Spain's Aniol Serrasolses Is One Of The World's Most Extreme Kayakers

How one of the world’s most extreme kayakers paddles into incredible danger and survives.

- Keith Gordon

There’s no way to win this battle. Gravity always comes out on top. As Aniol Serrasolses paddles closer and closer to the rushing edge of a monstrous waterfall, he passes the point of no return and his fate is sealed… he’s going over the precipice.

You or I would likely be overwhelmed by the natural fear that comes with a death-defying drop from heights of 100 feet or more, but for Serrasolses, it’s a moment of clarity, a few seconds of purity and absolute focus. The world around him doesn’t exist. It’s just him, his kayak, and the hope that his skill, experience and planning are sufficient to let him float away safely after an epic descent. It may look like insanity, or even a death wish, but for Serrasolses, it’s the only rational way to live.

Serrasolses was born and raised in Catalonia, Spain, not exactly a hotspot of kayaking. When his older brother first took him out on the water when he was 12, Aniol was hooked. “Since the very first days I knew I wanted to spend my life kayaking around the world,” he recalls. “I was a small kid with big dreams.”

But kayaking isn’t a local activity, it requires travel and resources to attempt the most challenging, and exhilarating, white water rapids and waterfalls on the planet. But Aniol is special, and it didn’t take long for brands to take note. “As soon as I got my first sponsors, kayaking became a sustainable activity for me,” he says. “Signing with Red Bull when I was only 20 took things to the next level.”