Riverboarding Pioneer Needs Your Vote
Tom Paterson – the greatest riverboarder alive – submitted a clip to the Shortcut Circuit Video Competition showing an insane river wave in the Mistassibi River to the world for the first time. Shortcut Circuit is the world’s largest cash-prize for a bodyboarding video comp ever seen with prize money of $50,000. Tom needs about 3.000 votes to become winner of the comp. Please vote and share, this won’t take much of your time!
Please vote for Tom at: shortcircuit.movementmag.com/video/29
Hi Tom, could you introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey my name is Thomas Paterson I’ve been pushing the sport of freestyle riverboarding for 9 years. I grew up in Oakville Ontario Canada, I’m 27 years old. I now spend the majority of my time in Quebec on big volume rivers looking for giant river waves. I’m very passionate about rivers the outdoors and wildlife. A couple years ago I introduced the sport of riverboarding to my brother Jon and ever since we have been on a mission to find the biggest river waves. Bigger the waves bigger the tricks!
Would you consider yourself a pioneer in riverboarding?
My focus has always been on freestyle, I like to stack up and get airborne. I have invented a whole assortment of different tricks that are super fun to huck on big waves. Some riskier than others.
Are you the first man doing flips on a river wave?
I think I am the first person to do flips on a riverboard. The front flip is probably the hardest to land but also one of the most fun to throw. The board flip, insane flip, and board blunts are the riskier tricks because in order to complete the trick I have to release my self from the board. If I don’t reconnect with the board it generally means I have a big swim to do. Some of the easier tricks include airscrews, board whips, and spartas.
What is your relationship to river surfing?
Before I started riverboarding I bought myself a surfboard to try river surfing on the Ottawa River. It was fun on the wave but really wasn’t practical getting down the rapids though, I broke all the fins off the bottom of the board. At this time I was a raft guide at horizon x rafting on the Ottawa River. Through HX I started riverboard guiding and I instantly fell in love with the sport. I realized this was a great way to get down the river to the waves I wanted to surf.
Do you think that your sport will influence river surfing ?
Sure I think freestyle riverboarding can influence river surfing. I think more so if river surfing grows, and more people are introduced to river waves, freestyle riverboarding will grow as well.
Where do you got your inspirations from?
I have always loved adventures and the outdoors, freestyle riverboarding allows me to go places very few people go and experience nature on a different level. I’ve learned a lot from pro kayakers like Ben Marr, Nick Troutman, and Joel kowalski, by watching their videos I have adapted there techniques to riverboarding. Another one of my inspirations is Jacky Chan, I always loved his films and his stunts, and I think he has influenced a lot of what I do. But the biggest thing for me is just to get out there and figure it out; I prefer to make my own rules. By spending hours and hours and hours on the river, the water teaches me so much. I would say the river inspires more then any one person can.
How do you prepare for surfing these waves? Are you worried about dying in the water?
Riding big waves is a progression; I started on very small waves and as I’ve grown as an athlete I’ve been able to work my way up to bigger waves. Some of the river waves I’m planning on surfing this year are over 20 ft tall. A lot goes in to surfing waves this big. I do a lot of scouting, just looking at the river, climbing trees to get different perspectives. A lot depends on what’s down stream of the wave. If the wave has allot of down river consequence (holes, waterfalls, strainers…) then I will only throw tricks I’m confident I can land and keep in contact with my board. if the wave flushes into a big pool or a lake then I’m willing to go big and try tricks I know I might not land. I know there are risks to what I do but if I take my time to piece the puzzle and never jump into something I’m not confident or not comfortable doing then I’m sure I will be fine.
Where do you think will riverboarding go?
I’m not sure where the sport of freestyle riverboarding will go … all I know is my tricks are going to get bigger and more flashy … I have some new tricks I’m working on that will hopefully blow some minds. I’m just going to go with the flow and see where it takes me. I’m so passionate about the river and riverboarding that I’m just excited to see what happens.
Why don’t you stand up on your board?
I do occasionally stand up on my board. But do to the fact I use fins it makes it not very practical. Also the boards that I design don’t have fins on the bottom. Also the style of tricks I’m throwing all are initiated by starting on the kneesI think in the future I will be practising standing up more. What not! Haha!
Please vote for Tom at: shortcircuit.movementmag.com/video/29
Brought to you by
Simon Simon is the "Youngest Veteran". He has been chasing river waves since almost 20 years, starting on a wave in the south of Munich, one of the birth places of our sport. Simon loves high water surfing and river surf comps and dreams about barrelling river waves, since he was lucky enough to surf one during his many trips.
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