Brad Ludden

Statistics	Data
Home River	Lochsa
Date of Birth	May 8, 1981
Height	5'11"
Weight	190 lbs
Boat	Dagger Boats
Other Sponsors	Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
	Smith Optics
	Dagger
	AT Paddles
	Kokatat
	Training Day

Brad Ludden is a professional Kayaker born in Kalispell, Montana

Kalispell, Montana

Kalispell is a city in and the county seat of Flathead County, Montana, United States. The 2010 census put Kalispell's population at 19,927 up 5,704 over 2000. At 40.1% this is the largest percentage of growth of any incorporated city in Montana. Kalispell is the largest city and commercial center...

 on May 8, 1981. He started traveling internationally to kayak at age 12 and has been to over 40 countries and completed over 100 first descents.

He founded a free outdoor adventure

Adventure

An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...

 program for young adults with cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 called First Descents http://www.firstdescents.org in 2001. His Aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

 when he was 12 and shortly after that his Mom started volunteering at a local pediatric oncology

Oncology

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...

 camp called Eagle Mount. He helped out one day each summer by teaching the kids how to kayak on a pond on the property. It was then that he realized how impacting kayaking could be to those in need and that he was in a place to give it back. In 1999 he started building First Descents and in 2001, Vail, Colorado agreed to help him host the first program. In 2009, First Descents will help over 145 young adults, ages 18–39. It will host 9 weeks of programming in 6 different states.

In 2008 he was named Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan (magazine)

Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...

 Magazine's Hottest Bachelor in America 2008. Brad Ludden’s most recent venture is a blog called Athletes Giving http://www.athletesgiving.org where he focuses on athletes that are giving back. He currently lives in Gypsum, Colorado

Gypsum, Colorado

The Town of Gypsum is a Home Rule Municipality located in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,654 at the 2000 census. Gypsum is the location of the Eagle County Regional Airport , a popular regional airport used in the winter to transport skiers to nearby Vail...

. His sponsors include - Nike

Nike, Inc.

Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...

, Smith Optics http://www.smithoptics.com. Dagger, Subaru

Subaru

; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...

, AT Paddles http://www.atpaddle.com, Kokatat http://www.kokatat.com, Training Day

Notable River Descents

Ikopa River

Ikopa River

The Ikopa River is the second longest waterway in Madagascar and passes through the capital, Antananarivo. It is the largest tributary of the Betsiboka River....

 - Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

Vohitra River - Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

Mekong

Mekong

The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....

 4000 islands - Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

Lily River - Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

White Nile - Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

 1999, 2001, 2003

Zambezi 1999, 2002, 2003

Minus Rapids 2003

Luapula - DRC/Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

Orange River - South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

Asahan River - Sumatra

Sumatra

Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...

Kayaking Career Competition Results

3rd Place Cadet Division at the JR Nationals 1994

JR National Freestyle Champion 1999

3rd Place JR World Freestyle Championships 1997

1st Place Japan Open 1998

3rd Place European Open 1998

2 x Freestyle Athlete of the year, Adventure Quest Kayak Academy 1998, 1999

2nd Place JR World Freestyle Championships 1999

1st Place Lofer Rodeo Austria 2000

13 Teva

Teva

Companies commonly known as Teva include:*Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd.*Teva Naot*Teva sport sandals*Teva Learning Center...

 Mountain Games medals between 2001 and 2008

External Media Coverage Links

Outside Magazine Cover Article 2000 "Throwing Down A Killer Hole"

Outside Magazine Article -"It's Good To Be King"

Outside Magazine Blog "America's Best Bachelors" http://outside-blog.away.com/blog/2008/12/win-a-ski-day-w.html

Outside Magazine Article -"Atomic Youth" http://outsideonline.com/outside/features/200212/200212/atomic_youth_6.html

Outside Magazine Article -"Giving Large" http://outsideonline.com/outside/destinations/200502/volunteer-vacations_4.html

Outside Magazine Article - "Red Island Revival" http://outsideonline.com/outside/features/200501/madagascar-1.html

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

 Adventure "Show Boaters" http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/siadventure/25/kayak

USA Today

USA Today

USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

 First Descents program raises hope for cancer patients http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2009-03-17-first-descents_N.htm

Men's Journal

Men's Journal

Men's Journal is an American men's lifestyle magazine focused on outdoor recreation and comprising editorials on the outdoors, environmental issues, health and fitness, style and fashion, and "gear". It is owned by Jann Wenner of Wenner Media....

Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan (magazine)

Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...

 Magazine's Hottest Bachelor in America 2008 http://www.cosmopolitan.com/community/profile/COLORADO08

Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan (magazine)

Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...

 Being a Cosmo Bachelor: The Play-by-Play http://www.cosmopolitan.com/hot-guys/bachelors/bachelor-microblog?click=main_sr

Vail Daily http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20081015/AE/810159986/1036&parentprofile=1069

Vail Magazine "The Many Dimensions of Brad Ludden http://www.vailbeavercreekmag.com/Vail-Beaver-Creek-Magazine/Summer-Fall-2008/The-Many-Dimensions-of-Brad-Ludden

Outdoors Fan House http://outdoors.fanhouse.com/2008/10/24/pro-kayaker-named-cosmos-bachelor-of-the-year/

External Video/Films Links

Brad Ludden Promo http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=816415&searchid=7d305152-e135-4b84-acf6-3593351fd6b6

Brad Ludden ACG Sweetspot http://www.vimeo.com/1000468

Wicked Liquid 2 by Alex Nicks and Steve Fisher

Jehovah's Wetness by Alex Nicks

Thirst by Scott Lindgren

Spawning Grounds by Scott Lindgren

Aerated by Scott Lindgren

Warren Miller's Journey

Stone and Water Productions: An interview with Brad Ludden http://www.vimeo.com/2986051

Brad Ludden ACG Sweetspot - Mekong Riverhttp://www.vimeo.com/981345

First Descents Wyoming http://www.vimeo.com/1879769

First Descents Promo Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPnRYc5p1e0

Nike ACG Spring & Summer Sweetspots http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMC20tgFEhM

TV features: Today Show