John Grace gets a first hand account from Rush Sturges about Tyler Bradt’s world record waterfall descent.
Here John Grace gets Rush Sturges on the phone to discuss yesterdays world record waterfall descent. Tyler had a successful line off the 180+ foot Palouse Falls in Washington on April 21st. Rush was there to document the entire event from start to finish which will be released in his upcoming film ‘Dream Result’. Listen to his account and place your vote in the column below. Is Tyler’s waterfall an advancement of our sport or is it simply a crazy roll of the dice? Interested in your comments and we will get Tyler’s Interview up soon enough.
John Grace Interviews Rush Sturges on Tyler Bradt’s World Record from Lunch Video Magazine on Vimeo.
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April 22nd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Good on him! He stuck it, there is no question its the biggest, he’s worked up to it, SWEET.
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Nice interview LVM. Enjoyed listening to the description from Rush. Cant wait to see the images.
Tyler is an amazing paddler. This is beyond the next level but not suprising from Ty or this group that was along for safety and filming. The best of the best, it sounds, was along for this adventure. Wish I could have seen it first hand.
hobie
Team D
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
i say JB is on point no Q he fired it up, good shit!!
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Crazy stuff! Good for him.
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Thanks for sharing the news LVM, great listen. No question Tyler has worked up to this. His last tour through the Columbia River Gorge, just a couple weeks ago, was impressive to say the least. Upper Bridal Veil Falls, Sahalie, Money Drop, Metlako – twice. Legit for someone such as Tyler who has that vision! Well done!
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Nice work John…good interview. I’m with Hobie…would love to see the footy, but sounds like TBradt stomped it. I’m not surprised that someone went bigger than 127, but 186 is HUGE! Congrats to Tyler and props to the big safety/logistics crew that makes a dream drop like this a reality!
Brian J
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Listen I’m about as passionate about kayaking as they get. I enjoy being on the river, and I also enjoy stepping it up every once in a while. Polishing your skills is a must, but what skills does it take to paddle your kayak off of a 180 ft waterfall. I mean if height is what your after, then why not just drop out of a helicopter in your kayak. I truly don’t get the point. Hey maybe its his cup of tea I don’t know. If you ask me, anyone willing to do something like that doesn’t have much to live for, or is in need of some desperate attention. Heck why not just paddle off of Niagara Falls. There is a chance you might survive that, but not a very good one. Is death worth making it into a magazine?
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Legit !!! The preparation is what separates lunacy from legit. He’s been firing up numerous 80 – 100 footers for the past two years, three scouts, specialized gear and a huge all star safety crew.
Way to go Tyler !!
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:00 pm
All these naysayers are making me sick.
What an amazing accomplishment. If you don’t get it, don’t judge.
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Unbelievable!! Great interview!
Here’s my take on this, there are athletes from many different sports that all perform on different levels. There are some that are extremely passionate and dedicated to their venue, but that doesn’t mean that they push the edge of what can be accomplished. EX: I’m sure many marathon runners believe that ultra-marathon running is crazy. And it’s a fact that ultra-marathon running could kill or seriously injure any athlete. In addition it typically takes an experienced runner to accomplish such a feat. No matter how serious about ones sport, everyone operates differently and on different levels. Very few athletes lead the pack! If this was Tyler’s first waterfall or even second for that matter, I would feel differently.
Congrats Tyler, excellent achievement! …..but obviously not a drop for every kayaker.
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:42 pm
He stuck it and he earned it! He definitely pushed the sport fast. It’s for no one to judge.. it had nothing to do with anybody but him.. Congrats Tyler!
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Tyler Bradt and crew lift Kayaking to another level. Congratulations!
(: American team Super sized it ! of course
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I dont personaly know Tyler But I do know this Legit with a Big Capital L. Tyler not only runs insane drops well but also runs some of the hardest rivers on this Planet. Congrats and stay safe.
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:09 pm
LEGIT!!!
Inspirational Tyler…
Nice job sounds like you have the eyes that
can see that shit… Keep it going as long as you see it.
Thanks for the posting. Love hearing about it can’t wait
to see it
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Nice Job Tyler. Legit I say. Excellent accomplishment. Way to take one for the Team bro:) Stay safe, see and stick it.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Wow! Bet that was a cool thing to witness. 186 thats bigger than Niagara!
April 23rd, 2009 at 1:39 am
I’m glad to see a waterfall like this was run by someone like tyler … he is in no way a one dementional huckster .. he pushes it on every facit of paddling . from the stikine to a 180 ft waterfall and everything in between.. last year as we geared up to do skookum creek in BC he brought his big huck paddle that was a at paddle that he had used un over 7 waterfalls over 70ft . ( its a standard issue flexy shaft) so if he ownes one paddle that has done that manny big drops its not to unbelivable to see him paddle the biggest waterfall in kayak history.. now we know the posibillities but maybe not the normalities .
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 am
What an amazing accomplishment! Definately legit with a certain required amount of lunacy, the skills required to stick the line as well as hold onto a good position while free falling is remarkable. All nay-sayers aside this is a perfectly executed athletic performance that will go down in history. Mentally and physically nothing can compare to this. WAY TO GO TYLER!!
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:25 am
That’s an awesome achievement! The envelope just keeps getting pushed further and further.
April 23rd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
The old schoolers in Missoula definitely support Tyler. The kid has done his homework and deserves the respect of the boating community.
Boat Hard, Be Safe, Call your Dad often.
KB
April 23rd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Nice work tyler way to be ahead of our times.
Congratulation on all the preparation that went into this.
keep it up boat hard be safe
Marco
April 23rd, 2009 at 6:23 pm
John – nice to have this interview, thanks for putting up.
That’s pretty amazing, and congratulations to Tyler! It will certainly put him in the world record books. It’s great to see it done on a NW drop. I’m glad he’s fine through it all.
Is it lunacy? As a short answer, I’d say yes, since it’s so risky. It does have a point, though, which is stunning photos/video, media attention, and launching someone (Tyler) into the forefront of the sport. Tyler does deserve the hype, not just for this but for all the other high drops he’s done and for being a great paddler. I’ve only paddled with him once (when he joined me on a trip in Mexico), but did come away from that trip with respect for him.
Hey, Tyler – why don’t you come back down to Mexico and we can actually finish Rio Septentrion, sans flood?
Rocky
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Tyler buddy, you make me proud!
April 24th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Nice job tyler, way to run them stouts. Pushing kayaking to a level i never thought… killin it!
April 29th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Clearly this was an incredible accomplishment by a skilled athlete. However, I cannot help but wonder how many less skilled or less lucky paddlers will die trying to emulate or surpass this feat.