Expedition: First Descent of the Grand Canyon Pacific
Where: Beriman Gorge, East New Britain; Papua New Guinea
Who: Chris Korbulic, Ben Stookesberry, Pedro Oliva, and Ben Marr
When: May 30th - June 23rd 2015

Follow the expedition: www.gramwire.com/expedition/papua

Ben Stookesberry | During my first expedition to Papua New Guinea in 2013 along with Chris Korbulic and Pedro Oliva, we scouted what we believe to be one of the deepest, most pristine, and most challenging river canyons in the entire South Pacific.  It is spectacular when viewed from the air with an immense 4000 foot deep, cliff strewn gorge bisected by an aqua blue river cascading down 3000 feet of gradient to sea level in just under 30 miles.  At the time, an attempt to kayak the this “Grand Canyon” was a kind of riddle we were unprepared to solve. But in turning our backs on the daunting Canyon and the river locals call the Beriman, we turned our attention to finding a solution and a logistic that would one day make the dream of kayaking the Grand Canyon Pacific a reality.

After 2 years of the Beriman burning like a pilot light in our minds, the flame of a real expedition has set ablaze and the logistic that we hope will lead to its first descent is in place.  Over the next 3 weeks our team will travel nearly 10,000 miles back to the other side of the world in pursuit of the intangible and the ethereal goal of a first descent.  In the simplicity of this ultimate adventure in the Nakanai Mountains of New Britain, Papua New Guinea the challenge Beriman River, aka The Grand Canyon Pacific, awaits.

Wednesday 10 June 2015 - We're in the Bah River Canyon with high optimism and anxiety to drop in to gorge 1 of 13 tomorrow. Beyond stoked to be looking down this river, knowing much about what's ahead, but mostly for all we don't know and are about to find out.

The Kayakers

Ben Stookesberry – 120 and first descents in 32 countries and counting, I have spent the last 17 years of my life floating between the continents in search of the ultimate river expedition.

Chris Korbulic – Chris is known as one of the most talented class V expedition paddlers in the world. With a deep wanderlust for high adventure  Chris is almost never in the same place for long and even his home base is best described as a “van down by the river.” Chris is also trying to make a difference wherever he goes most recently spending a month in Northern Guatemala to film, document, and promote an educational NGO in the region.

Pedro Oliva – In March of 2009, Pedro shattered the world record for the highest falls run in a kayak and set the stage for a logarithmic shift in pyridine for the most extreme discipline in kayaking. Since then, Pedro has traveled the globe with Chris and I to film a the world of untested rivers and present these adventures to his home country of Brazil in a TV series called Kaiak that spans 6 continents over 100 episodes.

Ben Marr – “Benny” is one of if not the top kayaker in the world.  From insane big wave freestyle, to big water first descents including the legendary previously untested Site Zed and the mighty Congo; Benny is the best at what he does, but you would never know it meeting him off the river. Last summer Chris, Pedro, and I had the chance to follow Benny down some of the biggest drops any of us had kayaked before over a 3 week expedition to Canada’s Nachvak River. Here in PNG, if anyone can lead the way into the Grand Canyon Pacific, it’s Ben Marr.

Follow the expedition: www.gramwire.com/expedition/papua