Your Kayaking Resource: Articles on Kayak Instruction, How to Roll a Kayak, The Art and Passion of Boating, Kids & Paddling, Gear Reviews
Viva Voce is our collection of articles about river theory, tales kids, gear and river magic; a gathering of information from sources and tributaries, all coming together here. THE SOURCE: Whether it is kayak theory, first descents or first-hand experiences, here you will find a collection of articles straight from the source-- the Endless River Adventures' staff. . THE TRIBUTARIES: Great adventures, paddling tales and river magic--all stories written by ERA Friends and fellow paddlers who share our passion for boating.
by Joe Ravenna
Downhill skiing and whitewater kayaking have a great deal in common and it is not surprising to learn that some of the world's best skiers and kayakers honed their skills between gates.
RISK AND KAYAKING: Sometimes it's the Little Things
This is a three part series detailing out some of the planning that should go into preparing for a day on the river. Kayaking is a sport with inherent risk. All kayakers know that. We can never make our sport 100% risk-free all the time. If we could, then we might as well just go kayaking in Disney World. There are however, ways to minimize the inherent risk and remove some of the danger posed by our own misguided actions.
Part I: The Little Things: Mandatory Rescue Gear
Part II: The Little Things: Advanced Rescue Gear
Part III: Controlling Risk
Little Things, Part II:
Risk and Kayaking- Sometimes It's the Little Things
Part I: Mandatory Rescue Gear
by Brian Snyder and Juliet Jacobsen Kastorff
Over the years we as guides have found that often it is the little things that play the biggest parts in minimizing the risk of future catastrophes. As a team we spend considerable time thinking about the little things. Although the following list is by no means exhaustive, it contains some of the little things that we feel are important to reducing the inherent risk.
First descents. In most countries they start out with the most obvious runs– roadside boating, the runs that have access, the runs that have the most potential; eventually goals are set on those that have a drop that looks the best on television/ in a magazine/ or for setting a record. And to all those who have chalked up any of the above, way to go!!
But once upon a time–and still once in a while a first descent is done for the joy of exploring a new river; for the gratification of challenging oneself on a run that is inaccessible, remote, not known and not for the glory or the media attention but just for the thrill of paddling down a river that no one has ever been on. What a thrill. Brian, Abraham and Brandon have the bragging rights to a first descent down the 50+ mile Cofanes River in northern Ecuador. But since they were too modest to brag about it, we will do it for them! After some cajoling we got the beta from them about their descent down the Rio Cofanes. Read on!
Two sides of the fence. What do the professionals have to say?
I have personally always used the following pitch when someone asks about a bent shaft paddle:
- If you have wrist/joint issues use a bent shaft
- If you have an extra $100 to spend, a bent shaft is for you
- If it feels good in your hands when you pick it up, definitely buy one.
Having neither wrist issues, nor an extra $100 burning a hole in my pocket, I just never really even gave second thought to my own personal paddle. I survived the drama of switching from a wooden paddle to a synthetic. That was enough “modern” for me...until I made the mistake of testing out one of our AT bent shaft paddles…..
usually came after missing yet another golden opportunity to pull of a good boof. Watching the ERATeam boofing their way down rivers, I realized that they were the perfect group to share tips about boofing with everyone--hopefully short-cutting the learning process!
correct, easier to roll. In the name of credibility I decided that the boat
needed to be tested for ease of rolling. Of course the fact that it has been 65 degrees today and sunny this afternoon helped! Ease is the optimum word. There feels like there is less width and the widest part of the boat is not in the center, but forward a little adds to very crisp and smooth rolls. This all equates to the paddler not having to work as hard to get around the boat to set up. As a kayak instructor that teaches rolling on a regular basis this is a welcome addition. Not to say that the original Diesels were hard to roll, but I think what it really comes down to is some minor “tweaks”, and that the sizes fit people better and being in a boat that you fit better in makes a difference.
