2015 Outdoormix Festival, The Ride & Party Spirit Flying High!

2015 Outdoormix Festival, theRide & Party Spirit Flying High! Our communities rock!

The day in 2012 when Jakette came up with the idea for the Outdoormix Festival, he didn’t realize it would really mean: “we’ll sleep when we’re dead.” The entire purpose of the event is to be able to sit in one spot, look in any direction and watch the entire outdoor community having fun rides all around you, and this exciting and inspiring partnership with Mother Nature was fully achieved this year.

©outdoormix/ kayaksession.com

The elements cooperated this year with strong sun every day, no wind till midday so the dirt biking could run, strong wind till 5 pm so the kitesurfers and windsurfers could make the freestyle show, and then no wind again to let people enjoy the paragliding acrobatic demo and the crazy hot parties!

©outdoormix/ kayaksession.com

Ok, it wasn’t quite that perfect… There was one powerful storm but it came at exactly the right time – just before the Boater Cross. It upped the ante for the racers, already nervous due to the triple chute line on the Guil River. Big water levels on one of the most beautiful class V sections of our area were not enough to scare the safety team that Raphael Thiebaut had gathered, briefed and re-briefed about the changing conditions. The team included the very best of the local river guiding community, so everybody knew what to do.

©outdoormix/ kayaksession.com

The kayak program ended on a freestyle wave, gathering the whole Outdoormix kayak community at the brand new Embrun River Park. The dub maker had his sound wall ready to reactivate the old school rodeo spirit. The event director, Jakette, commented: “That’s the kind of meeting I’m actually missing: sun, waves, loud music, BBQ, girls, old locals, surfers… I’m now feeling stoked to have given such a friendly image of our sport to our crowd. I’m even more stoked to have welcomed our French Canoe Federation President on the edge of the River Park, where he congratulated us on the event.”

©outdoormix/ kayaksession.com

Out of all the strong paddlers who gathered at the festival, Eric Deguil, the Outdoormix kayak ambassador, won almost every race again this year. Jonas Le Morvan and Maxime Mitaut followed in 2^nd and 3^rd in the creek race. Jakette is planning to contact Pat Camblin to ask that all three of these talented paddlers get a ticket for the next Whitewater Grand Prix.

To get a taste of the event, make sure to check out all the videos posted online already – they say a lot about the ambiance and the diversity of the event. Remember: it’s all about ride big and party hard.

©outdoormix/ kayaksession.com

In the end, the crowd had very good feedback on the teamwork and the all love this adventure is giving. Yes, the organizational team is a bunch of hippies; yes, they work in rider style; and yes, they dress like Californian teenagers, but in the end, the job is done. Outdoormix is now a definitive date on the calendar for many riders, for many kids, and even for many grandpas and grandmas.

©outdoormix/ kayaksession.com

There are big plans for the kayaking program in 2016. Come see us at the Outdoormix booth at the 2015 Paddleexpo in September, and find out about the European little brother of the legendary Green River Race…

Peace, love and big water