Sopris Productions Rasta Reel

This is a short promo for the production company im going to start, its a combination of just a bunch of stuff that I have filmed.

Hope you like it

Sopris Productions Rasta Reel from Fred Norquist on Vimeo.

LiquidLogic Remix Stinger

Here is a sick vid that LVM put together of the New LL race boat. Looks super Fast, and We know it is becasue Isaac Levinson just paddled it to 2nd place at the green race. Nice work Ball!!! LL is killin it!

LiquidLogic Stinger from Lunch Video Magazine on Vimeo.

North Fork of the Nookgnar:Video

The north fork of the nooksack river here in bellingham is pretty much our backyard run. It is a fun class four section. Its perfect for after class. I just wish it was a couple miles longer.

North Fork of the Nookgnar from Fred Norquist on Vimeo.

Dipper Creek Short Video

This is a short video that I put together from my dipper creek trip. It is a sick little creek in a very cool gorge. Read more about it in the previous post.

Dipper Creek from Fred Norquist on Vimeo.

Dipper Creek... The coolest place in the world?

Well since I last posted, I have relocated to the Pacific Northwest and am going to college at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. Have no fear.... This will still allow me to get out there and get on some cool rivers, I already have!! The past two weekends I have made the journey to BC where easily the coolest place that I have ever been does in fact exist. This place is powerful, mystical, wild, beautiful, and dark. This place my friends is Dipper Creek. It was discovered a few years ago by the range life boys who did all the groundwork and scouting on this one. The creek makes its way through a deep and powerful gorge where if one log is in the wrong place, you will either do the sketchiest climb of your life or you will be roped out. Big ups to TRL for taking the time to open this one up because it truly is one of the coolest places in the world. It was Friday. I sat in computer science class listening to my french professor murmur on about html code. I came out of a slight sleep when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked at my phone... 1 new txt message from Cody Howard. The text read... picking you up around 7 looking at getting on dipper if flows cooperate. I pulled my computer out of my backpack... the range life was typed into my browser. I spent the rest of class thoroughly reading through their posts of this incredible place. The stoke was on.... as class ended I sprinted to my dorm and organized my kayak gear in anticipation of the weekend to come. We drove to canada,eh!
After a freezing cold night, we motivated, and checked the flow. It was a good flow.

Our friends Steve, Ali, and Scott met us in the freezing cold as we geared up. Putting on kayak gear in the cold could be my least favorite thing to do in the world. After pushing past this.. my drysuit with ample layers of fleece felt nice once we started hiking in.
Cody bushwacking through the BC woods... on the way to our put-in on a small tributary creek.

The tributary we put in on was mostly a mank fest... untill we rolled up to a pretty nice horizon line.
This is what lay below, a perfect 35ishftr. ...Oh man this day is getting good I thought.
Ben Hawthorne with Cody looking on.

Once we reached the confluence of dipper and the small trib we were on, there was a mile or so of some fun boulder-garden style rapids. Then it drops.
Ali running a great double drop dubbed "Double Dip" by the TRL boys.
Ben running it from the top.



Great photo by Ali of Steve on Double Dip.

Then it really drops. Just after Double Dip, comes Big Dipper... it is Big too.
A perfect sliding 70ish ft tall waterfall awaits.

Ben got the First Descent on this guy.
Ben Hawthorne about to go speeding into a somewhat green pool.

Ali then ran it. After hearing that the waterfall went without incident, I decided to run it as well.


Great photo of me by Ali

Cody ran, then Steve.
Steve Arns recovering from a big hit.
This is the cool boof just below the big guy.

We hiked out bushwacking for a couple hours through devil's club... called it a day, and setting our sights on the Vertigo gorge the next day. After another freezing night in BC, we hiked in and put on... dropping ourselves into commitment. Luckily we had Scott, Steve and AJ on the canyon rim with a huge climbing rope in case of wood.
This is looking into the Vertigo Gorge from the Canyon rim.
Ali running a sweet 10 footer above the entrance to Vertigo.
This is the waterfall that drops you into vertigo gorge. It is a sliding 2o footer that lands in a pocket. Directly after that is a sweet double drop that looks like this.
This drop lands you deep in the gorge and a very cool place.

