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Pat Keller

:aw:pat_big.gif Hometown: Asheville, NC

Favorite River: I have to break this down into categories since this summer...

Multi-day with EVERYTHING: Upper Cherry
Multi-day for rapids: Fantasy Falls
Multi Day for drop pool: Dinkey Creek
Multi-day for going huge: Royal Gorge of the North Fork American/West Cherry
Big Water: Mine Section of Ashlu (BC and about to be diverted)at approx. 120 bad idea...too high)
Home Mission: Toxaway
Home Run: Ravens or Green 200
Green River & Linville Gorge, NC

Sponsors: Dagger, Teva, Freestyle Audio MP3, Immersion Research, Smith Sunglasses, Werner Paddles, Astral Life Jackets, Shred Ready Helmets, Versa Layer, Honey Stinger Energy Bars

Biography: I was born in June of ‘86 to two wonderful parents who met as raft guides on classic nc rivers such as the Chattooga, Nolichucky, etc. I was raised with countless stories of exciting river runs...my personal favorite is when my dad, Jerry put on Overflow Creek in a fiberflass C-1 Slipper...He never ended up getting to the bottom due to a broken boat that was shortly followed by a well placed rope throw. The other story I love was when I talked my dad into running the Green Narrows in my old Phat...He was gripped, but he was, as he always says... ‘Upright, Allright’

Anyway I grew up in and around the river and there isnt anything in the world that can bring me so much happiness and peace. From when I was 7 till 11 I was big into slalom, honing my skills and getting in the mode of taking all sorts of different lines through rapids to not only make them more difficult, but also more fun. From 11 to 14 I was focusing primarily on freestyle and had great fun throwin it around and competing as a Junior. At 14 I was spending a lot of time on my home river, the Green, this sparked my desire for creeking and expedition kayaking. At 16 (2003) I watched a really good friend, Matt Sheridan, drown (in a beautiful river that is now dry due to a diversion dam, the Rutherford in BC) which opened my eyes to how important it is to be safe out there. The next summer i went on a few trips with Tdub and slowly got my confidence back in and amongst “the shit.” The rest is just a blur of slidin, pluggin, ‘mad bombin’, boofin, and the occasional giggle fit.

AW Testimonial: As the son of two former raft guides I was raised on the river. Nothing is more important to me than protecting our rivers and American Whitewater is the organization to do it.

Website: http://runtheshit.blogspot.com/