The 2008 Class of Honorees joins past inductees as part of whitewater paddling’s rich history. IWHoF is pleased to announce the six IWHoF Honorees. The 2008 International Whitewater Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, North Carolina.
Read the full profiles of each of these honorees by clicking on their names.
Mick Hopkinson
Mick Hopkinson began his whitewater career with ten years of training for slalom competition, developing and honing his technical skills before completing benchmark first descents of the most difficult stretches in the world.
Klaus Lettmann
Lettmann’s kayak designs and their materials construction set the standard for the early whitewater industry throughout the world and was the basis for what we know today.
Kent Ford
Kent Ford’s unique background includes more than twenty years of teaching, paddling, coaching and international whitewater racing. His twenty plus videos and books on paddlesports have influenced the education of a half million paddlers and have made him one of the most recognized paddlers in whitewater worldwide.
Gilles Zok
Gilles Zok dominated wildwater canoeing through most of the 1980’s and was often described as “a monster to which was grafted a canoe and a paddle.”
Eric Jackson
Eric Jackson is considered by many to be the best kayaker in the world. No one has excelled at as many different aspects of the sport as Jackson has.
Carl Luther
Carl Luther, known as “CIL,” was an ardent kayaker and through his writing and photography introduced the public to kayak touring which included all levels of kayaking, including whitewater.