What It’s Like to Face Your Fears on the “Mt. Everest of Kayaking” Stikine River Expedition with Julian Stocker
Home to rapids with names like “The Hole that Ate Chicago”, the Stikine River Canyon in British Columbia is a Class V boater’s paradise. It’s packed with three days of big volume, remote whitewater, with no ways to leave until you make it through the staggering canyon.
We get to dive into the mind of someone who recently paddled through it all.
Julian Stocker is a Swiss whitewater kayaker with 22 years of experience who calls Norway home.
He’s paddled through many of the world’s most exhilarating whitewater rivers, including in Nepal, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, Chile, Ecuador, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and countless countries across Europe.
In Julian’s eyes, kayaking isn't just a sport; it's a way of embracing life to the fullest and finding solace and inspiration in the untamed beauty of rivers.
We talk about...
Julian’s evolution as a kayaker
Starting to kayak as a boy in Switzerland
How paddling helped Julian cope with childhood struggles
Knowing when you’re ready for a next-level challenge and seeing where your abilities can take you
Paddling in places where wildlife can drown and eat you
The Stikine River Canyon: the Everest of kayaking
Why Julian and Oddbjørn paddled as a team of two
How it brought energy similar to a first descent
How the Stikine is incomparable to other rivers across the world
Experiencing the highest highs and the lowest lows
The awareness of not being able to get a rescue if needed: your safety lying in your own hands
The kayaking community and teamwork
Selecting a solid paddling partner, getting to know each other at your worsts and still appreciating each other
When a friend passes away shortly before your expedition and mourning loss in the kayaking community
Different types of friends: high intensity friends and friends who you can go to when you’re hurting
Choosing fear and flow zones
How paddling helps Julian deal with everyday stress in life
Opting to feel and vocalize fear, instead of stifling it
Positive aspects of healthy fear
Accessing the flow zone, finding a sport where you can just be, where nothing else matters
Considering mortality in kayaking and getting stuck in fun vs. scary holes
Kayaking as meditation
Pursuing passion and athletic improvement
Trading off relationships with others when getting caught up in paddling
Building a toolbox to become a well-rounded athlete
Competing: sometimes coming out on top, and other times being disappointed in your performance
Not comparing yourself to medal winners, only to yourself, and remembering to congratulate yourself
Balancing passion and finances
Forgoing sponsorship opportunities and instead finding non-kayaking work without media and exposure
Moving somewhere to fit sport into everyday life
Work that becomes your life vs. work that isn’t your passion (but which fuels it)
Starting and closing a kayak school and the impact it left on the community
Giving back in legacy sports: creating pathways to places and communities, sharing gear, mentoring others
How to connect with Julian:
The River Guide to Voss (free eBook for anyone interested in paddling rivers around Voss, Norway)
How to connect with Jeni and Angie:
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