# Outside magazine article



## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

So? Do you still like to boat? I do.


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## sj (Aug 13, 2004)

For me personaly I like it as I like my space in the outdoors. But I realize this is selfish and in the end not good as I remember the Dancer or Slalom T days. sj


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## rg5hole (May 24, 2007)

very, very well written. 

As if you haven't figured it out already it seems this coupled with the economical hardships will translate directly into less choices in gear at higher prices. That is of course unless you teach a few new paddlers this year, and they teach a few next year, and so on.

Go teach sombody how to roll a boat! You know as well as I do it is VERY addicting so long as you don't jump in too fast and get scared away.

-rg


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## Rich (Sep 14, 2006)

rg5hole said:


> very, very well written.
> 
> As if you haven't figured it out already it seems this coupled with the economical hardships will translate directly into less choices in gear at higher prices. That is of course unless you teach a few new paddlers this year, and they teach a few next year, and so on.
> 
> ...


 
Should we really get another generation ADDICTED???

Don't we need some productive members of society. 

I mean, I'm ok with my vices, but not sure we should be encouraging a whole new generation of river scum! 

Who will pay for my SS and Medicare?

just my 2 cents


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## -k- (Jul 15, 2005)

I think its because it takes time and effort. We are an instant gratification world now days.


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## Ture (Apr 12, 2004)

I don't think about how popular or expensive/inexpensive a sport is if I like it a lot. The more I like it, the less popular I hope it is because I'm greedy and I want the good stuff for myself. My first love is surfing so that is where most of that comes from. One of the biggest things that I like about kayaking (creeking) is that it doesn't get crowded. 

I really don't give 2 shits about how much a boat costs because kayaking is a full on commitment and the cost of a boat is nothing compared to the other prices you pay, like blowing off all your non-paddling friends every summer, neglected families, $250,000 hospital bills for a broken neck, I could go on.

Even though I love kayaking, it is on the decline for me personally. I'm getting tired of worrying about getting stuffed into a sieve, I'm tired of my broken neck that I got kayaking, and I'm really tired of all the good paddlers getting killed. That's probably what's going to end it for me... I'm pretty close to the point that I'll take a big step down and just start teaching newbies and going on raft trips with my family.... but we'll see... it is easy to say at the end of the season after I've had my fill. The real test will be next season when it starts booming again.


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## BmfnL (May 23, 2009)

Lost me at "Outside Magazine article".


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

"Given all the press coverage, it's tempting to agree with Curry that the sport is booming, but in fact just the opposite is true. White­water kayaking is in serious decline, with American paddlers spending some 50 percent fewer days on the water than at the beginning of the decade, sponsorship dollars drying up, and the once-raging pro freestyle tour all but gone."

Whoever wrote this obviously hasn't been to Chaffee County lately. Kayaking around here becomes bigger and more popular each season...and that's ok with me.


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## Vin! (Mar 19, 2009)

*I would have to agree with seeing a decline*

I now work in glenwood springs, have been for a year. I live in eagle, so I drive through the canyon everyday twice. What I noticed at the end of last summer and now this summer is that shoshone seems to be dead.

At this time of year there is not much water in the state so shoshone should be packed. When i started boating I could go to shoshone any time of day and run into people to boat with or grab a shuttle.

Well not anymore. I have been dropping by there after work now for the last few weeks. I have been able to get a shuttle one time. I have paddled with someone one time. The place is a ghost town. I have been asking my friends "where did all the kayakers go".

I understand the fear. I have had my battles over the years. I am at the point where I will only paddle a river if I can take my playboat. I don't want to be scared, I want to have fun. I think kayakers need to get back to that mentality especially when trying to convince new people to try the sport.


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## Mike Harvey (Oct 10, 2003)

I think Greyson did a good job on the whole and I would not argue his point that the things that people thought were going to happen a few years ago (professional rodeo kayaking, "pro" kayakers, everyone buying a new playboat every year) are in decline. 

However, manufacturers being able to sell a lot of whitewater boats or athletes being able to get sponsored does not necessarily mean whitewater paddling is dead. Most people could see that companies were overreaching in the late 90's. I remember going on dealer visits with PT back then for Wave Sport and dealers yelling at him becuase Wave Sport had just realeased a new boat and they still were trying to sell the boat they oredered in the Spring.

At the end of the article he quotes Joel Heath basically attributing all the whitewater parks as a symptom of the boom years. As somone that travels all over the US planning and designing parks I can tell you that is completly inacurate. Whitewater parks are growing all over the Country percisely becuase they are so inclusive of all sorts of recreational use. Very few whitewater parks in the US have been built soley to serve high end kayaking, even during the boom years. 

I was in Dayton, Ohio last week for work and saw 60 year old ladies paddling Rec boats down the Mad River in moving (if not white) water at the weekly community paddling night at Bernie and Jeryl's kayak shop. There were tons of folks on the river and Bernie and Jeryl's shop was crawling with people. Sure looked like a sport on the rise to me.


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

rise. just not in the mainstream which is coolwith me.


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## MikeD (Jun 27, 2007)

That article is really about the decline of the buisness aspect of kayaking, not kayaking itself. The decline of kayaking itself would be measured in # user days which the article does not address.

The two are related but somewhat separate, IMO. So what if pro kayakers aren't getting paid $100,000 a year. So what if people aren't buying new boats every year. So what if coca-cola and budweiser aren;t using kayaking in their commercials. I think most kayakers are like me and dont give a shit about that stuff. Maybe that's why the buisness aspect of boating is down, kayaking is a committing sport, not easy to get into for the get out several times a year crowd like hiking, mtn biking, and skiing.


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## Mr Beaver (Mar 8, 2009)

Most sports go thru a sort of boom and bust. WW kayaking had a big appeal to Gen X, maybe it is less so with our younger brethren. It will be back and it is hard to imagine the economy doesn't effect this.

I know I am personnally still in my i3 instead of the new boat I wanted. But I did buy a Super Puma this year. 

I am sure few people are taking up the sport right now cause it can be pricey to start out. Recent college grads are having trouble finding any job, so I am sure they aren't out looking for ways to spend money. And these are the people I would most expect to take up WW kayaking.


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## Smokey Carter (Aug 31, 2005)

*Two sides*

The other side?

Extreme Kayaking - WSJ.com


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## possumturd (Jul 13, 2006)

*Example*

I wrote about this experience before but this is a good time to bring it up again.

