Adventure Magazine

Survival
DEFYING DEATH
Aniol Serrasolses
To defy: by definition...
1 : to confront with assured power of resistance.
2 : to challenge to do something considered impossible.
In the adventure community you don’t have to look far to find good survival
stories. Kiwi kayaking legend Mike Dawson writes for us on a regular basis,
and I knew he would have been in some tight situations, so I asked him. His
response straight away was ‘if you wanna talk to someone who knows how to
survive talk to Anoil’. So we did!
You grew up in Catalonia, Spain, not
the white-water kayaking capital of
the world. How did you get involved
with white water kayaking? We got
introduced to the sport by random luck.
We used to ride our bikes to school
daily, on those trips we happened to
ride next to our local river, the TER.
Once in a while we would happen to
see a few people riding their kayaks
in the rapids… My brother was super
impressed and decided to join them
during the weekends. An entire year
passed quickly, he dropped every
other sport he used to play and
focused only on kayaking. By then I
got intrigued as well and decided to
give it a try… I was instantly hooked.
I used to play waterpolo and football
at the time, but I dropped both and
started kayaking as much as possible.
We built little trailers that we attached
to our bikes so we could go kayak on
our own after school.
You take part in both competitive
and expedition kayaking. What do
each offer you and do you have
a preference? I like competitions
because they make me focus and train
towards a goal but they’re definitely
not the main reason why I kayak. I
see them as another aspect of my
sport, the working side of what I do.
Expedition kayaking and filming is the
fun part for me. The side of kayaking
where I can get really creative,
discover incredible locations and push
the limits of the sport.
White water kayaking is termed
an extreme sport, filled with risks.
How do you help to mitigate the
risks involved in your expeditions?
Whitewater kayaking at the highest
level is definitely one of the scariest
sports in the game. Preparation, many
years of experience, making good
calls, having the skills is what keeps
you alive.
You often kayak in remote parts of
the world and even more remote
rivers. What is the draw to these
out of the way places? The draw
is to kayak/experience places where
nobody has been before. To push the
boundaries of what’s possible, get out
of your comfort zone so you can really
see what you’re made of. To have
good times with friends, to see the
beautiful world we live in. “The world is
a book and those who don’t travel read
only one page”
Even with the best preparation,
white water kayaking can have
some extreme consequences if
things do not go to plan. Can you
tell us about that? Unfortunately
kayaking is a pretty nasty sport when
it comes down to the consequences of
messing up a line. I’ve broken my back
twice, ribs and shoulders… I’ve seen
a friend die. I’m very aware of what’s
in play.
08//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#225
Aniol Serrasolses descends Keyhole Falls near Pemberton, Canada
Image by Eric Parker / Red Bull Content Pool ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ 09