Persistence, Determination, and Perseverance Leading to Nearly Lifelong Dream Being Realized – World Champion! by sethchapelle | Dec 14, 2023 | Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesPersistence, determination, and perseverance lead to nearly a lifelong dream being realized – world champion! I am a world champion!!! It still feels surreal to say. This has been a dream of mine ever since I started competing in freestyle kayaking nearly 25...
The Upper Chehalis by janekoopman | Dec 12, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesThe Lower Chehalis is a beautiful canyoned class III run that gets frequented by Lower Mainland BC paddlers after a good rain or in snowmelt. Ideally you can put on a tributary, The Statlu if there is enough water and paddle some class III- IV- in a narrower river bed...
2023 Year in Review by JT Hartman | Dec 10, 2023 | Creeking, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesIn January, if you’d asked me to predict the overarching tone of my 2023 season, I might have answered with what may have been undeserved reservation. Coming off a series of educational and career frustrations, not to mention a vicious flare of arthritis in my back,...
Why You Need a Slice Kayak in Your Quiver by Hannah Ray | Dec 9, 2023 | Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesIn the spring and early summer, water is plentiful at my local and favorite travel-to spots. There’s playboating, river running, and river surfing to choose from…or do all three! As the season progresses into mid summer, the rains are fewer and far...
Comparison Between the Small Gnarvana and the Medium Flow by Hilde Schweitzer | Dec 8, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesComparison between the Small Gnarvana and the Medium Flow I have been paddling for a long time, been in a lot of different boats of all shapes and sizes in those years, and it takes a lot to get me excited or impressed by any new boat. Last year I surprisingly bonded...
Right Advice, Right Time, Right Person by JK Team | Dec 7, 2023 | Featured Post, Playboating, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines“Right Advice, Right Time, Right Person” submitted by Ottilie Robinson-Shaw As part of my “Better Call Ottie” program, I often receive questions from paddlers and parents looking to support their kids’ progress in freestyle. Among the...
How to Hand Roll: Rolling a Kayak Without a Paddle by Boyd Ruppelt | Dec 6, 2023 | Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesThere are a lot of ways to hand roll and this only includes one or two of them, but my goal here is to give you a foundation for learning the skill on your own using a technique that works. You can also learn with hand paddles and webbed gloves if you need to get the...
The Backdeck Roll & Safety in Shallow Water by Boyd Ruppelt | Dec 5, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesEven if you know how to backdeck roll, you’ll want to watch this video for a modified version. The rule is simple, stay in the box and keep your elbows down. If you do that, the backdeck roll is faster, safer, and even better for shallow water and rocks than any...
Improvement Guaranteed: Do this Warm-Up every time you paddle by Boyd Ruppelt | Dec 3, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesOne thing I’ve found over the years is that the top kayakers in the world all have certain skills and regular practices in common. Do this warm up, listed below, every time you touch the water and your boat and edge control will improve drastically. For the more...
Flow on the Upper G! by Adam Swett | Dec 2, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesI had so much fun yesterday on the Upper Gauley following my friends Alex and John down from Fayetteville. Some friends of ours from Maine rounded out the group after the obligatory getting lost on the way in. It was the second time paddling my new Flow and I was so...
Flow on the Upper Yok! by Adam Swett | Dec 1, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesI picked up my new Flow medium a few days ago and was very excited to get it out on the river ASAP! I have always liked a smaller boat for my size as I am around 210lbs 5’11” so I figured a medium would be perfect. It is. I am a bit over the top end but...
Building 3-Dimensional Edge Control with Quadrants by Boyd Ruppelt | Nov 30, 2023 | Featured Post, Instructional, Playboating, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW DisciplinesWhen most people think of edge control in kayaking, they only think about using edges on a single axis, right and left. The problem is that whitewater rivers rarely allow for the use of a single axis weight transfer or edge. Typically, there is some combination of...