I convinced a friend of mine to attend one of the whitewater festivals on the Ark. He had never boated. I am a big believer in professional instruction as it has paid off for my daughter and me in other sports as well as kayaking. He signed up for a class. First they put him in a pond and taught him how to wet exit and do some strokes. Then they took to entire class and put them on the Ark running at about 2K. He said they spent the entire class chasing gear and people. He had one experience where he was pined upside down against a rock. He met me at the end of the day and told me he would never get in another kayak the rest of his life and many of the people in the class felt the same way.

There are more people to blame than the manufactures.

I ran shoshone the other day with a bud from GW and I ask him. Where the hell is everybody? He said all his friends, the guys that taught him to boat, Are out of the sport. 

Riding mountain bikes, Family commitments etc.

People wash out of all sports and you have to develop the young. maybe we will see a comeback with the advent of the kids boats from LL and Jackson and more youth programs.


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## Mike Harvey (Oct 10, 2003)

Smokey Carter said:


> The other side?
> 
> Extreme Kayaking - WSJ.com


Obviously you know more about the media than I do, but this article struck me as a mainstream media outlet taking some individual events in our sport and lacing them together and sort of saying "look at this new trend". But we know it is not new that people at the high end push the limits of the last generation and we also know that high end is still relatively small.

The ridiculous article was the one a few years ago (maybe 2001ish?), that Greyson notes in his piece, where they put Ludden on the front cover and basically said kayaking is the next snowboarding. If someone could find that article and post a link that would give us some persepctive on the irrational exuberance of the late 90's-early 2000's. 

Whatever, I am going paddling today..and prolly tomorrow as well...


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## Smokey Carter (Aug 31, 2005)

Mike Harvey said:


> Obviously you know more about the media than I do...


I really don't though. I thought both pieces had interesting things to say, both are written by talented journalists. 

All I know is I love whitewater paddlers and whitewater paddling. I hope the sport is growing because it just seems to attract such cool people......I've met some awesome folks who populate this forum.....


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## FrankC (Jul 8, 2008)

Not too unusual for this to happen. I took a beginner kayak course on the Lehigh River in 1993 or so. The first day we went out to a lake to practice flipping over and wet exiting. Most of the people in my class went into a panic when flipped over. Only about half the class showed up for the second day of on-river training. I was hooked on the sport by the second day but I never saw any of the others on the river again. They were just not cut out for it. This is definitely not a sport for the meek and mild. 



possumturd said:


> I convinced a friend of mine to attend one of the whitewater festivals on the Ark. He had never boated. I am a big believer in professional instruction as it has paid off for my daughter and me in other sports as well as kayaking. He signed up for a class. First they put him in a pond and taught him how to wet exit and do some strokes. Then they took to entire class and put them on the Ark running at about 2K. He said they spent the entire class chasing gear and people. He had one experience where he was pined upside down against a rock. He met me at the end of the day and told me he would never get in another kayak the rest of his life and many of the people in the class felt the same way..


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

its take lots of commitment and people can't handle doing one thing for more than a year before they start on something else and actually expect to be good at what they are trying from the start. paddling is not this sport. its a sport where you can always grow and learn as long as you are willing(which makes it always fun) and most people aren't willing, they want to be mainstream; so they go and buy the next cool thing and still expect the be worth a shit at the rest.


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## Mike Harvey (Oct 10, 2003)

Smokey Carter said:


> All I know is I love whitewater paddlers and whitewater paddling. I hope the sport is growing because it just seems to attract such cool people......I've met some awesome folks who populate this forum.....


word.


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## craporadon (Feb 27, 2006)

*don't agree with the article*

There is no better feeling in the world as being at the bottom of a big drop and there are no better people in the world than those you meet on the river.

The rivers are just so powerful that you can only play on the margins, it is always more powerful than you and it is tough to be in a long-term loving relationship, cuddling every day for hours when in the back of your mind you know, she could reach over and give you the biggest beating you could ever imagine, ripping out your shoulder, smashing your back and holding you under water until you thought you were going to drown. That's just who she is.

In my opinion Greyson is one of the great outdoor writers of our generation. However on this piece I think he missed a big part of it. Kayaking is just an intense and extreme sport. So the birth, rise, fall, sideways whatever will be intense and extreme. Just because it rose and fell does not mean that it did so because it was intense and extreme. Rollerblading and mountain biking both surged and fell back and they are not extreme. Although I think I did have a pair of rollerblades that said "Extreme" on them in bright pink. Sports surge, fall back and go on. No sport in the world jabs the needle into your vein and pumps you so full of adrenaline that you enter another world where it's just you and the river and there are times in that world that nobody but a kayaker can understand how good it feels. The Yin Yang, equal and opposite tradeoff for those feelings is that death really is pretty close. It's all around you in the water you cannot breathe. Nothing is free in the world, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Many of the boom generation have moved on to less threatening activities and the permenant scars of each friend the river took build up the thoughts of increasing your own odds and the looks on their families faces that made you think all those fun times were certainly not worth this moment. In the end once you love the wicked beast but are fed up with her rampages you know you can never be whole without her. You just have to find where on her margins are best for you.

Even if you don't boat for 20 years you will still know:
There is no better feeling in the world as being at the bottom of a big drop and there are no better people in the world than those you meet on the river.


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## GoodTimes (Mar 9, 2006)

It sure seems that rafting is on the rise.....it's always been strong and people flock here (and many other places in the world) each season to get their whitewater fix. It's becoming increasingly difficult to obtain permits, find camp spots, etc etc etc.....

Kayaking is an entirely different beast and it takes a rare personality, I believe. I too have seen MANY people give it a try and quit after one season (or less)....it's not instant gratification....it's dedication and the willingness to get your ass kicked before you can float down the same stretch of river you rafted with your buds last year.

In a country that's becoming pussified.....it's hard to imagine the sport REALLY becoming mainstream....which is quite all right by me. I'll continue to teach the willing and hopefully it will find more popularity if for nothing more than the health of the industry.

I for one love the fact that it still feels...and generally is....a small community. Everyone knows someone that knows that guy that's paddled with so and so. It's cool.......and pretty much everyone I meet out there is great......I think that's what really matters. The sport is still attracting and always will, the type of peeps I like to be around.


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

AMEN. I for one am personally comfortable with the innevitable. and i don't beleive i would be truely "living" anylonger if i quit what i love, no matter the consequences. rare personalities is about the closest to explaining kayakers, its a deeper bond of understanding and similiarities that ties us together that we don't notice day to day cause its normal to us. i think it brings us even closer. f the mainstream.


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## Vin! (Mar 19, 2009)

I am starting to think that this sport is just falling victim to an overall trend in America of laziness and instant gratification. When I was learning to kayak, my roommate was who I mostly learned from. My second day on the river was a class three run because my roommate did not want to deal with finding a shuttle. We could take the in town bus for shuttle. This became a trend of me getting in over my head several time for his convenience.

