Growing up on the banks of the Kaituna river with a kayak designed for him before he had even been born, Zack Mutton was never far from whitewater. With Kenny Mutton as his Dad, a Kiwi paddler and kayak designer, Zack’s path into the sport was set early. Today, he’s one of the world’s most progressive whitewater kayakers, pushing the sport into places few have gone before.
I met Zack during the Palm and Pyranha Park Jam series last October. While he’s currently recovering from two broken arms, he kindly took some time to chat for this interview.
In this interview, Zack talks openly about life as a professional kayaker, the people who shaped him, and the mindset behind his biggest goals.
Zack’s early life on the Kaituna
Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you were first introduced to kayaking?
I was the first child of my dad, Kenny Mutton and I was born into the world cup circuit, as he was competing in freestyle kayaking at the time. I grew up in Okere Falls, right on the banks of the Kaituna river, so I didn’t really have a choice when it came to starting kayaking. My dad roped me into it early; he designed me a kayak before I was even born.
I grew up paddling with him and with all the really good kayakers who came through Okere Falls every summer. Kayakers were living around the Falls and they all knew my Dad, as is a bit of a legend out here. Dad’s designed kayaks my whole life. He worked for Prijon back in the day, then he set up Blistic, sold that, and later founded Waka Kayaks, which he still runs.
Training, Routine and Life as a Professional Kayaker
What does your day to day life look like now?
I did a lot of slalom before I moved into creeking, and my daily routine is still set up like an athlete, with everything geared around performance. I train full time. Most days I get in two paddles on the Kaituna and I combine this with other activities to keep my fitness up such as gym sessions, running, and whatever dumb fun activity I can get up to.
Right now I’ve got two broken arms, one from kayaking and one from mountain biking, so I am having to take some time for recovery. I’m almost healed up though so will be able to get back to it soon.
Kayaking is my job, and that means that my daily life is a blend of a lot of things. Each day can be pretty variable, which I sometimes find tricky. There’s always a lot going on. Some days I’m paddling big stuff and other days I’m training to be fit enough to paddle big stuff, and then there’s all the other work that comes with being a kayaker.
Challenges of being a pro kayaker?
There are challenges just like in any other profession. The better you get, the more people expect you to know exactly what you’re doing. This can inhibit you from learning because you need to constantly humble yourself to keep progressing.
The other challenge is that it is also a job, which means you’ve got to figure out how to make it financially viable. Kayaking isn’t the easiest sport financially, but there are ways. The scene is changing, and social media is a big part of that now which means you need to put time aside for that.
What do you enjoy outside of kayaking?
A lot! At the moment I am super obsessed with mountain biking. I also love skiing, I like to fly planes, skydiving and I want to start base jumping. I like designing stuff for my Dad too, learning how to design kayaks and making paddles. Better understanding the processes behind making kayaking gear is something that I am passionate about.
Goals, influences and the important things
What is it that kayaking gives you that makes it so important?
I think I could have done a lot of things. The opportunities and doors that opened around kayaking led me into it, and I obviously really enjoyed it too. For me, kayaking is just an area where I can push myself in and learn.
What I love most about kayaking is the constant progression and the opportunity to learn little things all the time. That’s really rewarding.
Who are the people who have influenced you the most?
There are so many people but definitely at the top of the list there is my Dad – Kenny Mutton. He is a legend and it is pretty sick having him as a Dad!
Sam Sutton – I learned so much from him.
Mike Dawson – I did a lot of paddling with him when I was a kid.
Vavřinec Hradilek – I really look up to him.
All the Okere Falls paddlers over the years – they’ve made a big difference to me.
What are you current goals?
I want to do a 100 foot back freewheel. I am figuring out how to go about that. I have done some 70 foot back freewheels now but it would be cool to take it to 100 foot. I also just want to paddle as many big rowdy things as possible!
Note: Zack wrote a great article on the Red Bull website about building up your downriver freestyle on the river, including freewheeling waterfalls. You can read that article here.
Dealing with fear and risk management
How do you deal with fear on the river?
