Buffy Burge

Biographical: Weight- not telling Height- 6 ft. How old are you? 31 Where did you grow up?Vero Beach, FL Personal Taste: Do you prefer more or less rocker for a creeker? Why? A fine balance between rocker and fast lines is preferred because I don’t want to feel like I am in a corker. What rescue equip. do you carry? Breakdown, pulley, rope, float bags, first aid, prussic? Everyday= rope and float bags. Steep Creeks and Expedition: Breakdown (depends on how many others are carrying one or not). Always on expeditions and steep creeks= pulley, prussic, first aid, rope, float bags, head lamp, and lighter. Would you consider wearing a fullface helmet? YES! Personal Preference: Bent Shaft or Straight, any reason why? Straight- it is what I am used to. Can’t seem to get the hang of a bent shaft. Do you spend a lot of time outfitting a new boat or just make it fit. I do spend a lot of time because I am not a fast boat outfitter! I don’t enjoy outfitting boats. I would rather go paddling! 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? Asheville, Nevada City, Fayetteville Do you feel play boats have a place on creeks? Depends on what your definition of a creek is! In my creek- no....what would be the point?- there is no play on my creeks. Creeking vs. Do you prefer boating with boaters you know best or have boated with predominantly? yes Do you take bigger risks with these boaters? no Besides keeping their boat pointing downstream, what are the main differences between creekboaters and other genres? Creek boaters don’t whine when they have to carry their boat. We actually carry our boats up Panther Creek trail during Gauley Season to keep in portaging shape! 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 can’t imagine anyone running any scarier stuff than the boys are today, but I can’t tell the future. Compared to the other forms of kayaking would you say that creeking is more team oriented? Yes, I would, but I am biased. How would you describe differences between East Coast and West Coast creeking (word or paragraph) Which would you rather live in? East Coast-more frequently runs during the winter. Pool drop and rocks. West Coast- longer days, longer miles, longer hike-ins, beautiful Sierras. More opportunity for overnighters. Runs less in the winter. My ideal creeking world would be to live in California in the late spring and summer. Live in the East during the winter and fall. Epic: East Coast rapid that makes you really nervous, what’s the first one that pops in your head? Gorilla West Coast rapid that makes you really nervous, what’s the first one that pops in your head? Tunnel Falls, Gore Canyon...stems from some good swims there throughout my career What are some of the closest calls that you’ve had in your paddling career? Gone through sieves. Broke jaw (could have been my head) at Gorilla. 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? Yes. I know now that we are not invincible. Life is fragile, so take extra care, be smart, and keep it real. Considerations: Do you ever creek solo? No At what height(waterfall) do you feel the freefall gets a little nutty and maybe less controlled? 40 ft and higher Development: Approx what year did you start creeking? 1995 What was the first kayak you ever owned? Perception- Matrix How did you get into kayaking? Summer camp canoeing Did you have any heroes growwing up that you looked up to for their creeking/riverrunning abilities? I grew up a lot in my 20s. I looked up to the Kerns. Nikki Kelly Who are some of your heroes in the creeking arena today? still the Kerns and Nikki Kelly. 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? Oh my- I learned by the school of really hard knocks....running Class V before I knew what a brace was, but I sure did have a good roll! What advice do you have for next generation’s boaters who want to explore the arenas you currently dwell in? Be realistic to your abilities and the difficulty of the river. Listen to your good conscious (the little man inside your head) and scout or portage when in doubt. What has helped you to progress safely to more difficult water? The buddies I boat with and portaging. Do you currently have any sponsors? Lotus In what ways has being sponsored helped/hindered your continuous development as a creeker? Neither helped nor hindered. How do you address doubts and fears while on difficult whitewater? If I am so nervous (afraid), that I am not having fun and the nervousness is consuming, might as well walk some with a smile on my face! What do you do while not boating to condition yourself to be able to perform at a high level: (strength training, stretching, yoga, etc.) Mt. Bike, swim, hike and run when my knees don’t hurt What keeps you excited about creeking or kayaking in general? The buddies I kayak with. Would you please provide a useful tip for creekboaters? Keep it positive. Any taboos you would like to mention to other creekboat hopefuls? Bad mouthing other kayakers. Poaching shuttle too many times without driving in return. Not carrying a throw rope and having proper shoes. Not paying attention to safety.