Daniele Tira - Italy

How Old are you?

30 years old

When did you start kayaking?

I started paddle when I was twelve years old

What is your claim to fame?

Fame??-------what do you mean?? 

What is your preferred style of kayaking?

I spent lots of years paddling slalom kayak, and now I love to paddle steep creeks and big waterfalls

Your favorite boat of all time?

I'll always remember my first playboat that I bought after 2 years recovering from an accident: The Session

Your current favorite boat?

Without any doubt I'll paddle every rapid with my Mafia

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?

Dragorossi is only brand producing original kayaks, that differ from usual shapes with innovation, safety and performance. To paddle a Dragorossi kayak means to feel the water, live with the current, feeling the river and enjoy every rapid.

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?

My dream is to live for a road trip and paddle everything starting in Canada to the end of the earth.

Scott Barnes- USA

How Old are you?

38 years old

When did you start kayaking?

In 1992

What is your claim to fame?

I don't think that I have one, but most of my friends seem to know me for constantly experimenting and thinking, so they end up asking me all sorts of questions. 

What is your preferred style of kayaking?

River running, because it's a vague enough answer that will just let me paddle any time of river, from steep creek, to big volume, or park and play.  I love it all.

Your favorite boat of all time?

I have a special place in my heart for the Prijon Hurricane because it took me from average class III boater and introduced slalom, creeking and play all in one boat.  Not many boats can do that now.

Your current favorite boat?

I keep coming back to paddle the Pintail because it's like my Hurricane replacement.  I can do a little bit of everything in it.

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?

Because Corran is a good sport when I talk to him about design, and nobody else is doing anything exciting.  I like the grass roots feel of DR

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?

Get a stable university teaching job so that I can be both intellectually stimulated and have enough time in summer to do all of the other things that I have not been able to so far, starting with a trip back to Europe for paddling (I did graduate school work there

Corran Addison- Canada

How Old are you?

39 years old. Soon I’ll be 39.2, and then after that 39.3 etc

When did you start kayaking?

In 1975

What is your claim to fame?

I’ve been to a few world championships and got a few medals, paddled in the Olympics and have been designing for all of my adult life, and have had a few successful kayak and surfboard designs. But I’m not good with women - I had to pay the girls in the photo to stand there with me, so basically my claim to fame is kayaking!

What is your preferred style of kayaking?

Creeking without a doubt. I love to push myself and the limits. Of course, I really enjoy playboating too, but in the end, I’m always pulled back to creeking.

Your favorite boat of all time?

The Dancer. It was a great boat at the time, but more importantly, it was the boat I paddled during my most formative years when I understood what kind of paddler I wanted to be. But I have to admit that the Fury and Squashtail are in there too as all-time favorites. All three of those were ground breaking designs that I had a lot of fun in.

Your current favorite boat?

The Critical Mass. I’m getting older, don’t paddle as much as I used to, though Ironically I love it more now than I did when I was competing etc. But the Critical Mass looks after me - it allows me to go paddling with guys half my age and twice my balls, and keep up and be safe. I used to have a death wish kayaking... now I want to make it home, but I still want to run hard stuff, and the Critical Mass is the only boat that even comes close to doing that.

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?

Um... I work for them! Is that a good answer?

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?

Surf Jaws on a board, kayak in Tibet, and ski in Argentina? All of that, but more importantly, find a better balance between work and play - personal and commercial success.

Dan Heyworth- UK

How Old are you?

I'm 30, but I've decided to start getting younger from now on!

When did you start kayaking?

I started kayaking in 1989 when I was 10 years old.

What is your claim to fame?

I'm not sure if this is a positive claim to fame, but I was arrested for kayaking a section of my local river.  Apparently I was trespassing by being on the river.  I was never prosecuted as after a little gentle persuasion all charges were dropped.

I've also been interviewed for Canadian TV whilst having a surfing lesson, they were doing a feature on why tourists should come to Montreal to river surf.  Obviously its all the really hot girls in bikinis...

What is your preferred style of kayaking?

I'm a river boater, you can't beat the buzz you get from running difficult rapids and drops and hitting must make lines.

Your favorite boat of all time?

It has to be the Disco, I did everything in that boat, well nearly everything... 

Your current favorite boat?

MY Mafia, I have paddled mine so much now I am beginning to develop an emotional connection with her....

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?

The stripes, you gotta love the stripes!  I also want to be having more fun than everybody else when I get on the water, no matter what sort of kayaking I'm doing.

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?

There are still so many things I would like to do.  For starters, I want to kayak in Nepal, New Zealand, Central and South America and go back and find more first descents in Madagascar, I would also like to have the opportunity to provide input and feedback on new DragoRossi designs.  I'm giving up "real" work in September 2009, so hoping to be able to tick off a few of these then.  Outside of kayaking, I'd like to try skydiving and learn to snowboard.

