrived it was time to head south for the Bullerfest Event in Murchison. This is a sick grass

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-27871854075424389752011-02-16T10:50:00.003+13:002011-02-16T10:55:42.003+13:00

The Aussie open will be this week. I have been here since the 8th, meaning I missed the wairoa extreme race for the first time in 10 years. But not to worry, the training is going really good here, and the course configuration is really sweet! Qual's will be on Fri, Sat is womens and C1 final, sun is mens and C2 finalCheck out the results atwww.canoe.org.au after sunday.Here's some pics from the

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-11229917478904027792011-02-04T17:21:00.001+13:002011-02-04T17:23:47.740+13:00

I came in pretty under prepared for selection, and had the worst set of races for the place in the team ever. It was pretty dodgy racing for me. I wasn't super phyc'd for the racing in Kawerau, and after the second day of racing was cancelled it was all going to come down to the racing at Mangahoe. The water was great down there and the course is always good! The team that org Mangahoe had even

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-90363945282117632222011-01-26T14:54:00.003+13:002011-01-26T15:53:39.464+13:00

The northern island of NZ has just been hammered by an intense storm causing chaos across the island. Roads were closed, rivers turned into raging torrents, cliffs slid down, and tree were ripped from the ground. It was an impressive storm, with over 300mm dropping in some parts of the island in under 24hrs. This storm also wrecked havoc on the NZ team trials that were to be held in Kawerau over

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-51081126841050420592011-01-20T20:52:00.003+13:002011-01-21T08:15:17.651+13:00

Check this out! An awesome edit of Huka Falls in Taupo, NZ. Like it, share it, watch it. It's dope.Twelve Productions - Hucking Huka from Twelve Productions on Vimeo.Visit 12 Productions on FB here.

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-17031478913408861492011-01-19T07:55:00.003+13:002011-01-21T09:07:12.221+13:00

The last weekend hosted the"Andy Duff Memorial Race" on the Kaituna River in Rotorua. This is a battle of epic proportions, with a bit of skill but a whole lot of luck involved. Everyone from Okere Falls, and all over NZ, clean out there garages, dust off their boats and venture out to the wild world of the Kaituna for a showdown in memory of Andy Duff.The race follows the Mass Start Format.

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-6740146673503749672011-01-14T14:46:00.004+13:002011-01-14T18:47:02.422+13:00

Yesterday was an epic. With the Arateitia Dam getting some work done, the entire generation flow has been diverted down the river bed, making something that gets your heart pumping. Forget the Zambezi, the Waikato at full noise is a serious proposition. The inky blue water looks so tempting, but the raw power of this beast is unbelievable.Aratietia was looking runnable, a serious rapid. But there

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-81684953363859996282011-01-14T08:50:00.005+13:002011-01-14T13:27:59.583+13:00

The last few weeks have been a mixture of almost everything as I am falling back into the NZ way of life. The summer is in full force in Rotorua, NZ- where I am living on Lake Roto-iti, near the put in to the Kaituna. Which is the epi-center of the universe..The NZ slalom season is picking up big time with the NZ team selection races happening in just 1 week. The 1st will be in Kawerau, on the

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-4373141181513122052011-01-05T15:48:00.002+13:002011-01-05T15:51:04.226+13:00

I put together a tiny little edit for the Tribe Whitewater Worlds. Was a bit limited by the footage I had with me in Aussie. But check it out. Plus check out the some of the other vids here.Some sick pics coming soon

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-6542328161718004882010-12-18T21:47:00.008+13:002010-12-19T07:59:00.968+13:00

The first ever 2010 Up and Comers camp was held on the Kaituna River in New Zealand. The camp's goal was to get youngster up and coming kayakers to learn skills ranging from extreme racing to river swimming and kayak safety. The first installment of the camp was limited to 5 charging guys from all over New Zealand who tripped up and across to the Kaituna to participate in the 3 day camp. We

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-30080936612820599032010-12-09T15:50:00.003+13:002010-12-09T15:56:31.116+13:00

Are you an up and coming extreme racer wanting to kick it big time and start running the stout rapids and racing hard then this is the camp for you. It's a 3 day camp held on the Kaituna River in Rotorua from the 16-18th with food and accom included. Check out the information below and for any more info contact Sam Sutton or Im.j.dawson@live.comSamkaituna@gmail.comOf check it out on Face book

