Shasta Boyz Productions © 2009&2010

The Release of ShastaBoyz.com!!!!!

2009-12-01T09:08:00.001-08:00

So the posts may slow down on the blog and move over to my new website Shasta Boyz.com

It is still in the early stages but will develop into a epic site fo sho. Please leave comments and let me know what all yall huckers are thinking out there. Hope everyone is enjoying the fall/ winter and look forward to seeing everyone on the water.

SB

Shasta Boyz w/ Pep Love and Nima Fadavi

2009-11-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

Sooo we have been getting hit with some insane swell here in Santa Cruz and life is in the fast lane. During our most recent project Wet Dreams, I have been able to work with many accomplished artists such as Pep Love, Nima Fadavi, Wisdom, Sizzla, Lutan Fyah, Thievery Corp, Soldiers of Jah Army, and many more.

This is the Outlet Falls segment from Wet Dreams featuring Nima Fadavi and Pep Love in the track "Change Is". Enjoy this little sneak peak and make sure to get a copy of your own to see the whole film.

SB

Astral: Limited Edition Green Vest

2009-11-10T15:00:00.001-08:00

For the past few years I have been stoked to be wearing Astrals gear and this is yet another reason to get fired up for this roots company. There will be 100 limited edition jackets of each design made throughout the winter, so thats right....... there will be tons of styles for everyone to customize their hucking.

This is the first design they will run and will be shipping in December, so make sure to get out their and pick up your own custom green vest that are made right here in the United States. Click here to reserve yours.......

I am super fired up for these vests and put in a suggestion to make a Cali edition, Limited vest based on the California Republic flag. Hopefully the suggestion goes through and keep your eyes out for these new vests.

SB

LVM #32: Wet Dreams Sneak Peak

2009-11-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

To whom it may concern:
Make sure to check out this teaser for the upcoming Lunch Video Magazine #32, it will featuring a short teaser for Shasta Boyz most recent production, Wet Dreams. The swell is killing it here in Santa Cruz and getting fired up for some winter boating. Check the trailer from LVM and make sure to get your own copy to start your own wet dreams....

SB

LVM Teaser Pleaser #1 from Lunch Video Magazine on Vimeo.

The New GoPro HD

2009-11-04T13:29:00.001-08:00

So this footie was hot off the press from the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, UT. It was the official release and showing of the new GoPro HD helmet camera. I haven't been able to release this footage because GoPro wanted to release footage in a orderly manor.

This thang is going to take over......period. I have not ever seen a waterproof camera with such clarity and high frame rate. It has four options for your frame rates and shoots in 1080p. This allows your slow motion to be baby butt smooth with no dragging or distortion.

I got the pleasure of testing the proto's of this camera and have been quite impressed. Here is some footage from the Upper Klamath that they showed at the GoPro booth. Enjoy and get fired up for crystal clear HD hucking.

SB

Five Ten. Aboard.

2009-10-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

So the water is getting scarce here in Cali but I am getting excited for the winter expeditions. This is just a quick update to announce that Five Ten picked me up for the season. Its an honor to get to paddle for this company because I honestly believe they make the best and most aggressive kayaking shoes on the market. Big shout out to everyone at Five Ten and thanks for continuing to support the kayak industry.

Here is a photo of the world renowned Canyoneer:

Currently I am working on a promo video for the UCSC kayak club and really fired up to work with some new boaters this season. We have a big trip planned for January and it is looking very promising. All the info on it is yet to be released but the word is that it's on an island......

SB

N. Feather Festival and Tobin Race

2009-10-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

So things have been pretty busy with school and the ever growing UCSC kayak club down here in Santa Cruz. Recently we got to escape for a weekend to attend the 2009 Tobin Race. The event was a lot of fun and it was great to see all the boyz. It had a great turn out and a solid set of competition. Special thanks to American White Water for putting it on.

Just coming off my mtn bike injury from this summer I was lucky to take 10th place in short boat but it felt good just to paddle. My good friend Justin Patt took 1st place in Short Boat, Rush Sturges snatched 1st in Long Boat, and Katie Scott cleaning up the Women's Long Boat. The first day at fish flows I pinned super bad and had my first swim in 4 years but it was good to get another bootie out the way. Enjoy the footie and make sure to get out there next year.

Notorious

Wet Dreams World Premier

2009-09-07T08:52:00.001-07:00

I was going have this up right after the showing of the film but I had to move back to school down here in Santa Cruz, so sorry for the delay. All Photos by: Shaggy McLaughlin.

The showing was a huge success and everyone had a great time mingling and getting to hang with our dear friend Matt who made the barge down from Oregon to see the movie. The show was a benefit for him and we raised $1100 towards his recovery costs from admission cost, a silent auction, and a kick ass raffle.

Huge thanks to all the sponsors for sending gear (Gopro, HCC, Astral, Hippy Tree, Sanuk, Clear H2o Films, Level Six, Neosport, Snapdragon, and Shasta Base Camp) and a big thanks to all that came out.

The premier was held in the City Park where the headwaters of the Sacramento are located. Being my hometown, this was a amazing event to start with and only got me more fired up for the tour starting in early 2010. Look for Wet Dreams touring the West Coast and Arizona with Huckin Huge's new film "Haymaker".

Now I'm back at school and getting fired up for the winter expedition coming up. Details are being kept some what under wraps but I will give you a hint.................................... it's on a island.

