Top 3 Rivers: Animas Drainage, Raven Fork River, Big South

The Perfect Vacation is: Driving around regions with lots of rivers, doing multi-day expeditions, exploring new runs with little money or food. Money and food are of course welcome, but not necessary.

Hobbies other than kayaking: Snowboarding, Mountain biking, graphic design,

Best day of paddling ever: The day I ran the Raven Fork in NC. I almost lost my helmet to the river on the hike in, got stung by 20 bees while scouting Big Boy, got to run a 30 foot water fall and countless 60-80 foot slides. Parking on a local Native American's land only cost a case of Bud Light. Overall, a great day.

Sponsors: Fortress Watches, www.fortressworldwide.com, Colorado Kayak Supply,

See more of me at: www.fortressworldwide.com, www.coloradokayaking.com, www.oregonkayaking.net, www.ologyproductions.com, www.eddyflower.com, www.mountainbuzz.com , www.otcouch.com

Videos: The White Album and Creatures of Habit.

Top 3 Rivers: Vallecito Creek, Little White Salmon, Rio Embudo, Crystal Gorge, Big South, Bull Lake Creek and that is way more than three. I love any run that is scenic, somewhat remote, and containing challenging whitewater. See the five-star list in our new guidebook. Contrary to belief, I even like freestyle and float trips. Oh yeah, North Fork Payette.

The Perfect Vacation is: Packing up the truck, driving through the night, arriving right on schedule (4 am), sleeping a few hours and putting on to a river that I've never done before. Repeating the process for a few days straight and then returning home.

Hobbies other than kayaking: Snowboarding, Mountain Biking, reading, writing, talking shit, drinking, eating, traveling

Favorite website: A hugely biased trio of coloradokayaking.com, therangelife.com and mountainbuzz.com

Best day of paddling ever: Tough to call. Christopher Creek, AZ for the unknown. Yule Creek, CO for going big (the trip when I didn't break my back). Bull Lake Creek, WY, day five as the hardest I've ever done. I have probably 20 other runner-ups.

Sponsors: Pyranha Kayaks, CKS

See more of me at: Whitewater of the Southern Rockies, coloradokayaking.com

When I was eleven I paddled an old fiberglass sea kayak across a lake in Montana. That feeling of floating across the surface of the water, so effortlessly and gracefully, immediately hooked me for life. Not long after, my family and I started the sport together. I've grown to love nearly every aspect of the sport since then, and my passion has undoubtedly changed the course of my life forever. I love the feeling of catching my first eddy of the season, doing a squirt, throwing an end, and hitting a new freestyle move. Surfing, boofing, and blunting eat away at my thoughts every second that I can't get to the river, and I live my life in anguish of the next time that I can paddle. Even the glorious smell of old gear sends me longing for the next trip, and the next adventure. I have never felt so addicted to something as I have kayaking. It is the greatest sport I have ever known.

Hobbies other than kayaking: Snowboarding, Video Editing, Canoeing, C-1, paddlinglife.net

Best day of paddling ever: Boating the Rio Embudo at 3.8 with great friends, it was a gushing high water experience. We scouted, made solid descisions, set saftey and supported each other well. A day where everything goes well and all the stars align, and you are able to learn more about the river, is my best day paddling on the river.

Sponsors: Mitchell Paddles, head trip helmets, fat eddys threadworks, paddlinglife.net, Canoe and Kayak Magazine, Jackson Kayaks, Esquif Canoes, Victory Wetsuits, Thule, Rack and Roll Trailers, and Wildwasser spray skirts and saftey gear.

See more of me at: www.otcouch.com, www.coloradokayaking.com, fateddys.com, www.mountainbuzz.com (NHINDS) www.paddlinglife.net

Videos: The White Album and Chronicles of Gnarnia

Name: Tommy Hilleke
Birthdate: 05/05/77
Hometown: Bluff Creek, AL/Asheville, NC
Currently Resides in: Glenwood Springs, CO
Years Paddling: 11

Top 3 Rivers: Green Narrows, Ravens, Toxaway, West Prong, Linville Gorge, Crystal, Big South, Vallecito, Lake Creek, OBJ, Little White Salmon, Ashlu, Callaghan, Rogers, Homathko, Grand Canyon of the Stikine, Rauma, Sogendal, Myrkdal, Oyocachi, Chico Verde, probably one or two others outside of California... in Cali; Royal Gorge of NF American, Fantasy Falls, Upper Cherry, Postpile, and the Middle Fork of the Kings. Any three of these will do.

The perfect Vacation: Will happen when I am 45, and my Boys will be 15 and 16. We will load the truck;do a highwater lap around Colorado in the Spring. Then head to California for summer in the Sierra; then up the coast to BC for a nice end of summer/early fall hair session; then burl it out all night long driving from the Stikine to the Southeast just in time for Gauleyfest and ride out the fall getting ready for the 32nd annual Green race, which we will sweep. Then roll back to 'rado for just in time for ski season.

Hobbies other than kayaking: Kayaking is not a hobby. Building houses, Skiing, Wakeboarding, Photography, Hockey

Sponsors: Liquidlogic, Shred Ready, Werner, Teva, Penstock,

See more of me at: lvmvideo.com

Vids: Amongst it; 7 rivers expedition; LVM