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-77400575217945186282010-12-05T11:50:00.007+13:002010-12-05T17:28:21.332+13:00

After almost 8 months on the road my journey came to an end in Mexico and I returned to NZ for some R&R. Now I'm back in Tauranga and Okere Falls paddling on the Kaituna and getting ready for Christmas...Here's my last update from the awesome time we all had in Mexico.Almost everything we heard about Mexico tainted it's amazing image.From Gang warfare over the lucrative drug industry, high

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-17225204120013114522010-11-27T15:53:00.000+13:002010-11-28T09:02:22.256+13:00

http://vimeo.com/17194931

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-4441450938579276192010-11-19T03:41:00.007+13:002010-11-19T03:58:00.248+13:00

We're still down in Mexico, and having an awesome time. This region is a whitewater mecca. I would love to get a place on the side of this sweet creek! It is unbelievable how much it drops in such a short time.. Every section of the River Alseseca is pumped full of stout, section after section.We have spent a few days doing some R&R at the beach on the East Coast of the country. It was deserted.

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-62849467913331180242010-11-17T17:28:00.001+13:002010-11-17T17:28:54.697+13:00

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-39396912094432362062010-11-16T02:02:00.001+13:002010-11-16T02:02:42.467+13:00

The 2010 Mexico end of season tour has been going down big time! This place is unreal. I am here with 3 Germans, 2 Norwegians, 4 Bask Countrymen, and My brother. We've met up with the local master Rafa Ortiz, and hucked ourselves down some amazing rivers and white water.We are in Veracruz Region, in a town called Tlapacoyan. It's an unknown tourist destination, with some of the best white water I

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-5955735162742505902010-11-13T03:56:00.002+13:002010-11-13T03:56:38.252+13:00

http://vimeo.com/16755086

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-90304904710865390292010-11-11T17:00:00.001+13:002010-11-11T17:02:58.857+13:00

2010 Green Race Interview With The Champs: Adrienne Levknecht, Mike Dawson from Amongst It on Vimeo.Interview - Mike Dawson Rotorua's Mike Dawson is currently ranking at the top of the extreme slalom and white water kayaking. Last weekend he proved he’s still cutting edge when he took out another event at the annual Green River Narrows Race in North

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-49278800266090797112010-11-08T07:06:00.006+13:002010-11-08T12:33:50.524+13:00

GREEN RACE RESULTS HEREThe 15th Annual Green Race took place yesterday here in the United States of America, in North Carolina- which is one of the staunchest paddling destinations in the world!This race is unreal! It is absolutely incredible. There are so many awesome kayakers that are here to own it, racing down big whitewater in 4meter long boats, for no prize money down a river that drops

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-62992788721833197152010-11-06T04:06:00.003+13:002010-11-06T14:09:42.810+13:00

Tomorrow begins the beginning of the end. The Green race is firing up. All the boys & girls are here, and training epically hard on the course trying t get fired up and get sussed with the lines of the river before tomorrows race!The weather is sunny and beautiful, but the temperature has hit rock bottom, with gear freezing overnight, and a solid winter chill in the air.The race will kick off

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-42559087288515885832010-11-05T03:41:00.002+13:002010-11-05T03:41:46.773+13:00

Some lines put together by Keegan Grady and Shane Benedict.

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-73591874723246708862010-10-30T12:46:00.007+13:002010-10-31T13:53:41.073+13:00

A few weeks ago I managed to get into the Raptor from Zet Kayaks. The newest creeker on the market designed by Honza Lasko- a 'ex' Bliss-Stick paddler, so I was super physc'ed to compare this boat with the mystic. I have been in the Mystic for a long time and love this boat! It's easy to paddle, forgiving and fast making it, for me, the best creek and race boat on the market. I tested the boat in

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-42638455257622268712010-10-28T01:46:00.006+13:002010-10-29T05:30:27.902+13:00

The boys scouting "Big Boy" Tornado warnings, Rain, and no Green have been the story of the week here in North Carolina. We are waiting during the week for the Green to flow again, as it is only flowing the last 4 days of the week. (Fri, Sat, Sun, & Mon)This week a huge storm came through the region. Tornado warnings were in place for the areas surrounding the Green- so we waited. The rain came,