Shasta Boyz in the Mt. Shasta Herald

2009-08-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hey yall, BIG premier of our new film tomorrow night and everyone is getting fired up. Our Wet Dreams have created all kinds of buzz around town and this was an article featured in our local paper click here

If your around the greater Mt. Shasta area make sure to come through and see the show. It will be shown at the City Park around 7:00pm Friday August 21st and will be a benefit for our dear friend Matt Thomas. See everyone on the water soon enough and make sure to get after your own Wet Dreams.

Notorious

Wet Dreams A Shasta Boyz Production

2009-07-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

So here she blows. This is a project that I have been editing all summer and features white water in California and Washington. The project features some of the top athletes on the West Coast and footage from Shasta Boyz Productions, as well as Clear H20 Films. The show will be a benefit for our dear friend Matt Thomas to help him through his road of recovery. (The flyer got distorted but the idea is there)

The world premier will be right here in Mt. Shasta on Friday Aug. 21st at City Park Gazebo, with a benefit raffle before hand. This film will go on tour in early 2010 as an opener for Huckin Huge's new video "Haymaker". Make sure to come out and support both shows and look for them on DVD. Here is the flyer and a trailer to get you fired up.

Get Some
Notorious

Matador: A world of Sponsors

2009-07-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

During this madness of getting footage to Huckin Huge for Cody's film "Haymaker" and finishing Wet Dreams, David Miller at Matador caught up with me and asked me some questions about sponsorship within the kayaking industry.

This was a piece that got published wednesday and could be controversial for some but helpful for others. Just exploiting more fun in the sun.

http://matadorsports.com/so-you-want-to-get-sponsored-6-key-factors-for-young-athletes

SB

Shastarama 2009

2009-07-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

So during the editing madness of getting "Wet Dreams" released by its premier date, which is Aug. 21st. 2009 for those that don't know, Shasta Base Camp hosted the 1st annual Shastarama XC and Downhill races.

If there is one sport I can compare to kayaking it is downhill mtn biking. Same fall line without water and you boof everything. It has become a serious cross trainer for me and another sport to invest time, money, and of course skin.

Here are a couple shots of your truly holdin it down for the Shasta Boyz and a vid in full HD I made of the event......enjoy.

Thinking of a Helmet Cam?

2009-06-22T15:58:00.001-07:00

Sup crew, busy life up here in Shasta getting ready for my brothers wedding. I have been in close contact with David Miller at Matador, and he asked me to put together a helmet cam review piece for their site.

The piece can be found here http://matadorgoods.com/helmet-cam-guide-3-top-designs/.

It's a review of the GoPro Wide, VIO POV 1/1.5, and the brand new Contour HD by Vholdr. If any of you adventurist are in the market for a helmet cam be sure to check out this piece for some good prospective.

Shon

Matador

2009-06-08T21:36:00.001-07:00

In this past crazy week of finals and moving back to Shasta for summer, I spoke with David Miller at Matador, an online blogging community. These guys are great and have a great outlook to where they want to take their company.

Check out the full interview at http://matadorsports.com/athlete-profile-shon-bollock

Hope everyone else has gotten more water than me these past few weeks, but the water will come my way soon.

SB

DAM-age

2009-05-26T08:15:00.001-07:00

Here is a shot of the urban mischief we got into last weekend. Yours truly in mid-flight and Chiseki McConnaughy at top. This photo was taken by Trevor Clark a traveling photographer. He hid in some bushes a few hundred feet up on the hillside above the dam to get this shot. Make sure to check out his exploits at www.trevorclarkphoto.com

Look for the full footage in Huckin Huge's next film releasing in 2010.

South Branch Middle Fork Feather and DAM-age

2009-05-21T23:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend (5/14-17) myself and Chiseki Mconnaughy made the barge north the get the last water on the S. Branch of the Feather. We left Santa Cruz Thursday night planning to meet the rest of the Shasta Boyz and crew the following morning. After the a brutal drive up the back side through Milsap Bar, Chiseki's Lexus was pushed to the max.

In the morning we arose early and waited for the crew to arrive. When everyone showed up the group consisted of us two Devin Knight, Ryan Knight, Chris Korbulic, and Darin Mcquoid. When people refer to this run one of the best day trips in California, this is no joke. The run has everything from fun rapids, waterfalls, slides, and the opportunity to go as big as you want. There is an option to do a two day trip and hike around Seven Falls (three waterfalls from 100-200ft). We opted to do the one day mish and hike the 1000 vertical feet out the canyon above the falls.

The run starts out mellow with some fun boogie before it starts to gorge up. It begins with some fun rapids and smaller ledges before getting into the waterfalls section. Once the waterfalls start they don't stop till the end. An array of 10-20ft drops, a 45 footer named "99 problems", and a 50 footer to finish out the run. One of the most spectacular canyons that I have ever seen in my life. Here is yours truly on givin' it on 99 problems followed by the big hitter Ryan Knight. Photos by: Chris Korbulic

Below 99 problems there is a fun 20ish foot slide and then straight into a 130+ footer that you portage on the right. The seal launch at the base of the 130 footer is amazing because you get to reconnect in the base of the falls. Here is a shot of some Shasta Boyz at the base of the falls courtesy of Ryan Knight.

