You might be wondering why on earth you want to paddle in reverse? That is a fair question and it deserves a proper answer. Forward paddling is definitely the most popular form of paddling strokes, but that does not mean you should ignore the importance of reverse paddling. Reverse Paddling Is Often Used In Situations Like These – Here are some hypothetical situations when your reverse paddling skills may come handy – 1. Situation 1: Entering a Narrow Creek Imagine entering a narrow creek and then after a few minutes, you eventually realized that you have made a terrible mistake.…
Browsing: kayak
Kayaking is a great outdoor activity and there is not an iota of doubt about it but if you suffer from back pain every now and then, you need to be careful while buying a kayak for your next adventure trip. Some people tend to ignore this health condition but after paddling for few minutes on a lake or on a river, they finally realize their mistake when pain starts radiating from the spine to the neck. Hurriedly they then start paddling back to the shore. If you don’t want to be one of those people, you need to find…
What would you rather drive: a Porsche or a school bus? For river runners choosing between a kayak and a raft, the choice is that simple. Kayaking whitewater is the ultimate river experience—playful, nimble and dynamic—it’s like a dance with the river. Rafting, on the other hand, is a lot like work. A raft is a utilitarian craft, designed to haul tourists and piles of gear. Like a Greyhound bus easing a load of society’s miscreants across Kansas, there is no finer vessel for getting those jobs done. But if you were out for a Sunday drive you’d certainly fire…
Too often, paddling instructors teach a forward stroke that emphasizes pulling the blade through the water. This description leads to inefficient paddling at best, and is an outright wrong principle to follow at worst. In every forward stroke, you should plant the blade firmly in the water, and pull your hips up to that point. The difference between pulling the blade back or the boat forward is subtle but important. Think of your boat as gliding in a giant vat of molasses. Each stroke should stick in the molasses, so you have a firm blade to pull against. What happens…
If you are like most paddlers, your surfing probably has room for improvement. How often do you fall off a wave without a nice extended ride? Exceptional surfing ability is big fun and is a prerequisite to advanced moves. These tips will help you get longer, more predictable surfs. Where to Aim to Get the Ride: Your target is small! Many paddlers look at the entire wave as their target, when in reality precision within a few inches is necessary. A common problem leaving the eddy is paddling too hard. Without precise aim, you’ll run up on the back of…
The Kayak lurches forward as the bow plunges towards the bottom of the wave trough. You feel the energy of the wave as it grabs hold of the hull. With a few rudder adjustments you find the “sweet spot” and enjoy the sensation of surfing. Not all Kayaks are created equal, however–especially when it comes time to surf. Longer, less rockered boats have good upstream speed and have fewer tendencies to spin–making it easier to attain waves. If you want to carve back and forth, however, you’re better off in a shorter, more rockered Kayak, or whitewater playboat. These boats…
Every spring in the Sierra Nevadas, snow begins its age-old search for sea level, raising the water levels of such California classics as the American, Tuolumne and Kern. Often helped by rains, it also raises the levels of these rivers’ headwaters and tributaries, many of which are attracting experienced boaters looking for the path less traveled. Although the water level is lower on these creeks (anywhere from 150 to 500 cfs), the stakes are usually higher. Their gradient often exceeds 200 feet per mile, and ratings range from Class IV-V+, many with mandatory portages to boot. For the properly prepared,…
After only a year or two of paddling, you start closely watching the snowpack, rainfall, and temperatures, and gradually become aware of a river’s moods. At first this knowledge is purely in terms of your favorite spots—you know you can surf a particular wave when the water gets to a certain level, or a certain rapid fills in and some great move develops. Over time, it expands into hundreds of such details, and they branch out into the tributaries and sister rivers of a watershed. Knowing each river’s quirks and gestures makes them feel like old friends. Your kayaking becomes…
The most basic of playboating moves is the front surf. It’s essential to all playboating; the better you are at it, the easier it is to do other moves. Even if you’re comfortable surfing waves, the techniques here will increase your success rate and improve your rides. Each wave is different, varying in speed, volume, steepness and accessibility. Wave surfing revolves around putting your boat on the wave in control and adjusting for these factors. Catching a wave from an eddy Getting on a wave is simply a ferry from an eddy to the wave. The goal is to ferry…
Whether you’re racing slalom or simply catching an eddy on a local river, there are three rules that govern how you should turn a kayak. RULE 1: Your head and body should lead the boat in every turn. RULE 2: Control your turns with strokes on the inside of the turn. If you want to turn left you should first get the boat spinning left with a sweep. Then determine the radius of the turn, your forward speed, how much you slide sideways—all with your left blade. Your right blade is used for forward strokes to help keep boat speed…