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-57929401139794382472010-10-25T14:03:00.006+13:002010-10-26T02:39:10.928+13:00

Over the weekend was the infamous Russel Fork race in the state that brought us Bourbon Whiskey, Kentucky. It's an interesting state- but awesomely beautiful, and we were right up on the state line with Virginia. Imagine this place in the civil war, one side confederates and one side union. It would have been a good place to hang out forsure. We got up at 6am and headed the 4hrs from the Green

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-4156674376501612072010-10-24T00:00:00.002+13:002010-10-24T00:12:50.393+13:00

I have arrived in North Carolina, the home of the green river- and the infamous race that is going be held here! After a 20 or so hour drive from Ottawa we made it. Ottawa was awesome- It's such a sweet city, and home to the Ottawa River, a huge volume play ground. We went and had a session on the river out there- checked out the Ottawa Valley, and then the rest of the few days there was spent in

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-86237771885337779612010-10-20T08:31:00.004+13:002010-10-20T08:55:16.943+13:00

Last week I headed to California to catch up with the boys and girls at Teva USA- and check out the headquarters of Deckers Outdoors.It was situated just out of Santa Barbara, on the West Coast of the USA in Califonia!! Awesome place. Some small clean swell was coming into the beach each day, and the coast line was pretty cool and uninhabited as the peak season is over, so I just cruised.Liz and

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-84280954601235425842010-10-20T07:45:00.002+13:002010-10-20T07:52:49.292+13:00

During the Kanu Messe I met up with Ortlieb Waterproof, a German based waterproof bag company and began working with their productions for the USA and Mexico trip I am on at the moment.I will be testing the latest waterproof Zip Lock bag for my Camera kit during the paddling trip.Check out the full range of products they offer on the website here. A product line that includes a lot of awesome

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-47352120522604224372010-10-20T06:37:00.009+13:002010-10-20T07:45:08.544+13:00

I thought I would through together a bit of a post from the Kanu Messe.I was there representing Cumec Magazine, and had a great 3 days in Nurnburg checking out what is on offer for 2011. And there is some awesome new things in the mix. Check out the reports around the internet on all the go's from the shoe. plus if you click here through to the Cumec report on the event and here is the

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-10804862693681984902010-10-19T13:53:00.003+13:002010-10-19T13:54:25.308+13:00

The Journey has finished- I am in ottawa at the moment!! It's aweosme. Paddled the river today some sick waves. Some sweet pics and stories coming soon....Check back tomorrow

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-64650662500903891282010-10-15T11:34:00.002+13:002010-10-15T11:36:38.526+13:00

Change is coming to Mike Kayak.Please check out the new site, and keep up to date there. It's better if you access my news through the front page at the link below!!www.mikedawson.co.nz has launched. And it is Sick. Thanks to Martina Wegman!! Check it out and have a look around. Let me know what you think.Once I have some net I will adjust this blog to fit into the site better!Enjoy.

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-2035013357751808092010-10-15T11:30:00.001+13:002010-10-15T11:34:09.511+13:00

Malibu!! I have made it to the USA. No worries. And no excess charges for my ridiculous amount of gear... Yeeeeeow.I got my car. I had to rent on the spot. The first car I had sussed didn't turn up- apperantly I am meant to ring them but all good. Got another one and headed up the coast. I slept out at Malibu. Inbetween massive multi million dollar houses, I found a mint piece of grass in between

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-76740276482293847622010-10-04T23:23:00.003+13:002010-10-04T23:26:02.567+13:00

Another day another dollar. Congrat's to Sam Sutton for owning the show and laying it down on the weekend and taking the Sickline Crown. For me not the best of days on the river. I got glanced off line in the middle of the course piton'ing a rock and getting washed around like a rag doll in the wind. Not to worry- Another race in 2weeks. I came through the rounds in good form. I was 3rd in the

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-63242170682080115972010-09-30T09:19:00.007+13:002010-09-30T09:33:54.916+13:00

Oetz is slowly getting swampped by a flood of kayakers descending on this magestic alpine town to lay down some laps of one of the trickest peices of water to be raced on this year.There's been a bit of time between session and what not so I have a few shots from the days activitiesCheck them out. Nick Troutman on the crux section.. A weird edit of us all watching Thilo Schmidt for some lines..