There is another fun little slide right after this and then straight into the 50 footer. This is an amazing curtain drop that reconnects at the bottom. This waterfall is somewhat notorious for breaking paddles so make sure to tuck er' up at the bottom. Pep the sequence provided by Ryan Knight.

From the base of the falls its a straight shot to take out at the top of Seven Falls. We only spent a little time here to appreciate the scenery before the barge out of the canyon. The hike out is pretty steep but a good straight shot up to the road. It takes most boaters between 30-40min to get out, but it took myself and Chiseki a bit longer due malnourishment and dehydration. Here is a beautiful shot looking back up the canyon from take out. Courtesy of Ryan Knight.

We had a great crew and it was amazing to finally get in there and experience it for myself after hearing so many stories. We left no drops untouched, except the 100+ footers, not quite good to go. From there we left and headed for a weekend on the American with the UCSC kayak club. While in the area we got into some mischief looking at some DAM action and decided to give her a go. We will leave the "exact" location unsaid but it was an epic 70ft non-vertical slide to 8ish ft. kicker to green water due to the low water. We both took really big hits at the bottom, knocking the wind out of us and exploding both our skirts. Besides a swollen finger and very sore backs we had a lot of fun.

Here is a video of the trip and there will be photos of the Dam coming soon, as well as a video featuring the UCSC kayak club trip. Hope everyone is finding themselves on a river somewhere, and remember to keep firin'.

SB

Nordheimer Race 09' and Middle McCloud Falls

2009-05-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in May (5/1-3) was the notorious Nordheimer Race on the Cal Salmon. Myself and Chiseki McConnaughy rallied the drive from Santa Cruz on thurs night planning to meet our fellow hucker Justin Patt in Mt. Shasta.

We awoke early and decided to get out to the Salmon for a practice lap. When we got out there you could tell it wanted to rain but that is the wonderful thing about kayaking..............were all wet anyway. More people showed up that night for a epic evening of kegs, growlers, and a bunch of inebriated boaters, so yall know what that means.

Race day was taken very slowly preparing for the race start at 1:23pm "exactly". There was great support from the boating community and also from spectators, despite torrential down pour. The race took me just over 45min to go the few miles. One of the longer races this year but a classic none the less.

After the race we meandered back to the site debating whether to stay for the rager or rally to Shasta for a easier trip home. After Justin and Chiseki....... well more Justin were hammered we loaded up the Subi in the rain and prepared for the journey home. We battled snow, LOTS of rain, and suicide rocks that had fallen due to the rainy conditions. It was an exciting drive to say the least, one that JPatt completely missed after passing out a minute into the ride.

We woke up in Shasta the next morning planning to hit the road early when amazing news came. It had puked rain all weekend in the magnificent Mt. Shasta area and swollen all the rivers. Including a waterfall waiting to get checked off the list for me, Middle McCloud Falls. All Photos provided by: Ryan Knight all rights reserved.

I had looked at this falls since I was a kid and wondered if I would ever see it with enough water to give er'. My prayers were answered. Time to huck.......50 footer with 2800 cfs.......heaven. Our crew was Devin Knight, Ryan Knight, Myself (Shon Bollock), Matt Thomas, and Justin Patt, with much appreciated safety set by Chiseki.

Dev gave er first with sick boof, although losing his paddle and swimming he was quick to grab his boat and go for another round.

Although round too was similar, Dev still lovin the Shastown livin'.

Little bother went next, and Ryan Knight had a similar big boof and his skirt exploded off his cockpit at the bottom, but he still managed to paddle his full of water boat to the side.

I didn't get to see JPatt's first line but I heard he stayed in his boat and went a little deep at the bottom. Here is a shot of JPatt's second line. Get some.

I ran it next. Had a sweet line, taking full paddle strokes at the lip and then stompin' er' down into a sweet 45. I love the 530.
Check the sequence...

Fired up after our lines, Matt Thomas gave her a go, launching a monster boof.

Everyone had great lines and we were stoked to see it with this much flow. From there the rest of the Shasta Boyz went to go run Slate and Box, while Chiseki and I made the barge for Santa Cruz. After a weekend of driving over 1000 miles and 19+ hrs. it was nice to settle back into SC livin', while still realizing how much doing all your homework on Mondays sucks but there is nothing else in the world I would have rather been doing.

Here is a little vid of the weekend and a little something to wet your appetite at the end.

Much more to come, focus on the brine.

Notorious

E. Fork Round 2 and Brush Creek 09 Vid

2009-04-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of struggles getting this thing online it is finally up. Enjoy the edit and hope to see you all out at the Cal Salmon race this coming weekend. Be sure to check both parts of the vid, 1st part is E. Kaweah and 2nd features Kernfest 09'.

SB

E. Kaweah Round 2 and Brush Creek Race 09'

2009-04-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

This past weekend (4/16-4/19) myself and Justin Patt decided to rally the night mish to the Kaweah from Santa Cruz. We got there late and camped at the Hideaway, anticipating meeting Taylor Robertson, Jason Holman, and Eric Disque in the morning.

When we arose in the morning and found nobody at the camp site but the two of us and a bunch of RV'ers. We were puzzled and went to pay our nights stay and head to Chucks Drop. After talkin' to Dave the camp host we found out that some of my Huckin Huge and Columbia River Gorge boys were in town so we set out to fire up the E. Fork. We blazed trails to meet them at putin and caught up to them just in time.

