Archive

Every winter, as powder days wear on and daylight savings time creeps closer, western paddlers begin to slowly collect their paddling gear for another season. In the Pacific Northwest, one specific event marks the beginning of the spring paddling season—The West Coast Whitewater Series.

Finally, a method to the madness. While distinguishing freestyle moves was easy back in the day of enders and pirouettes, it's tougher in today's era of Tricky-Whu-Donkey-Flip-Pan-Ams. To that end, USA Freestyle Kayaking has created a new social networking library of freestyle tricks. The goal: increase the number of people able to judge freestyle competitions by creating a constantly evolving database of the latest tricks...

This summer, The Epicocity Project assembled a team of kayakers, filmmakers and photographers for a National Geographic expedition to the Congo River. The mission was to complete the first successful descent of the 1.25 million CFS lower rapids…

World traveler and adventurer Daniel Fox recently launched The Wild Image Project, a mission to travel the world by kayak and help illustrate our connection with nature. He will photograph animals in their natural, difficult to reach habitats to show the beauty of the natural world and hopefully inspire others to get outdoors.

In the 1980s, competitive athlete Scott Zagarino established a program called Because You Can. His idea was to give himself a tangible reminder of how lucky he is to have the physical health that allows him to train and compete, while at the same time raising money to help those who aren’t as fortunate. Recently, he expanded his focus to include paddlesports and created Because You Can Paddle, a means for paddlers to show their appreciation for health and donate money to Last Descents. PL tracked down Scott and probed a little deeper…

During the fall of 2008, Pacific Northwest paddlers found themselves out in the cold. An epic high-water spring and summer had transitioned into a dry, brutally cold spell that left the rivers dry, and nervous energy high. While Hood River locals took to running up and down the painfully steep five-tiered set of stairs downtown to get their rocks off, Mother Nature quietly planned her next move.

Tired of inadequate protection from your booties? Do your feet at the end of a river trip look like the mossy shores of Ireland? Unsatisfied with all the recent sequels coming out? Well that will all change thanks to Teva’s new Sunkosi 2.

In one of the best paddlesports employment pairings PL can remember to date, Teva Mountain Games founder Joel Heath is packing his bags for Santa Barbara, Calif., to take a job as Teva's global marketing director. While he's likely to miss the powder days at Vail, Colo., we hear the surf's not too bad. Plus, Heath gives PL a special Q&A...

All sorts of things in life are random…acts of kindness, currents out of nowhere grabbing your stern, even hitch hikers bumming shuttle. To celebrate sheer randomness, Paddling Life brings you this month’s Random Goodie Bag, a sampling of gear and accessories that has come across our transom over the long winter months. Included in this indiscriminate line-up: Fluid’s newest surf kayak, Bomber Gear’s K-bomb spray skirt, and Wanderer Imports’ Maori Hei-Matua necklace for river-running juju.

The Paddling Life Head: Finding the Spirit of the Olympics I’ve officially lost my touch. After drinking $.75 Tsingtao beers with the Russian women’s volleyball team...

Bending Branches paddles has been crafting canoe and kayak paddles out of Osceola, WI since 1982. This December, the privately-held company grew to encompass Aqua-Bound Technology out of Surrey, BC, Canada. The acquisition will move Aqua Bound, and some of its staff, to Wisconsin. Find out what this means for these paddles.

Christmas is here. And we’ve got a few tips for all of you last minute shoppers scrambling to get the right gifts for your paddling partners. We asked Bend, OR pro Kim Russell, 19, what she uses for gear, and what she’d give to the whitewater junkie in your life.

The pedal vs. paddle debate has been settled…for now. Canadian Greg Kolodziejzyk recently set a new world record for the furthest distance traveled in 24 hours over flat water in a human-powered boat by pedaling his boat 151.3 miles (245.16 km) in 24 hours on Whitefish Lake, Montana...

Need to land a river permit this year? We'll tell you how, but just make sure to invite us along. Every winter comes permit season, and if you don’t play the game--or aren't a cook, good looking or own a raft or set of horseshoes--you won’t get invited along. Thanks to PL, here's all the info you need...

Werner Paddles was honored to once again receive the Accessory Manufacturer of the Year Award presented by Canoe & Kayak Magazine. The award is voted upon by 384 retail shops and goes to the easiest accessory manufacturer to work with. Read on to find out how this 44 year old family business is continuing to excel.

The Sierra Club and the Ansted Historic Preservation Council have issued a legal challenge again coal companies in West Virginia for a violation of the Clean Water Act. Toxic levels of aluminum, manganese, iron and suspended solids are getting dumped into a tributary of the Gauley River. Read on to find out what this means for one of America’s most popular whitewater playground.

Rising wholesale prices, increases in shipping costs and an economic downturn that has tightened consumer spending have pushed Montana’s oldest and largest paddling retailer out of business. The following is a case study on the challenges our sport faces amidst this rough and tumble economy. When in doubt, get to the water.

Rising wholesale prices, increases in shipping costs and an economic downturn that has tightened consumer spending have pushed Montana’s oldest and largest paddling retailer out of business. The following is a case study on the challenges our sport faces amidst the economic downturn. When in doubt, get to the water.

Scott Feindel has been traveling the world in search of the world’s stoutest whitewater since 2000. But in 2007/2008 this Kokatat and AT sponsored athlete took his international paddling up a notch. In one year he kayaked in Papua New Guinea, Uganda, Congo and Norway while squeezing in descents of the Stikine, the Clore and dozens of other rivers in the US and Canada. Read on for a few tips on charging from one of the world’s most experienced expedition paddlers.

The 110 countries of the International Canoeing Federation, the governing body of canoeing, convened in Rome, Italy for the biggest conference in the history of the organization. They took a look back at this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing then set a few things straight about the 2009 agenda.Read on to find out what we can expect from the ICF in the coming year.

Liquid Logic’s Lifestyle Maintenance Technician Woody Callaway has been kayaking since 1980. He’s watched, participated and fueled the sports revolution from 13-foot glass kayaks to the 6-foot playboats and plastic creekers that define whitewater kayaking today. PL caught up with Callaway for a little insight on how he’s seen the sport change over his nearly 30 years on the water.

Get your video cameras out. World Kayak is sponsoring a series of film competitions to get more people on the water. Creativity, fun and a few hours behind the camera could win you some swag. So get rolling.

Expedition sea-kayaker Hayley Shephard is heading south for the winter, way south. She's going to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia for the first-ever circumnavigation of this storm carved wildlife-haven. She's doing it solo, and she's doing it for a reason. Find out what she's up to.

PARK CITY, UT -- Fresh off his two-year, 75,000 mile around-the-world fishing expedition, Dan T. Cook, avid outdoor enthusiast and adventurer, plans to embark on a solo rowing trip spanning more than 3,700 miles through the heart of the United States. The journey will commence April 1, 2009 and help raise awareness and funding for disabled veterans across America.