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-52025735328620703012010-09-29T08:37:00.003+13:002010-09-29T09:01:26.029+13:00

This weekend is the Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championships here in Oetztal Valley on the Oetz River-Wellebrucke Rapids. These giant dangerous rapids will churn throw kayakers and boats through out the week and into the weekend so stay posted for which kayaker will make it to the bottom alive and fast! 150 Kayakers are entered in to this weekends race. It will begin on Friday with the

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-79624160435638390842010-09-23T20:04:00.005+12:002010-09-23T20:19:17.177+12:00

It's been a busy few days since I headed from Slovenia right across Europe to the netherlands, and then back down, and then back up. So now I am in Holland preparing for the Adidas Sickline World Championships in a few weeks in a flat country!!We were in Plattling in Germany for the weekend freestyle kayaking on the wave there. I was pretty awesome, I checked out the other boats that the

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-2614775730060775742010-09-16T07:42:00.002+12:002010-09-16T07:46:49.838+12:00

2010 has gone past pretty fast so far, and with it has the slalom world championships. They started in a mayhem of construction and flooding as European weather patterns did the best they could to deter the 2010 World Champs. The organizers made the best possible decisions considering the crazy weather postponing the mens qualification round to make sure it was fair and good race. The racing. It

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-33899688591606159982010-09-05T19:46:00.004+12:002010-09-05T20:00:10.900+12:00

The Worlds are upon us. Starting Tuesday will be the Demonstration runs & opening ceremony. Then next up will be the Girls, and C2's on Wednesday. The mens' K1 & C1 Men & Women will be on Thursday. Fridays the teams, Saturday Semi's for Chicks and C2's and Sunday will be the Mens K1 C1 finals. Click here for the official website.After an awesome time in Lipno, I've been back in Ljubljana. The

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-10847758904819095442010-09-01T18:44:00.001+12:002010-09-01T18:46:01.710+12:00

I was wrong. There's actually a lot of clubs in NZ. Here are some of the major clubs include; Auckland University Canoe Club (AUCC), Waikato Canoe Club, Hawkes Bay, Hutt Valley, Canterbury Whitewater, Canterbury University, Otago University, Otago Canoe & Kayak Club, Nelson, etcThere are clubs practically everywhere, not necessarily that obvious but they're probably the people running local polo

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-10133302389478827752010-09-01T00:26:00.004+12:002010-09-01T18:47:45.483+12:00

A few days ago I had a email from someone just asking for me to throw up some information about where & how to begin kayaking. It's a tricky question, I guess it deends what country you come from and where you are in the country. So here's a bit of information about NZ, and how to get into it there.We do have a club system in NZ. Check out Some of the major clubs include; Auckland University

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-83867468143645856162010-09-01T00:08:00.005+12:002010-09-01T04:58:25.029+12:00

A weekend away from LJ. Ciaran, Dad and I took a weekend out from Ljubljana and headed 4hr North East towards Czech republic and the Lipno Valley right on the border with Austria. We were to race the Czech National Championships here on the Vltava River. The same river that flows a few hundred KM's downstream to Prague and makes the course here. A wicked place. 700m above sea level. We were

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-40389062014771880572010-08-27T17:28:00.003+12:002010-08-27T17:31:08.756+12:00

The latest Twelve Productions movie featuring the European Slalom Championships Keep up to date with Twelve Productions here. A website will be online shortly.If it isn't to scale on my blog double click on the movie and it will take you to U Tube

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-67031484333076269612010-08-25T07:38:00.001+12:002010-08-25T07:40:57.399+12:00

Dawson & Jones - ICF World Ranking Slovak Open Slovakia Monday, 23 August 2010 The Kiwi slalom team raced the ICF WR Slovak Open over the weekend which served as a pre world competition for the Olympic Qualifier 2011 in Bratislava ahead of slalom world championships in Slovenia Read more here

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-38599557811633338602010-08-22T22:02:00.007+12:002010-08-22T22:18:39.951+12:00

First up check out Twelve Productions page here Another day in Bratislava! An interesting week to say the least. Qualifications.. what a nightmare. Off line running all the way picking up 2 touches and sitting on the bubble for the semi-final. I thought I was out-in what would be a terrible performance. Fortunately, I managed to land bang on the top of the bubble.. Actually right at the point of

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-20592858516689348392010-08-20T19:06:00.002+12:002010-08-20T19:08:21.690+12:00

I'm back in Slovakia.. It's nice. We're working on the left channel of the slalom course here in Curnovo. It's going to be the Pre World Championships for the worlds next year. It's basically a mock up of the event that'll be happening here next year in September, and our laast race before the worlds this season.Results will be at www.mates.sk Or check back here fro some updates.

