Archive

Heading out on a rafting trip for the first time? Heed these time-tested hints from Paddling Life partner American Whitewater, a longtime outfitter on California’s American River. You’ll be glad you did…

The Third Annual Golden Games will take place this weekend in Golden, Colo., now featuring vendors, more competitions, demos—and most importantly—more water.

For most people, kayaking the Grand Canyon is challenge enough. Try running it blind. That’s what adventure Erik Weihenmayer is attempting, freshly back from a 12-day practice run he took part in to assess whether kayaking all 225 miles in another year is a real possibility or just a pipedream. “Now that I’m back and have had some time to reflect, I feel I have a good shot at pulling this off…” he says.

The folks at Boardworks SUP manufacturer and Chaco sandals are bringing the sport to more than 30 sites across the nation in their Show Up and Blow Up tour this summer.

Kaitlyn McElroy clinched her spot on the 2013 USA Canoe/Kayak Sprint National Team last week taking home three wins at the trials races in Oklahoma City. On the men's side, London 2012 Olympian Tim Hornsby managed to hold onto his spot atop the senior men's kayak 200m standings, beating Ryan Dolan by a quarter of a second.

Two young brothers plan to turn dreams into reality this June as they prepare to embark on a 6500 km kayaking expedition, paddling from the mouth of Amazon River to the Florida coast.

The Garrett County, Maryland Board of Commissioners announced the approval of one million dollars in state funding to support the 2014 Canoe Slalom World Championships at the Adventure Sports Center International (ASCI). This news comes as organizers prepare to host the 2013 USA Canoe/Kayak Slalom Team Trials and Deep Creek Open on May 17-19.

It’s springtime. You’re on an early season, cold-water rafting trip, paddling hard, when the raft hits a huge wave and you’re swimming in the middle of a rapid. A little preparation and good technique can go a long way towards minimizing risk and even making it fun...

The 2013 Maine Canoe Symposium, now in its 27th year, features inspiring guest speakers, renowned paddlers and more than 50 clinics.

Don’t let the scores in the finals of the U.S. Freestyle Team Trials sway your thoughts as to the caliber of today’s top freestyle kayakers. With two inches of rain falling in three hours, on top of a scheduled water release and another surprise Cascade release, the hole was a little flushy by day’s end.

Rerun the Production Mold. That could well be what Dagger’s RPM, at one-time the world’s best-selling kayak, stands for as the company brings back one of its most popular whitewater models, whose mold has been gathering cobwebs for 17 years...

Sheri Griffith, founder of Moab, Utah, rafting outfitter Sheri Griffith Expeditions, is celebrating more than 30 years of getting people out into the wilderness, which she cherishes as her company’s most important role. But her own role in the industry has been even bigger, from establishing one of the country’s first river guide training programs to testifying in D.C. to preserve our nation’s wild places. We caught up with her -- 60 and single save for her dogs and four horses – for a peak inside the paddling pioneer...

American Rivers today announced its annual list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers for 2013, naming the Colorado River--which runs through seven states and is canoed, kayaked and rafted by thousands each year--the nation’s most endangered due to outdated management practices.

Some of the world’s best creek racers are expected to descend on Steamboat Springs, Colo., on Monday, June 3, for the eighth annual Paddling Life Creek Race -- to be held on Class IV-V Fish Creek -- wrapping up a weekend of fun-filled events and races at the 2013 Yampa River Festival...

Top freestyle kayakers from around the country will converge on the Nantahala River April 26-28 to paddle for a spot on Team USA and to compete again at the World Championships in September.

Okay, boating photogs…got a great paddling shot you think can win a contest against some of the world’s best? Here’s your chance: Red Bull just extended its deadline for its Illume 2013 Image Quest Photo Contest until the end of April…

Just when you thought the genetic lineage for freestyle kayaking couldn’t get any better – with Eric Jackson’s offspring Dane and Emily ripping it up on the world circuit – now it has, with former World Champions Emily and Nick Troutman seven months into making EJ a grandpa (now you young bucks will feel even worse losing to him). A few thoughts from Emily’s boating-and-birthing blog as she readies for the Team Trials at NOC…

Finally, a beer that all paddlers can feel good about drinking (and one you can;t go wrong with bringing to the take-out). Underlining the importance of brewery’s namesake waterway, Oregon's Deschutes Brewery has unveiled a new "River" beer that's at home in every canoeist's and kayaker's cooler...

Lovers of river running now have a chance to crack beers and swap stories with legendary rafting pioneer John Yost on a worldwide tour of nine of the world’s best rafting rivers, celebrating the 40th anniversary of renowned adventure guides Mountain Travel Sobek.

Paddling Life (www.paddlnglife.net) and Playak (www.playak.com) have reached an agreement to share content, bringing their collective reach and news from the paddling world to more readers than ever.

The eastern seaboard’s KayaXpedition festival will be held June 8-9 for its second year in Chesapeake, Virginia, giving people of all ages and skill levels to plenty of paddling—and learning—opportunities all within 750 miles of two-thirds of the U.S. population.

The stars aligned for both organizers and longtime competitor Sean Morley at this year's Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival, with Morley pocketing his first-ever, prestigious high-performance win and organizers getting 10- to 15-foot swells and bluebird skies the entire weekend…

Paddlers have plenty of reason to celebrate with President Barack Obama recently designating five new national monuments encompassing more than 240,000 acres, including several of keen interest to kayakers and canoeists. Among the new paddling-friendly monuments are…

As so many of you know by now, Rick Franken, founder and designer of Bomber Gear passed away this past weekend. We wanted to let you know that Rick’s family has confirmed that he died in his sleep due to respiratory failure while at the Alabama Mountain Games. His family is planning a celebration of life that will take place at the Animas River Days in Durango in June. They have also established the Franken Children’s Education Fund—please see how you can contribute at the end of this post. For now, we wanted to take a minute to remember the man that we all loved and valued. Click here for more...