Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view
Bren is back after seeing himself off.
This section of whitewater is not actually that easy, but I have done so many laps down it and I know it so well now, that in my head it is a “chill” run. If that makes anysense at all? My first time down it I was much more out of control, underwater and not anywhere near as relaxed.
Corran has been designing again. This is what a new Disco V2 could look like.
For those of you who weren’t around at the time of the original Disco the boat really stepped things up in terms of what a small park and play kayak could do. Being based on the hull of the rule changing Riot Glide it had a head start on virtually all other small playboats out at the time.
So Corran is looking at a revamp of the old design, improving what wasn’t quite right at the time and stepping things up yet another notch. Check out this initial design concept.
Celliers Kruger of Fluid Kayaks fame is back with a new venture – Vagabond Kayaks.
The firm has been created by partners Nicola Simpson, James Simpson, Marius du Preez, Celliers Kruger and Lisa de Speville.
Check out the first in a series of GoPro posts by Simon Wyndham
With video production and video & film technology journalism being my main professions in life (I’m currently the deputy editor of RedShark News if you’re interested) I am quite often asked how to get the best from cameras, and how best to edit. To quote Anthony Hopkins as the elder Zorro, this is going to take a lot of work!
Okay maybe not a huge amount, but effort will be involved. I’m mainly going to talk about the GoPro cameras, particularly the Black Edition from version 5 onwards, with a focus on the 6, because frankly these are the best on the market no matter what’s the on-paper specifications of rival cameras tell you. Paper specs only tell you half the story. I know there are alternatives such as the Yi 4K cameras. But those have limitations such as the LCD screen being completely impossible to view in daylight. And if you are going to get varied shots, having a screen that you can actually see is important!
The GoPro Hero 6 Black has a huge and varied set of settings that can be adjusted, and an extremely comprehensive number of frame rates and resolutions. So much so that to the technically uninitiated it can be completely befuddling.
Having said that, much of what I say here is still quite highly transferable to other makes. Mainly because making good video is down to how you use the camera rather than the features it has. But… And there is always a but, the settings you use will still have a big influence if you know how to use them.
Nominations Now Open for the Paddlesports Retailer New Product Showcase and the Paddling Magazine Product & Industry Awards.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — June 28, 2018 — Paddlesports Retailer’s official media partner Rapid Media has announced award categories and opened nominations for the Paddling Magazine Product & Industry Awards. Rapid Media is also now accepting product submissions to the Paddling Business 2019 Product & Paddlesports Retailer Show Guide.
The New Products Showcase by Paddling Magazine is a new show feature providing Paddlesports Retailer exhibitors with an outstanding opportunity to introduce new products to onsite and offsite retail buyers and editorial media.
“This is a first-ever and not-to-miss once-a-year opportunity to see the latest and greatest innovations in the paddlesports industry,” says Scott MacGregor, publisher at Rapid Media. “Our New Product Showcase at Paddlesports Retailer is an unrivalled opportunity for brands to launch new products and build relationships with retailers and media outside of busy in-booth meetings.”
Making up a special section of Paddlesports Retailer’s new Cox Convention Center venue, the New Product Showcase provides high-level visibility for the industry’s latest innovations in boats, boards, gear, apparel and accessories.
The Paddling Magazine Product & Industry Awards recognizes outstanding achievements in the development of new products being introduced to the paddlesports market at the 2018 Paddlesports Retailer Show.
“The Paddling Magazine Product & Industry Awards embodies the paddlesport industry’s innovative and entrepreneurial spirit,” says MacGregor. “We’ll be rewarding and recognizing the best new products in the 11 ‘Best of Category’ awards, as well as the overall ‘Best of Show’ award.”
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’.
You see, with this realisation, there comes ownership and a sense of release. The release is in the knowledge that you do not have to do anything simply to impress others. In this era of sharing, likes, kudos and followers we can start to believe that people are watching us and keeping score of our achievements. This leads almost inexorably into doing ever more difficult and dangerous challenges, raising the bar all the time, living on the edge simply to draw attention to ourselves and impress our ever demanding audience. The growing body of evidence surrounding the number of people who are dying taking selfies is alarming, and looking more specifically at risk sports, it is my opinion that people are pushing harder and, critically, sooner than ever before.
Small Ripper vs The Little White
This was by far my favourite lap down the Ldub ever! Dave crushed it in the small Ripper and Kyle Hull was going off!
Welcome to Movie Monday 25 June 2018 here at Unsponsored HQ. It’s bone dry here in the UK at the moment. Thankfully there is water world wide with plenty of folks filming. Check it out!
Enjoy!
Welcome to Social Media Saturday – 23 June 2018 at Unsponsored HQ.
Do You Carry A First Aid Kit While Paddling? For years I didn’t bother. The rivers being ran were relatively close to help but it still could take time get it. This had to change.
For the last few years I have been using Adventure Medical as my main first aid kits. I stumbled upon them when I was trying to find an ultralight kit for mountain biking. Since then I have purchased several Adventure Medical First Aid Kits and they can be found in my rucksacks and now in my kayak as part of my “When it all goes wrong kit“.
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