Chris Gragtmans

Biographical: Weight? 160 Height? 5'10" How old are you? 18 Where did you grow up? Picton, Ontario, Canada Personal Taste: Do you prefer more or less rocker for a creeker? Why? When I get really scared I'd rather have very little rocker, so that I have the ability to punch the holes that I need to, and carry plenty of speed from one drop to the next. Any major changes for creekboats of the future, design related? As Dunbar mentioned, Necky is coming out with some cool innovations with the spring-loaded bulkhead in the Crux. I think that there are a good deal of crash-proofing advancements still to be made. What rescue equip. do you carry? Breakdown, pulley, rope, float bags, first aid, prussic? I try to track down a breakdown for full on expedition-style trips, always a throw rope, sometimes a first aid kit, carabiners. Would you consider wearing a fullface helmet? (Cage or FNA style) Why or why not? I'm in the process of trying to track one down, I've punched myself in the face a couple of times at the bottom of drops and slides, and I'd love to have that added confidence that an FNA style helmet will give me above a big drop. I used to wear my hockey mouth guard on really big rivers. Personal Preference: Bent Shaft or Straight, any reason why? To each his own, but I prefer a bent shaft. I paddle probably about 200 days a year, and the bent shafts keep my wrists from giving me trouble after a high impact day. I also feel as though, playboating or creeking, a bent shaft paddle doesn't get torqued in my grip the way a straight shaft often does. Do you spend a lot of time outfitting a new boat or just make it fit. Can you describe some things that you take into consideration when outfitting a creeker? I don't spend too much time on outfitting, but there are a couple of things that I need to feel confident on any creek. I feel so much more in control of my boat when I'm sitting up high, and don't rub my elbows on the cockpit rim, so I put about an inch or two of foam on my seat. I usually make my hip pads snug too, and put some foam on the cockpit rim for portaging. What is you favorite creekboat design to date(or one of them)? I think that the Blunt has definately stood the test of time, and has taught me everything that I have learned about creeking. It does everything well, and there's no boat that I feel safer in. What?s you favorite local hometown run? The Green What are five cities in the U.S. that you would live in strictly for creeking purposes? The only two that come to mind are Asheville, NC and Fayetteville, WV. I have never been out west, so I can't make judgements in that department. Do you feel play boats have a place on creeks? Example: ?Backyard? type creeks. If it's a creek on which you feel very comfortable and there are good playspots and freestyle rapids to be gained by taking the extra risk, absolutely. However, if you are paddling a playboat on a creek with paddlers who are not at your skill level, who depend on you, you're shirking your responsibility towards keeping them safe. You are simply not as effective in rescue situations in a playboat. Do you prefer boating with boaters you know best or have boated with predominantly? Do you take bigger risks with these boaters? Depends on the situation. On anything that really scares me, I only paddle with people who have solid skills, both in their kayaks and in rescue situations. It's a very tough situation to deal with when you question other group members' abilities and judgements, and have to be responsible for their safety even if you disagree with their decisions. However, I also love introducing intermediate level paddlers to the joys of creekboating, so a day spent on a class IV creek, scouting endlessly, and sometimes rescuing swimmers is not wasted in my eyes. Besides keeping their boat pointing downstream, what are the main differences between creekboaters and other genres? By far the biggest difference between creeking and any other genre of kayaking is the amount of consequences that must be considered if you make a mistake. The biggest consequence for trying a new playboating trick is falling off the wave, and maybe hurting your ego. On a creek the possibility of death is involved, and once the decision is made to run a rapid, a great degree of focus and commitment is required. Is creekboating in its ?Golden Age? or do you feel there will be lots more pioneered, greater levels, and lots more athletes to take this to the next level? I'm sure that there are still plenty of rivers out there that have yet to be run. I know that people will keep hucking themselves off of bigger and bigger drops, but I think that no matter how good you are, running drops that big, you're going to eat it eventually. As we keep running bigger and bigger slides and waterfalls, people are just going to crash harder and harder when they miss a line. It's a bad sport to have something to prove in. Compared to the other forms of kayaking would you say that creeking is more team oriented? Absolutely, when it comes down to it, most of the time you're on your own once you commit to a huge rapid, but with a solid team you can have confidence that there's someone there to help you at the bottom if things go bad. How would