For over 25 years, Doug Ammons has been a world class kayaker. He has accomplished many first descents, from the western states of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Ammons also has travelled to many different areas for paddling, like Mexico, the Himalayas, South America, and Canada. Doug Ammons enjoys soloing rivers. In answer to a question asked by Ben Friberg about soloing, Ammons responded saying, The interesting thing is, I'm sure that nearly all serious paddlers solo at some point, mostly because it provides a truly rewarding sense of intimacy with a river. The rivers he solos do not consist of just class III; he solos class V, deep gorges where paddlers need to be on top of their game for a successful trip. One river in particular that Doug Ammons soloed was the Grand Canyon of the Stikine. He was part of the second descent in 1990 but then decided he would solo it two years later. Ammons comments later in an interview with the Missoulian, saying, I tried to do the hardest thing I could conceive of, in the purest style possible. Doug's solo descent on the Stikine shows commitment and perseverance, the sports ultimate test.