Stand Up Paddle Boarding

In the spring of 1983, a massive snowmelt, fed by the largest chain of El Niño superstorms on record, surged into the Grand Canyon, swelling the river to dangerously high levels and setting the stage for one of the greatest rafting legends in recent history. Kevin Fedarko, river guide and travel writer, narrates this extraordinary tale in his debut non-fiction book, The Emerald Mile.

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…

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...

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runs through seven states and is canoed, kayaked and rafted by thousands each year--the nation’s most endangered due to outdated management practices.

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…

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...

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.

Employees are on the rise at Confluence Watersports, which recently announced eight key internal promotions across the organization...

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…

Two dry winters have lead to dropping water levels throughout Colorado watersheds, impacting the number of rafters who visit the state each summer and affecting the outfitters who rely on the state’s rivers to make a living.

The paddling community was deeply saddened this weekend when hit by the bombshell of the death of Bomber Gear founder Rick Franken, who reportedly passed away in his sleep this past weekend while camping on a kayaking trip to Alabama with his son, Kai. Franken reportedly died in his sleep due to respiratory failure...

It’s a good time to be a member of a world rafting team – at least if part of the reason you’re competing is to travel the world. After venturing to Costa Rica’s Pacuare River in 2011 and in hitting New Zealand’s North Island this coming fall, the World Rafting Championships are continuing their grand world tour by heading to Brazil in 2014 – home to the next Summer Olympics -- and Indonesia the year after.

With Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announcing his resignation recently, effective at the end of March, more than one river conservation organization will be mourning his loss. “Secretary Salazar has been a true champion for protecting and restoring rivers and his leadership will be missed by everyone who cares about healthy, free-flowing rivers,” says Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers.

Long-time rafting supplier Avon was sold as part of a package that included the entire Zodiac line. OpenGate Capital, LLC has acquired Zodiac Recreational from Zodiac Marine & Pool, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group. It is unknown how the acquisition will affect production or distribution for Avon customers.

According to river runners Jon Barker and Clancy Reece, anything worth doing is worth overdoing – which is exactly what led them to tempt fate on a flooding Salmon River in 1996 to see how far they could float Reece’s homemade wooden dory through the largest wilderness tract in the Lower 48 in 24 hours. The result, as captured drop by drop by former Idaho raft guide Jo Deurbrouck in her new award-winning book Anything Worth Doing, is a storyline every paddler who has dipped a blade in water can appreciate…

While fish kayaks have gotten all the attention in the paddling/angling combo world, a company out of Colorado is making a name by letting you fish tandem out of an inflatable. PL tested out Creek Company’s new Voyager 2 -- a miniature, frameless pontoon-style raft -- on a fall outing on northwest Colorado’s Elk River and gives it a solid thumbs-up when it comes to casting and river running...

The Teva Mountain Games are the Teva Mountain Games no more. The world's biggest stage for freestyle and creek racing will still be around, just not with Teva as a sponsor. Teva president Joel Heath announced Nov. 28 that the footwear giant is pulling out of the Games after an 11-year run. PL checks in with Heath for the lowdown...

If you want to test out apparel made specifically for getting wet, it helps to do so on the manufacturer’s home turf. And if that turf involves surf, so much the better. Such was the case when, on vacation in Maui, we found ourselves Supping with Bluesmiths founder John Smalley, whose apparel line is making waves as fast as its wearers are catching them….

While last year’s World Rafting Championships on Costa Rica’s Pacuare River drew the world’s best rafters to the country, they also drew accolades from top environmentalists. EARTH University recently certified the event as the world’s first ever Certified Carbon Neutral world championship sporting event...

The perils of inner-city living hit the tight-knit Colorado boating community on Oct. 17 when BLM river ranger Ross Richter, who worked at the popular Pumphouse and Statebridge sections of the Upper Colorado River, was among the five victims killed at a Denver bar shooting...

The movie might not be in 3D, but the rivers it talks about sure are. The Conservation Alliance recently released Our Rivers, the second video in the worthWILD series, telling the story of American Whitewater and footwear brand KEEN's efforts to save rivers nationwide...

The Smith River, Skeena watershed, southern Utah ...these are just a few of the nation's paddling areas benefiting from $700,000 in grants recently issued by the Conservation Alliance, marking the largest funding cycle in the group’s 23-year history...

Want a great excuse to get out and paddle, and win schwag in the process? Footwear company KEEN is sponsoring World Wide Recess Day (WWRD) on September 14, trying to break the record for the most recesses ever taken in one 24-hour period. Knowing PL readers don’t need much incentive to hit the water, clean those cobwebs out of your cockpit and join the cause...