cali collective

I’m a sprinter. Not in the literal runner’s sense of the word but in life. I have been really good at going hard for short periods of time which is why, I suppose, the 9-5 thing never suited me. Back in my mid-twenties, I went through what I affectionately call, my “period of misguided ambition”…

DeMarie and Miller toast the deal as California Watersport Collective acquires California Canoe & Kayak whitewater school in Coloma, CA. Today the owners of California Watersport Collective and California Canoe & Kayak are jointly announcing a passing of the baton as Cali Collective acquires the CCK whitewater school to become the central paddling school on…

Life is full of challenge but 2020 managed to dish out an extra helping of adversity for just about everyone. The following is a collection of essays written by some of the Cali Collective Ambassadors on how they dealt with fear, anxiety and disappointments throughout this tumultuous year. The authors come from different backgrounds and…

I’ve been on a lot of river trips in my life and have transitioned from raft to two person kayak with my parents, to my own kayak. I’ve just returned from kayaking the Grand Canyon with raft support. As I celebrated my recent 13th birthday, I decided to write an article on how river trips…

Hi, my name is Maya, I’m 11 years old and I went on my second self-support kayak trip to the Rogue River in June. I went with my sister (Hannah), my mom (Emma), my dad (Marc), our friends Allen and Melissa. Packing our boats was much easier than last time but still pretty difficult because…

Hi! My name is Hannah Musgrove. I am a Cali Collective Junior Ambassador. Yesterday I did a new section of the river, Chili Bar on the South Fork American. Sometimes on a new river, I can feel overwhelmed and really nervous, but this time I didn’t. I definitely felt nervous, but not at the level that I usually do. I’ve been thinking about why this has happened and I have come to my conclusions. Hannah and her younger sister Maya gets some beta on the first rapid. The first reason I felt this way was because I was prepared. I have a solid roll and the skills needed for that section. I had been doing different sections of the same class and practicing my combat roll by surfing waves and doing stern squirts. I felt confident in my skills even though…

    3/31/2020 In this episode, host Kyle Murphy sat down with Chief Instigator Melissa DeMarie of California Watersport Collective. Join us as we discuss women’s issues in whitewater, and the epic community she has built in the Sierra Foothills, soon to be the world… Listen

Whitewater Paradise in the Columbia River Gorge The name Wet Planet was first spoken in a beat up Suburban while bouncing down a jungle road in Costa Rica, when co-founders Todd Collins and Jaco Klinkenberg were discussing their vision for the ultimate whitewater company.  Wet Planet is based in White Salmon, Washington on (you guessed…

Welcome to our new series, Teamwork Makes the Dream Work! In this series, Cali Collective chats with our collaborators, manufacturers, partner companies and guest instructors on their origins, achievements, programs and more! In keeping with our mission to build authentic connection and community, Cali Collective is proud to support our colleagues in the paddlesport…

In this edition of our Pint Size Perspective Series, 10 year-old Maya Musgrove chats about her first self-support kayak trip on the iconic Rogue River. Enjoy! My family, and our friend Laura went on a trip to the Rogue river on Labor Day weekend. We put in at Grave Creek on Saturday morning. It took…