We put on with me, Jpatt, Cody Howard, Erik Boomer, Dan, and Scott. A rapid or two in Jpatt broke his (his fathers) second Nomad in two weeks. He hiked out and got the car to be road support with Ryan Scott. We boogied through the upper stuff and through the upper Skyhook gorge and Double Drop. Photos by: Erik Boomer

Then on to good ol' Triple Drop. We had it the lowest flow I have every seen in there. Just about 600 on the Three Rivers gauge and this is probably the lowest I would want to see it at. Everything is still good but the run out gets a little manky. Here are some shots of Triple from the side. Photos by: Erik Boomer

And these photo's were taken from a couple thousand feet on the road by Mr. Justin Patt. Such an amazing canyon.

After Triple we were on a rally mission to get out. Crusied on through the boogie and the second portage lookin to try and get off the water for a run on Hospital Rock. We got down to Driftwood falls or Fugly Falls and both Dan and Scott got fired up and gave er'. Both lines weren't great but they were ok at the bottom, so they were good enough. This drop looks much better with more water but props to the boys for gettin' fired up.

The group finished out the bottom portion fine with much anticipation for burgers and beer at the Gateway. After a good meal Jpatt and myself looked onward to rally to Kernfest 09' while the rest of the boys were lookin to get into the 2nd decent of the UM Kaweah, for more info on that check www.huckinhuge.com and www.georgehits.com

After the 3 hr drive from the Kaweah we arrived at the Brush Creek take out to sleep and wait for our good friend Keith "Cheski" McConnaughay from World Class to come down from Santa Cruz to paddle with us for the weekend. We met up with Cheski in the early afternoon and decided just to run laps on Brush to get ready for the race. After 3 laps we called it good and chilled for the rest of the afternoon.

The most chilling news was about to hit without warning. This same day a group of paddlers went and did Dy Meadow Creek. After the confluence of the Kern, Joe Burnham swam above Carson Falls. The group got a rope to him but he couldn't hold on after the long day of paddling. He drifted into the rapid and disappeared. Macy Burnham was quick to get through the falls and do all he could in search of his father. Macy is a very accomplished paddler and good friend, I give my deepest respects and condolences to him and his family.

This brought a realization to the weekend for everyone that was in the Kernville area. We choose to live our lives to the fullest everyday, as Macy's father did at age 63, simply to be sure that we are living for something greater than ourselves and that is why our sport is special.

The next morning everyone was still shaken by the previous days tragedy but got in some practice laps before the race down Brush Creek. JP and Cheski opted to be shore support during the race cheering racers on and drinking tall cans (rednecks). The race went well with Eric Giddins winning the Men's Downriver Race, Tanya Faux winning the Women's Downriver Race, and some junior winning the junior class. I placed 7th with a time of 3:25.03.

A quality shot provided by JPatt showin Shasta Boyz reppin' the dirty 530 after the race.

The evening concluded with bootie drinking, burgers, chile fries, beers, and guaranteed disaster with such a high concentration of boaters in one area. First and only necessary example. I locked my keys in the Subi and we got to meet the local tow trucker (and his wife of corse riding shotgun) after Keith (not cheski) was nice enough to lace us up with his AAA card.

Some good tree lickin' before Bic made smores in the Subi, ghetto fab.

On Sunday we arose with the sun and got a couple Brush laps in before the hot ride home. We were all stoked to have made the journey and felt fortunate to enjoy some of the endless bounty that our state provides. After a 5 hr. drive home we arrived in Santa Cruz to finish off the weekend with some relaxation, but the knowledge that Cheski and I both procrastinated our homework till Monday set in. Monday, we could of chose a better day.

Hopefully all the boaters out there had fantastic weekends and I will have a video post of the trip up by the end of this weekend fo sho. Thanks for the support and I will have more to say soon. Later kiddies'.

Shon

Hotel Charley IV: At Your Own Risk

2009-04-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

Yo crew. The time is almost here. Stookesberry's new film will be touring soon in a town near you. Be sure to get out there and get a copy of your own, it is a very sick compilation of adventures. Shasta Boyz Productions helped out with some of the underground details and is stoked to see it release. Check out this teaser with sick beats from our fellow hucker Rush Sturges. This vid is bound to blow your mind and make sure to get out and support the cause.

Hotel Charley IV - At Your Own Risk ( The Trailer ) from Jason Rackley on Vimeo.

Kaweah time w/ World Class Kayak Academy

2009-04-01T11:34:00.001-07:00

Yo homies. This past weekend (3/26-3/29) myself and Justin Patt rallied south to meet our former kayak academy World Class. It was great to see the school again and realize how lucky we were to have been able to attend. We were intent on gettin er' done this weekend so we set our sights high on the goods.

First up in the morning on Friday was nothing. Sleep, check flows on E. Kaweah, and waiting for the chitlins to finish classes. Around 3pm Friday we charged up into Sequoia National Forest with our eyes set on Chucks Slide to kick the weekend off. After the 20 min hike or so up to the slide, JP and Jesse Shimrock gave me the thumbs up, so we all got our scout on before firin' er off.

Jesse went first with a pretty clean line catching some air and grazing the right wall at the bottom. JP stepped up next. It was his second time on the beast so he had a good feel for er'. He cleaned it like a virgin on prom night. Last up, I hopped in my white water craft and paddled at the lip. The thing was super fast, and the big roaster tail in the middle sent me for almost a clean 180. Finished out the bottom backwards but upright, which is all I cared about. Caught the wall a bit at the bottom but a quick roll and no problems. Check out the sequence by Jason Cohen.

