Thrombi X-Fest

ok - so Neil beat me to the post... oh well, was such an awesome event it deserves two posts. Wrote this a few days ago, was going to add pictures but won't bother now seeing as Neil has put some in. By the way - if you're wondering about the "balls on chests" thing - just have a look at the t-shirt sometime...

We went to Thrombi, and came back with "balls" on our chests...

So Justin, Neil and I headed down the dreaded N3 on Friday afternoon, towards the Umzimkulu River and the Thrombi X-Fest ("Thrombi" is a section of the Umzimkulu known as Thrombosis Gorge, near Underberg). Luckily Neil's car held up on the long drive (thanks Neil's Car) and we arrived at the campsite after getting lost (well, we weren't really lost but we didn't really know where we were going...) via Underberg. It was drizzling and miserable, so after a quick erection (of the tent) and a beer we retired to the dryness for some kip. Justin didn't have faith in my old school Vango tent, and claimed that he got a little wet in the night - I told him to stop peeing in his sleeping bag.

We woke up to a fantastic breakfast of bacon, egg, bread, all mushed together and dehydrated to make the wonder food we all know and love as Pronutro. After staring at the box for a while we went down to the tent and got real bacon and egg rolls - no brainer really, especially when you have no bowls or spoons, and the long life milk looks like Crogan punched it in the face.

We entered the kayak race, after fannying about a bit, and tried to join up with a trip to the waterfall. We ended up missing this trip, but ran the race section with Phillip and Vroom. Only three rapids really: Tonsils, Slot Machine and Supertube. Tonsils was just a drop into a hole really, slot machine was a little more tricky with a lead in and then a nice twisty hole to sort you out at the bottom. Supertube is probably the biggest rapid on the stretch, with a tricky lead in rapid (stay right or middle right), ending in a blind drop into a "supertube" to the left. At this level we went just left of the indicator wave at the top of the drop - great rapid. From here it's a relatively easy walk back to the field at the start.

We then did the race, after being informed that there was no more "lemans start", instead all 3/4 kayakers in each heat would have to slide down a dodgy looking contraption on river left, into a pool about a foot deep... hmmmm. Anyway, no-one broke an arm or anything (not on the slide anyway). I was a spectacular last in my heat (although I was the only playboat in a field of much faster creekers - but I would have been last anyway). There was a bit of a suprise at he end, when it wasn't - the end that is. After finishing supertubes we were beckoned from downriver towards the "new" finish, which included a small drop and a massive one. Running the last rapid (and finding out it was a 3 metre drop) before the finish completely tired and completely blind was pretty interesting.

Pictures, and more article to follow later...