I see it all the time in this sport. An experience kayaker tells a beginner that they will be fine stepping up a notch. The result is people get scared and quit. Friends can be the worst when it comes to peer pressure.

We need better ambassadors in the shops and local hang outs. To often people feel as though they are not "cool" if they swim or if they are not pushing the limits. This attitude; the "bro" attitude of experience kayakers telling beginners to step up and keep pushing it, is what is killing the sport. 

Kayaking is a progression of skills that takes time. I am in a bad spot mentally with kayaking because of some of this. I don't like to be pushed and in the past when I have been pushed it turned out bad. As a result I am sometimes scared to get into my boat and paddle some of the harder stuff I have run a hundred times. It sucks.


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## Buckrodgers (Feb 28, 2007)

I was just talking about this sort of thing with a friend yesterday coming back from paddling, remembering my first days kayaking as a beginner several years ago. Me and a couple of buddies spent some time learning to roll in a pool over a winter, and couldn't wait to get on the river in spring. We put on bridges at about .5 on the rock, and spent most of the time either stuck or dragging ourselves on rocks upside down in 6 inches of water or less...and I couldn't get the grin off my face the whole time, even with the cuts and bruises. Now I still get to drag myself over rocks with my friends, only its in class V instead (or that untimely early season wavewheel with not enough water)...and I still can't stop grinning, even with the bad days.

What I'm getting at is that this sport definitely isn't for everyone, but it is the most ideal sport for so many of us that have the type of attitude/disposition that kayaking lends itself to. And that is why it will never die. Those of us that know...well, we know. But, some people don't ever want to touch a rock with their head while attached to a small piece of plastic, and never get over those early hurdles, understandably so.

Kayaking can never be the next snowboarding, and it also is not like skiing in that with skiing/snowboarding, you can go maybe a weekend out of each year on vacation and still make it down the mountain safely, but kayaking doesn't really work that way. Being a good kayaker really means having a true passion, just in that you have to get so many days on the river to get competent and step it up safely. And, I'm glad too. This is a hard sport to be a poser in, unlike skiing/snowboarding. Plus, the benefit of this is that there always seems to be a nice influx of barely used boats for sale out there from folks who got the $hit scared out of them--lucky us, we don't have to pay retail!

Kayaking doesn't have to be for everyone, and the sport will never die...it brings too much joy to too many of us out there around the globe. Now if FoCo would just get the playpark put in...


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## Schizzle (Mar 26, 2004)

I think it's important for the sport to grow only for the reason that more boaters = more river advocates. Would I like to pick and choose who joins us, sure, but the reality is that people will choose for themselves.

Of the handful of people I've tried to introduce to kayaking, none of them liked it. Something was missing for them, for some it was the feeling of getting a workout (guess I should have made 'em swim more!), some it was the logistics/barriers to entry related to where they live and where the rivers are, others it was the perceived danger. I don't know, to echo GootTimes, it is indeed becoming a nation of the indoors, but that's why I want to introduce people to the outdoors.

FWIW, I think Greyson's article is right on from a business perspective and the sport certainly hasn't lost its soul. People, generally, still have a lot of money to buy things. Current cirstances aside, I look around and all I see is people with money wondering how to spend it. If you want to attract the next tier down of customers, you need to appeal to the enthusiast who may not want to take it to that high level of committment some of the previous posters have. Call that tier what you want, but they have a lot of money, regular jobs, and they want to pack it in on their weekends before showing back up at the desk on Monday.

A parallel to me is climbing where only a selection of the set of entrants really latch on and run with it, but oh my god, look at how many want to climb in a safe environment and they still want all the shiny gear. If I was a manufacturer right now, I would focus my ads in mainstream outdoor rags with pictures of friends having fun on class III. Or drinking beers by the river at the end of the day. Focus on the "fun" factor. The Jackson ad with the whole family going to the river with 4 boats on top. That kind of thing. The shots of the dudes running the gnar seemed aimed at the type-A, male adolescent demographic. For sure thats a critical and worthy segment, but face it, that's a limited demographic that doesn't have a lot of cash . They're also the type to move onto other things unless they see an avenue of progression -- one that doesn't involve more and more risk. Your customer lifecycle starts out young and hard, but where to go from there? X%, probably like 95%, won't move on to Class V+, or even stay at Class V for very long. So do we just give up and buy a raft?  

Anyway, I find this to be a very interesting discussion.


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## darkbluewrangler (Jun 4, 2007)

possumturd said:


> I wrote about this experience before but this is a good time to bring it up again.
> 
> I convinced a friend of mine to attend one of the whitewater festivals on the Ark. He had never boated. I am a big believer in professional instruction as it has paid off for my daughter and me in other sports as well as kayaking. He signed up for a class. First they put him in a pond and taught him how to wet exit and do some strokes. Then they took to entire class and put them on the Ark running at about 2K. He said they spent the entire class chasing gear and people. He had one experience where he was pined upside down against a rock. He met me at the end of the day and told me he would never get in another kayak the rest of his life and many of the people in the class felt the same way.
> 
> *There are more people to blame than the manufactures.*


As an instructor on the Ark I can see where your feelings are coming from. Unfortunately I don't think you have really put yourself in our shoes before it seems you try to spread some "blame" our way. 

Is it better for someone to learn this sport when the river is flowing at 750?? Of course... Unfortunately all the festivals on the Ark (including the one based on instruction) are organized during high or peak flows.

Your buddy was probably put on a class I-II section of whitewater.. after being shown the wet exit and basic strokes on a lake. I think if you did some research, you would find that this approach is about the standard for instruction across the country, And it is just about the easiest and most low risk that instruction can get. 

I agree that 2000cfs on the Ark is not optimal for instruction.. But if that's when someone books their vacation or organizes their festival during that time... there's not much we can do about it. 

The Ark is only at low water for a month or so... for a paddling school to survive as a business, you have to be able to operate all summer. I'm not trying to insult your friend.. but a Class II swim.. is a Class II swim. If you can't handle that swim, this might not have been the sport for him in the first place.... and those people are definitely out there. But please don't go suggesting that the paddling schools in the Ark Valley are throwing people in over their head/ turning people away from the sport.


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## Vin! (Mar 19, 2009)

darkbluewrangler said:


> I think if you did some research, you would find that this approach is about the standard for instruction across the country, And it is just about the easiest and most low risk that instruction can get.



