The Packrafting Podcast

After losing a friend in a packrafting incident seven years ago, Luc was rattled to the core. It became a catalyst for a new chapter in his own packrafting journey, where he totally reassessed his own skillset and started learning more about safety. This led him to write The Packraft Handbook, which we focus on in this episode. Those of you who already have a copy of the book will enjoy the extra background on the book writing process and getting to know Luc on more of a personal level.EPISODE LINKS:Things to Luc at - Alaskan AdventureLuc's Vimeo (lots of great videos!)Luc's InstagramOrder The Packraft Handbook via Luc's websiteThe Packrafting Podcast on InstagramPodcast sponsored by Alpacka Raft:Alpacka Raft has been handcrafting packrafts for 20 years and has spearheaded packrafting into its modern, more accessible era. All of their boats are made-to-order, in Mancos, Colorado. Whether you’re looking for the perfect whitewater packraft, an ultra-light option for bikerafting or backpacking, or the ultimate do-everything backcountry adventure tool, Alpacka Raft has a packraft for you. Find out more at their website AlpackaRaft.comMusic: Original music by Evan Phillips, a musician from Anchorage, Alaska. He’s also the host and producer of The Firn Line, a podcast about the lives of mountain climbers.

Annie shares some of her most memorable packrafting and bikerafting adventures in Scotland and Greenland. We hear about her encounters with muskoxen, quick sand on a glacier-fed river, and dealing with a sinking raft. We also talk about the dynamic of doing trips with a romantic partner. EPISODE LINKS:Annie's personal websiteAnnie's Instagram 'A girl outside'Annie's You TubeThe Cairn Project (Annie's 'Dip a day' was in support of the Cairn Project)The Bikeraft Guide (Four Corners Guides)Podcast sponsored by Alpacka Raft:Alpacka Raft has been handcrafting packrafts for 20 years and has spearheaded packrafting into its modern, more accessible era. All of their boats are made-to-order, in Mancos, Colorado. Whether you’re looking for the perfect whitewater packraft, an ultra-light option for bikerafting or backpacking, or the ultimate do-everything backcountry adventure tool, Alpacka Raft has a packraft for you. Find out more at their website AlpackaRaft.comMusic: Original music by Evan Phillips, a musician from Anchorage, Alaska. He’s also the host and producer of The Firn Line, a podcast about the lives of mountain climbers.

Sarah lives in Alaska, where she finds joy in many outdoor activities, from wild ice skating to backcountry skiing and packrafting. She teaches mental-health informed online fitness programs for outdoors people. We go down many tangents in this episode, from the joys of bear encounters in the Brooks Range to some of her earlier packrafting mishaps. We talk about fear management in an outdoor setting, including her intentional approach to building confidence and nervous system capacity. She also openly talks about her challenges with fertility.LinksSarah Histand website (personal website and fitness training)Sarah's Instagram Arctic Refuge blogA free packraft warm-up workout video by SarahPackraft training tips from SarahAbout the Summer Strong fitness programPodcast sponsored by Alpacka Raft:Alpacka Raft has been handcrafting packrafts for 20 years and has spearheaded packrafting into its modern, more accessible era. All of their boats are made-to-order, in Mancos, Colorado. Whether you’re looking for the perfect whitewater packraft, an ultra-light option for bikerafting or backpacking, or the ultimate do-everything backcountry adventure tool, Alpacka Raft has a packraft for you. Find out more at their website AlpackaRaft.comMusic: Original music by Evan Phillips, a musician from Anchorage, Alaska. He’s also the host and producer of The Firn Line, a podcast about the lives of mountain climbers. 

Jeffrey Creamer is a packrafter based in Colorado who loves designing creative whitewater expedition routes. His favourite trips combine hard whitewater with backcountry skiing or ski mountaineering, often in remote areas of the lower 48 where people don’t typically explore. In this episode we chat about many of his most memorable adventures, including a Bull Lake Creek trip and adapting the ‘Du’Mor’ packraft route to include several ski legs. We also talk about packrafting Upper Cherry Creek, a classic whitewater run in the Sierra Nevada. As a special bonus at the end of this episode I talk to Thor Tingey from Alpacka Raft. He shares a bit more about the history of design for their more technical boats and what’s so special about their new packraft, the Valkyrie.Links:Jeff's InstagramJeff's YoutubePackraft Perfection: Riding a Flash Flood through Utah's Paria CanyonBlog post - Middle Fork Kings River, Kings Canyon National Park in California.Podcast sponsored by Alpacka Raft:Alpacka Raft has been handcrafting packrafts for 20 years and has spearheaded packrafting into its modern, more accessible era. All of their boats are made-to-order, in Mancos, Colorado. Whether you’re looking for the perfect whitewater packraft, an ultra-light option for bikerafting or backpacking, or the ultimate do-everything backcountry adventure tool, Alpacka Raft has a packraft for you. Find out more at their website AlpackaRaft.comMusic: Original music by Evan Phillips, a musician from Anchorage, Alaska. He’s also the host and producer of The Firn Line, a podcast about the lives of mountain climbers. 

In this episode we talk about Willem’s signature trip style, including how he plans his trips and what it is he enjoys most about multi-week adventures. We chat about some of his earlier trips in Scandinavia, Greenland, a packraft-assisted traverse of the South Island of New Zealand and a near-death experience during a four month traverse of Norway.Willem’s written trip recounts and photographs have provided inspiration for people all over the world, with many packrafters following his routes. However, he has grappled with sharing online and in 2013 he stopped sharing GPS coordinates of his routes. We discuss some of the consequences of sharing detailed trip recounts, including environmental impacts in South Greenland and how the death of two Belgian packrafters last summer has impacted him.In 2016 Willem was the recipient of the Golden Paddle Award from the American Packrafting Association.LinksWillem's personal blogInto the Arctic (Willem's outdoor tour business)Podcast sponsored by Alpacka Raft:Alpacka Raft has been handcrafting packrafts for 20 years and has spearheaded packrafting into its modern, more accessible era. All of their boats are made-to-order, in Mancos, Colorado. Whether you’re looking for the perfect whitewater packraft, an ultra-light option for bikerafting or backpacking, or the ultimate do-everything backcountry adventure tool, Alpacka Raft has a packraft for you. Find out more at their website AlpackaRaft.comMusic: Original music by Evan Phillips, a musician from Anchorage, Alaska. He’s also the host and producer of The Firn Line, a podcast about the lives of mountain climbers.