I have been fortunate enough to use lightning paddles for two full seasons now, with great results! My carbon fiber freeride takes me everywhere from the steepest dirtiest creeks to the biggest trashiest play feature without ever thinking twice. This paddle does it all ….. and better than any that I have had before. It’s powerful blades help with that last second correction stroke on a wave, or mandatory direction change directly above a big drop. I have always believed in these paddles, and that faith was sealed a month ago:

Earlier last month I went to one of the most undercut runs that I have ever had the pleasure to paddle (Big Soddy). Mid way through the run I entered a manky slot holding a variation of a stern rudder. All at once my momentum was stopped as my paddle chocked on the upstream side of a sharp rock, wedging itself firmly in the stream bed. At that point I decided that I was not comfortable hand paddling the section immediately ahead. With this in mind I yanked on the shaft…. deciding that in this instance half of a paddle would be better than none at all while navigating the impending stretch. My carbon fiber freeride cracked and popped, and to my surprise actually moved the rocks on the bottom of the river… popping free. I looked at the paddle expecting to see at least part of a blade missing. It was still intact! I expected the paddle to be weakened to some degree, and to fail soon after. That was not the case, as I have been using and abusing the paddle every day since.

STOTR

Justin Owen