Brett Vallé

Biographical: Weight? 170 pounds Height? 6-feet How old are you? 28 Where did you grow up? San Fernando Valley (near Los Angeles) Personal Taste: Do you prefer more or less rocker for a creeker? Why? Generally less. But it's not that simple. On some drops you want less, and on other drops you want more. Most paddlers would be better served by learning the pros and cons of their creekers rather than having repeated dialogues of whether the rocker on creeker A is better than the rocker on creeker B. Any major changes for creekboats of the future, design related? Well, since we're still not paddling Dancers, yes. The general shape of the creekboat seems pretty well established. However I think we're stuck in bells and whistles until a new generation of designers & materials takes over in the next decade. Kayak manufacturers still have a lot to learn about fluid dynamics with respect to design. I'm also not convinced creekers need to weigh 50-60 pounds with huge variations in the plastic quality - though I also don't have to worry about the economic viability of a materials switch. It would also be nice to figure out a way to better dissipate the energy when landing big drops, as your spine is still the primary shock system. What rescue equip. do you carry? Breakdown, pulley, rope, float bags, first aid, prussic? Ha, if you asked my South African friends this question they would point to their head and say 'this is my rescue equipment.' Safety starts with the people you paddle with. Almost every accident has a traceable cascade of events. Some groups are tight - they know their limits, scout efficiently, communicate well, and are solid. Other groups are the opposite. So carry the gear, but be able to use it. It seems people often have to go through a situation before they say, wow, if only I had done X, Y, and Z. Would you consider wearing a fullface helmet? (Cage or FNA style) Why or why not? Sure, I have a fullface FNA. Look at what surfers, skiers, and mountain bikers wear, and look what at most kayakers wear. Fashion wins over functionality until you lose some teeth. Helmets still have a long ways to go though. Personal Preference: Bent Shaft or Straight, any reason why? Bent, but only because I like buoyancy of the blades and it's easier on my wrists. 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? Less time than I should. All boats have to be adjusted for trim. If you can stay forward and more comfortable in your boat than walking on shore, you're on the right track. What is you favorite creekboat design to date (or one of them)? I like where the Kerns and Liquid Logic are going. Their new creeker should be good if they can deal with some of the issues of the previous boats. I also have to admit my CFS has had a Toyota-like durability over the last few years. Just don't get stuck in a huge hole with no exits. What's you favorite local hometown run? Golden Gate on the upper South Fork American. Best backyard Class V run in the world. What are five cities in the U.S. that you would live in strictly for creeking purposes? Tahoe, Auburn, Hood River, Eugene, Seattle, and Asheville. Maybe some towns in Colorado, but I'd prefer more than a 2-month paddling season eight of ten years. Do you feel play boats have a place on creeks? Example: "Backyard" type creeks. No. Most people I see taking playboats on creek runs don't even play. Do you prefer boating with boaters you know best or have boated with predominantly? Do people prefer NOT to boat with boaters they know best? I don't mind going with first-timers on runs that are relatively mellow. The ideal situation, of course, is achieving a state of non-verbal communication with your group in which you know someone's mindset without them having to tell you and vice versa. Tis rare. Do you take bigger risks with these boaters? Probably, but that's also influenced by a second-bowl-of-Wheaties factor on a particular day. It does make a difference to trust your group. Besides keeping their boat pointing downstream, what are the main differences between creekboaters and other genres? Creekboaters have more machismo. For better or worse, there's more to prove, and there's certainly more risk based on the actions of each person. If someone wants to jump in a heinous hole on a Class III run, well, have at it. If you want to repeatedly do that on the Middle Kings, well, I might not want to paddle with you. 