Comparison Between the Small Gnarvana and the Medium Flow

by Hilde Schweitzer | Dec 8, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines

Comparison between the Small Gnarvana and the Medium Flow I have been paddling for a long time, been in a lot of different boats of all shapes and sizes in those years, and it takes a lot to get me excited or impressed by any new boat. Last year I surprisingly bonded...

The Backdeck Roll & Safety in Shallow Water

by Boyd Ruppelt | Dec 5, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW Disciplines

Even if you know how to backdeck roll, you’ll want to watch this video for a modified version. The rule is simple, stay in the box and keep your elbows down. If you do that, the backdeck roll is faster, safer, and even better for shallow water and rocks than any...

Improvement Guaranteed: Do this Warm-Up every time you paddle

by Boyd Ruppelt | Dec 3, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW Disciplines

One thing I’ve found over the years is that the top kayakers in the world all have certain skills and regular practices in common. Do this warm up, listed below, every time you touch the water and your boat and edge control will improve drastically. For the more...

Flow on the Upper G!

by Adam Swett | Dec 2, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines

I had so much fun yesterday on the Upper Gauley following my friends Alex and John down from Fayetteville. Some friends of ours from Maine rounded out the group after the obligatory getting lost on the way in. It was the second time paddling my new Flow and I was so...

Flow on the Upper Yok!

by Adam Swett | Dec 1, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW Disciplines

I picked up my new Flow medium a few days ago and was very excited to get it out on the river ASAP! I have always liked a smaller boat for my size as I am around 210lbs 5’11” so I figured a medium would be perfect. It is. I am a bit over the top end but...

Five Lessons from Upper Cherry Creek

by JT Hartman | Nov 29, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines

Upper Cherry Creek has been a bucket list river for me since I first started kayaking nearly ten years ago. With long granite slides, committing canyons, and remote, awe-inspiring beauty, who wouldn’t dream of hiking themselves miles and miles into the high-sierra...

30 years paddling

by Adam Swett | Nov 2, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines

My first kayaking experiences took place in 1992/1993 before my 3rd year guiding rafts in Maine. I was on Pushaw Stream paddling a Perception Mystic using a 220cm, 90degree Harmony Ridgeline paddle I had “borrowed” for the fall/winter season. I had tried to kayak...

How to Teach Rolling: A Video for Instructors

by Boyd Ruppelt | Oct 31, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, Instructional, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater Feature, Whitewater Instruction, WW Disciplines

For nearly three decades, I’ve taught rolling for private clients, universities, outfitters, clubs, organizations, events, camps, demos, paddle schools, companies, and on three continents from every background imaginable. Along the way, I’ve worked with...

Gnarvana on Wilson Creek

by Adam Swett | Oct 5, 2023 | Creeking, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines

This summer I got to catch the Wilson river gorge at a sick level with a great crew for 3 laps on this classic creek run in North Carolina. Since leaving the Northeast I think this this run is my favorite . The level was right around 7″ and I think I could have...

Guiding Reflections: Six insights for myself 3 years ago as I embarked on freestyle kayaking competitions

by Emily Wade | Sep 21, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, Playboating, River Running, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines

I started kayaking with friends before I went off to graduate school. It wasn’t until I moved to Richmond, VA that I got back into kayaking. In 2017, I started to get really interested in freestyle. My first trick I learned was the bow stall. I spent hours on hours...

Journaling: An advantageous skill for athletic performance and life

by Emily Wade | Sep 15, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines

  Since I was young I kept a journal, maybe since I was 15 or 16. I grew up playing tennis competitively and went to undergrad on a full ride for tennis, so goal writing has always been a part of my life. I still to this day have a regular life journal where I...

New York Kids Kayaking Camp Returns to the Housatonic!

by Jessie Stone | Aug 29, 2023 | Creeking, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines

After doing this camp for 20 years, I ask myself what is it that keeps me and everyone coming back to keep doing every year? The camp is entirely voluntary i.e. no one is paid, there are tons of logistics to consider, van rentals, water levels, long shuttles, river...