Kayakers Attempt First Descent of Tibet's Last Unexplored Whitewater

Loaded up with kayaks and filming equipment, the Rivers in Demand crew began making the overland journey across China this week en route to the Tibetan Plateau for the first part of their ambitious new expedition. Today (March 14) Trip Jennings (one of our 2007 Adventurers of the Year) and his teammates will begin a first descent attempt of the upper Salween, the last unexplored section of whitewater draining the Tibetan Plateau.

On its upper reaches, the crew expects to encounter severe Class V rapids with dangerous levels of commitment and exposure. The glacier-fed Salween cascades down from some of the highest mountains in the world, frothing through profound slot canyons, guarded by underwater boulders, torrential rapids, and waterfalls.

The last free-flowing major river in South Asia, the Salween flows between Myanmar and Thailand to the South China Sea, but controversial plans exist to build a Chinese-funded hydroelectric dam on its lower stretches. The group hopes to draw attention to the consequences that this development would have on the millions of people who depend on the river.

If all goes according to plan, the crew will drop in on the Salween today at an elevation of more than 11,000 feet (3,353 meters). Keep tabs on the their progress at china.riversindemand.com. The site features a bit of context for the Rivers in Demand project, along with regular audio and text reports from the crew as they descend through Tibet and China. We’ll keep you posted as they move on to the Great Bend in the Yangtze and the middle Salween.

--Lucas Pollock

Photograph by Travis Winn, taken on a 2007 scouting trip of the Salween

Comments

[David Ng]

Great!
http://www.worldmatetravel.com/
http://www.worldmatetravel.com/destinations-guide.html
http://www.worldmatetravel.com/vietnam-tours.html
http://www.worldmatetravel.com/hanoi-tours.html
http://www.worldmatetravel.com/saigon-tours.html
http://www.worldmatetravel.com/indochina-tours.html
http://www.worldmatetravel.com/laos-tours.html
http://www.worldmatetravel.com/cambodia-tours.html

[ugg bailey button triplet grey]

I am quite sure they will learn lots of new stuff here than anybody else!....There is also a lot of visual symbolism that is sometimes subtle, sometimes not so subtle..

[chicago wicker furniture]

If I ever get married, I'll check it out!

[serta icomfort]

It is the most amazing article ever read on this earth. Guess what!!! Today for the first time I read your article and in one shot I liked your article and the way you write.

[life is good womens tee shirts]

This is a nice blog.The information given here is very interesting.I like to read your blog post.Thank you for sharing.

[SEO Dubai]

I found so many interesting in your blog especially on how to determine the topic. Keep up the good work. I appreciate & must say good job..

[Controlled Labs]

I am a fan of this website and I will come back again. Thanks for taking your time to write suc a great article and inform all of us.

[caterers rochester]

Those were enriching words. I believe you are a hugely successful coder. I adore you for this endeavour.

[Glasgow Guest House]

this is definitely an interesting site not only for bikers but also for us runners. I’m glad I was able to come across
your page.

[Rhythm clocks]

After read blog topic's related post now I feel my research is almost completed. happy to see that.Thanks
to share this brilliant matter.

[payday loans]

I hope they will find a way to keep and maintain their lovely society!

[buy product online]

I love to try that! I have tried water rafting but it was not as extreme as i expected, i want to try something much more than that!

[dubai deals]

Nice video shared, it was really interesting thanks great job.
Lovely pictures, awesome these are looking so funny interesting but professional and artistic pics.

[life is good t- shirts]

Great photos, it must be memorable for ever.
Amazing and interesting photos. really lovely.
Nice link shared, thank you so much.

[hpinfoweb]

Thanks a lot for sharing your valuable views through this blog. I bared so recurrent fascinating stuff in blog.me goes to this one..

[clingul]

I am a fan of this website and I will come back again. Thanks for taking your time to write suc a great article and inform all of us

[silver snowflake earrings]

our article was really interesting! I find that the new health care bill is very interesting and you really explained it well. I am a fan of this website and I will come back again. Thanks for taking your time to write suc a great article and inform all of us.

[paintball articles]

Good for water rafting indeed. We don't have this kind of river here.

[irish earrings]

This blog post is excellent probably because of how well the subject was developped. I like some of the comments too though I would prefer we all stay on the suject in order add value to the subject! Phil Wane

[celtic jewelry]

Greetings I recently finished reading through your blog and I’m very impressed. I do have a couple questions for you personally however. Do you think you’re thinking about doing a follow-up posting about this? Will you be going to keep bringing up-to-date as well?

[replica handbags]

thanks admin for sharing this cool thing with us.yrtf

[continuing education electrical]

I just booked a ticket with EasyClick Travel - do you think it's a good Idea to grab my bike along to the big apple? Thanks for the story!

[Learn English Denver Colorado]

I just booked a ticket with EasyClick Travel - do you think it's a good Idea to grab my bike along to the big apple? Thanks for the story!

[[email protected]]

Two great talkers will not travel far together. Every one has there own point of view and saYou have shared a nice blog. I really want ot say you thanks for sharing this nice article with us. This one is enlightened blog post. Thanks a lot for sharing your valuable views through this blog. I bared so recurrent fascinating stuff in blog.me goes to this one..

[dubai apartments]

Yes, the main aim is for webmasters to submit their sites to gain links and hopefully higher ranking on the search engines. Hope this answers your question, I am kind of new on the forums and still trying to gain knowledge.