Nick has been paddling for more than 14 years (since he was 11). He grew up in New York and cut his teeth on the Housatonic and Deerfield rivers before attending Dartmouth College in NH and beginning to travel regularly for paddling. He’s paddled all over North and South America on everything from 20-day raft trips to class V self-supports.

Highlight trips from the last year include:

  • the Grand Canyon of the Stikine in British Columbia
  • paddling the Secesh into the South Fork of the Salmon in Idaho at high flows
  • a return trip to Ecuador in December; in particular, paddling the Rio Topo, a class V gem that is being dammed
  • floating the Rio Grande through Big Bend National Park with the Disappearing Rio Grande expedition

Highlights as a photographer and a writer include having his work published in Canoe & Kayak and other venues, and continuing to work with them on ongoing projects, as well as having work published on various industry blogs. He hopes to be expanding into other outdoor sports beyond just whitewater in the next year.

Upcoming paddling plans for this year:

  • paddle 300 miles of class III-V Idaho self-support in one shorter than one week trip during peak run-off: the Middle Fork of the Salmon, the Main Salmon, the South Fork of the Salmon, and the Selway
  • travel to Peru as part of Paddling With Purpose to paddle and guide on the Rio Marañon in an effort to stop the damming of the river, which is the largest volume tributary of the Amazon
  • paddle the Petite Mecatina in northern Quebec, a fly-in multi-day class V self-support

Highlights from earlier in his career are:

  • one of the final descents of the Romaine River in 2010, a multi-day trip in northern Quebec on a river that is now flooded by four massive dams
  • a number of first descents of both waterfalls and rivers in the greater New England area
  • five trips (and counting) down the Colorado’s Grand Canyon
  • a multi-month trip in Chile during which Nick paddled all over the country and photographed the Whitewater Grand Prix for Astral and Rapid Magazine