Boyd Ruppelt’s thoughts on the new Flow by Boyd Ruppelt | Sep 9, 2023 | Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesComing from the Gnarvana medium, at 160-165 lbs, I’ve found myself getting into the Gnarvana Small on southeastern US dam release runs to spice things up. I love paddling the Antix 2.0 as a playful river runner and it can handle anything I throw at it, but...
Stakeout by Boyd Ruppelt | Jun 17, 2023 | Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesIt’s hard to believe with over 30 years as a whitewater kayaker and more than two decades as a sponsored paddler that I never made it up to Canada until last year. The Ottawa River alone holds some of the best freestyle features on the planet and is without a...
The 5 Golden Rules of Whitewater Kayaking by Boyd Ruppelt | Apr 20, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesWhether you’re just getting into whitewater kayaking or you’re a long time river veteran and looking to raise your paddling game, these 5 golden rules are the fundamentals to get you there. I don’t necessarily think these are all inclusive, but when...
Rolling Basics – How to Roll Your Kayak by Boyd Ruppelt | Apr 15, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesWith nearly 30 years of experience teaching people how to roll and over a decade of teaching experience, I decided it was finally time to put my instructional experience to use for a new rolling series. This is not all inclusive, but this is a solid start for learning...
Gnarvana first impressions and sizing by Boyd Ruppelt | Nov 21, 2022 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesWhen I found out Jackson Kayak was doing a high-rockered modern twist on my favorite boat ever, the Nirvana, I was stoked! Once I tried it out, I was not disappointed. Since I sit in a critical weight range, at 168 lbs (76 kg), I wanted to hop into my new medium...
Dealing With Fear by Boyd Ruppelt | Nov 18, 2022 | Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesFear. Out of skydiving, scuba diving, shark diving, snowboarding, surfing, caving, biking, skateboarding and everything else I’ve taken a moment in my life to enjoy, kayaking is the biggest mental challenge I’ve taken on out of every extreme sport. I have...
Big Water Technique – How to Paddle High Volume Rivers by Boyd Ruppelt | Nov 15, 2022 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW Disciplines, Zenphotos: Safari Par Excellence Despite the common misconception, Big Water doesn’t actually mean difficult water. It doesn’t directly mean hard rapids. Big water refers to the high volume whitewater found on high volume rivers. Big Water kayaking...
Pro Tip: What to Wear While Paddling, especially in the Winter by Boyd Ruppelt | Oct 28, 2022 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, JK University, Playboating, Video, Video, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesWith more and beginners learning how to kayak, the question keeps coming up: what do I wear in the winter? It may sound like a stretch, but maximizes your time on the water and your comfort in your kayak can dramatically boost your learning curve. Typically, when this...
Fall treats in the Gnarvana by Boyd Ruppelt | Oct 27, 2022 | Creeking, Featured Post, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesI don’t know how it took so long for me to finally get to the Russell Fork, and we all have that run that eludes us. Over thirty years kayaking in the southeast and this year, I made it a priority to get over there and check it out while taking in a bit of fall...
Throwback – Rio Claro by Boyd Ruppelt | Sep 27, 2022 | Chile, Creeking, Featured Post, Internationalisation, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesEvery year around October and November, the most spectacular little crack in the Earth opens up in the Andes Mountains of central Chile. Surrounded by desert mountains and plains, cacti, and rose hair tarantulas, the little canyon is packed with one of the highest...
How to plug and tuck waterfalls by Boyd Ruppelt | Sep 18, 2022 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines, ZenOccasionally in whitewater we are blessed to have vertical ledges that are taller than the length of our kayaks, and for many of us, these waterfalls offer the pinnacle of the kayaking experience in freefall, flow, and technical difficulty. Kayaking waterfalls is one...
How to Control Your Freefall – Waterfall Technique part 2 by Boyd Ruppelt | Sep 17, 2022 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Video, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW Disciplines, ZenOccasionally in whitewater we are blessed to have vertical ledges that are taller than the length of our kayaks, and for many of us, these waterfalls offer the pinnacle of the kayaking experience in freefall, flow, and technical difficulty. Kayaking waterfalls is one...