From there we finished out Chucks section and Hospital Rock on the Middle Kaweah with the World Classers. The flow was good, a little low but still lots of fun. I got a bit tooled on Little Niagra because I forgot it was there and JP broke his boat towards the bottom of the run. Other than that we had a great run with our small battalion of paddlers.

Saturday morning the group decided to rally out to the Tule drainage in search of some new fun. Never having seen this place, I was inclined to check it out. After the coupe hour drive from the Kaweah we arrived at the Middle Tule looking at flows. It was definitely a bit low but still a very cool landscape to see.

We waited till Sunday to try and do the East Fork to allow the warm weekend to give us some more water for the run. The group (myself, JP, LJ Groth, and Jesse Shimrock) were determined to get in there and check it out. Since JP broke his boat on the Middle Kaweah he opted to take the Green Boat down the run. The flow was on the low side but still an incredible run. The last time I ran it was with Taylor Robertson and the Shasta Boyz a few years ago at much higher water. I didn't remember a lot of detail of the run but with super solid group we routed it just fine.

All the early stuff was a playground all the way till Skyhook. We check out the stout and with more water it goes, super rowdy, but it goes. The group didn't feel like ridin' the bull so we took the portage high on the left. I remembered the portage being much worse but this time it seemed mellow for all the goods you get afterwards. After one more portage we started getting into the treats. Here is a photo of Jesse and I blue angleing Double Drop courtesy of JPatt.

This is a fun drop but the best part is that you know your getting closer to Triple Drop. Photo: LJ Groth

After seeing a glimpse of it from the road all of us were amped to huck. After a quick scout, Jesse our fearless East Coaster called dibs to hit it first. He styled it. Launching a fattie boof off the top drop and cleaning the bottom two. Next up was LJ, he drove a little far right on the top drop but till made it happen making it down the other drops upright. JP went third in his massive Green Boat skying off the top drop with plenty of momentum driving him through the bottom two.

Last up after filming the others from the top, I gave her a huck. Got a great boof off the top drop which carried me into good position for then second drop. I got eddied out on the right between the second and third drops but a hard ferry got me back to where I wanted to be. Check out the sequence provided by LJ Groth.

This drop is sooooo sick. The last trip or group portaged because the second drops hole was super gnar gnar at the flow we had it. After Triple drop we took our time enjoying the scenery and busting out the bottom section. After Skyhook all the portaging is pretty mellow compared to many other portages. Towards the bottom JP lead into a drop blind and fully submerged the Green Boat pinning in the top right of the drop. Right when we heard his scream we were all out of our boats with ropes trying to get him out. Eventually he found his pull tab and was able break free from his boat. From there Jesse clipped a bag on his stern and tugged as hard as he could to budge to boat, while LJ and I pulled on the rope from the opposite side of the river. After some serious pulling and jolting we were able to get the boat out unbroken.

Stoked to through that hairy situation we plowed through all the bottom goods and got to the Gateway just in time for happy hour, burgers, and music. A perfect ending to an amazing day of paddling. After saying our goodbyes we loaded up, feeling accomplished by the weekend and stoked to hang with such a cool group of paddlers.

Now I am back in SC studying for midterms and doing all the homework I procrastinated this weekend to go paddling. But was worth it...........are you f**in kidding. Worth every second and now at least I get to think about sick boating while doing my school work. Enjoy the little film. I shot it all with a POV helmet cam, my HD is gettin fix but should be back in a week. Hope everyone is gettin' into the Spring goods and look forward to an epic CALI season.

Notorious B

The 2009 Season

2009-04-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

What up peps. Just want to drop a line to introduce some new sponsors for the 2009 season. It is a pleasure to begin with introducing Level Six paddling gear to the crew, they make killer paddling gear and some fresh apparel. Check them out at www.levelsix.ca

Next up is a local Shasta company, Helmet Camera Central, a perfect spot for all your helmet cam needs. They just got me a
POV 1 for this last trip and the thing is sick! Check them out at www.helmetcameracentral.com

As of yesterday I became part of the HippyTree crew. They are a itol clothing company representing some great athletes including my good friend LJ Groth. They have a great message and some killer Cali style. Check them out at www.hippytree.com

Last up is SixSixOne. They make some of the leading pads in our sport and I look forward to putting them to full use. Check out their new designs for the season at www.sixsixone.com

Thanks to all these companies for the support and contributions to keep us paddlers on the water. See yall out there.

SB

Shasta Boyz w/ the UCSC Kayak Club

2009-03-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

We finally have been getting some weather here in Cali and most the rivers have gotten nice and swollen. While trapped at school, I have been volunteering at the UCSC kayak club for their pool sessions and enjoying getting to know each student. The club has pool session every other Wednesday and there is a trip to the American in the Spring. This group of people is a pleasure to be around and are the next generations of our sport.

My good friend Galen Licht is the President of the club and he is fired up to get people in a boat and out on a river. He isn't the only familiar face around those parts though. My brother always makes it out along with my World Classmate Cheski McConnaughay who just moved out from PA.

This is a great resource for students to get into kayaking and it has been fun paddling round with these guys. Hopefully everyone is enjoying the rain/snow and keep your eyes out for continued Shasta Boyz debauchery.

