The great thing about whitewater kayaking, though, is that once you get the gear it’s basically a free sport except for the gas to get to the river.

Here are some whitewater kayaking gear buying tips based on my experience so far.  Keep in mind that a lot of it boils down to personal preference (except for the parts where I’m just completely right ) so ultimately, choose what you think will work best for the way you paddle.  Buying boats is such a huge topic that I’m not going to talk about it here – I did do some reviews on the Jackson 2Fun and the Wavesport Fuse 48 a while ago though.

Whitewater Kayaking Drysuit:

I recommend getting a drysuit that has the booties built into the suit, not a suit with ankle gaskets (you’ll see the booties listed as “dry socks”).  You’ll also want one that has a sprayskirt tunnel.  Some people wear bib style drypants with a drytop, but after reading a big Professor Paddle thread about the relative safety of that style versus a drysuit I’d say it’s better to go with the drysuit.

I like the Kokatat Goretex drysuits, and they make a Tropos line that is significantly lower in price than the regular.  My first drysuit was a Tropos, I got it for like $480-something at Kayak Academy and it worked great to get me out on the water in the middle of winter.

I’m not a big fan of drysuits that zip across the back shoulders – unless you’re a regular performer at Cirque du Soleil you pretty much always need someone else to help you with those.  That being said, a lot of good boaters use those.

Women’s Drysuits:

A lot of women like the drysuits with the drop bottom that opens with a zipper in the back.  I’d say definitely sit in a boat with one of those on before getting one, they’re really popular but when I wore one in a boat the zipper was getting crushed into my hips - it was actually painful enough I would not have been able to paddle with it.  My drysuit has a front zipper which I’ve never used and hope I never have to, but at least it’s there and I’m not sitting on it.

When In Doubt, Go Big:

Whether it’s a drysuit or a drytop, remember that at some times during the year you might be piling on seven layers of clothing underneath it (especially if it’s a drysuit – you probably wouldn’t use just a drytop if it were that cold out), so I recommend going up rather than down a size when in doubt.  I am regular size but use a large women’s Kokatat drytop and a medium women’s Kokatat drysuit (both with small neck gaskets) – it’s just no fun having to fight your way in and out of gear, and I’ve never felt like they were too bulky.  It also gives me the freedom to boat on really cold days, when I seriously do put on seven layers.  (Shortly after the photo above was taken I felt compelled to test my seven-layer theory by swimming most of The Wall on Tumwater.  Happy to report I stayed warm. )

Whitewater Kayaking Paddle:

Two big things to consider when buying a paddle are length and degree of feather.  You can get charts online that tell you about how long your paddle should be for your height.  For example, I’m 5’4″ and I think my paddle is around 189 cm, which is on the short side - but again, a lot of that boils down to personal preference.  Here’s the Werner paddle sizing chart for reference (on the left side of the linked-to page).

Paddle feather is something I see a lot of people give themselves trouble with, in my opinion.  Just to be clear, paddle feather is the degree to which the individual blades are angled away from each other.  A paddle with zero degrees of feather has blades that are exactly parallel to each other, whereas one with 45 degrees of feather has the blades offset by 45 degrees.  (I know, it’s not rocket science. :))  Feathered paddles are supposed to relieve stress on the wrists while paddling.  The paddle below has 90 degrees of feather, to give you an idea.

A moment of quiet contemplation in Boulder Drop. Photo courtesy of Jeff Dwyer and Renee Paradis.

Beginner kayakers often end up with paddles that have 45 degree feather, but I recommend getting one that has 30 degrees of feather or less - my paddle right now has 15 degrees of feather and I love it.  Not having much feather makes it easier to do moves on both sides, for example, with my paddle I’m able to do an offside back deck roll, which a lot of boaters who are way better than I am can’t do.

I should mention that “beginner” kayaker Charlie Matlock, who I paddled with at Wet Planet’s creekboating clinic this weekend, does an offside back deck roll with a 30 degree paddle, I guess just because he doesn’t know it’s supposed to be virtually impossible.  (When we had to list our “Three most difficult runs” for Wet Planet’s skills evaluation sheet he was like, “Well, I’ve only ever done three runs.”  And they were all Class III’s with IV sections – too funny.)

