The Global Paddling Community

A short report from the Voss Extreme Week 2005 in Norway.

Every June enthusiasts of all adventure sports gather in the small town of Voss in western Norway. Along with skydivers, snowboarders, skaters, mountain bikers and many more, kayakers arrive in bundles. Voss is a playground for paddlers and the extreme week is always a great place to catch up with friends and have a good time boating and partying.

Becky Lar.

2005 extreme week will be remembered for the bad weather, huge water and the insane amount of swim beers being drunk each evening in various camps. As a kayaker, swim beer tradition is very important. If you fish, you drink. It's that simple, try and avoid it and the river gods will take their vengeance! The norm has always been the bootie, and if yours are anywhere near as bad as mine the thought of it is all you need to give that roll an extra try! In countries where the weather allows sandals rather than booties the funnel is king. Somehow the funnel has made it to Norway !

Camp supplies.

Voss always hosts great competitions and this year was exceptional. High flows brought the very rare Milky Wave in. The Milky Wave is a big green wave beside a nice hole and is situated 5 minutes from the town centre. The freestyle competition was held here in a jam style format with competitors breaking down into small groups and each group having 15 minutes on the wave to strut their stuff. Mariann Saether took the women's event with Christie Glissmeyer in second and Becky-Lar in third. Kay Arne Randen from Strie Strommer Kayak shop took first in the men's.

Christie Glissmeyer on Milkywave.

Becky Lar. Photo: Petter Thoresen.

High water delivered some great carnage on the extreme downriver race. The race is held on a beautiful little section of the Brandseth River just North of Voss. After a day of many swims and some punishing rock plants Mike Abbot took home the cash prize of 1000 Euros for the men and Mariann again came home victorious in the women's event with another 1000 Euro prize purse.

Check out this small crash-n-burn video clip of some of the carnage.

Per Christian in the extreme race.

Mathias Fossum in the extreme race.

The last competition was the head to head race, which was held in playboats. Big wave trains and holes made for an exciting race and a few more swims before heading back to camp for a few beers and then into town for the party and evening entertainment in the main festival tent. Per Christian took first in the men's event and Christie Glissmeyer won the women's event.

The camp. Photo: Petter Thoresen.

The party tent. Photo: Petter Thoresen.

More pictures of the whole event are available on www.zoomgoto.com .

-- Mark Burton

[All photos on this page are courtesy Adrenal, unless stated otherwise explicitly.]