The jungles of Veracruz are a mystical place, where imaginations flourish and ideas come to life. In the spring of 2018; Nick Troutman, Dane Jackson and I pulled together a quick mission to Veracruz state and the Alseseca river.
Our goals were simple and founded in the constant progression of downriver / waterfall freestyle. We dreamt of taking the Jackson Antix – a new school slicey kayak but with friendly edges and playful hull – to the pristine waterfalls of the Alseseca to put it, and down river freestyle limits to the test.
Nick and I arrived without Dane, (he would join us a few days later) and went straight to work. The classic sections provided a great warm up to feeling out low volume creeking in these kayaks and with each passing day, Nick and I not only gained confidence in our small kayaks, but our vision for what was possible constantly expanded and exceeded our original expectations.
Dane joined us as the entire river became our playground. Every waterfall had something to offer; a clean freewheel, a splat wall above or below, an eddy line for stern ends. Everything was in play. We began to see the waterfalls of the Alseseca and the Jalacingo in a whole new light.
Follow the story below and let us know which is your favourite photo on Instagram: @wearesend
“Nick getting comfortable with his Antix in tight places on the infamous S-turn rapid on the Roadside section of the Alseseca.” - Photo: Kalob Grady
“Kalob getting vertical and into the flow of the trip.” - Photo: Nick Troutman
“Nick riding out the wall through some classics.” - Photo: Kalob Grady
“Nick whipping it around on a lesser run section of the Alseseca.” - Photo: Kalob Grady
“Kalob goes vertical on the aptly named freestyle drop on the lower reaches of the Alseseca.” - Photo: Nick Troutman
“Dane immediately making an impact on the trip with this epic switch freewheel off the Mexican 20 waterfall on the Big Banana section of the Alseseca.” - Photo: Kalob Grady
“Kalob striving to get his bow down on Silenco.” - Photo: Scott Taetsch
“The stoke always builds as we walk into the river, the smiles get bigger, and the walk turns into a run!” - Photo: Scott Taetsch
“Dane talking it to a new level and throwing a massive, perfect switch freewheel on Sidechick, a waterfall he First descented a few years ago.” - Photo: Kalob Grady
“Kalob follows suit on Sidechick but opts to throw a normal freewheel, already thinking about the double for next time!” - Photo: Dane Jackson
“Nick slicing up the perfect post river snack, pineapples as sweet and fresh as they get.” - Photo: Kalob Grady
“Nick getting vertical below the breathtaking scenery of Big Banana Falls.” - Photo: Kalob Grady
An impressive sight? Get an insight into Bren Ortons British record breaking Big Banana waterfall decent.
“Kalob celebrating after a low water mission off Truchas Falls.” - Photo: Scott Taetsch
“Nick launching off the bottom half of double drop,” - Photo: Kalob Grady
“Kalob lays it all out on the line on the tricky final waterfall of the Upper Jalacingo.” - Photo: Nick Troutman
“Kalob goes reverse on the Upper jalacingo.” - Photo: Dane Jackson
“Kalob putting the creeking limits of the Antix to the test on Skatepark.” - Photo: Dane Jackson
“Spot your landing.” - Photo: Dane Jackson
“Nick sends a kickflip off freestyle drop on one of our finals laps!” - Photo: Kalob Grady
“Don’t forget to celebrate the good times on every trip.” - Photo: Nick Troutman
Kalob and Dane are part of the SEND crew, which also includes Adrian Mattern and Bren Orton. They travel the world, push the limits of the sport and take us all along for the ride through their videos, photos and social channels.
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