In November 2022, a group of international athletes gathered in the Asahan province of North Sumatra to compete in the infamous Toba Caldera Extreme Race. The group (Jakub Sedivy, Leon Bast, Michele Ramazza, Martina Wegman, Michael Frey, Léa Grison, Marcio Franco, Maike Möst, and Pavlina Kodadova) spent ten days exploring the beauty of the still free-flowing Asahan River. “With the warm temperatures, challenging whitewater, and incredibly good food, the Asahan really is the perfect place to progress your whitewater kayaking,” summarises Leon Bast. Along with competing in the Asahan Festival, the group completed the four classic sections of the Asahan (Rabbit Hole V, Bridge to Bridge IV, Nightmare V, and the remote Honeymoon Horror Gorge III/IV). German paddlers Leon Bast and Michael Frey pulled off the second known descent of…