Anyway, there are some world-class playboaters, like Ken Whiting, who use a paddle with almost no feather, and some of my friends have switched to zero or very low feather in order to be able to do moves on both sides more easily, so while I’m sure some people will disagree with me, I’m a huge fan of the 15 degree paddle feather.  My first paddle had 30 degree feather, which was fine too.  I really think 45 degree would have made offside stuff more complicated for me though.  However, for the record, there are some incredibly good boaters using paddles with a high degree of feather too.

The Boof from Whitewater Instruction on Vimeo.

LINK TO THE PAGE WITH DETAILS ON THE BOOF.

"Into the eddy" Boof from Whitewater Instruction on Vimeo.

LINK TO THE PAGE WITH DETAILS ON THE EDDY BOOF.

The Straight and Fader Boofs from Whitewater Instruction on Vimeo.

LINK TO THE PAGE WITH DETAILS ON THE STRAIGHT AND FADER BOOFS.

If you’re new to whitewater kayaking, boofing is a way to get your kayak over some obstacle, usually a ledge of some sort, in a way that keeps the bow up so that you clear what is usually a reversal at the bottom and land in control, centered over your boat and without sinking the bow.  You’ll notice he breaks it down into three parts: the approach, the paddle stroke, and body position.

I am by no means an expert on boofing, by the way – as I’ve said before, most of my boofs require scuba gear.   But I think these videos have given me a much better idea of what to work on.

I always tell people to join the Washington Kayak Club too, because even if you don’t see runs at your level on their events calendar you’ll end up getting on some big email lists with people organizing all kinds of runs, often in the II+ and III range.  For some odd reason people often don’t take my advice (a recurring and disturbing theme – but I digress), so now this thread should at least make it somewhat easier on the Professor Paddle side.

Speaking of beginner runs, this is a great season (August to September) to get used to running Boulder Drop on the Skykomish River, it’s much less pushy under 2,000 cfs and we run it all the way down to 500 cfs.  Just a heads up that it’s much less fun to swim at lower levels, especially that last drop after House Rocks.  But it’s always a simple portage too.

Herbie and Dylan are just dying to teach you how to whitewater kayak.

If you’re looking for whitewater kayaking classes around the Seattle area, check out the Northwest Outdoor Center on Westlake Avenue in Seattle.  I took their five-day Whitewater Fever class nearly ten years ago and I highly recommend it.

This is a great class to take if you have a busy schedule and don’t want to buy all the gear first.  In the course of two weeks you have one evening classroom/lake class, two evening pool classes to nail down an Eskimo roll, and two days on an actual river.  They have a classes coming up in June and July, and two classes in August, so check it out here.

A word of advice:  Don’t be like me and a) first squander your innocent youth not kayaking, and b) finally take the class and then get totally sidetracked by life and work for nearly eight years.)  I still ended up on the river though, so the moral of the story is, just take the class.

Also, once you’ve taken the class I highly recommend joining the Washington Kayak Club, they are the perfect group to get you out on Class II and III runs safely, with group leaders and safety boaters who are prepared to fish you out if you swim.

Dave Moroles testing out Lunch Hole on the Skykomish

Scott Henderson posted a really poignant account a while ago on Professor Paddle about how he nearly didn’t make it out of a hole on the Middle Middle run on the Snoqualmie – a mostly Class III run with a pretty easy IV section that most of us Seattle area paddlers are used to bombing after work without too much thought beforehand.

It’s really worth reading the thread – linked to here – not only because he shares a story that is not the easiest to share, but also because of the responses and advice that follows from other paddlers.  Here are some take-homes that I got from it:

Staying and Getting Out of Holes:

Based on this and some other stories I’ve heard, some of the closest calls you might run into could be on “easy”, Class III type water, and/or on a run that you’re really familiar with.  So don’t let your guard down.

If you’re stuck in a hole, balling up and letting yourself go deep instead of fighting the water should help you flush out.

From Scott’s post and one of the responses, it appears that if things go badly enough that you go limp you also have a better chance of flushing out.  (Let’s not kid ourselves, this option really sucks.)