you describe differences between East Coast and West Coast creeking (word or paragraph) Which would you rather live in? I've never been out west, hopefully next summer... Epic: East Coast rapid that makes you really nervous, what?s the first one that pops in your head? Gorilla at 200% and up. It gets my blood pumping every time. Landbridge, Energizer... West Coast rapid that makes you really nervous, what?s the first one that pops in your head? I'll let you know this summer. What are some of the closest calls that you?ve had in your paddling career? Probably my scariest experience was going behind the curtain of a waterfall in New Zealand, and taking a brutal swim out. That shook my confidence for a long time afterwards. Have you lost a close paddling partner to a whitewater accident? How would you say that it changed your scope on whitewater activities in general, creeking, development? I've never lost a close friend in a whitewater accident. There have been a few people who I had met or knew casually, who later lost their lives paddling. That in itself was very difficult, I can't imagine losing a good friend to the river. I love kayaking more than anything but it would be difficult to find joy in it after that. Considerations: Do you ever creek solo? If so what creeks? I've never creeked solo and don't plan to. At what height(waterfall) do you feel the freefall gets a little nutty and maybe less controlled? I can't really comment, I've never run anything over 35 feet. I think the general public underestimates the skill level of many paddlers who run huge drops. There is a great deal of calculation, precision, and years of experience that goes into each waterfall. Development: Approx what year did you start creeking? 2002 What was the first kayak you ever owned? Pirouette S How did you get into kayaking? My uncle introduced it to me on the Ottawa River when I was 11. Did you have any heroes growing up that you looked up to for their creeking/riverrunning abilities? Some of my first heroes in kayaking were my uncle, Derek Gragtmans, Ken Whiting, Tyler Curtis, Steve Fisher, and Clay Wright. Who are some of your heroes in the creeking arena today? Some of my creeking heroes today are Brandon Knapp, Scott Lindgren, Pat Keller, Steve Fisher, and Allan Ellard. I admire these people because of their smooth, effortless paddling styles. What are some things that may have drawn you towards creeking when you were in your developmental stages? I didn't start creeking until after 6 years of play. My friends kept calling me a pussy for only playboating all the time, so I demoed a Java and paddled the Green on my 16th birthday. I was hooked after that! It was also great because I could actually go paddling in the winter and stay warm. Would you classify your development as attending the school of hard knocks or did you develop with patience waiting till you felt totally prepared mentally to run class V? I'm a pretty cautious person, I would say patient development. What ways/things should advancing boaters work on to improve skills that will benefit them on Class creeks and rapids? I'm not sure if there is merit in this, but training for the Green race made me feel way more solid in my creekboat. Concentrating on paddling really fast teaches you how to read water and use it to your advantage, as well as carry your speed through holes. What advice do you have for next generation's boaters who want to explore the arenas you currently dwell in? Be careful and make sure you paddle with people who you know and trust, especially on new rivers. What has helped you to progress safely to more difficult water? The support and encouragement of my friends. Do you currently have any sponsors? Necky Kayaks, Level Six clothing, AceEngine.com In what ways has being sponsored helped/hindered your continuous development as a creeker? It's great to have the luxury of not worrying about replacing your gear when it breaks. That means more money for trips. There's always (percieved) added pressure to maybe run drops that you wouldn't otherwise, and that can become a problem for younger paddlers who want to make a name for themselves. How do you address doubts and fears while on difficult whitewater? Fear is an important aspect of creeking. Once you've committed to the drop it's important to focus on where to go rather than where not to go. I don't enjoy boating with people who are always telling you about every beatdown that ever occurred in that drop. I like to be aware of the hazards, but people like that psyche me out and cause me to lose focus. What do you do while not boating to condition yourself to be able to perform at a high level: (strength training, stretching, yoga, etc.) I push weights, stretch once in a while, run, play hockey, row, play ping pong... What keeps you excited about creeking or kayaking in general? Recently it's been video editting, I love taking footage with my friends, and trying to manifest the beauty of kayaking so that other people can see it on a video. Any more useful tips for creekboaters? Even if you've run it a hundred times, there's no shame in walking if you're not feeling it... Thanks Chris for the time and answers Thanks to Spencer at LVM as well for his contribution to this page.