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>>G17K / About Us |
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G17 was born out of the ideal of adventure paddling; new places, new cultures & new rivers
We don’t choose our staff from their paper qualifications or how many books or articles they’ve written.
We don’t care how many videos they’ve starred in or how many first descents they’ve bagged. Sponsored or not, it doesn’t make any difference to us. There are only three things that are important.
First, they have to be fantastic instructors. Second, they need to be fantastic fun. Third, they need to be getting out there and doing it.
One look through our list of instructors and you’ll see that they all meet our qualifications and then some:
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Simon Westgarth, Cert Ed & BCU Level 5 Coach >>>Kayak Session >>> Interview PDF 0.7Mb
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Simon’s Gene17’s founder and mission director. Don’t take that to mean he’s a desk-jockey, though, as Simon’s happiest when he’s out on the water teaching our pioneering dynamic paddling style.
Hailing from Devon, Simon’s travelled the world and visited every continent (except Antarctica!) in the search of the perfect river. Freestyler, adventure paddler and one of Europe’s most progressive coaches, he’s also made a number of critically acclaimed paddling videos. And, of course, he makes a top notch Tortiglionoi del pomodori.
Accomplishments & Notables; Former Winner of European Title & Euro Cup, First Decents, Producer of Highly Successful Kayaking films and instructional DVDs & author of Sjoa Map Guide
Visit Simon Westgarth for details & the personal Blog
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Dave Carroll, EMT Wilderness & ICU Level 4 Coach >>>Playboating Interview PDF 4.1Mb
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If you’ve met Dave, you’ll remember him! He’s so lively and brimming with energy that it’s easy to overlook just how good he is at paddling.
Heading up our trips to Italy, Dave’s on-the-water instructional skills will make the difference to anyone’s trip to Val Sesia.
Accomplishments & Notables; Former Irish Ranked Number One Freestyler, Featured segments in numerous kayaking movies, Contributor to Cutting edge Technique Production "Genes" & Total Lifestyler
Dave's web contribution Davetec
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Deb Pinniger, BCU Level 4 Coach, EMT Wilderness & Author >>>Playboating Interview PDF 0.9Mb
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Former freestyle work champion, Deb’s one of the world’s best paddlers. Her compact frame and quiet manner belie an inner strength and enthusiasm that’s helped her stay at the front of expedition river paddling for the past decade.
As the head of our Slovenia programmes, Deb’s leaves an enduring impression on everyone she paddles with.
Accomplishments & Notables; Former World Champion, numerous winner of European Title & Series, Expeditions Worldwide & Author of acclaimed L'Eau Vive, a kayaking photo lifestyle book
Deb also runs a small jewellery business Looner
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Matt Tidy National Youth Development Advisor, EMT Wilderness & BCU Level 4 Coach
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Matt’s our new kid on the block. He’s one of the few whitewater paddlers to emerge from a prestigious freestyle career to make a firm impression on the adventure paddling scene, including pioneering trips to Northern Norway and Tibet.
Kayaking wasn’t Matt’s first love, though: a youth spent as a gymnast gives Matt a natural balance and form on the steeps that’s a real joy to watch. Of course, it’s not just about pulling the moves: Matt’s real gift is being able to coach the skills and feel the love.
Accomplishments & Notables; Some of Matt’s credits include developing the BCU national youth freestyle programme, various podium finishes in international freestyle competitions and various technical articles for the paddling press. And, of course, a real dab hand in the kitchen (or on the camp-stove) |
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Leo Hoare Leadering UK Coach Educator, REC First Aid Provider & BCU Level 5 Coach
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Leo’s the Course Director of our Intensive Instructor Training Programme, D4DR WW. He’s been paddling since the age of nine and as a junior he raced slalom for Great Britain, winning numerous junior internationals and paddling on the Barcelona Olympic squad. He also featured on UK TV's 'Paddles up', before moving on to coaching various national squads.
Soon his adventurous streak took precedence and Leo's paddling took him around the world. He circumnavigated Easter Island, solo. He paddled Mexico's Rio Grande. He travelled to Africa on kayak safari and to Greenland, Norway and New Zealand on expedition.
Now he’s one of Britain's top whitewater professionals. He's worked at the National Mountaineering Centre, and the National Whitewater Centre, Canolfan Tryweryn. He's got a slew of qualifications and he's spent the last 15 years working as a whitewater coach, guide and instructor. |
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Olli Grau Author, Adventurer & National Coach
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If you want to find out what Olli’s like, all you need to do is pick up one of his books.
It’s all there for you: an unfathomed depth of experience, a passionate enthusiasm on (and off) the river, clear and concise explanations of complex moves and an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of paddling. There are a few things you might miss on a casual read, though.
Accomplishments & Notables; Ollie’s modesty often hides his achievements as former world freestyle champion and an adventure paddler with first descents in Europe, North America and South America. |
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