SB

Shasta Boyz and Rise of the Revolution

2009-02-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been working on music rights for an upcoming Shasta boyz film but also for Ben Stookesberry's New Hotel Charley film "At Your Own Risk". There have been many talented artist that I have met and this band is no different.

Rise of the Revolution is having a CD release party on Friday Feb. 6 for their new CD Lethal of Equal. Sorry about the old footage, but this short vid is one of the new songs on the album. Be sure you will be seeing much more of them with Shasta Boyz and also Clear H20 Films.

If your in the Santa Cruz area be sure to come and check these guys out. Pray for precipitation!!!!!!

SB

1st LDUB run of 2009

2009-01-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

For my last weekend up north, myself, Ben Stookesberry, and Chris Korbulic headed up to Hood River, OR in search of some goods. After driving from 5:30am on friday the 16th, we arrived at Eagle Creek to scout out Metlako falls. We rallied the mile-ish hike and climbed down to the lip to check her out. It's a beautiful waterfall with a perfect line but was running a little low. We all opted to come back and give er' with a little more water and some warmer temperatures.

The next morning we arose early planning to go and snag the 1st Little White runs of the 2009 season. We had a stout crew joined by Ryan Scott, Cody Howard, Todd Anderson, Erik Boomer, and Keel Brightman. It was a epic flow at 3.9 on the gauge and it was great to see all the rapids pretty clear of wood.

We stayed there thru Monday running LDUB and the upper section which is rockin. Jesse Coombs joined up with the group for a day of boating on LDUB, including the upper, and then rallied back to Corvallis afterwards. The group expected warm weather but due to the inversion happening, the temperature never got above the mid 30's. The trip was epic and a great relief for some winter boating.

While in hood we only shot with the new GoPro Helemt Wide cameras which are epic. It would have been nice to have some shore shots, but no one wanted to get out of their boat to shoot. So enjoy the footage and be sure to check out GoPro's site (www.goprocamera.com). (PS Del is the bit of sound at the end, forgot to throw it in the credits, he is the shiz)

The Full Fulda Creek Story

2008-11-30T02:43:00.000-08:00

Back in Spring of 08', Charlie Center, Shon Bollock, Ben Wartburg, and Justin Patt completed the first decent of Fulda Creek, a tributary to the N. Fork of the N. Fork of the American. This is the first time all the footage from myself and Charlie has been put together in one video. The beats are non-other than my good friend Wisdom (www.wisdomcreations.com). Hope you enjoy the adventure and look forward to some winter water.

Shon

Catchin' some of the last water in Cali. The South Feather.

2008-11-28T23:42:00.000-08:00

In late September myself, Ben Stookesberry, Taylor Robertson, and Eric Petlock met up for some South Feather action. On the run we met up with our fellow comrade Chris Kobulic. It was very cold at night out there but during the day it was a decent temperature. Below the entry 10 footer, there is a chunky rapid down the right. As I hit the seam at the bottom, I flipped and smashed my shoulder on a rock. This was the beginning of a day of beat downs. Hahhahaha good stuff. We only got some of it was on film because we were on a speed mission. We finished the run in about 2 and a half hours with a couple portages. Enjoy the little footie we got and pray for rain.

SB

N. Feather Release Tobin Festival 08'

2008-10-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Sep. 27th and 28th, Justin Patt and myself rallied the 7hr journey to Quincy CA from Santa Cruz. Through the weekend we got to hang with all the boys out at the event. There were 27 short boast along with a sick long boat division, which Charlie Center swept the competition. I took 11th following Shasta Boyz own Devin Knight. J-Patt took 5th in short boat follwing Ben Stookesberry in 4th. It was a very fun weekend with a great crew representing. Enjoy the vid and hope to see everyone out on the S. Feather release.

Shasta Boyz and Wisdom Creations

2008-08-21T08:20:00.001-07:00

This video was shown at the GoPro booth and at Sanuk during Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City this year. There was a very positive response and many companies shown prime interest in what we are doing. I had the pleasure to meet the artist Wisdom at a festival in Ashland where we connected and exchanged ideas. He was gracious enough to gift me his music rights in the support of our sport and we need to do the same in supporting his music www.wisdomcreations.com This whole segment was edited to his beats so enjoy the little flick and look forward to seeing you all on the water.

Nor Cal Biking 08

2008-07-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

If there is one sport that I can relate kayaking to it would be downhill mtn. biking. This summer while stuck in Shasta working, when all mi amigos ran the sh#t, I got to do some cross training on my bike. This is some footage of myself and local Shasta ripper Taylor Russell killin' it around Shasta and Ashland. Enjoy.

Mt. Shasta Kayak Clinic

2008-07-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

Come out for an evening of fun with the Shasta Boyz and Mr. Ben Stookesberry. We will be presenting kayak safety, technique, and basic roll instruction. Learn from the experts and come out for some good times. Contact Shasta Base Camp for more details and or gear 530 926-2359.

South Merced

2008-07-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

The South Merced, flowing out of Yosemite, is described in the white water bible as a true pristine Cali classic. Back in mid spring a good friend Rusty Sage spoke of great boulder gardens and remote wilderness which didn't take much more discussion to count me in. We set out from Rusty's house in Santa Cruz around 5am to meet Phil Boyer and Mike of Coloma at the Wowona putin in Yosemite for the 2 day mission.