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-82549386683715181992010-08-13T00:26:00.003+12:002010-08-13T01:29:14.701+12:00

Rider of the Year Awards from Tribe Rider on Vimeo.Check out this video. It's about 15' long but features some wicked footage from around the mix. Check out the site. www.rideroftheyear.org.

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-44453986525543260252010-08-08T20:18:00.007+12:002010-08-09T04:09:17.935+12:00

After a short break, and the training camp in Bratislava I'm back in Ljubljana, Slovenia on the course here in Tacen. The course here is pretty quite at the moment as most of the guys have headed off to the Europeans which are going to be held this weekend in Bratislava. We'll be going there next week for the Slovak open. As it's the only race prior to the worlds. I had a perfect few days of

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-31921280083674479702010-07-30T00:13:00.002+12:002010-07-30T00:27:04.692+12:00

I'm now in Slovakia for a 4 day training camp in Bratislava at the whitewater course here in Curnovo. It's going to be an important site for the next 2 seasons with the European championships in 2 weeks, the Slovak Open the following weekend, and the World Championships here in 2011 which will double as the Olympic selection. We've taken a few days out from Tacen, Slovenia to come here and

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-91272218881823794002010-07-27T04:33:00.002+12:002010-07-27T04:35:39.363+12:00

Check out a vid from Brad Lauder and the NZ boys in California this summer. Filmed on GOPRO. Check it. Plus if you're into slalom you'll love this. I think it's the future forsho. Shane Benedict's page. I'm hoping to get to USA for this race in the "fall" before heading south for a little Sth American mish.

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-40065096665306710572010-07-23T04:56:00.003+12:002010-07-23T05:06:27.226+12:00

Living it up large in Ljubljana-Slovenia.The kiwi contingent (apart from Luuka Jones) is residing in a perfect house just 10minutes from the 2010 World Championship venue in Tacen, Ljubljana.We've all re-united after the world cups. Brent Bastin and Johann Roozenburg headed off to the rafting world championships in Netherlands. They had a mixed campaign, picking up some brutal penalties which

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-57046819783922666552010-07-22T00:50:00.001+12:002010-07-22T00:51:59.802+12:00

I was caught off guard by Sports Live- a National NZ radio station. Here's a interview live from the carpark in Tacen, Slovenia half way through training last week... Enjoy! Interview - Mike Dawson We catch up with Kiwi paddler Mike Dawson in Slovenia, who is currently at the top of extreme and slalom kayaking, having recently taken out

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-5076488317454486152010-07-15T17:26:00.005+12:002010-07-16T00:11:34.769+12:00

After- a few weeks of chilling. And an amazing holiday. I'm in Tacen & back in my boat. It was nice-although frustrating to take a break, but I am stoked to be back. And now I just have to take it easy to make sure I don't over do it. Although it's hard because it's 35+d each day here-so I'm enjoying to paddle on the whitewater all the time.There are a few pic's from training-and Soca, and

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-1423767984420405812010-07-13T15:27:00.005+12:002010-07-13T17:46:14.322+12:00

Not being able to paddle can drive you crazy. So instead of sitting around the river I went on holiday. We cruised up over the Austrian Alps into a historically old school country. it's pretty old and It was awesome. Beautiful drive stopping every 5minutes to check something out.We visited Merano, Vilpaino, Bologna, Pisa, Florence, and drove past Venice. After 2 days the old cities weren't as

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19079198.post-73287426393979235952010-07-11T21:39:00.005+12:002010-07-11T22:16:47.209+12:00

The last few weeks have been somewhat unusual for me. I've been sitting on the bank of the river watching everyone else paddling. In Italy I landed pretty hard on the top of the run of the top20 "king of the falls" section in training and knocked the wind out of me. I wasn't to worried. It happens all the time... no biggy. But it turned out that I had proliferated 2 discs in my lumbar. It's not a

mikedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570292802979585609noreply@blogger.com0