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? "Golden Age" in outdoor adventure sports varies by generation. For the era, the feats of the California pioneers, including Lars Holbek, Richard Montgomery, and Chuck Stanley, will probably never be topped. Scott Lindgren and the former Driftwood crew definitely redefined those standards, and now we have a new generation going even bigger. I don't think it's a matter of limits being reached, but a question of whether technical skills are keeping up with the difficulty and size of what people are running. Compared to the other forms of kayaking would you say that creeking is more team oriented? See above. Epic: East Coast rapid that makes you really nervous, what's the first one that pops in your head? I have not paddled out east, so my surrogate is Throne Room on the Futa in a Kingpin. Generally, any drop with a 70/30 chance of making the move and a potential death consequence for swimming. Throw in some mank (e.g. pin spots, undercuts), a crappy approach, and little reward and you'll get the idea. West Coast rapid that makes you really nervous, what's the first one that pops in your head? F-111 at medium high flows and Portage 24. What are some of the closest calls that you've had in your paddling career? Certain hole rides have had a 'this will hopefully work out' quality. 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, but not on the river. Chuck Kern and Jeff Ellis's death redefined my ideas about kayaking. You question your motivations. Considerations: Do you ever creek solo? If so what creeks? I have, but I can't say it's a bright idea. At what height (waterfall) do you feel the freefall gets a little nutty and maybe less controlled? A 30-foot waterfall is a whole different experience from a 50-foot waterfall. However, a 10-foot waterfall can be harder than both, so height is not the only factor. Development: Approx what year did you start creeking? 1993 What was the first kayak you ever owned? Prijon Invader, created by Ze Germans. How did you get into kayaking? I started when I was 17. I was rock climbing a ton at the time, and ended up in a class on the Kern with my dad and his friends. Within 10 minutes of Day 1 I ended up in a bad strainer, and on Day 2 we did some Class 3 at 3000 cfs. The rest is history. Did you have any heroes growing up that you looked up to for their creeking/river-running abilities? See above. I've always liked Gavere's videos and photos. Corran for incessantly pushing the sport. I hate to think we'd still be doing endos in twelve-foot long kayaks. Who are some of your heroes in the creeking arena today? The Kerns. Clay Wright. Fischer for creating new moves. Scott for making the Tsang Po happen. Nicks for being as well read as he can kayak. What are some things that may have drawn you towards creeking when you were in your developmental stages? Growing up in Los Angeles? Why kayaking over climbing, soccer, golf, etc.? Rivers, but there's nothing like a good soccer game in the town of Futaleufu or hiking 3 hours to climb the granite towers of Frey. 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 generally support the incremental approach, but the great part about kayaking is that we're all in between swims. What ways/things should advancing boaters work on to improve skills that will benefit them on Class creeks and rapids? Strokes. 99% of kayakers could have better strokes. What advice do you have for next generation's boaters who want to explore the arenas you currently dwell in? Question your motives. Don't complain. Stray from the cattle line, but not at the expense of your group. Paddle with people better than you. Spend some time off the water. What has helped you to progress safely to more difficult water? Some combo of hundreds of days on the water per year for several years and living in proximity to the Sierra Nevada. Do you currently have any sponsors? Dagger, Smith, Mountain Surf, and FNA. In what ways has being sponsored helped/hindered your continuous development as a creeker? Obviously, being sponsored limits your choices to a particular brand and a particular product that you may or may not like. The advantage is that you can replenish on a yearly or sub-yearly basis as the technology improves. It also gets you competing, which makes you better even if you don't like competitions. How do you address doubts and fears while on difficult whitewater? You have to see the line. Ansel Adams once said he knew what the final print would look like before he took the photo. If you don't see the line, you will have issues. That's not to say it always works out when you do. What do you do while not boating to condition yourself to be able to perform at a high level: (strength training)? Mountain bike and rock climb. Would you please provide a useful tip for creekboaters? One-time those roll attempts. Go get a degree. Any taboos you would like to mention to other creekboat hopefuls? Be a team player. There's nothing so irritating as the group dynamics going to shit on a hard run. Your decision affects the rest of the group. Get out of the boat and scout. Help out. Shut the hell up about how good you are and the 50-footer you ran last week. Enjoy? Thanks Brett (Check out his site when you get the chance at www.boof.com) Sincerely