The run was classic. Fun, continuous boulder gardens, with some great lines. We had minor carnage on the run with a total of 3 swims and no lost gear. We camped below Superslide and met up with a couple other groups of boaters. It was Johnny Kerns bachelor party, accompanied by Lil' Dave, Lindgren, Jason Hale, and a whole crew from Mammoth. We 15 kayakers camped there all fired up for the next day.

Day 2 was just as good with some more great boulder gardens and fun slides. We took out at the Hwy. 140 bridge around 2pm. The trip was epic and Yosemite is a magnificent place. Enjoy the vid.

UCSC Kayak Club Trip

2008-05-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

From May 16-18th I attended the annual UCSC Kayak Club trip. We met at the UCSC Rec. Department on Friday and made the mission out to the South Fork of the American. It was a great weekend with support from Liquid Salvation and other UCSC Kayak Club sponsors. There were many new boaters with the chance to step up their game and the people that attend were a pleasure to be around. Check out the vid of the fun and keep tuned for more goods to come.

Shon

Brush Creek Race, Dry Meadows Creek,1st Decent Fulda Creek, and more...

2008-04-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

On April 18th myself and Justin Patt met up in Santa Cruz to drive south to reap the goods. After a 5+ hour drive we reached Kernville and crashed out to get into some business the next day. We woke up around 9am and met a fellow kayaker by the name Nathan who hailed from Kirkwood. We decided to check out Brush Creek (A tributary into the Kern)since JPatt had only seen it once at extremely low flows and I had never seen it, and we both planned to race it the next day.
The creek was very fun with clean class IV slides, tea cups, and a interesting crack drop called "Spearchucker". After a run on that we were still very hungry to do some creekin'so JPatt and Nathan talked of Dry Meadows Creek. It sounded great with 6 or so waterfalls and a mellow hike in. So we refered to the white water bible and checked out the directions. It could of been because it was so close to 420 or that we just wanted to get on the water real bad, but we drove past Johsondale and put on way to high.

At first we didn't know if we were even in the right drainage but we committed ourselves to a 8+ mile hike out through red ant covered bushes and unknown terrain. JP had done it once but hiked up from the bottom to the tea cups so we were flyin blind. After a mile or so we came upon Camp Whitset where a large amount of construction churned up ton of silt and turn the creek chocolate brown. As we pushed further we found a 10 footer and little did we know that it would be one of the highlights for the day. Since I wasn't confident walking down a drainage we didn't know, in a direction we were some what guessing, I said I thought we should maybe throw in the towel.

JP volunteered to run ahead and check to see where the teacups were downstream. He found the mile section we were supposed to run and since it was near dark we decided just to finish our hike down to the Kern just in time to run the couple miles out in the dark. Apparently there are rapids on the Kern and we ran a pretty big on in the dark named Carson Falls. Probably the most excitement of the day and we finished out the day with great excitement for dry clothes and food.
Waking up the next morning Justin and myself were beat. We got a couple practice runs in but it was clear that we were both pretty beat. Justin beat me by 5 sec and took 23rd, while I was right behind him in 24th. Great event and another adventure for the record books.

The weekend after our wonderful hike, I spoke with Charlie Center and he said he had a adventure lined up for us. I met him at Camp Lotus to check the topos before heading out. It was going to be a long day with 3.6 miles on Fulda creek, 7 miles on the North Fork of the North Fork of the American, and 14 on Giant Gap, dropping over 3500 feet. We began the day getting up at 5:45am meeting the crew (Alex Wolfgram, Ben Wartburg, myself, Justin Patt, Charlie Center, & Chris Zawacki). We started hiking to put in at 7am and started the day with log portages and some fun waterfalls.
To make this story a bit shorter, it took us 7hrs to go the 3 miles on Fulda and reached the North Fork of the North Fork at 2pm. From there we had another large portage and some very serious boat scouting. We got to the Giant Gap put in at 8ish and decided to stash out boats and hike out 2 miles to the road. Justin and I were freezing at an outhouse while Chuck and Ben made the barge to get a ride out. We got back to Coloma around 2am for some quick food and a much needed sleep.

The video has footage from Fulda, Brush, our Dry Meadow Creek hike, and a little footage from the 08' Nordie race...enjoy.

An EPIC and Possible First Decent

2008-01-29T10:33:00.000-08:00

On Sunday (Jan. 27th) myself and Justin Patt decided to explore the waters of the Arroyo Mocho by Livermore, hearing of a 35' waterfall and some gradient. We located the creek pretty easily but due to our college style wake up at 11am we didn't put on until 2pm. From a previous "ducky" expedition we read that the landowners at put in were not so friendly, so we hopped the barbed wire fence and quickly made it down the hill side in our bright boating gear. We came upon the waterfall within 1/2 mile and took some time to scout. At first the drop look very intimidating due to the stout lead in which had a 10' boof at the top, into a pot hole 8' boof that lead straight off the 35 footer. After scouting for a half hour or so from both sides of the river we both decided it was good to go. A quick game of rock, paper, scissors decided that I was the victor to go first. J-Patt set safety for me at the lip of the waterfall just in case something didn't happen as planned, even though we both knew that the gorge walls were too steep to help if anything really went wrong. We both ended up with perfect lines and were both fired up for the day, but little did we know what lied in front of us. Due to our time concern we opted not to take camera (dumb move) but here is a shot of the waterfall from Bill Tuthill's ducky expedition from cacreeks.com.

