If you do a search for white water kayaking videos on YouTube it is only a matter of time before you find videos of our featured paddler. Nick Troutman husband, father, World Champion athlete, and whitewater kayaker. Nick started in kayaking at the age of 13 (how many of us wish that was an option) in Beachburg, ON. Now at the age of 29, whitewater kayaking has taken him around the globe. He has paddled through canyons rarely seen by the eyes of man and competed against the worlds best, in a multitude of World Championship/ World Cup events. Nick is a member of Team Canada’s Freestyle Kayak team and is one of my personal favourite kayakers to spend the offseason watching film reels of. I admire his surfing ability and even more so, his ability to mix his family and kayaking life.

1. How did you get into kayaking?
I grew up exploring the outdoors and spent lots of time by rivers and creeks, though I didn’t get into kayaking until I was age 13. My best friend was starting a kayak class at Ottawa Kayak School and asking if I wanted to join. It sounded cool, so I checked it out, and I immediately fell in love with the sport. I became totally obsessed with kayaking and new this was something I wanted to be a big part of my life. I pretty much haven’t left my kayak since, and that was 17 years ago. Now my life has evolved, I’m married and have 2 kids, though kayaking and the river are still a very big part of my life, and I try to share my joy for the river with my family.

For me, it was more the fact that I love the river, and wanted to share this love with my family and children. My kids have also changed my outlook on the sport too. Now I’m just as excited and stoked to go paddle flatwater with my children, as I would be to paddle off a large waterfall. For me, it’s about sharing the joy, and becoming engulfed in the experience.

I like the Petawawa River and Algonquin park, though honestly it is hard to beat the Ottawa River. After traveling the world, the Ottawa River is still hands down my favorite river on earth. There are so much variety, and world class surf waves, it just can’t be beat.

4. Tell us about Wild and Free.
I have just launched my own Coffee brand, called Wild and Free Coffee Co. The idea is simple, to bring you a great tasting cup of coffee, while at the same time, trying to do our best to protect our natural playgrounds and the wilderness we love. We believe that our forests should be wild and rivers be free, so we have made a promise to donate 10% from the sales of our coffee towards protecting and preserving our rivers, forests and wilderness.  Together we can bring the change in the world that we would like to see, and to quote the Lorax- “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

5. What advice do you have for a ww kayaker who would like to start in the sport?
The best advice I have for anyone wanting to get into the sport of whitewater kayaking would be to take a class. The river requires some respect, and a little knowledge and proper techniques from a class will make all the difference in your comfort level and in the end result in more fun. Get out and give it a try, I promise you’ll love it.