Kyle Kovalik posted something that I’ve heard is also helpful:  “If you can get flat… swim accross the eddy line into the downstream current, rolling your body as you do (from a breast stroke to a back stroke or vice versa). This works best in flattish pourover style holes.”

Practicing swimming in whitewater is a great idea.  Not fun (I personally suck at it and tend to swim 5 times farther than anyone else, not on purpose) but definitely useful.

This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive explanation of how to get out of holes, but I’ve also heard (and kind of experienced when my sprayskirt blew on Lunch Hole on the Sky a couple days ago) that if you’re still in your boat, pulling your skirt and letting your boat fill with water is another way to possibly get out of a hydraulic.

Getting Back in the Game

Anyway, the main thing I got out of Scott’s post and the ensuing thread was not so much how to get out of holes (although that is useful), but more about the mentality of how to approach kayaking in general.  It’s such an intense sport, and when we’re into it we tend to fall in love with it and go full bore.  But, it’s also dangerous enough that we need to always be aware of the risks in order to last in it long term.  The flip side is, if we focus on those too much we’d seriously just stay home – it’s kind of like reading statistics about every innocent soul who pulled out of their driveway and got T-boned by some dummy going 110 miles per hour on a residential street, and then deciding to never drive again.

The reality is there – yes, it could happen (and getting caught in a vicious hole or pinned on some rock is probably way more likely than becoming a cautionary tale in suburbia) – but if you’re going to boat you kind of have to just take that as part of the deal.

Reading the Professor Paddle thread and from conversations with other boaters, it seems that nearly everyone has had a close call at some point and either had to deal with what is pretty much post traumatic fear, or even take some time off of boating to get their head back in the game.  Some of it is pure psychological conditioning (abject terror = very bad, do not repeat), so I thought the advice that John (doggievacation on PP) gave was good even though I overlooked it the first time I read it.  He said:

“… boat when you feel ready and stick to nice, familiar runs.  Make sure you have fun EVERY TIME you boat and steer clear of any drop that makes you feel panicky.  If you can do that, I think you’ll find the worm will fade on its own, but go with your gut and take your time.”

It usually takes time to get over traumatic experiences, and just like acquiring muscle memory for the roll, part of that psychological conditioning involves pure repetition – in this case, of something good.

Anyway, it’s really helpful to be reminded of how easy it is for any of us to become complacent on a run, or accustomed to getting out of hairy situations without too much carnage.  The fact is, the wrong hole at the wrong level, at the exact wrong angle that puts us in the wrong spot could happen to anyone, at any time, so I really appreciate Scott sharing his story.  It applies to all kayakers at any level, and it’s especially helpful coming from the viewpoint of someone who has had a lot of experience on whitewater.

That being said, paddling scared isn’t exactly a huge help either and there’s no way we can foresee everything on the river, so the best attitude is probably a good blend of realistic caution and a healthy dose of  ”Oh, what the heck.”  (I know I tend to focus on the latter because it requires less technical skill.)  Speaking of which, I’ve started dropping into Lunch Hole, a la Dave Moroles and Rob McKibbin.  If these blog posts end unexplainedly, that might be why.

Here’s one of Blair’s videos that shows what a workout a big hydraulic like Lunch Hole can provide, about two thirds of the way through it – it is a super sticky hole in the mid-3,000 cfs range.

Each move is shown in regular speed, then broken down into slow motion and labeled – super useful.  And while obviously some moves are not ones you’d do in a creekboat (like the reverse/bow draw pivots, in which your stern is underwater the whole time), pretty much any of these would go a long way towards making any kayaker better on all types of whitewater.

Looking at these moves I think you can see that quite a few of the components are also in that Eric Jackson ‘Strokes and Concepts’ video that I’ve recommended before.  I’ve broken that one out again recently and am planning to head out to the lake to practice those drills too, but it’s awesome to find a bunch of videos that focus completely on slalom.