I think you are missing the point. Just because something is "standard" does not mean it is correct. It seems to me the standard needs to change. If the ark is that high then beginners should not be there. Take them up to the colorado or somewhere where that amount of water is not as threatening. Rafters travel from far away to the ark for trips. Kayakers will too.

It is your responsibility as an instructor or school to provide the safest most enjoyable experience. If your bottom line does not like that; then maybe that is not the business for you. I have said this before, kayaking is not corporate. Never will be. It is not about making money and running the business. It is about running the river. If people never make it far enough to enjoy it because the business pushed them in the wrong direction...well then the industry has failed that beginner.


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## CGM (Jun 18, 2004)

*The Great Debate*

This topic seems to have come up alot this year...with the limits of the sport being pushed to places that very few would have thought possible just a few short years ago, and yet there seems to be declines in certain aspects of the sport. I was talking with some friends the other day, and we could barely think of anyone under the age of 25 on the front range that are into creeking. It seems to be alot of the same faces at the put in's and take out's of the standard front range creek. I don't know why, but there really doesn't seem to be alot of new blood....I could be wrong. But I diverge. Anyone interested in this topic should check out the "Great Debate" article from the Jan/Feb American Whitewater Journal. American Whitewater - -SecurityGadget-explain, But I am sure you are all members and have seen this already, right? Its very interesting and touches on most of the points that have been brought up in this thread and previous threads regarding the future and past of the sport as well as the current state of the industry. And the range of contributors is great, from icon's of the sport, to the new stars and industry leaders. Even Craporadan has a piece in there.....I highly recommend you check it out.


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## darkbluewrangler (Jun 4, 2007)

Vin! said:


> Take them up to the colorado or somewhere where that amount of water is not as threatening. Rafters travel from far away to the ark for trips. Kayakers will too.
> 
> It is your responsibility as an instructor or school to provide the safest most enjoyable experience.


We are not running Browns Canyon with these people. We are talking about Big Bend to Salida (walking the dam) or comparable sections... I think at the same time of year sections on the Colorado are about the same risk/difficulty. Class II is Class II

A normal intro class is two days. 3/4 of the first day is on a lake.. with the last hour or two spent at a teaching eddy. No progress is made down river. 
The second day is on class I-II. 

If anyone can brainstorm a better way to teach someone how to kayak I would be very open to hearing it. I have only been paddling for six years and I know that I don't have all the answers.... But I think that when anyone learns how to kayak, those class II swims are inevitable. We cannot manage that risk out of learning this sport. Even if we spent 3 days on barely moving water, then went to class II, those swims would still happen. If those swims scare someone from the sport.. there is not much an instructor can do.


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## BoscoBoater (Jul 11, 2006)

*Seems down to me..*

I live about 6 feet from one of the more popular runs in NY State. The decline of kayaking has been very easy for me to see. 5 years ago we had no gage on this river. People were constantly bugging me for a level report. Every time the river was even barely runnable there would be dozens of boaters on the river and lots of cars at the put in and take outs. On the weekends especially there would be a nonstop parade of colorful boats. I would see lots of folks playing the holes and waves every time I went down.

The requests for levels started to drop a few years ago and when the gas prices spiked a while back, they stopped all together. We now have a fancy new online gage, so folks could easily see when the river rises and falls. It does make for easy trip planning, but the boaters just aren't here. We are down to a few hard core folks now. These guys are mostly the older folks who were boating here before the boom time.

The rivers has come up good 4 or 5 times this summer and I have had the river almost all to myself.  There have been only a few cars at the put in or take out, and the parade of boats has dropped to a rare sighting or two.

My local river festival, Moosefest, has also seen a dramatic drop in attendance. So much so that the organizers have stopped doing the food, beer, bands and swap meet for lack of folks. The used to rent the towns indoor pavilion for this and load it up with manufactures and retailers, but the lack of folks has made this a money loser instead of a money maker. We are now down to a pub crawl and a bbq at the local outfitters. Which is better than nothing I guess, but I miss the crazy scene.


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## Vin! (Mar 19, 2009)

BoscoBoater said:


> The requests for levels started to drop a few years ago and when the gas prices spiked a while back, they stopped all together.



I guess I have sorta forgotten about the relationship of Gas and Kayaking. Come to think of it that is when I started to boat less too. It wasn't worth it to drive down to shoshone everyday for a mile long run. We started car pooling and walking shuttles to offset some it. Mostly I guess we would just pass on it and save gas.

Lets face it. Kayaking involves a lot of driving. Poor kayakers have trouble spending 50+ dollars to fill their tanks every couple of days. 

Now that it is harder to find jobs and the economy is in a holding pattern it may take a bit of time to ramp up interest in kayaking again.


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## asleep.at.the.oars (May 6, 2006)

darkbluewrangler said:


> If anyone can brainstorm a better way to teach someone how to kayak I would be very open to hearing it. I have only been paddling for six years and I know that I don't have all the answers.... But I think that when anyone learns how to kayak, those class II swims are inevitable. We cannot manage that risk out of learning this sport. Even if we spent 3 days on barely moving water, then went to class II, those swims would still happen. If those swims scare someone from the sport.. there is not much an instructor can do.


Not very practical for a weekend school, but the guy who taught me plopped me in his old / my new boat at the Montview Cut in Seattle and we surfed the motorboat wakes. After days and days of paddling on the lake, trying to surf a wake, rolling, practicing braces between boats, and just chilling on the water I was really comfortable in the boat when I got on actual moving water. Knowing that I had a truly solid roll (i.e. by hand both sides) in a lake sure helped when I got stuck on an eddy line and carped for ever. I mean, why swim, I knew how to roll, right? 
Still, I boat a whole lot less now then I did then because I lack both gas money and time.


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## GoodTimes (Mar 9, 2006)

Schizzle said:


> If I was a manufacturer right now, I would focus my ads in mainstream outdoor rags with pictures of friends having fun on class III. Or drinking beers by the river at the end of the day. Focus on the "fun" factor. The Jackson ad with the whole family going to the river with 4 boats on top. That kind of thing. The shots of the dudes running the gnar seemed aimed at the type-A, male adolescent demographic. For sure thats a critical and worthy segment, but face it, that's a limited demographic that doesn't have a lot of cash . They're also the type to move onto other things unless they see an avenue of progression -- one that doesn't involve more and more risk. Your customer lifecycle starts out young and hard, but where to go from there? X%, probably like 95%, won't move on to Class V+, or even stay at Class V for very long. So do we just give up and buy a raft?
> 
> Anyway, I find this to be a very interesting discussion.


I always find this topic pretty interesting as well. The perception out there is that kayaking is just gnarly and crazy. Atleast that's what most of my friends and family think. 

