Interview:
Peter Tranter

Photos:
Huw Butterworth,
Halvor Heggem,
Lachie Carracher,
Andy Kettlewell, ­
Kalob Grady &
John Haines­

A chat with… ‘Lord’ Huw Butterworth

My name is Huw Butterworth, and I’m a whitewater kayaker from South Wales. I started kayaking when I was eight years old, and I quickly got into a slalom boat. I trained and competed for the Welsh team until I was 17 years old, and then I transitioned to the world of whitewater kayaking. I am now 23 years old and live in Ötztal, Austria, where I have lived for five years. Over the last few years, I have been lucky enough to go on multiple trips around the world, kayaking on some of the world’s best rivers, and I am stoked to get the opportunity to share my experience with the ­Paddler Magazine!

So when did you first start kayaking, and what specifically got you hooked on WW kayaking?
I started kayaking when I was eight years old, and around 11 or 12, I started my journey in slalom. I was always interested in WW kayaking and would always be motivated to get on new rivers and paddle waterfalls. I made a move to fully pursue whitewater when I moved to Ötztal, Austria.

Through your video production company, you motivate so many paddlers, but who motivates you?
Ahah, I’m glad to hear that our videos motivate people to get out kayaking! Many people have motivated me through my journey at different stages. For example, my coaches, Tommy Power and Geoff Forster motivated me during my slalom days, and in more recent times, it’s all my friends who I get to spend time with on the water, who are always keen to get out on the water and have some fun.

If you could head anywhere in the world to paddle, where would it be, and what would appeal about that location?
There are loads of places on my list that I want to visit or visit again. But if I had to choose one to go to this year, it would be Chile because it has so many sick runs and waterfalls that I saw in videos growing up.

When preparing for a multi-day expedition in challenging conditions, what qualities do you look for in a fellow teammate kayaker?
I have only done a couple of multi-day missions, and they’ve always been with different people, but there are definitely some things I would look out for. Other than their kayaking ability, I look for people with a good attitude on and off the water so that when the days get long, they can still enjoy and appreciate the beautiful places they end up in.

What’s the one piece of advice you would give to somebody thinking of packing it all in to become an adventurer?
Make sure you enjoy every moment of what you’re doing. A lot of the time, it will be type two fun, where you look back on it and realise it was actually quite a lot of fun! So yeah, if you can appreciate the small things, it improves the whole adventure.

How do you prepare mentally and physically for a challenging run?
In my opinion, physical preparation is done outside of the river. It’s making sure that you keep yourself fit and active so that when you come to a challenge on the river, you have physically prepared yourself as best you can for the run. That also helps me with my mental preparation. If I know that I have worked towards being able to make certain moves, I can be confident in my ability to execute the move safely.

If you had to choose one last thing you wanted to achieve within WW paddling before giving it up, what would that be?
There is so much that I want to do in WW, small goals such as running Big Banana in Mexico, or longer-lasting goals like making videos of my journey that inspire other kayakers to enjoy the sport I love.

Can you share a time when you faced a particularly difficult situation on the water and how you managed it?
This would probably have to be the last time I was close to swimming; it was on Cherry bomb gorge when I got stuck in the top hole against the wall, super disoriented I couldn’t get pressure on my blade to roll, so I thought it was broke, I spend roughly 20 second upside down trying to spin my paddle around to be able to roll, because I knew that the gorge ahead was too long and steep to swim through. It wasn’t pleasant because even after rolling, I had some tight moves to make, I was tired, and my boat was heavy with multi-day gear.

Have you ever feared any particular river or waterfall?
I wouldn’t say I fear any particular river, but there was a time when I would get pretty nervous above one drop on the Saalach River in Lofer. The reason for this was that I had two back-to-back runs where I violently surfed in the hole for quite a while. But the way I got over it was to look at it again and keep running it until I was confident in it again.

Who or what was the inspiration for setting up Pistyll Productions?
The start-up of Pistyll was all John and Chips. I guess they just loved cameras and kayaking and wanted to do something with them. About a year later, they invited me to join, which was sick because it helped me with my filming, editing, and kayaking!