If you want to see some amazing boat control in action, check out this video of Campbell Walsh.  (It’s a good example of what Eric Jackson talks about in his video – that every turn should be controlled on the inside of the turn.)  I’m sure that’s not a new concept, but it’s amazing how long we can paddle without really learning some of this stuff – speaking for myself, anyway.

Anyway, I’ll start with something that came up with my friend Gwendolyn Hannam recently.  She’s a good newer boater who progressed really quickly, but last fall was telling me that after having a strong roll for months it had gotten shakey, and after a few swims she was leaning toward going to a pool practice instead of out on another run we were heading to that day.  Some of her friends were telling her, ‘Oh, you just need more river time,’ but her instincts were telling her she needed to regroup and get her form back.  I really think she was right, and here’s why – it has to do with one of the concepts of mastering any sport, especially high-adrenaline sports:

Muscle memory is what will save your bacon when you’re freaking out.

So, check out this guy – he’s pretty amazing.

When he’s doing this drill, he’s totally concentrating on doing the movements exactly right, and he’s doing them over and over to establish muscle memory.  The point is for him to not have to think about them at all when he’s in an actual game.  At that time he should be able to go on auto-pilot, with his mind freed up to focus on which opposing player is moving towards him at that specific time while his body automatically makes the right evasive moves using the muscle memory he’s built up.

Now, think about how much harder it would be for him to develop the absolute best form in those drills if someone was trying to tackle him at the same time….

There’s a point to that video that we kayakers can take home.  I do totally agree with Gwendolyn’s friends that there’s a ton to be gained from learning how to roll in moving water, whether on purpose or by mistake, in holes or in wave trains, and yes, at some point your helmet will get walloped by rocks when you’re upside down and if you hang in there and stay optimistic you should be able to roll up anyway.

Quite the wallop. (And yes, there are rocks on the Wenatchee!)

But here’s what I’ve learned after hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds, seriously) of combat and practice rolls over the last couple of years.  The key to rolling up in any situation is having the right form – primarily, having a good hip snap and not pulling your head up before the rest of your body.  That last part especially is completely counter-intuitive.  When you’re scared and low on air, all of your instincts are screaming to get a nostril above the water line as quickly as possible, and when people are missing their rolls you’ll often see their heads popping up early time and time again.  (Sometimes we get our own, very personal, nostril-vantage point of view. )

What I’ve noticed is that no matter how good my roll is (and I’m known for having a pretty good one), after enough time rolling up in hairy situations it will start to deteriorate.  I mean, on the one hand you gain valuable experience rolling up in various river features, but I also find that if I get fearful beyond a certain point I’ll start having to fight harder to not pull my head up first the next time I roll, and then if that nervousness affects my roll I just get more prone to pulling my head, and on it goes.  I’ve seen this with other people plenty of times too, and unfortunately the worse your form gets the harder it gets to roll, the more shakey you feel, and the more fear affects your form – and the more likely you are to eventually miss your roll and swim.

That’s when I think the best remedy is not more river time.  If you know how to roll, and now you’re having trouble with it, it’s because you’re messing up on your form. 

The best time to learn good kayak roll form is not upside down in the middle of a wave train when you’re also working on trying to not freak out, hoping you won’t hit your head, wondering what’s below the feature you’re in and how many rocks are waiting to ricochet off of your pelvis if you swim, and trying to get your paddle to where it feels like you can attempt a roll.

(Please don’t get me wrong – this experience is valuable, but not for when you’re trying to nail down good form.)

The beauty of practicing your roll in flat water, especially warm flat water, is that you can allow yourself the leeway of not doing things perfectly without producing a traumatic result.  Even more important, you can work on developing great form and then repeating it over and over (and over), which establishes muscle memory.

The goal is for the correct kayak roll motions to become so part of your intuitive movements that your body just clicks into them without thinking, because chances are when you’re upside down in turbulent water you’re NOT going to be concentrating on keeping your head down and whipping out a good hip snap.  Executing the correct kayak roll form needs to happen without you even thinking about it, and you develop that kind of muscle memory after many repetitions under non-stressful conditions.   So that’s why saying that the best fix for a shakey Eskimo roll is more river time (especially after some swims, which are usually somewhat traumatic and build up your fear level) is like saying that if you’re a football player the only way to improve is to play an actual football game, and to never bother doing football drills.

