Here are just some of the top posts from 2018.
100ft = Broken Face
Bren Orton has broken his face! This is how it happened.
Phil Miller’s Epic
I wanted to take a week before I wrote this, to gain some perspective, but last Saturday I barely survived a classic leg entrapment on my local run, my comfort river, on a Grade 3+ feature. Here is what happened.
Phil Miller’s Epic – Classic Foot Entrapment
The Problem With Bomb Proof Rolls
The Problem With Bomb Proof Rolls – I think instructors who perpetuate the concept of a “bomb-proof” roll do their students a disservice.
First of all, there really is no such thing as a “bomb-proof” roll. The term alludes to a roll that’s so reliable, and so fine-tuned, that it never fails. That’s misleading and unrealistic. Every experienced instructor knows that given sufficient “conditions”, everyone eventually bails and swims – and in fact, the best paddlers I know have all taken swims at one time or another.
The Problem With Bomb Proof Rolls
I don’t know when the change happened, whether it was a gradual awakening or a sudden realisation, but I have woken up. I have realised that there really is only one person’s opinion of me that is truly important, one that matters more than any others, and that is my own. And, this has undoubtedly made me a better leader and coach, and I have been able to give myself permission to move away from ‘the edge’.
The Last Move In Any Rapid
Teaching kayaking, I always emphasize that the last move in any rapid is looking over your shoulder at the person behind you. Complacency, poor safety hazard and risk assessments, media/social media, and the quick learning curve and inexperience of newer paddlers all play into risk being higher on rivers although the hazards remain the same.
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