BREN ORTON

From ‘borrowing’ his grandma’s credit card to buy a plane ticket to the white nile at age 16 to making men’s Finals at this year’s Freestyle worlds, bren orton lets nothing get in the way oF his enthusiasm For paddling. catching the public eye at the ottawa this august, bren’s positive energy, high-Flying tricks and constant smile made him an instant crowd Favorite. in a world oF serious competitors, bren’s humor and humility make him a unique breed oF Freestyler. From going huge during the 2015 stakeout to being claimed as the demshitz’ adopted son, at age 21 bren has already made a name For himselF in the world oF kayaking. yet claims and Fame seem to carry little weight. what appears to matter to bren more than anything is the answer to this simple question: “do i get to go kayaking tomorrow?”

Photography: Thomas Fahrun, George Younger, Craig Kleckner, Matt Dumoulin, Benjamin West, Tom Zach

KS: You are from Northern England where football (soccer) is an institution. How did you end up in a kayak? bo: i grew up just outside of liverpool in a little town called warrington.we went on a school trip to the lake district and got to try a bunch of different sports – hiking, climbing and kayaking. i had tried a lot of sports growing up and had never found anything that really fit me. kayaking fits me and i was completely hooked on it from day one. KS: Did you, like many Europeans, start in a club that was focused on slalom paddling? How did that go? bo: the first club i joined was pretty much all slalom. i did okay at it until i learnt how to stern squirt…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, KS#56 (winter 2015)

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