In reality, you need both.  And eventually, the goal is to become the kayaking equivalent of this:

So don’t underestimate the value of the pool! (Or the lake – whatever you have.)  Of course you need to get out on the river as well, but dialing in your skills on flat water can help you get even more enjoyment (and safety) out of whitewater.

Kayak roll resources:

This post isn’t about troubleshooting the Eskimo roll, although I really hope to do one on that soon, so if you’re looking for help learning or fixing the roll, I highly recommend Eric Jackson’s ‘Rolling and Bracing a Kayak’ video.  (This is not the same as his Strokes and Concepts video, which is also very good but doesn’t have the greatest Eskimo roll section, in my opinion.)  I’ve also heard that Kent Ford’s The Kayak Roll is excellent.

Also, if you’re just getting into learning the Eskimo roll, I’ll tell you flat out that some of the famous kayaking people, like Ken Whiting, say that they think the sweep roll is overall easier to learn than the C-to-C roll, and Ken Whiting and Eric Jackson are both on record as saying it’s OK to come up from the roll leaning back on your stern deck.  This can be controversial because some people say this makes you too prone to getting your face hit by rocks, but Ken and Eric make a good argument for the fact that your face isn’t really exposed that much when you’re actually upside down, and the fact that it increases your chances of rolling up successfully compared to trying to roll up leaning over your front deck makes it an overall safer technique.

This one talks about boofing in general:

Here’s one that talks about how to boof into an eddy:

There’s more on their Vimeo page, here’s a link to all of the Whitewater Instruction videos on Vimeo.

I can’t say someone like me can pick a whole lot of actual how-tos out of here, but there are some pretty amazing moves that are worth watching, (plus, not to mention, of the type that can keep you alive when you’re creeking) - and, of course, the obligatory decent song.

Update Feb. 2011:  I just found a great site with a ton of whitewater kayaking slalom instructional videos, click here to go to the post about that one.

Classes start you out on friendly Class II whitewater.

(Don’t be like me and then do a total of three river runs over the next eight years before you actually get into it – oh, the time I’ve squandered!)

There are four courses coming up, in April, June, July, and August 2010 – here’s the link to their course calendar page.  It’s an easy-to-take class, with four evening classes and a total of two river days on separate weekends.

One thing I love about how Herbie, one of the NWOC owners, teaches this class is that I think they do a really good job of teaching the Eskimo roll.  I got mine during the class, and years later when I hadn’t gotten into a boat for a few years and suddenly realized I had lost my roll (trying it alone in my friend’s pool – in hindsight, not too smart ) I went back for a roll class at NWOC and Herbie fixed it.   Notably, this was right after an instructor at another company’s roll session had told me I needed a different boat (even though I had learned to roll in that boat!) and then even one of Herbie’s own instructors was having trouble fixing it during their roll class.  Herbie waded over, said “Oh, you need to adjust your elbow angle by like 12 degrees”, and bam, I was rolling again.

So if you’re working on the roll, just remember you might get mixed advice, and it’s not a strength move at all.  I highly recommend Eric Jackson’s Rolling and Bracing DVD, which shows beginner moves and then advanced moves that help you transition into rolling up in any kind of water.  I’ve obsessed on the roll for the past year and a half and have a really strong one now, but even just watching that video a couple of months ago taught me some stuff that has helped me transition into not having to do a traditional setup for every roll.

Anyway, I wanted to also mention that the Washington Kayak Club also has whitewater kayaking classes, I don’t think they have as many as NWOC and the difference is that you’ll need to come up with your own gear, but I know that Charles at AquaSports in Redmond has some kind of special deal for you if you’re taking the WKC class.  I couldn’t find a link to the class on their site, but you can contact them through their website, www.washingtonkayakclub.org.

After the class... look at you, you rock star!

Update:  I checked my WKC newsletter and their class is halfway through already, so go ahead and check with Northwest Outdoor Center about their classes.  (Tell Herbie I said ‘Hi’ – just be warned that he may have no idea who you’re talking about.)