This place.

Ben and Ali chillin in Vertigo.

This is the view looking downstream.
Its such a cool place.... I had to take a self portrait.


Directly below the Vertigo room... a sketchy little crack drop. Watch your elbows here.
Just after the Sketchy crack drop is a sweet 15 footer.
Cody on the sweet 15 footer.
Just below that 15 footer is....Another sweet 15 footer that leads you out of the gorge.

The vertigo gorge, although only 5 drops is the most committed place I have ever been. It gives a nice definition to the word gorge. I have never felt quite so "trapped" by the earth. After the exit to the gorge, the creek then mellows out for a while untill you come to a big horizon line. We portaged this one, although Cody and AJ ran it later that same week. It is a 40ish footer that lands pretty hard on a rock shelf. Cody was able to boof out past it, while AJ took a hit on the rock. Below that drop is a marginal looking 20footer that folds in on itself. I was on the fence on this one untill Ali and Cody both ran it. It runs better than it looks. Just after that is the confluence falls where dipper hits the Squamish.
Sweet photo of me on the confluence falls.

I left dipper with the plan of coming back and completing the run the next weekend. It was a rough week. Cody and AJ stayed and did the other two sections of the creek while I sat in 8am math class...... I was jonesin. Luckily the weekend came fast. I left the dorms on friday night. While all my friends left to party... I left for the coolest place in the world. Ben met up with me in Bellingham, and even though we heard from Cody that dipper had dropped significantly, we were stoked to drop in again, and get the complete descent of dipper creek.

We arrived at the take-out with a beautiful sunset, and camped.

After another freezing cold night in BC we woke, scrambled down to the creek to make sure it wasnt too low. It looked lower.. probably 2/3 the flow we had the previous weekend. After scouting Big Dipper, I decided it still looked good. I ran Double Dip and Big Dipper.

Double dip is easily one of if not the best drop on the run.
My camera has issues sometimes.

Big dipper look close im scouting on river left.

It was a tad low... I would prefer more water... but when in Rome....
Ben and I then continued down the canyon into the section neither of us had done. This is Ben on Little Dipper, a few rapids after Big Dipper.
Little Dipper in the distance... cool gorge!

We continued down stream where we came upon a sweet rapid dubbed rowdy flatwater by TRL.



My photoshop skills arent very good but i put this sequence of Ben together running rowdy flatwater.

We continued downstream more and ran some very cool rapids.
Like this sweet s-turn slide. Just after this rapid we came upon a very tight rapid with an oldgrowth standing vertical in it. This was the most involved portage I have ever done... we roped the boats up a very steep sketchy hill, traversed and lowered the boats to the pool below. We then climbed down back to the boats needing a rope to avoid slipping into the gorge.

Stout portage!


Me roping down to the river after the stout portage.
We continued down the gorge, running some more cool sliding rapids... stay tuned for a little video soon. We hiked out of the gorge deciding not to run the confluence falls due to low water. It was another amazing weekend... If you get the chance to do this creek, do it because it is the full creeking experience, waterfalls, slides, gnarly gorge, portages, but mostly a really cool place.


My subie killin BC.
BC is dope.

River gypsies sleep in their cars when it is cold outside.
Hoosters (half horse half rooster) love BC?

Photos by Ali Marshal, Steve Arns, Fred, and Ben Hawthorne

Crystal Gorge In HD

Well its been a while since crystal gorge has been running, the last day we ran the gorge, our buddy Anson came and filmed us. We attached a canon 5d mk2 in an underwater housing to my boat. It worked pretty well, he also hiked in and shot us on some of the other rapids with his red camera. Check it out.

Crystal Gorge HD Experiments from Fred Norquist on Vimeo.

