JOHN GRACE

Though you may be familiar with his voice from the “Hammer Factor” podcast, it is easy to forget just how much of an impact John Grace has had on whitewater kayaking. The organizer of the Green Race, a central force behind the iconic LVM edits, a shit-runner and an explorer who has paddled on six continents, Grace has quietly been a leading whitewater pioneer for decades. His name is behind first descents in California, single-day speed runs of the Stikine and High Sierra creeks, and early multi-day expeditions. We sat down with the OG innovator to get his take on some of his now-legendary exploits and the magic of whitewater.

Words: Anna Bruno

KS: How did you end up in a kayak? JG: Like a lot of folks, my father introduced me to the sport. He and a few friends from Indiana and Kentucky were part of a club called the Ohio Valley Whitewater Club. To this day they are still the most dedicated group of weekend warriors I have ever met! When I was nine-years-old they stuffed my 80-pound frame as best they could in a Laserbat Kevlar slalom boat and taught me to roll. It was instant love. KS:What is your first memory of a running whitewater? How did it go? JG: My first whitewater memory is of the St. Francis River in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri; I was ten years old, and it sucked! It was cold, and for…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Fall 2018

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