Marco Merini - Italy

How Old are you?

I'm 36

When did you start kayaking?

In 1986, when I was 13

What is your claim to fame?

I won 3 times the Italian downriver championships and got the top 5 at the Teva Mountain Games Europe. I got first descents in Russia, Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Europe. In the top 5 at the Italian Rodeo Champ., 10 years of Slalom competitions national and International.  Several overnight trips in sea-kayaking in the Mediterranean Sea.

What is your preferred style of kayaking?

Expedition kayaking, specially multi-day trips and exploring. My favorite area is the Himalaya: India and Nepal.

Your favorite boat of all time?

The Mafia. Too fast to be true ! It reminds me a slalom boat: quick and precise. It's always a great satisfaction paddling it !

Your current favorite boat?

At the moment, the Mad Boy. Even faster than the Mafia, but more stable because of the flat bottom. It keeps the direction very very well, and it's turny enough.

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?

It's Italian! and it's cool. All the boats are innovative and very different from all the other brands. All of them are fast and performing, and technical. After many years of slalom paddling, I absolutely need  a boat like this: I can't paddle a CFS !

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?

Paddling the Peru Colca, Cotahuasi and Apurimac Canyons. Go to China to run some river coming from Himalaya and improving my climbing and mountaineering skills: I'd like to reach the highest summits of the Alps. And.. what else... yeah: crossing the Sea from Italy to Corsica by sea-kayak.

Andrea Colombo - Italy

How Old are you?

I'm 22

When did you start kayaking?

My first descent was in Topoduo 13 years ago

What is your claim to fame?

I’m not famous...yet...

What is your preferred style of kayaking?

I love paddling in whitewater! surfing waves or playing in the holes is very fun, but the creeking sensation is incomparable!

Your favorite boat of all time?

I spend lots of time paddling with the Giro by Sanblas, Sure it wasn' t the best kayak of all time, but I started playboating and river running with it, so it’s special to me.

Your current favorite boat?

Critical Mass! in the creek boat without rivals! 

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?

Because Dragorossi has a kayaks that focus on performance - and are fast for all situations, great material, cool designs and .. made in Italy!

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?

Paddling around the world, finish my study and learn english very well

Kenny Unser - USA

How Old are you?

This ain't my first rodeo.

When did you start kayaking?

In 1991, I spent the summer at Adventure Quest in Vermont learning to kayak. And that's all I have to say about that.

What is your claim to fame?

I'm the undefeated C1 champion of the Lozer Cup race series. I give really good advice. Anything else you heard was prolly just haters.

What is your preferred style of kayaking?

Clean lines. We've got a version of golf: a stroke counts as 1; a brace as 2; a roll as 5. Scott Barnes in his Critical Mass is the Tiger Woods of kayak golf (I think it's the boat). I'm still pulling mulligans in my Fish.

Your favorite boat of all time?

I just acquired a rare classic: The New Wave Oxygen, an asymmetrical C1 squirt boat that Corran Addison designed in the early 90's. It is the pride of my obsessive boat collection.

Your current favorite boat?

The Dragorossi Fish is my favorite downriver toy. It runs rivers exceptionally well and gives up giant Air McGoons

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?

Dragorossi kayaks are uncompromising and innovative. When I get a new Dragorossi boat, I know I'm getting a high-performance design that will make me a better paddler.

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?

UM.....

Diego Valsecchi - Argentina

How Old are you?

31

When did you start kayaking?

I cant remember, I think my first contact i was a child with my dad flat water, but I run my first class V at 17 ... I think that was the real start...

What is your claim to fame?

I love kayaking!

What is your preferred style of kayaking?

River running, and surfing,  all in big water!!!!!

Your favorite boat of all time?

I don’t have one, I think,  but i remember haven great time on the cross fire,  kendo, for play, turbo..

Your current favorite boat?

I love the mafia, and the smooth carving with the squashtail

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?

They are fast boats, and if you have good technique you can do so much in the water...

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?

I have done so much, paddle all over the world, exploring rivers in all continents, I can’t ask for much more... but if there is something that i will like to do, is ....Save the Futaleufu, from any hydroelectric Dam project,  for future generations, and be able to paddle these rapids and surf these waves for the rest of my life!!!

Giorgio Codeluppi - Italy

How Old are you?

"Only" 39 - the boys never seem get older!

When did you start kayaking?

I started back in 86

What is your claim to fame?

Fame? No please. Italians kayak for fun, not for fame! (OK, I’ve been on the Italian canoe polo and freestyle team for years, but who cares?)

What is your preferred style of kayaking?

At the moment I like freerinding - "enjoy the water,any kind,from river to sea, from class II to V+, from playboating to river SUP: all we need is water!

Your favorite boat of all time?

The Disco, the revolution in kayak design. Hen talking about kayaking today, we can say:after or before the Disco design!

