On April 21, 2009 in Eastern Washington, Tyler Bradt paddled over 186 ft. tall Palouse Falls, shattering the waterfall world-record he had previously set, changing the entire perception of the sport’s capabilities. Bradt spent weeks with close friend, filmmaker, and former world champion Rush Sturges preparing for the attempt. Sturges put it simply: “Nothing even close to this has ever been done before. He just changed the sport forever.”
Tyler visually ran the waterfall countless times before climbing into his kayak. His support and safety team looked on and waited. It took him only 4 seconds to complete the fall and after some anxious moments, emerged safely in his kayak. As he emerged from the fierce spray carrying half a paddle, broken in the violent descent, he held his hands aloft, amazed and unscathed.