Gnarquist's "Jonesin" Video Favorites

Well now that it is officially "Jonesin" season, I go into a strange and mildly satisfying state where I spend the majority of my time watching kayaking videos on the internet. As good as going kayaking? Not at all..... But im hoping by watching these videos, I will get a slight feeling of what it actually feels like. I find myself perousing through videos I have seen before, even some that I have seen 10 times, watching them over and over to try and bring back that feeling we all love of being on the river, and running big rapids. I can't wait to get back in my boat.

As usual, Demshitz's videos are some of the best out there.

YULE CREEK-HIGH WATER from jared seiler on Vimeo.

I think I have probably watched this video atleast 30 times. Great High Water Yule!!!!

This is a Great vid From Demshitz of some good Cali Creekin.

California Creeking May 08 from jared seiler on Vimeo.

Although playboating isnt nearly as cool as creekin, here is a good vid Demshitz made, its kind of like a music video.

The Pyranha REV @ the Eternity Hole from jared seiler on Vimeo.

Another Sick Demshitz video comin from Evan Garcia... he lays dem treats!

EG's South East Update from jared seiler on Vimeo.

And another EG vid comin straight atcha from dem pristine waters of the PNW. I'll be calling this place my home here in a few weeks.

Little White 2009 from jared seiler on Vimeo.

Who doesnt love carnage? I know I do... check out demshitz taking dem hitz

Demshitz The Movie Carnage Teaser from jared seiler on Vimeo.

This is by far one of my Favorite vids from the time I spent in Chile with demshitz
Upper palguin is the goods!

Kayaking the Upper Palguin Helmet Camera from Evan Garcia on Vimeo.

And yet another great vid from EG and our trip to chile. Rio Puesco, easily one of the best rivers in the world.

Rio Puesco Helmet Cam from Evan Garcia on Vimeo.

Here is some good CO classic creekin 2nd gorge of lime

2nd Gorge of Lime Creek from David Fusilli on Vimeo.

Demshitz love BC!

BC 09 from David Fusilli on Vimeo.

Demshitz way of life kills it! check out a typical day in the life...

A day in the life: DEMSHITZ from Aplin Independent on Vimeo.

There couldnt be a favorite video playlist without Rush Sturges and YGp's vids


Rush and Tyler's New Film, Dream Result is gunna be sick!!! Those guys can make some videos!


Some Palouse Falls Action... World records are cool too.


Carnage at Cherry Bomb!!!



This is easily one of my favorite vids, The Demshitz crew down in chile in 07


I dont tend to watch my own video that much because after editing them, i know everything that happens, but hopefully you like them, here is a link http://www.vimeo.com/user741074/videos

M-wave 2009

As the season in Colorado winds down... well mainly after Crystal Gorge stops running, I result to working, hanging out with friends, working on my car... things a river gypsy would only do if there isn't any kayaking. But every summer there is one wave that calls me out of my "normalcy" and makes me go whitewater boat riding. This wave is called m-wave. It is one of the only times where I am slightly scared playboating. The speed of the wave combined with the shape makes it one of the most fun playspots around. It was Conor's birthday also so needless to say, we had to do some whitewater boat riding.


We arrived in the evening, and proceeded to do the first ever m-wave night sess using alex's truck to provide some light.

Birthday brown.

I'm pretty sure I ate shit here, but makes for a cool photo.
Conor is really good at browning.

And backblunting... very nice!!

Jonny getting a little m-wave practice in before worlds.
Yeah, he is good at kayaking.
I didnt even know I could do that.
Aerial BROWN!


"That Jonny Meyers is just so dreamy"-a girl at FIbark actually said that haha
Alex Hotze throwin down on his home wave like it aint no thang.
Jakub Nemec our good friend from Czec killin it as usual.

I bought a new whip!
Here is a cool edit I made from our little trip. David Yanez on the camera! Make sure to Download the E-V-A mixtape.

Big thanks to Forge motion pictures for letting us borrow their camera. check their stuff out here http://forgemotionpictures.com

M-wave 2009 from Fred Norquist on Vimeo.