I can't blame the manufacturer's for placing add campaigns that, quite frankly, only appeal to about 5% of the boating community.....cause they're friggen AWESOME....from an experienced kayakers perspective.

(just an estimation...of all the paddlers in the world, my guess is only about 5% paddle V-V+)

BUT....look at the companies that are the most robust in the industry. NRS is the first one that comes to mind for me.....I've been flipping through their most recent catalog. Yes, it definitely has some team NRS peeps SCOUTING some class V, but the majority of pics are just good ole' river fun....hanging out in camps, floating with beautiful scenery, close-ups of paddlers in a rapid.......not some pic of a paddler dropping a 30' er(although maybe that's what he/she was ABOUT to do). Anyway....it's perception....they seem to get it right. It's geared towards family fun and they're undoubtedly the most successful manufacturer in the industry.

Ebb and flow.....that's what we're seeing in kayaking.....it boomed, people got freaked out....it might be declining.....but a happy medium will be found and I believe those of us that are extremely passionate about it have a responsibility to "sell" it to our friends or whomever that it's "whatever you want it to be", and not necessarily only for the hard core.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

darkbluewrangler said:


> We are not running Browns Canyon with these people. We are talking about Big Bend to Salida (walking the dam) or comparable sections... I think at the same time of year sections on the Colorado are about the same risk/difficulty. Class II is Class II
> 
> A normal intro class is two days. 3/4 of the first day is on a lake.. with the last hour or two spent at a teaching eddy. No progress is made down river.
> The second day is on class I-II.
> ...


I think you guys do as good a job as anyone can at teaching people to kayak on the Arkansas (RMOC?). The last two years we have had pretty high water for beginners, but BB to Salida is still the place for them to be. The stretches you guys teach on are the same ones I swam on, and learned on. You are at the mercy of mother nature when it comes to kayak instruction, and you are right, it's not for everyone, and there's only one way for your clients to find out if they like it or not, and that's get on/in the river.


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## possumturd (Jul 13, 2006)

lmyers said:


> I think you guys do as good a job as anyone can at teaching people to kayak on the Arkansas (RMOC?). The last two years we have had pretty high water for beginners, but BB to Salida is still the place for them to be. The stretches you guys teach on are the same ones I swam on, and learned on. You are at the mercy of mother nature when it comes to kayak instruction, and you are right, it's not for everyone, and there's only one way for your clients to find out if they like it or not, and that's get on/in the river.


I Think the problem here is you scare people off whom if introduced to the sport in a more friendly manner could possibly remain.

I take part of the responsibility for scaring my friend off. I should have gauged his personality a bit better. I really think that if I had taken him to the pool for a couple days. Then moved him to flat water stretch then moved him to mild moving water; that I would have a paddling buddy today. He may not have ever been a class III boater but he would have been a river person.

I think that the vast majority of people who get swept down a moving river, upside down in a boat are going to be traumatized, even if they didn't think they would prior to signing up.


From my standpoint, If I am ever going to introduce this sport to any person I care about, I will do everything in my power to ensure that their first experience with a kayak and water is a positive one. 

It's almost like some type of formal progression program be in place.
And being in a kayak on swift,cold water is not what you do first day or maybe even first week. Some people may take to it like a duck and you just fast track them right into whitewater but other people may never get past class I or II but still be in love with the river as apposed to being shell shocked right back onto the couch.

Having said all that , Frankly I am glad our sport does not appeal to the masses.8)


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## Riparian (Feb 7, 2009)

Speaking as a complete outsider/rubber person, here's my guess (since I really don't know) as to why there's a decline: aging kayakers having children/real jobs/spouses who wanna do something else. Or it could be something much more sinister: the invasion of the RaftPeople. They use compelling and cruel tactics to recruit people into their evil cult... like comfy boats and cold beer.


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## Palo Duro (Jun 12, 2009)

Ahhh, cold beer,, nice raft,,,nice day,, view,,,nice easy going women,,,

I'm In.


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## Vin! (Mar 19, 2009)

Another contributing factor is the introduction of SUP. 

Those damn SUPers. Yes I am talking to you Craporadon. You guys and your blade nasty appealing to all those surfer wannabe's.

Take off the gay blades and go kayak. geesh.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

possumturd said:


> And being in a kayak on swift,cold water is not what you do first day or maybe even first week.


Even if you spend a month in the pool with your friend, chances are the same thing is going to happen the first time they get in the river, they are going to swim. I suppose you could take them to something like Deckers on the SP for their first time, then the water won't be so deep and cold, but then it's shallow and rocky. Plus Ark valley based operations do not have the luxury of traveling 2-3 hours in order to change the character of the class II they teach on. I suppose the best thing would just be to educate beginners that it is easier to learn early and late in the season.


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## craporadon (Feb 27, 2006)

*Blade Nasty*



Vin! said:


> Another contributing factor is the introduction of SUP.
> 
> Those damn SUPers. You guys and your blade nasty appealing to all those surfer wannabe's.
> 
> Take off the gay blades and go kayak. geesh.


I understand having a little Blade Envy. It is the civilized way to run a river, you just step on the board and you're rolling. It does totally suck on lakes though, I went 1 time on the lake for 10 minutes and it sucked bad. I am fairly convinced of the coming surge of River Blading though. I have taken at least 8 complete 1st timers(half non-kayakers) down Class II-III rapids in the last 3 weeks. Not one was intimidated, everybody swam a bunch of times and nobody had any carnage (other than cuts and bruises). I can't even figure out what to drink booties for cause when they fall off and swim it's no big deal, you just climb back up on the board. It is a very fun, non-intimidating way to see the river. 

The point is that Greyson missed the point. It was'nt just the extremeness of kayaking that killed it. It just boomed and fell back like every other sport does. The extreme aspect just makes a convenient scapegoat. I am dissappointed Greyson fell into that trap and wrote the same article that has been written many times about the extremeness of kayaking killing the sport. Kayaking is just extreme, so the rise, fall, birth, death are all just extreme by nature. Skateboarding is a good example of what kayaking may do: It boomed in the late 80's thru early 90's as board design changed radically and then died out at the end of the 90's, Rollerblading was big and Tony Hawk was doing parking lot demo's at retailers for $80/day. Then after a few yrs skateboarding came back and continues steady to this day. Sports ebb and flow, placing the responsibility for that ebb in kayaking on extremeness is not supported by facts or historical evidence in other sports. 

PS Vin, you better get some Bladin' in before it's not cool anymore.


