Darren Clarkson-King is pleased to announce the publicaton of a new book – Beautiful Blue. This one is unique in the world of kayaking linking poems & prose to describe descents of the Tsarap Chu in Ladakh India.
Tag: Darren Clarkson-King
Darren Clarkson King of Pure Land Expeditions is making a short lecture tour at the beginning of 2018 before he heads back to the Himalayas.
4th Jan 2018 7pm http://www.bradbingcc.co.uk/daz/ (Bradford & Bingley CC)
27th Jan 2018 6pm North East Kayaks & Paddles
1 Feb 2018 time TBC AS Watersports
The Stikine river is perhaps the one river that burns in my heart as the bracket of experience. This is, for me, the place where all my passion lay bare and raw for all to see. It is more than the river alone. It is more than the memories it gave. For many this river, which has been put on a pedestal, holds no clues-no passion. Instead, others do, these are the places that prepare you to challenge. Implicit in these situations is the notion of personal risk. How we, as thinking organisms, perceive these risk situations is key.
It is not simply a question of can we do this?
But is the question, should we do this?
Kailash, that proud mountain in Tibet, the source of the mighty Indus, Karnali, Sutlej and Siang. These rivers carving deep from the high Himalayas, draining all the way to the lowlands. The lofty heights are a sacred site for 4 of the world’s religions, Buddhism, Jain, Hindu and Bon. The mighty Karnali flowing, as it does, in the Hindu country of Nepal can easily be seen as coming from the throne of Shiva. It is no wonder that just to go kayaking the Karnali, the Humla, or the tributaries offers the chance for spiritual awaking. It is a place that offered more than a simple set of strokes. A place where thoughts can come without the stress of modern life.
When Lord Krishna manifested before Arjun, before the words were stolen by Oppenheimer, when the Gita was pure and undiluted, its sole intent to motivate Arjun, ‘Now, I am become death, the destroyer of worlds’. That’s what this river did.
In the many years that I’ve been dabbling in whitewater kayaking technical rope work has always been the hardest thing for me to grasp – I’ve got it nailed now but not after constant repetition of reading the amazing Ww safety books and practice, practice, practice. I’m all for making things easy and I just wish all those decades ago the whetman equipment system was available. It take the mystique out of the black art of ropes and knots. Takes the worry away from do I have the correct kit and skills.
In 1992 Green Slime and a team of explorers set the first paddle strokes on the Tsarap Zanskar combo – an expedition in little Tibet. Opening up what has become a world classic.
Slime turned 70, and like the Queen, had one of his parties on the roof of a hotel in Leh over looking the Indus – perfect.
Continue readingWe all love to kayak, sure. It has some things we love and some we hate. First Aid often becomes the elephant in the room.
When was the last time you or your peers did a course or a workshop? Do you keep ‘up to speed’ on developments?
In this series I am pleased to offer a ‘dirty’ First Aid approach. This is suited to kayakers and river users. Using a ‘find it fix it’ approach to incident care and management.
This first article will lay the foundations of rapid emergency aid. It’s a simple approach that a basic personal First Aid kit and things carried on you can deal with. Now is not the time to discuss what you should or should not carry in your kit. Read the series and make your own mind up.
Continue readingPure Land Expeditions
Northshore Watersports
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