3rd Annual Snoqualmie Powerhouse Frankfurter Attainment Classic by kylethomas | Aug 28, 2024 | Events, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesAlmost all whitewater races I’ve participated in have the same thing in common, going downstream. But not the Powerhouse Frankfurter Attainment Classic in the Greater Seattle Area. This fun community race transforms a local beginner stretch of whitewater into a...
63rd Annual Salmon la Sac Downriver and Slalom Races by kylethomas | Jul 17, 2024 | Creeking, River Running, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines60 racers from age 7 to age 75 converged at the Cle Elum River for the weekend of the 63rd Annual Salmon la Sac Whitewater Races near Roslyn, Washington. People traveled from all over the Pacific Northwest to attend this event including Washington, Oregon, Montana,...
My 1st Adaptive Paddling Workshop by kylethomas | Jun 28, 2024 | 2014 Karma Unlimited, Creeking, Playboating, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesLast month I completed my first American Canoe Association (ACA) Adaptive Paddling Workshop in Washington State hosted by Adaptive Expeditions, REI, and the ACA. This three-day workshop aimed to provide an introduction to the information necessary to seamlessly...
10 Years of Paddlesports Volunteering by kylethomas | May 21, 2024 | 2014 Karma Unlimited, Creeking, Playboating, River Running, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines10 years ago (May 2014) I became an American Canoe Association (ACA) volunteer. I was selected to be ACA State Co-Director of South Carolina with my soon-to-be friend Ethan as part of an initial cadre across each U.S. State and Territory. The ACA was founded in 1880...
Antix 2.0: A Love Story by kylethomas | Apr 30, 2024 | Featured Post, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesI paddle my Medium Jackson Kayak Antix 2.0 a lot, more than any of my other kayaks. Why? It matches the style of paddling I do most often. It can do a bit of everything, making for a great day on the water. It is predictable through rapids, surfs exceptionally, rolls...
L-E-A-V-E Teaching Acronym for River Ferries, Eddy Turns, & Peel Outs by kylethomas | Jan 25, 2024 | Featured Post, Instructional, Intermediate Moves, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesTeaching kayaking since 2009, I’ve learned all sorts of different acronyms to remember when ferrying from Point A to Point B across river currents, entering a river eddy with an eddy turn, and exiting a river eddy with a peel out. These are essential maneuvers for all...
Diversify Whitewater Paddling Weekend – Greater Seattle Area 2023 by kylethomas | Oct 24, 2023 | Family Zone, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesI’m filled with gratitude and appreciation for Diversify Whitewater, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in paddlesports by removing the barriers that may exist for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC)...
62nd Annual Salmon La Sac Whitewater Races by kylethomas | Aug 5, 2023 | Event Coverage, Events, Internationalisation, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, United States, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesI am fortunate to have attended the 62nd Annual Salmon La Sac Whitewater Races near Roslyn, Washington. 62 years! I’m just wowed by that. This was my first time attending this event and certainly won’t be my last. The Salmon La Sac Whitewater Races are hosted on the...
Middle Fork Championship 2023 by kylethomas | Jun 27, 2023 | Event Coverage, Events, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesI strongly believe that competition builds community. The Middle Fork Championship on the Middle section of the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River (aka “Middle Middle”) is no exception to that community-building for the Greater Seattle Area. This race is organized a...
Kayak Slalom in a Dynamic Duo by kylethomas | Apr 22, 2023 | Creeking, Dynamic Duo, Event Coverage, Events, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesFor me, being in a Jackson Kayak Dynamic Duo is directly connected with whitewater river racing. My first race in a tandem whitewater kayak was the Ocoee River Race in Tennessee, winning a gold medal with my good friend Sam. From that point on, I was hooked on racing...
Jackson Kayak Mixmaster by kylethomas | Mar 3, 2023 | Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesI remember being jealous of my good friend’s Jackson Kayak MixMaster before getting my own. At the time, I owned a Wave Sport Ace and I had told everyone that it was the one kayak I’d never part with. …then I saw a MixMaster (uh oh!). I saw how effortlessly my friend...
East Fork of the Lewis River – Intro to PNW Waterfall Kayaking by kylethomas | Feb 12, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesI love whitewater kayaking in the Pacific Northwest in January. Why? January usually starts the paddling season for the middle section of the East Fork of the Lewis (EFL) River in Yacolt, Washington at my favorite flows. Due to a huge logjam in the middle of the run,...
