whitewater

After Cali Collective’s first 2-Day Women’s Whitewater Kayaking Clinic on the South Fork American in 2015, we asked our students for their feedback… “Two days just isn’t long enough!” was the overwhelming consensus. So… Chief Instigator, Melissa DeMarie, contacted an old paddling friend from her boating days on the California North Coast, J.R. Weir, who…

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…

Cali Collective Chief Instigator, Melissa DeMarie, chats about the origins of Cali Collective in this video produced by Duncan Mine, a northern California production company. Thanks to Scotty Blankenfeld, Robby Hogg and Andres Silva for their awesome work. Enjoy! All words and images copyright California Women’s Watersport Collective 2019. All rights reserved.

How often have you been in a situation where you had this thought “I didn’t even think about it, I just did it and it worked out perfectly?” As human beings we often forget that instincts are equally as important as process thinking. Instincts are deep within us and come from a place that is in the absence of explanation. Because of this, we logically want to analyze it and rationalize how we were able to make a decision based on an internal voice. Instincts come out in an action that we make without much thinking at all. Sometimes these instincts launch from knowledge we are in the process of obtaining and sometimes they are from a deeper place, one of natural human intuitions. Either one can be intimidating to trust but the less we fight it the stronger and…

Recently, I went on my first full moon paddle from Coloma to Lotus, with my parents and some friends. In order to paddle safely, you should have paddled the section of river many times before and memorized the structure of the waves, holes, rocks, eddie lines, and when rapids are coming and you should only…

Cali Collective Chief Instigator, Melissa DeMarie, was recognized by the American Canoe Association California Chapter with the Paddle Heroes Award for 2019. The ACA California Executive Council created the California Paddle Heroes Award to recognize and honor members of the California paddling community who prioritize and consistently: Help share paddlesports by making others feel excited, welcome,…

There’s not much that can get me out of bed before 6am on a weekend. But in early September, I leapt out of bed before my alarm went off at 5:30. This was going to be the best weekend of the year! I was heading up to the South Fork of the American River to…

    When Melissa DeMarie found herself side-lined with a shoulder injury four years ago, her dream of getting more women on the water finally found the right time to come alive. She founded California Women’s Watersport Collective and kicked it off on a shoe string budget with a few meet-up paddles and one weekend clinic for women’s kayaking on the South Fork American River. Once the first clinic’s registration overflowed onto a waiting list and people starting asking what else was available there was no turning back. Instigator, Melissa DeMarie. Photo: Adam Walker Since then, CWWC (aka Cali Collective) has gone from a few women with big ideas to an inspiring all-inclusive community on and off the water. A woman’s experience of the world is different from men’s and that holds true on the water. The way women face…