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## -k- (Jul 15, 2005)

My wife is currently reading a book called _Last Child in the Woods. _It discusses the concept of a "nature deficit" in our society. Essentially it holds the belief that young kids learned to interpret the world and consequence (on their own) through nature and exploring the outside world (bugs bite, thorns stick, rivers can kick your butt, common sense stuff, etc.). It also creates an understanding and sense of loss when things change in the outside world. Remember, your parents use to say "go play outside", this isn't a common concept any more due to more urban environments where outside play may be more threatening as a result of populous rather than the outdoors themselves.

Outside of the natural world, video gaming, etc., kids do not learn/understand consequence as well and this creates a fear rather than acceptance of the outside world/nature in their lives. They also get themselves into dangerous situations with out understanding them (Family who put on on Idaho class V with no concept of the risk involved).

My opinion is this has had an impact on the decline of most outdoor activities in general. Hence the decline in fishing, hunting and most outdoor sports in general. The only upside to this is those kids exposed to outside world who play outside will likely excel beyond others and have a more rational sense of their place in the world. 

Likely a great future in being a guide 30 years from now as people will need professionals to feel safe in the woods.


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## thecraw (Oct 12, 2003)

One thing I would say, and a bit in response to what Dark Blue was asking about what is a better way to instruct.. Since the advent of a tandem whitewater kayak that is comfy and designed on a performance hull, allows for 1 experienced kayaker to take virtually anyone on the river with darn near complete confidence. That paddler can have absolutely NO days on the river ever... This is NOT an add for the Dynamic Duo, YES I WORK FOR JK, but follow me here... Just as many are commenting here, the big problem is a swim prior to developing the skills and association with what really makes this sport so much fun. Running rapids, eddy'ing, and the commradarie that you develop with this community of genuinely friendly people. 
I have told several people over the past months that a real entrepreneur that wants to make money in the kayaking world these days could make a TON of cash sitting at the local playparks and offer 15.00 rides down "them rapids"... And take that a bit further into an instructional standpoint. Prior to anyone expected to do their first run on their own, being taken in a duo several times until they understand what to really expect, how to react, and most importantly how "unscary" it really is to just run class II/III once you have your hip control, and bracing down pat.
One skilled (partially strong) kayaker can roll two people on their own no problem in a Dynamic Duo. Not sure about Topo's or Nami Nami's (sp?) as I haven't tried. 
If you think about it, it addresses about all the issues mentioned beyond once you get on your own... But even then you are going to be so far beyond where others started, ones lack of confidence head games will be several steps deeper into confidence inspiring.. 

Not all the answers, but certainly a big answer in my book.


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## Yamahamod (Apr 3, 2009)

Im newer to kayaking. I have only been boating for really a year and a half and that's including this season. After reading all of your post I would have to agree with most of all of them on wanting to get good to fast so it makes me sorta want to turn my back to it. 
Maybe i feel like I have to continue, because I went out bought the boat new and all the gear and then took a lesson. Really though it's in the blood now.
I currently live in Glenwood Springs and have been running the shoshone which I feel is a perfect river to learn on with the deeper water. I have ran all of shoshone a few times with no problems and then other times I have swam it a time or two. From what I have gotten from people is that swimming alot as a beginner is normal so hell mary here i come. 

Anyone want to run it in the evenings or on the weekends call me up. Ive got a yota for shuddle. 303-870-8701 5 min away. Korey


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## Yamahamod (Apr 3, 2009)

One more thing:
Not to be a pu$$y but learning to roll in ice cold water made it very sucky and I think made it much harder to learn.


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## ross (Oct 19, 2006)

Vin! said:


> I am starting to think that this sport is just falling victim to an overall trend in America of laziness and instant gratification. When I was learning to kayak, my roommate was who I mostly learned from. My second day on the river was a class three run because my roommate did not want to deal with finding a shuttle. We could take the in town bus for shuttle. This became a trend of me getting in over my head several time for his convenience.
> 
> I see it all the time in this sport. An experience kayaker tells a beginner that they will be fine stepping up a notch. The result is people get scared and quit. Friends can be the worst when it comes to peer pressure.
> 
> ...


 
I think you hit it right on the mark. Learning from friends that don't want to hang out on class II sections is the worst thing for the sport. I see it all the time. We get many people who take lessons with us after their friends have already put a bad mental image in their head and it is very difficult to change. 

There is nothing wrong with hanging out and running class II and or III whitewater. The pressure to progress so fast is pushing people out of the sport. 

I spent years at the class II and III level and I think that time getting comfortable there before I made the step up to V is what makes me the paddler i am today. 

I love teaching newbies and I ask that anyone who's teaching a friend to take it slow. That is what will help this sport. Showing people how safe our sport can really be.

just felt like adding

Ross
Alpine Kayak
School Manager


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## waterratNE (Aug 9, 2009)

I wanted to read the entire thread, but was getting tired. For the people worried about white water, here's a rant of a hooked newbie. This summer I got into kayaking because I had some time on my hands, and then I took a whitewater one day intro class. I was hooked. Have I had trouble? Of course I have, but the instructors I had were great. This was out of a local canoe club, so it's not a paddling school. Paddling schools (they def. have their place) have to make money, and unless you want to run non-profit paddling school (good luck) they have to take the opportunity given to teach people. Maybe they shouldn't be throwing students out in really high water, but class II swim is what it is. This is not a good sport to be in if you are a perfectionist (which kinda sucks since I am), and, like all of you have said, this sport takes time to learn and develop. I personally don't want to see idiots in rec boats trying to do whitewater, thinking they are cool. That's how people get hurt (it happened on the Lehigh recently). So let the yuppies do their spin classes and rock walls. I'll take the real deal and love being outside without having to prove anything (except to me, maybe). I may not be real young (late 20s), but I am hooked. Others will get hooked too. The younger the better, they learn quicker. Thanks for reading, and sorry this was so long.

-Alexis


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## waterratNE (Aug 9, 2009)

Riparian said:


> Speaking as a complete outsider/rubber person, here's my guess (since I really don't know) as to why there's a decline: aging kayakers having children/real jobs/spouses who wanna do something else. Or it could be something much more sinister: the invasion of the RaftPeople. They use compelling and cruel tactics to recruit people into their evil cult... like comfy boats and cold beer.


that was hilarious...


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## Matt J (May 27, 2005)

I apologize in advance for not reading the entire thread as the posts I did read offered a lot of valuable insight.

First, I feel it is important to dispute a lot of the "facts" presented in the Outside article. The article is certainly well written and entertaining as a professionally written piece should be, but there are a load of fallacies' and it is fraught with misinformation.

