FREESTYLE LIKE A PRO with Nick Troutman
BORN TO BE FREESTYLE
GMC: When did you first get into kayaking?
TROUTMAN: I was 13, the summer before high school. My best friend’s family owned the largest rafting company on the Ottawa River. We did everything together. He told me we couldn’t hang out that summer because he was off to kayak school. And I was like, “aw, that sounds cool.” Within 10 minutes, I fell in love with the sport.
GMC: What got you hooked?
TROUTMAN: When I learned my home river, the Ottawa River, is like the Whistler of kayaking and ideal for freestyle. I thought like most people that kayaking was just pony boats that ran down the river. I had no idea there was a whole “freestyle” thing with tricks and surfing and all that stuff!
GMC: Was there a defining moment when you considered yourself a pro?
TROUTMAN: Right before I turned 18. I won the National Championship as a junior but was competing in the pro men’s class, because I wanted to get into the World Championship the following year. When I did, I won every round except the finals, but tried again next year and won it all.
GMC: Is the Ottawa River still your favorite? Or have you fallen in love with new rapids?
TROUTMAN: It’s hard to beat the Ottawa. It’s a unique river with an unbelievable amount of world-class freestyle features. It’s big water, warm in the summer and you get some of the world’s biggest waves with the spring melt. There’s good whitewater across the world—the Zambezi, the Rio Alseseca in Mexico, tons of spots in Europe—it’s hard, but I’d still pick the Ottawa. Watch on Instagram
GMC: Do you have a signature freestyle kayaking trick?
TROUTMAN: The air screw, which is an aerial barrel roll performed on waves. I didn’t invent the trick, I perfected it into the way everybody does it now.
GMC: What’s the best place to pull off an air screw?
TROUTMAN: Probably the Ottawa. All the snow melts into the huge river that becomes even larger with that rush of water. A couple weeks out of the year, you get giant waves to do some huge tricks.
GMC: What is your favorite kayaking competition?
TROUTMAN: Hands down, the GoPro Mountain Games in Vail. You’ve got all these kayaking disciplines—the Steep Creek race, the 8-ball race and freestyle all featured right in the downtown. It acts like an amphitheater. It’s a cool scene, and it’s fun to take part in sports I don’t usually compete in.
GMC: You participate in sports beyond kayaking?
TROUTMAN: Mainly I just kayak, but during the GoPro Mountain Games I take advantage of the different sports available. They have the Ultimate Mountain Challenge where you get points for every event you compete in. This year I did some running, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, rafting, climbing; I think I did some Yoga—it’s fun to test yourself.
GMC: What advice do you have for someone kayaking for the first time?
TROUTMAN: I encourage anyone to find an instructor versus the attitude of “oh, I’m just going to jump in a kayak and see how it goes.” You can get scared of the river if you go in not knowing about it. A proper instructor will make it safe and fun, and I guarantee you’ll walk away with a much better experience.
GMC: What if they accidentally run into whitewater rapids?
TROUTMAN: Well, they’ve done something very wrong. The best thing you can do is try and eddy out, get out of the water and walk around those rapids. Maybe take a look and dream about running them at some point, but first go get more practice.
On the road
GMC: What’s it like spending so much time on the road?
TROUTMAN: It is simply incredible to live on the road. We spend 6 to 8 months of the year exploring the country and raising our kids in the outdoors. Our truck and trailer combo is almost more of a home than our house in Tennessee.
GMC: We gave you a GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate. What do you like about it?
TROUTMAN: Our Sierra Denali has the whole package. It’s an epic, comfortable over-road vehicle with 4-wheel drive if I get in a jam. It tows my trailer, entertains my kids, and helps us get work done. And I couldn't have never imagined how useful the retractable step is. It makes loading kayaks or grabbing something out of the bed simple and effortless.
GMC: What’s your go-to road trip playlist?
TROUTMAN: There’s a playlist called “Wild and Free” that’s pretty solid. They’ve got a lot of classics and those happy road-trippy-type songs I sing along to.
GMC: What do your wife and kids like most about the truck?
TROUTMAN: Without a doubt, the available built-in media player for my kids. We can easily put on a movie for them, which helps keep Mom and Dad’s sanity. I think my wife would say Apple CarPlay compatability1. It is pretty cool to plug in your phone and immediately have access to almost everything.
DISCLAIMER:
1.Vehicle user interfaces are products of Apple. Their terms and privacy statements apply. Requires compatible smartphone and data plan rates apply.
GMC: What can’t you leave home without?
TROUTMAN: A camera. I’m in all these amazing places all the time so I try to document it as much as possible. I always try to have one to take some video, whether it’s paddling, lifestyle, traveling, the kids, whatever… I’m documenting often!
GMC: Any advice for filming your outdoor adventures?
TROUTMAN: Film a lot and get really creative with your angles. If you’re using a GoPro, don’t just put it on your helmet and wonder why your video is just one angle. Talk to the camera. Give the viewer a little bit of insight about what you’re doing.
GMC: What’s the nicest meal you’ve cooked on the road?
TROUTMAN: I take brussels sprouts, mushrooms, onions, fry them up with some coconut oil, sweet potatoes and a couple hard-boiled eggs. Then I do this amazing sauce—mayonnaise, mustard, apple cider vinegar and a touch of olive oil. Drizzle that over top and it’s delicious.
GMC: What’s the most unforgettable thing you’ve seen on the road?
TROUTMAN: I was driving across the country in the middle of the night and I remember looking over and seeing this giant fireball. I wondered if I was hallucinating or seeing a plane crash but it boggled my mind. The next morning, we saw in the local paper that it was a meteorite. Pretty trippy.
GMC: How did you turn your passion into your career?
TROUTMAN: It was a burning desire. I would eat, sleep, think—everything had to do with kayaking. I was totally addicted. And I just kept at it and slowly but surely it morphed into
a career.
LET’S GET PROFESSIONAL GRADE
GMC: What advice would you give someone hoping to accomplish the same?
TROUTMAN: If you’ve got something you love to do, and that’s what you want to do, just keep doing it. It could be a couple years, it could be a couple decades but at some point, you will become one of the best. You can’t lose if you never give up.
GMC: Beyond kayaking, how else do you live to be your greatest self?
TROUTMAN: One of my personal philosophies is self-improvement—trying to be a little better every day. That could be within my sport, being a professional athlete, working with sponsors, making videos, trying to be more patient for my kids—across the board I try to beat yesterday.
GMC: You mentioned parenting. Tell us more about your kids.
TROUTMAN: We’ve got two kids—a son who will be 5 in about a week. His name’s Tucker. And then my daughter, Parker, will be 2 in September.
GMC: Can we assume Tucker is following in his dad’s kayaking footsteps?
TROUTMAN: He’s not bad for a 5-year-old. My biggest thing is making sure all of the experiences we have by the river are fun and positive. We try to go out when it’s nice and sunny, wind at our backs. It’ll be hard for him to not paddle when both his parents do it.
GMC: What’s a favorite kayaking memory you shared with your son?
TROUTMAN: Working on water exits—flipping over and getting out of the boat. That’s a semi-scary thing so we were making it this cool, positive thing like, “Wow, 5-year-olds can’t do that!” He was stoked.
GMC: GMC believes that those who are truly “pro” never quit striving for more, even at the top of their game. What’s the next goal you’re reaching for?
TROUTMAN: I want to win the upcoming World Championship next year in Spain. I’m going to train hard and devote myself to it. But that’s one of many. There was a quote I heard, “When you reach the top of the mountain, find a bigger mountain.” It’s a never-ending thirst for more. Watch on Instagram.