Chilean paddler, and 2025 Paddler of the Year, Kilian Ivelic has just joined team HIKO. With a season that stretched across the entire globe with nearly 300 days on the water last year, from home waters in Chile to the Pacific Northwest, Europe, Africa, and Central Asia, we’re sure to see much more of Kilian this year!
“We’re stoked to have Kilian on the HIKO team,” said HIKO. “Beyond being an incredible kayaker, he’s a super chill guy, and it’s a pleasure to work with him.
“Our connection actually started through David Sodomka, who gave Kilian his Sensei sprayskirt. He paddled with it last season, liked it, and when I reached out about working together, everything clicked into place pretty quickly.
“Last year alone, Kilian paddled in eight different countries around the world and joined some of the biggest whitewater expeditions on the planet. Now we’re looking forward to seeing him test our gear in the wildest conditions possible and help push product development even further to build gear that’s even more durable, functional, and reliable, gear he can fully trust while continuing to push the limits of what’s possible on whitewater.”
“Beyond being an incredible kayaker, he’s a super chill guy, and it’s a pleasure to work with him. »
The partnership also marks a sort of full-circle moment for Kilian, whose history with the brand dates back years before expedition kayaking became his focus.
“I’m incredibly excited to join the Hiko team,” said Kilian. “My first encounter with the brand goes back to my brief career as a slalom paddler during university, and then again about a year ago when they launched the Sensei spraydeck, which I can say without hesitation is the best spraydeck I’ve ever paddled in.
“Joining Hiko means becoming part of a family business that has spent decades genuinely invested in pushing whitewater kayaking forward and having the best gear, and that matters to me. I’m grateful for their support on what’s coming next, and I hope to bring something real to the table as we build together.”