What’s your primary job within Pistyll Productions, or do you, Andy Kettlewell, and John Haines all muck-in together?
We kind of all muck in together. As I said, we all love kayaking and cameras, so when one person gets inspiration for a new project, we all do what we can to help make it happen!

Is it always whitewater? or do you enjoy any other type of paddling?
Like I said, I started in slalom, but I don’t do much of it at all anymore. However, when I spent some time in New Zealand in 2023, I got back into some training in a slalom boat, which was pretty fun! I never spent much time in a freestyle kayak when I was younger, but I’m not opposed to going to play around in one, although I don’t make it look very good at all…

Any business relationships with any other companies in paddlesports?
I work a bit with the Source to Sea shop in Innsbruck, Austria, but other than that, it’s just Pyranha and NRS.

You’re clearly one of the paddlers of this generation. Which paddlers from the past would you have loved to have paddled with?
I think it would’ve been so sick to be around when Bomb Flow was in full flow. The videos that they made were insane, and they definitely made me want to try whitewater!

Can you talk about your training? What keeps you motivated?
Training-wise, I like to keep myself fit in the gym, especially when I can’t go paddling, but I think I would do that even if I stopped kayaking. But the best training I can think of is just spending as much time on the water as possible. What keeps me motivated is that the more training or practice I do, the better I get and the more fun I have.

Is there anyone in particular in the sporting world that has influenced you?
There have been many people who have influenced me over the years. It’s hard to put a name on who influenced me the most, but in my time in WW kayaking, it would have to have been Bren. He had a lot of influence over me and always guided me in the right direction, which I will forever be grateful for.

It’s a tough call, I know, given all the expeditions you have undertaken, but does one pop up as your favourite?
The Sary Jaz has got to be my favourite expedition! But as a kayaking trip, Norway 2023 would be the best so far because we kayaked so much and enjoyed it so much!

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from WW kayaking?
It’s got to be that even if I’m not enjoying myself at the time, I’m going to look back at that time and realise it was actually pretty fun.

What do you do to relax away from the world of paddlesports?
To be honest, I don’t do that much apart from kayaking and editing kayaking videos, but if the river doesn’t have good flows, I’ll spend time in the gym and dabble in a bit of Fifa, even though I’m not very good at it.

What’s in the pipeline for the next 12 months?
It’s hard to tell at the moment, but I have plans to spend a fair bit of time in Norway. I also want to go to the Zambezi and probably end up in New Zealand at some point, but it’s always hard to make solid plans that far in advance.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
I hope I’m still kayaking! But by then, I’d have probably grown up and decided to get a normal job…

Where did the ‘Lord’ Huw Butterworth come from?
Well, it’s not as fancy as it seems… I always joked about being able to buy a piece of land and acquire the title of Lord, and then my Girlfriend bought me some for Christmas, giving me the title of ‘Lord’.

Quickies…

If you could paddle with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be?
Chuck Norris, I think it would be funny to see.

Which famous person would you most like to see play you in a film?
Again, Chuck Norris. I think he would gain a good insight into my life and bring my character to life after going paddling with me.

Are you a bathroom/shower singer, and if so, what do you sing?
Oh, for sure. It depends on what I’m listening to at the time, but Country is always a safe bet.

What is your favourite social media platform?
Instagram @huwkayak 😉

An ideal night out for you is?
One where me and some friends end up on a random side quest.

What one luxury item would you take with you on a desert island?
Probably a fan – I think that would come in useful!

What would I find in your fridge right now?
I haven’t been home in a couple of weeks, so I’m not even sure what I’ll find there when I get home. Normally, it would be some halloumi, tofu, and some questionable vegetables.

What would you prepare for us if we came to your house for dinner?
Chicken pesto pasta. (I am not a great cook)

If you could be a superhero for one day, what superpower would you choose and why?
I think it would be teleportation. It would be easy to get around all the crimes, and if I had a spare minute, I could go on a short holiday somewhere nice.

Who are your kayaking buddies?
It depends on where I am, but John is always keen on a paddle. I also like to go on missions with Zack; I am probably going to be spending a lot of time with him in Norway this season.

Any final shout-outs?
I guess everyone who has been a part of my journey so far!