This could have been a first and second decent of this drop but we aren't sure and haven't heard of anyone else getting in there and firing it up. The rest of the run was continuous class IV and III+ with wood, bushes, and barbed wired fences across the river (Landowners out there must not like kayakers). With numerous portages, Justin losing his paddle twice and the last miles of the run going straight through bushes the day was getting late. After finding JP's paddle the second time it was officially dark. We chose to rally in the dark since we were sure we had to be close to the take out. This was some of the most sketchy boating I think we both have ever done. Justin ran into one of the wonderful barbed wire fences in the middle of the dark crossing the river, but lucky didn't get hurt. Both of us were on edge at this point and a little hesitant to keep boating down this river we didn't know in the dark, with bushes, wood and barbed wire fences everywhere. Justin was leading through the bushes after the barb wire incident and once in a clearing the water quickly rushed in a pile of logs across the creek. With no eddies, he got pined underneath the logs and I pined on top of his boat. I held on top the log so I didn't go underneath it but my leg was pined in my kayak by the nose of Justin's boat. After a very long 30 sec. Justin came out flustered and glad to be alive. Once he gathered his head he helped me push my boat up-stream so I was able to get out and climb the log to shore. With both of our boats pinned underneath the logs and the multiple near death experiences, we both decided that once we got our boats out we were hiking out. With some snazzy rope work and lots of tugging, with water up to our necks, we got the boats out and got ready to hike. I was lucky that I brought a head light to hike out but the rain had made the steep hill sides very soft and challenging to climb. Once at the road we saw that we were only a quarter mile from take out so we got a quick ride in the back of a pick up from a local and recapped on the day. It was a great adventure and we were stoked to get in there even though it was such a mission. We got off the river a little after 7pm in time to get some burritos and start the drive home.

You gotta' love the epics...
Shon

Getting Ready for Water

2007-12-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

Hey all you Shastafari out there. School in Santa Cruz is good and the swell down here is getting huge! I wanted to drop a line since it’s been a while and say once there is water it’s on. Other news, I wanted to recognize my newest sponsors Liquid Salvation and GoPro Cameras. Salvation Nation provides great water in a killer flask and GoPro has been kind enough to lace me with some helmet cameras for filming this winter and spring. Check them out. I am stoked to be working with them and look forward to this coming up season. Stay posted for more kayaking adventures to come.
Shon-A-Thon

Liquid Salvation-www.liquidsalvation.com
GoPro Cameras-www.goprocamera.com

A Quick Vid

2007-08-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a little kayaking love for all you fellow Shastafarians. This Promo has footage from my trip to Chile, a decent of North Fork of Cottonwood Creek this winter, and bunch of other fun drops. Hope you kids enjoy.

Truly Yours-
Shon

Un-expected So-Cal Trip

2007-05-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

After work on Wednesday myself and Devin Knight set out from Mt. Shasta heading to Chico to meet up with the rest of the crew (Garret Brown, Taylor Robertson, Darin Mcquoid, Eric Petlock) to go and run The Royal Gorge of the American. Unfortunately, we heard that there was a snow drift that blocked access and would require a 6 mile hike in with boats fully loaded for 3 days on the water. Taylor made the brilliant suggestion of driving another 5 hours and running the classic East Fork of the Kaweah next to Sequoia National Forrest. We opted out of hiking 6 miles with 100lb boats and drove to the land where you can run miles of classic class V and take out at a bar for a drink if needed. After the long drive we decided to run the East Fork the second day and go for a warm up on The Hospital Rock section of the Middle Kaweah.

This run is full of clean big boulder gardens, beautiful gorges, and fun drops. Here's a pic of the biggest drop on the run 0-60.

After the run we met up with Taylor's friend Jason Hollerman for some dinner and party time. In morning as we drove out for the East Kaweah we were told stories of good and bad runs, we were also informed about the mass amounts of poison oak and rattle snakes on this run. Once down to the river, after a twenty minute hike down, we started with fun slides and smaller drops.
The smaller drops gradually got bigger and the canyon got steeper.
Overall the East Fork is the definition of "classic" in California, with over 30 drops and a steep 500 ft per mile, this is an epic run for the seasoned boater. It's good to have someone who knows the run to lead because it is much faster than having to scout all the horizon lines.

It was Taylors 21st run on the East Fork with us, so I think that we scouted twice in the 9 miles outside of portages(major props to Tay for leading the crew down). Fired up after the East Fork, Jason told us of a creek with big slides, fun tea cup waterfalls, and bedrock, called Clover Creek. So we drove high into Sequoia National Forrest and hiked a little over a mile up the creek to reap the goods.

This creek is rad with long slides and a beautiful granite background. It reminded me of South Silver but lower volume and more continuous.

After a 9.5 hour drive home, arriving at 3:30am, Devin and I passed out to get ready for work in the morning, satisfied with the 4 day adventure.

Photos By: Devin Knight
Posted By: Shon

I wanted to throw a shout out to my sponsors: Shasta Base Camp, Electric Visual, Astral Buoyancy, Liquid Mountain, Ipath footware, Caliproduct, and Liquid Logic Kayaks for supplying the gear to make these trips possible. Thanks guys.