OnStar helps kayaking champion and family stay connected on the road and the river.
Nick Troutman is leading the life you wish you could. You know, that life where you pursue your passion, traveling the country, family in tow — each week a new adventure in a new place.
Troutman, a world champion whitewater kayaker, discovered the sport when he was 13 and was hooked. As he grew up, it was only natural that he would build his life around something he loved. Which is how he and wife, Emily (also a world champion athlete), wound up living on the road 6 to 10 months during the year with their two kids in a 30-foot travel trailer while they enter national and world cup whitewater competitions.
“It's what I've always done, which is really just chase my dreams in one aspect or another,” Nick says. “And for me and our family, having that somewhat nomadic lifestyle, the ability to pick up and drive and go anywhere, is a huge part of that for sure.”
(Cue video of Nick vaulting over a 30-foot waterfall in a kayak, disappearing into a tangle of whitewater, then popping to the surface to continue his run.)
And, yes, he knows what you’re thinking: 10 months on the road each year with two young children, work responsibilities and kayaking competitions does have its share of complications, such as laundry (2 adults + 2 kids + no washing machine = yikes!) or helping his son with sixth-grade math, but it’s worth it.
“Some of that stuff can be a challenge,” he acknowledges, “but it doesn't mean that the juice isn't worth the squeeze.”
Get what Nick has!
You don’t need to be a champion whitewater kayaker to use the OnStar Connected Vehicle
“To me it's that balance of being very connected, but also then wanting to disconnect from technology and connect to nature,” he adds.
Tech plays a role in other ways too.