Please, someone who has first hand experience with any professional kayaker ever pulling down $100k in sponsorships please speak up. I think Tao Berman has been quite frank about approaching the sport as a full-time job and he may be the only kayaker ever to remotely approach this number.

Why do we feel that in order for a sport to be legitimate you must be able to earn a living as a professional? Let's face it, kayaking is not baseball, basketball, or football, and that's exactly why a lot of us enjoy it.

There is not necessarily anything "broken" in whitewater sports because large corporate interests are not hauling in the loot. Sure we all want the producers of our toys to stay in business, but market saturation can be attributed to too many buy outs and spin-offs not too few recreationalists.

Also, I feel that a lean economy, joblessness, and higher fuel costs have certainly deterred boaters from getting on the water as much as we might like. But, like our entire economy perhaps our industry will have to become content with a "sustained" market instead of constantly focusing on growth. I say cheers to shorter lines in the eddys and truely remote wilderness runs - now if we can just find a way to get rid of these goofy guys on surfboards


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## sgb3000 (Nov 22, 2004)

I have seen the future. It paddles a squirt boat.


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## InBetween Swims (Jul 3, 2007)

Just catching up with this thread...

Thought that I'd add that I tracked down Grayson after he wrote the piece and asked about some of the issues folks are posing here.

Here's the link to the show - In Between Swims:The Whitewater Podcast.

Timing of the article was interesting. Coming on the heels of Pedro and Tyler's drops, the WSJ article, and OR where lots of paddlesports people didn't show (due to the show dates, I think) - it's made for some interesting conversations.

Again, thanks for letting me post here. Hope the show is useful/entertaining/diverting....

~jeffmc


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## Mike Scott (Apr 22, 2009)

Here is my perspective. I went to day 1 of a 2 day private class. It went fine. Basics of paddling, wet exits, bracing, fundamentals of the roll, eddy turns, peel outs and ferries. All went OK except for the ferry-long story.

I did not go back for day 2. Why not- hard to say. This was 5 months ago. I still have my gear. My wife asked me the other day why-I had no good answer. I am still intrigued by the sport, but I guess I am a pussy. I do still think about going back for a day 1 refresher and doing day 2. I am old and based on Day 1 comments by the instructor didn't freak being upside down (lots of water sport experience I guess), and was able to paddle the boat pretty straight for a newbie.

As an old guy, who can't do the roll, there is a certain fear of being caught in a hole of sieve or something. This fear may be unrealistic to a point because I never felt I would do more that class II or maybe low level class III. Another problem could be that as the baby boomers get old and quit, there just isn't the volume of humans to take their places. Just my rambling thoughts.


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## Doug_Davis (Oct 8, 2009)

Mike Scott said:


> As an old guy, *who can't do the roll, there is a certain fear of being caught in a hole of sieve or something.* This fear may be unrealistic to a point because I never felt I would do more that class II or maybe low level class III. Another problem could be that as the baby boomers get old and quit, there just isn't the volume of humans to take their places. Just my rambling thoughts.


This ^. That right there is what helps kill interest in this sport, that and the attitude of some kayakers that "this stuff is hard braugh and maybe you are just to pu$$y or out of shape to handle it, you know?"

This stuff drives me bonkers! Its like the old arguments the older long boarder surfers used to get in with the younger shorter board gnarly surfers (I was a surfer long before I became a paddler). Smoothly and safely surfing a wave versus thrashing across its surface trying to pull insane air or riding 35' monsters at Mavericks break. Just like there is more than one way to surf, there is more than one way to get down a river and trying to be all gnarly and doing the hardest stuff on the squirliest boats isnt always the right way for everyone. 

Why are newbies even going out into class 2 water in hard shell skirted kayaks on the 2nd day of a class? If you call yourself an ACA certified instructor you ought to know better. I dont care if thats how other commercial schools are doing it, it doesnt make it right. 

Two schools of thought:
A) If they are simply on VACATION and dont really give a crap about learning to paddle (notice I didnt say kayak), then give them one day on flat water and send them down the class 1-2 on inflatable and stable duckies. Send them home to Kansas with some pictures and a few good memories and call it done. The End.
B) If they REALLY want to learn paddling then they need to spend a couple days if not weeks on flat water. Learning strokes and balance and river features, and basic safety and rescue lessons...before EVER getting to moving water. Then once they get to the moving water put them in a duckie or sit on top kayak or even a canoe....something that doesnt require a roll, but will allow them to start learning the river and the way water interacts with their boat, how to start performing basic eddy turns, c turns, s turns, peel outs, ferries, etc etc. 

Im sick of seeing people try to push new paddlers into using boats beyond their ability (get a playboat first braugh!), or running commercial tourist operations and claiming its a paddling course. For people who really want to learn to paddle (whether its K, C1, OC1, or even inflatable) if you start them off with the basics of the sport, while feeling safe and secure.....you will most likely create a paddler and river advocate for life.

/rant off

~Doug Davis
ACA Instructor


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## Mike Scott (Apr 22, 2009)

So, if I understand you correctly, Day 2 shouldn't have been scheduled for Class 2 in your opinion. As I recall, it was all to be class 2 with one class 3 rapid thrown in. Shoot on Day 1 in the afternoon we were on the river (very slow moving) doing the ferry, eddy turn and peel outs. I did OK and definitely learned the wet exit! I must admit to "pussying" out on the second day though.


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## Doug_Davis (Oct 8, 2009)

Mike Scott said:


> So, if I understand you correctly, Day 2 shouldn't have been scheduled for Class 2 in your opinion. As I recall, it was all to be class 2 with one class 3 rapid thrown in. Shoot on Day 1 in the afternoon we were on the river (very slow moving) doing the ferry, eddy turn and peel outs. I did OK and definitely learned the wet exit! I must admit to "pussying" out on the second day though.



Not if you really wanted to learn to paddle while maintaining a safe and secure environment for your class as an instructor. 

The Arkansas (even through Big Horn Sheep Canyon) can be swift even at low water levels with few large eddies to catch along the banks.....basically any new boater especially if its their second day EVER paddling, is not going to have a good time if they come out of their boat ,which they will guaranteed. Their ass and shins are going to hit and scrape over every rock in the river as they flail their way down. 

First spend a couple days or more on a nice flat lake or pool. Learn to balance, turn, brace, pry, draw, duffek, paddle straight, and basic self and buddy rescue techniques.
Then find a nice wide swift flowing section of river....preferably class 1 with maybe one or two class 2 sections, plents of big eddies to eddy out in, peel out of, ferry across, etc etc. Spend a week or so there learning the basic paddling maneuvers, strokes and how to balance and brace your boat of choice. Make sure that boat is a nice forgiving river runner or canoe or duckie, ie something that is forgiving of your beginner mistakes and makes you feel safe while paddling it. 
Then if you are going to paddle a skirted kayak start working and keep working (through out your entire paddling life span) on you roll.