Making the Transition by Jess Snyder
Everyone is searching for something in life. For me, faith has been my holy grail. I have been trying to find faith in something my whole life. My destination was reached when I stumbled my way into Endless River Adventures and began my journey into the wild world of whitewater. This is a short piece about how I made the transition from someone who whitewater kayaks to a real boater. You mayask what the difference is, well in my opinion, it is the state of mind one is in when they are in their boat.
Just as boats evolve, strokes evolve as well. As strokes change, so do the methods for teaching each of them. Let’s talk about the sweep. This stroke is one that has evolved with the changes in boat size.
Reflections from Ken Kastorff
“Ode to Attila” was written by two ladies, Bonnie and Ann, who came to me and asked me to teach them to be how to kayak around 1990. The two came in one day, sought me out and said, “We want you to teach us because we heard you were a good instructor but more important, you never let folks say no or get away with anything on the water.”
by Juliet
Having worked as a kayak guide in multiple countries over the years, I have definitely been a part of “experiential education” in paddling in foreign countries-- both first-hand and second hand. I have learned over the years that there is a common-sense checklist that is good to follow. I have by no means come up with a complete list, but merely one that might help make sure your trip does not end up a bad story written up in American Whitewater.
Kid\'s boats: they were not invented a year ago. In fact, there have been boats designed specifically for kids/smaller people for a long time. And at the time each of the boats came out, it was always state of the art. Following is a short (and certainly not complete) summary of the history of kids whitewater boats.
By Endless River Adventures Staff
There seems to be a train of thought out there that the sweep has been taught wrong "for the past twenty years." What do we think about that? Well, of our group, only Ken has been teaching for all those 20 years, so that got us out of trouble for the full 20! But that did not stop us from sitting down and analyzing this statement relative to what we teach. When we finished knocking the concept around we found out a couple things: 1. We were all in agreement that we have not been teaching it wrong; and 2. Over the years, we have all come into contact with paddlers who had been taught the full sweep wrong – and we in turn had to untangle their technique. Here are some of our thoughts about the Sweep:
by Craig Parks
Short new boats have opened up so many more opportunities to have fun in all types of holes and waves. Yearning for keys to getting more out of your playboating? Here are a few pointers to get you started.
One of the First Adventures Running the Cheoah River
Directional Rolling * The Finish Position * As a team of instructors—we look to continue to innovate rather than resting on our reputation. Several concepts became center-and-focus for us over the past few years: Directional Rolling, Stressing the Finish Step of the Roll and presentations.
There is a misconception about the phrase "paddle or die." In kayaking, sometimes knowing when to paddle or not paddle can make or break your move through a rapid.
White Water Lust
NKARASA
note: published in AW magazine
NKARASA 11-09
Costa Rica stamps
nkarasa
If you want a new way to adjust your attitude and shed some of the stress life tries to put on you, consider touring in a sea kayak….You won’t get the adrenaline rush of a whitewater cruise down a Class IV river, but the opportunity to spend some real quality/quiet time with yourself or your sweetie and to see how some of the country looked 200 years ago when James Fenimore Cooper was writing about it has rewards which are equally satisfying.
Maybe once it was the young guns who set the standard for who some of us wanted to be... but we have a new set of heros: our friends that have seen their 70th birthdays come and go and are still out there living it up on the river. Keep it up! You are setting the proverbial "high water mark" as far as the standard for being a kayaker. Example of this: our friend John Judy. Not scared to \'fess up that he is in his 84th year, as long as the cardiac doctor says "yes" John is still headed for the river any chance he gets!
a roundtable led by Juliet
So you want to talk about women and kayaking? How about hearing it from a group of women who are in the midst of their college education at an all-womens college (hence the school colors pink & green); all whom have found their way into the college’s outdoor program…. kayaking specifically!...and all of whom stand to take away some pretty amazing life skills when they graduate from college.