Your current favorite boat?

The Mafia: the perfect alpine creek machine!

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?

Im proudly a DRAGON since the begin. I’m Italian, I believe in Corran's designs (and I love the stripes with flowers)!

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?

I would keep going paddling hard. In my plans are: California, Stikine and Nepal again. I paddled the Humla Karnali back in 93 with a "Reaction". Now I want run it with a new school boat like the Critical Mass or Mad Boy

Anthony Zanetti  -USA

How Old are you?        

31 years old

When did you start kayaking?  

1996 - The era of revolutionary kayak design.  This was a great time to discover the kayaking lifestyle.  Competitions where in full bore, kayak designers where pushing the industry and each other. 

What is your claim to fame?    

Not much fame running through these veins.  But I am on a first name basis with the Emergency Room Staff at 3 local Hospitals and 2 Orthopedic Surgeons.

What is your preferred style of kayaking?    

Freestyle - I'm too broken to run rivers.  To me, nothing is like breaking loose on a wave, hitting a hard carve to the lip, and throwing the boat around in between.  When I started paddling. Freestyle was the biggest game in town and creek boaters where 'nuts'.  Well, they are still a little 'nuts', but the industry has focused on creeking, creating the 'death' of the 'rodeo star'.  DragoRossi has the mold breaking designs that are pushing freestyle once again, while the Critical Mass lets me keep pace with the 'crazies' when I get talked into running rivers.

Your favorite boat of all time?                

Corran's Glide-Slice: The speed, the hard edges, the ballance, the FUN.  The Slice took me to the next level in what I wanted to do in the sport, and it always taught me something; a lot of times it taught me - don't do that again, but it was still the best teacher.  The fist kayak I owned was Corran's FURY.  I was told "if you can paddle this, you can paddle anything".  I found it true and fell in love with hard edges and kayaks that people see and say, "what in the hell is that"? 

Your current favorite boat?  

DragoRossi Fish:  To me it is the re-birth of true performance.  I used to average 200+ days a year on the river.  I had a 'burn out' period, then got back into the Fish at a local playspot and fell in love with the sport once again.  I don't get 200 days anymore, but I'll be damned if I won't try.

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?   

It is like the lone, sweet apple in a bushel of lemons.  When I am in the eddy at a playspot, I see several playboats from several comapanies that all perform the same.  When I get someone out of their 'cookie cutter' and into a DragoRossi; I see huge smiles, hear things like "I didn't think that was possible", and see paddlers in competitors boats straining to get 180's and 360's while the Drago is getting 900 clean spins or going bigger then they ever have.  I try to paddle every 'new' boat out there so I can have an accurate comparison, but there is none, DragoRossi is in a class all its own.

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?  

Design my own Playboat, Play at Hawaii Sur Rhone in France, and spend 2 years traveling with my family and paddling North America's premier play spots. 

Paul Lindseth - Norway

How Old are you?

Mentally 22, metabolic-15, and my chronological age is up to you to decide! 

When did you start kayaking?

I started with flat-water kayaking in 1990 and in 1995 I got convinced to try white-water kayaking. The excitement of being on the water changed my perception of life totally. So two months later I decided to change school and move to Voss, so I could kayak every day in the summer and go skiing every day in the winter.

What is your claim to fame? 

We do not claim fame in Norway!!! But If I have to claim anything; I would claim that I live in a white water paradise (search for "yatessy" on youtube if you do not believe me).

What is your preferred style of kayaking?

Soul boating three days a week;( whether I do it in my pintail or Critical Mass),play-boating one day and finish of the week with a creek mission.

Your favorite boat of all time?

That has to be the Glide and the Disco. We used those boats for everything, including things we now a days only paddle in creek boats. The glide changed my technique radically, and the Disco made me realize how much fun I can have anywhere in a kayak.

Your current favorite boat?

That has to be the Critical Mass. Whether I am racing down my local run or doing a multi-day trip on a small or big volume creek I always feel safe. But in an ideal world I would also wish to have my Squashtail stored in the hatch, so that I could play all those spots that I normally have to pass.

Why do you paddle a Dragorossi?

Because I am always looking for the best design out there. I take the time to try different boats from several companies every season. And so far no other company has come close to give me the boat advantage that Dragorossi gives me. My goal is to have more fun than my friends when I playboat and be safe when I go creeking, so that I can enjoy the fun of mastering hard rapids. I do not expect any one to believe me on this, unless they have had a go themself.

What would you like to do, that you have not had the chance to do yet?

Like most of us I dream of getting better at surfing and go on regularly trips with my future split board and potentially one day try some big wave tow in surfing. On a short perspective I would love to make a 280/300cm long river charger, which could also creek. As soon as I start making money I will post some pictures (about 5 years from now, haha). And of course it would be great live to a 105 and still have my good looks.