With all the basics down you will be a better and safer paddler and will be able to move on and start enjoying the sport...at what ever level YOU decide to go to.


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## eklars (Mar 28, 2006)

I am curious as to how many people had an easy learning-to-paddle experience like me vs. how many people who struggled with learning stuck with it like my buddy?

All I did was: I bought up all the equipment used, watched a video on how to roll on youtube, nailed rolls in the apartment complex's pool in an afternoon, went to the put in of a local class II run and fooled around for a couple of days without going downriver. Then I ran that easy, close to the house class II run every other day the rest of the summer. It was a great first year and I was doing class IV and working on loops the second year. 

My friend bought everything new and has been pulling his skirt prior to being fully submerged all summer and still insists on doing class III with no roll. Still he had an awesome time and loved every minute of it. Of course, he did lose 2 paddles and swim 1-2 times everyday, and he was the most scared I have ever seen a human, but he's psyched and looks like he's here to stay. 

How many people who struggle with the roll etc stick with it? Is this sport made up mainly of people who excelled from the beginning?


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## Mike Scott (Apr 22, 2009)

Doug_Davis said:


> Not if you really wanted to learn to paddle while maintaining a safe and secure environment for your class as an instructor.
> 
> The Arkansas (even through Big Horn Sheep Canyon) can be swift even at low water levels with few large eddies to catch along the banks.....basically any new boater especially if its their second day EVER paddling, is not going to have a good time if they come out of their boat ,which they will guaranteed. Their ass and shins are going to hit and scrape over every rock in the river as they flail their way down.
> 
> ...


Thanks, that makes perfect sense. I really didn't feel ready for any class 2 rapids at that point and felt I needed more time with the "easy water" and the ferry, eddy turns and peel outs. I think part of the problem was that I had paddled flat water in a rec boat so the straight paddling and some of the other stuff like leaning and bracing came pretty naturally to me. Not to mention as a surfer and wind surfer, the water per se didn't freak me out. I did get tired of coming out of the boat so much though. 

I will take the blame as I could have told the instructor that I wanted to continue to work on that stuff rather than hitting the class 2-after all I was the one paying for the class.


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## goldcamp (Aug 9, 2006)

This is definately an interesting discussion. I think that this sport has broad appeal (ie looks cool) but very few people are actually cut out for it. I do think that it wrong to push beginners into harder water than they are ready for but ultimately the swim is going to come. If it happens on day 2 then maybe people come to the realization sooner that it is not for them. I personally was instantly in love with the sport and made it my mission in life to get good at it. Most of the people I know that boat are similiarly inclined. A bad swim was not going to deter me from the exhilaration that I experienced. The swims just made me determined to practice and perfect my roll. 

I also think that there needs to be some personally responsibility to progressing. I have never run anything that I didn't want to run or think that I could run successfully. Just because your friends are running class 4 doesn't mean you have too. It is your responsibility to practice your skills, even if that means finding some new friends to paddle with. 

By the way, I agree wholeheartedly that your need to practice your skills (rolling, bracing, eddying) constantly. I've always looked at those skills as being like those learned in the military. You have to drill on them constantly so that you have an instantious and thoughtless reaction to what happens under any circumstances. I have a friend that is probably on his way out of the sport because he won't step back and practice the fundamentals.


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## kentford (Feb 21, 2004)

*Whitewater Symposium targets these issues*

The health of whitewater sport is a topic central to the annual Whitewater Symposium. This year it was the best ever. Easy logistics meant that the leaders of whitewater sport had lots of time to focus on ways to improve the health of whitewater sport. The optimistic attitude was pervasive. The recent slip in whitewater kayak sales might prove to be like the dot com bust of 2001... people still use the internet don't they? Rivers are going to be the same. The allure of flowing water will always be present in rivers, and entice new people to explore its currents.

The symposium has helped push for many positive changes in the sport. In the years of the first symposiums (2001,2002), there was great concern that large guys, smaller women, and kids could not find an appropriate boat. Now we have companies that excel in offering each. For a while it seemed as though the entire sport was nothing but extreme imagery playboating. We've still got a lingering extreme image. But among the leaders of the sport there is more widespread understanding for the need to balance that image with the smiles of accessibility. Now the waterfall image is seen as eye candy, rather than representative of what our sport has to offer.

Every one of us is in the drivers seat for this awesome sport. We need to take newcomers under wing. Make them comfortable in a stable boat on Class II. Provide them a realistic progression to learn- with Class II-III as a suitable goal. 

This year at the symposium there was consensus feel that we can put our best foot forward for whitewater sport. Widespread backlash has begun to diminish the negative vicious banter of anonymous internet forums. We need to focus a positive message welcoming newcomers, with customized advice. We need to be sure we are not the ones promoting one branch of the sport to the exclusion of another. River runners will feel at home again. Some have likened our situation to that of skiing. When snowboarding came along, skiing had a few years of turmoil, then figured out how to make everyone feel at home on the mountain. We are in the process of doing that on rivers! The great divide between whitewater rafting, inflatable kayaks, canoes, and whitewater kayaks should be blurring.

And the imaginative programming that is on display in whitewater sport is mind boggling! No lack of kids in the outdoors in whitewater! Many towns have thriving kids kayak programs. Alzar, WorldClass, New River traveling high school academy's focus on rivers. Girls at Play thrives. Team River Runner connects wounded vets returning from Iraq/Afganistan to our positive communities. First Descents makes a wish for cancer battlers. World Kayak promotes homegrown events focused on the social aspects of paddling. And we have a sense of where we've been (shameless plug for my film The Call of the River).

More than ever, whitewater paddlers are putting fear on the table for discussion. Addressing the potential fears makes it easier to learn whitewater paddling! The best instructors know and apply this- making it possible for more newcomers to enjoy river time. Secondly, learning to paddle whitewater is the best training ground for handling fears in other parts of your life. Paddlers are confident, bold, respectful, and fun. These are all skills refined through paddling.

We can all do better at properly helping newcomers. Lets share the fun of exploring flowing water. For me that means emphasizing the great people, stunning scenery, and dynamic flow you can find on easy water with a careful learning progression.

Some other posts on the symposium:
* James MacBeth's World Kayak Blog Post
* Heather Herbeck: A coming together of creative minds 
* Rob Terry's Adept Descents Blog
Janet Cowie Organizer Message
* Photos from the 2009 Whitewater Symposium go to www.adamducomb.com


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