I deal with fear by dropping into the moment, getting into that flow state and focusing on the task at hand. Sometimes I have to be careful about first thinking through some of the reasons why I’m doing something and whether I actually want to do it before I go into that flow state. I can get pretty locked in when I am in that state and I just want to paddle anything. That’s not always super smart which is why I try and pause first to have that reflection time.
You have talked a bit about risk and risk management before. Can you share some of your thoughts?
I have a lot to say on this! My view is that risk isn’t an objective line you cross over but rather it is subjective. Risk changes day to day, and it changes depending on the person and how valuable the thing you’re trying to do is. If something is more important to me, I’m prepared to take more risk for it.
Mitigation is good, but people can get hung up on trying to eliminate all risk. For myself, what I try to do is accept the inherent risks and make sure whatever I’m doing is valuable enough that, if it all goes wrong, I’ve thought it through properly and accepted it to some extent. Otherwise you can become blind to the risks and believe nothing can go wrong.
I could talk about this forever, but I’ll keep it short for the blog!
Note: Zack wrote a great article which touches on some of these points on the Palm website. I have linked it here.
Becoming a Red Bull Athlete
How did you become a Red Bull athlete and what opportunities has it opened up for you?
I became a Red Bull athlete by paddling a lot. I didn’t focus on ‘becoming a Red Bull athlete’ but rather I focused on paddling at a high level and being the best I could be. I made a lot of content along the way, which was time consuming but I also enjoyed it. Social media is important for sponsors now, so that helped. Winning the world championships probably also helped!
Being a Red Bull athlete has opened up opportunities slowly. It hasn’t changed my life massively but it is pretty awesome to have and you get some cool opportunities. I get to meet cool people and it’s made kayaking as a job a lot easier financially.
Favourite rivers, moments and snacks
Top 3 favourite rivers and why?
This one is hard and I will probably change my mind but the first rivers that pop into my head are:
- Raundalselvi (Norway)
- Ulvåa Rauma (Norway)
- Keldu (Iceland)
- I should probably also mention my home river of the Kaituna as well!
What’s your favourite ever river day?
I’ve had some pretty sick days on the river with Huw Butterworth, some of which have been insane.
Me and Eirik Hansen had an awesome trip one year. One evening after dinner I went and ripped a high Myrkdalselvi. It was so fun and I remember it just being a really good day on the river.
But honestly, there are so many good days – too many to count! Some days on the river, you just realise it’s the best thing ever.
What’s your favourite move to make on the river?
I like big back freewheels. But I also like 45-boofs. On Twisted Pleasure, when I hit some 45-boofs, it felt pretty sick. I love that feeling.
Best snack after kayaking?
It’s got to be a Red Bull.
Best advice?
What’s the best piece of kayaking advice you’ve ever been given?
This is a tricky one but I would probably say something cliché about ‘making sure you enjoy it’. My Mother tells me lots of good things and she always said don’t make kayaking your everything. If your whole identity is wrapped up in it, and then you start needing it, you don’t enjoy it as much. That was a good piece of advice and has helped me to keep enjoying it.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in kayaking?
Don’t be afraid to try. Don’t be afraid to look stupid. Don’t worry about being ‘good or bad’ but instead just enjoy the process and have some goals about what you want to learn.
Try not to get too caught up in trying to be good. Don’t be afraid to be a learner. Don’t be afraid to be a beginner. This is the same things that I tell myself. If you get caught up in whether you’re doing a good or bad job, it inhibits learning and that’s the whole point of kayaking for me!
Thank you
I just wanted to say a massive thank you to Zack for taking the time to be interviewed for this blog. If you haven’t met Zack before, you might not know what to expect from someone wearing a Red Bull helmet and taking a leading role on the world stage of pushing the boundaries of kayaking.
What you’d find, as I did last year, is that Zack is simply a very kind, humble, down to earth guy. Someone with a huge and infectious passion for kayaking, an incredible amount of talent, and absolutely no ego. He is a big advocate of staying humble and opening yourself up to learning, no matter what your level, because in his view that’s the best way to enjoy kayaking.
It’s been a privilege to share a bit of his story here. I’m grateful for his honesty, his time, and the stoke he brings to the sport. Keep up with Zack’s adventures through his Instagram page and his YouTube channel.
I can’t wait to see when he smashes that 100 foot back freewheel.