Jed Weingarten Northwest, Portland, OR

Biographical: Weight? 160 Height? 5'10" How old are you? 29 Where did you grow up? CO Personal Taste: Do you prefer more or less rocker for a creeker? Why? Hard to answer....I like my Gus a lot, but a tiny bit more rocker wouldn't kill it. Any major changes for creekboats of the future, designrelated? Tough to describe... What rescue equip. do you carry? Yes, I carry all of the above when creeking, and so should everyone. I often carry 2 ropes, and also a camera most of the time. Would you consider wearing a fullface helmet? (Cage or FNA style) Why or why not? Yes, I have an FNA, am outfitting it and will try it out soon. Personal Preference: Bent Shaft or Straight, any reason why?I work with a flexi-bent shaft because it is easy on my wrists and shoulders. 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? I do now, after twice tweaking my ankles. I make a big soft foam impact absorber to go on the bulkhead and I pad my knees out to. Nothing to impede my exit, though. What is you favorite creekboat design to date(or oneof them)Gus. What’s you favorite local hometown run? Little White Salmon What are five cities in the U.S. that you would live in strictly for creeking purposes? Portland, Seattle, Olympia, Asheville, Auburn (CA) Do you feel play boats have a place on creeks? Example: “Backyard” type creeks. Not really. Creeking vs. Do you prefer boating with boaters you know best or have boated with predominantly? Do you take bigger risks with these boaters? I am definitely most comfortable with people I paddle with regularly. Besides keeping their boat pointing downstream, what are the main differences between creekboaters and other genres? It is often a different attitude. Creekers are generally looking to explore, to see a place, to travel from a to b. It's really a whole different activity than play boating, especially park'n'play. 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. Designs, materials, and mind-set will always be devleoping, so will the sport. Compared to the other forms of kayaking would you say that creeking is more team oriented? Yes, you are much more dependent on you team. It is different than a freestyle team. How would you describe differences between East Coast and West Coast creeking (word or paragraph) Which would you rather live in? Can't say, haven't creeked much back East. I live out west. Epic: West Coast rapid that makes you really nervous, what’s the first one that pops in your head? Rick's Slide, Carbon River. What are some of the closest calls that you’ve had in your paddling career? Pinned under water in my squirt boat in Sunshine rapid, Royal Gorge, Arkansas R, CO. big rock rolled on me while scouting on a cr. near mt. Rainier while I was paddling alone, leaving me to crawl out to my truck with a badly hurt leg. Have you lost a close paddling partner to a whitewater accident? Yes, unfortunately How would you say that it changed your scope on whitewater activities in general, creeking, development? It has made me more careful, but you can't eliminate all the risk. I'm careful who I paddle with. Considerations: Do you ever creek solo? If so what creeks? No, Not anymore. At what height(waterfall) do you feel the freefall gets a little nutty and maybe less controlled? For me, about 40 ft. But some people seem to have consistent fairly solid control in the 70-80 ft. range, it's just not for me. I'm not interested in that. Development: Approx what year did you start creeking? 1990 What was the first kayak you ever owned? Dancer xs How did you get into kayaking? Learned at a summer camp, then continued with my dad. Did you have any heroes growing up that you looked up to for their creeking/riverrunning abilities? My dad, of course, and Walt Blackadar, and then later, Chuck Kern. Who are some of your heroes in the creeking arena today? These days, Pat Keller skills blow me away. Tommy Hilleke is also damn impressive on the creek, and a great guy. Scot Lindgren is incredibly bad-ass on the river, but most people don't realize how good he is because he is usually behind the camera, not in front of it. Willie and Johnnie Kern are inpsiring, solid brothers on and off the creek. And a german guy named Matze Brustmann is the most impressive creeker I've paddled with recently. The late, great Bill Bowey was the man around the NW, having been running the shit for 20 years. Paul Hefernan is the man around here these days. What are some things that may have drawn you towardscreeking when you were in your developmental stages? I was into climbing, too, but kayaking in the NW is, to me, much better than climbing. 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 had my dad keeping me in check, so I progressed in a pretty controlled way, but I did sneak out for some class 5 runs without his permission....Sorry dad. What ways/things should advancing boaters work on to improve skills that will benefit them on Class creeks and rapids? Ferrys, and eddy turns. Catch eddies. What advice do you have for next generation’s boaters who want to explore the arenas you currently dwell in? Be safe and cautious and learn solid rescue skills. What has helped you to progress safely to more difficult water? Paddling with the best, safest people I know. Do you currently have any sponsors? Not really, but I work for Liquid Logic, and Lotus Designs. I use AT paddles, and have a good relationship with those guys. In what ways has being sponsored helped/hindered your continuous development as a creeker? It has helped keep expenses down. How do you address doubts and fears while on difficult whitewater? Sometimes I chew gum. I guess I just deal with them one at a time, try to stay focused. What do you do while not boating to condition yourself to be able to perform at a high level: (strength-training, stretching, yoga, etc.) I do some weight training off-and-on, and I stretch a bit, but mostly I just try to paddle a lot. Lately I've been trying to do more weight training, and cardio, but running sucks for my knees and ankles. What keeps you excited about creeking or kayaking in general? exploring, going new places, sticking a familiar line, seeing a big tree or cliff, good bros---I love it all. Would you please provide a useful tip forcreekboaters?Carry a rope. Wear shoes, and warm gear. Any taboos you would like to mention to other creekboat hopefuls? Have Fun!!!