Category Archives: Uncategorized

“Experiencing this amazing valley on skis, in waders and in a kayak brings you closer to nature and realization how complete she is. Valbona river is the vein of the valley, the essence, as she transports all information from the highest of peaks to the lush forests right at the bottom of it. She makes sure the cycle keeps on going like it was in the last millions of years. Local people have always acknowledged that in many legends and cherished her flows but now new age of money dwelling leaders set their feet in this eden, trying to take advantage of this same invigorating flow. It is time to […]

Sometimes, it’s easier to look on the bright side – to focus on beauty and clear water, wild rapids and wildlife – than it is to stare straight at a garbage-clogged tributary, or concrete filled river. In Greece, we were exposed to remote and absolutely breathtaking canyons. But as we traveled north, this kind of untouched wilderness was harder to find, as the people of Albania struggle to carve out a life in a developing country. Passing hydro dams on the highway our minds were quickly distracted by another stunning view – vistas of towering mountains, trees, rocks, and water. But the dry riverbeds became more frequent, and the pipes […]

After one week in Greece, it feels like we have seen only a fraction of the snow and whitewater that the Pindus Mountains have to offer. Full days were spent exploring and ski touring in the Lakmos and Smolikas Mountains. We found tons of late season snow and a combination of stunning/challenging terrain and mellow turns. We paddled deep into the gorges of the Voidomatis, walked beside the construction site of new dam on the Metsovitikos and portaged over an old, abandoned dam on the Aoos. Slowing down to wade into the green water of the remote canyons of the Arachthos and Kalaritkos to fly fish, we have further confirmed […]

After Soča source-to-sea descent the crew boarded the ferry and after 2 nights on the big boat we have just landed in Greece. The 3 weeks of exploring one of the most stunning regions in the world can now begin – we will be searching for hidden valleys in Greece, Albania and Montenegro that can provide ski touring, kayaking and fly fishing in a single day. Stay tuned and follow our adventures on our webpage and social media. Wohoooo! Breakfast time gipsy  style. Photo by: Andraz FB The crew enjoys the sunset, like in a movie. Photo by: Andraž FB We hit Greece. Photo by: Andraz FB

Wow, these 4 days were a blast. Beautiful mountains, sunny weather, crystal clear waters of Soča and one amazing crew showing respect and support to the wild river first 2 days and then exposing the dam affected flow last 2 days. Lots of paddling, conversation, laughs and deep thoughts accompanied us during the day while nights were packed with great music, beers and some staggering dance moves 😉 We reached the goal – we had fun, put pressure on the decision makers & SENG, got into media and reached the sea in a big group. No new dams and time to say so long to old ones! Big thanks to everybody involved […]

The start of Balkan Rivers Tour 2 is going to be big and full of action. Following the Soča from souce high up in Julijan Alps we will paddle all the way in Adriatic Sea in Italy. With 138 kilometers of paddling and more than 900m of descent this will be real getting to know the river. Balkan Rivers Tour 2 Soča source-to-sea action March 30th – April 2nd 4 days, 138 kilometers in a boat, 990m of descent DAY 1 – Thursday, March 30th / 25 km in a kayak 10:00 everyone meets at Koča pri izviru Soče (Trenta 72, 5232 Soča) 11:00 press conference at Triglav National Park […]

We are happy to share messages of support for Balkan Rivers Tour 2 by some most influential kayakers from all over Europe and a very special skier. The community is growing bigger and so are we!   NOURIA NEWMAN – IN SUPPORT OF FREE FLOWING RIVERS & FRIENDS Nouria Newman (25) Nouria Newman loves nothing more than whitewater kayaking. From freestyle, canoe slalom or steep creeking, she is at home in every type of whitewater and every kidn of boat. Racing has always been a big part of her kayaking world (freestyle junior World Champion in 2009, Slalom vice World Champion in 2013, Extreme Kayaking World Champion in 2013 and […]

Last year’s legacy is so nice that we cannot refuse to make a new edition of Balkan Rivers Tour. This time we will make two big actions for everyone to join in; paddle, cycle, walk and party. In between we will explore the Dinaric Alps from Greece to Montenegro with our BRT crew, trying to find most stunning valleys where one can can ski tour, kayak and fly fish in one day – so that we can take you there next year! Detailed program is to be found on the link just below the cover photo on our webpage and on our social media, but to get the taste here is […]

World Paddle Award ceremony is the event that gathers the paddle sport community from around the globe, amongst it some of the most influential individuals in kayaking. At presentation of the Golden paddle Rok Rozman decided to make a speech addressing our community with words that follow: “Kayaking is all about freedom; freedom of mind, freedom of movement and freedom of spirit, all underlined with freedom of the river. In the last few years, I’ve been getting a feeling that this freedom is somewhat fading away, that our community overlooked the ever so important roots, the roots that make us one of the most honorable outdoor communities. I started kayaking […]

»Golden Paddle, the award by academy World Paddle Awards, is a confirmation that the project has reached the global scale,« Rok Rozman, former Olympic rower, extreme kayaker, biologist and leader of the Balkan Rivers Tour. The Balkan Rivers Tour project connected people from 18 countries who paddled 23 rivers in 39 days. The project begun in mid-April on Sava River in Slovenia and concluded on the Vjosa River in Albania. Over 500 kayakers and 1500 activists joined the team. Rok Rozman, the laureate of the Foundation Award obtained the prize for his work on the Balkan Rivers Tour, biggest European River protection action. The project included peaceful protests, petitions to […]