Unsponsored

Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view

Category: Unsponsored (Page 23 of 38)

Whitewater Kayaking – How Do I Get Started?

2 April 2016 / / 0 Comments

Whitewater Kayaking – How Do I Get Started? Well, that’s a good question! Let me tell you about the 5 essential pieces of gear you will need, and some quick safety advice, so you can start exploring those easier rivers and learning the ropes. Before you leave the house for that long drive to the river, make sure you count to five.

Whitewater Kayaking - How Do I Get Started?

Ensure that you have these 5 essential pieces of gear: 1. Kayak 2. Paddle 3. Spray Skirt 4. PFD (Personal Flotation Device, AKA Life Jacket) 5. Helmet.

If you don’t have all this stuff, maybe go hiking instead!

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Tomasz Czaplicki Joins Team JK

31 March 2016 / / 0 Comments

Jackson Kayak is proud to welcome Polish legend, Tomasz Czaplicki to their whitewater team. Tomasz is a top contender in freestyle kayaking and known for his colorful combinations on the waves and holes of the world. He joins Jackson Kayak to begin his training in Jackson’s Rockstar freestyle kayak with aims at the next World Championships in 2017.

Tomasz Czaplicki Joins Team JK

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10 Ways To Fall In Love With Paddling Again

9 March 2016 / / 1 Comment

In our paddling journey, we often hit dead ends, have a bad day, pickup injuries or simply lose interest over time. Here’s some ideas to not just get you back into paddling, but spice up your skills and love being on the water again.

Here are my 10 ways to fall in love with paddling again.

10 Ways to Fall in Love with Paddling Again

Fear! Sometime we’re not sure why we even bother.

Try a different discipline – if you’re a kayaker, try a canoe. Embrace the range of skills which you can learn from a different discipline, skills which are transferable across all paddlesport. You could try open canoeing, C-boating, kayaking, marathon, sprint, slalom, SUPing, rafting, dragonboating… the possibilities are endless!

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Stuck In A Weir And A Kayaking Rut

29 February 2016 / / 2 Comments

After 3.5 years of kayaking, the inevitable happened. On Sunday I found myself a little bit stuck: I was in a weir.

The day had not being going very well for me; we had headed to the Kent in the Lake District with one car. We were 4 quite experienced paddlers, and although none of us had done the Kent at the high-medium it was rising to, there was little cause for concern. After taking my first swim of 2016 on S-Bend (embarrassing, but meatier than I recall), I wasn’t the happiest of paddlers but reluctantly got back in my boat.

Stuck In A Weir And A Kayaking Rut

I haven’t been totally happy paddling for some time, and that was rearing it’s ugly head once more. In our circle of kayaking friends we call it The Fear. It’s paralysing, frustrating, illogical and embarrassing. It has sucked the joy out of so many rivers since I had my first bite of it in Scotland last Easter, and it’s iron grip is incredibly hard to shake.

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Save the Conwy – It’s Not Over Yet

26 February 2016 / / 0 Comments

The Afon Conwy has now been under threat since 2013! RWE have been pursuing plans to dam, divert and draw power from the river for over 2 years! This scheme has the potential to ruin the river’s delicate eco-system, provide misery on the roads and damage local businesses & communities.

Save the Conwy

The National Park’s verdict on the proposed scheme will be given on the 2nd March, 10am at Plas Tan y Bwlch. If you oppose the scheme then please attend and show your solidarity.

The date and time is awkward but if you can be there please do so to represent those like myself who will not be able to leave work. It is essential that the momentum continues.

Keep up to date by visiting the following:

http://savetheconwy.com/2016/
http://www.facebook.com/savetheconwy/

Journeys

23 February 2016 / / 1 Comment

I’m still on my adventure. I don’t know when it’ll end or how far along I am but I’m praying I’m still at the beginning.

Journeys

I always hated kayaks. As a youth worker on a summer camp it was always the kayaks that I hated the most. Going round and round in circles until set upon by the young people in my group filling it with water and submerging into the cold river.

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WANTED: Contributors

22 February 2016 / / 1 Comment

Of the couple of thousand posts on the site almost all have been written by myself. To expand Unsponsored’s reach I want to increase the number of posts. To put it quite simply I have visions on Unsponsored becoming the Pinkbike of the kayaking/canoeing world. I’ve said it now so there is no going back!

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I need help to do this but cannot offer fame or fortune. However if you have a great video edit, a trip in the planning, a trip that has taken place, an event, some reflection on the sport or even gear reviews. The chances are many people will want to find out more and have a read/view. You’ll have your words, pictures and videos viewed by thousands of people each and every day. As always full credit is given.

So…can you help, what do you have?

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Tavignano River – Landfill

17 February 2016 / / 0 Comments

This is just madness. First they dam a beautiful river and then propose to put a huge landfill site on its banks.

Corsica Sessions 2013 (Kayak Session Short Film of the Year Awards 2013 – Entry#1) from Kayak TV (Kayak Session Mag) on Vimeo.

See the detail below from Kayak Session with a link to the online petition.

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Middle Fuy With World Class

17 February 2016 / / 0 Comments

A run down the Middle Fuy with the boys and girls from the World Class Academy.

Middle Fuy With World Class

After three weeks in Chile, World Class students were FIRED UP to run the famous Middle Fuy. Eleven students in total safely descended this fifty foot waterfall and the run below. I hope you enjoy this recap of WCA’s time on el Rio Fuy, Chile 2016. Yew!

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Over 2500 Posts

16 February 2016 / / 0 Comments

The site has just past the 2500 posts mark with this post at 2501. Not too shabby.

Many thanks for the continued support.

Over 2500 Posts

2016 is going to be a big year for Unsponsored.

Unsponsored Newsletter

23 January 2016 / / 2 Comments

We have some big plans for Unsponsored in 2016.

This first of these is the launch of a new Unsponsored newsletter. This will take the form of an email and will contain some great paddlesport related content including news, views, videos and reviews.

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You can subscribe to the newsletter right now using the form below. We won’t be using your contact details for anything else or sharing them with anyone outside of Unsponsored HQ.

As a promotion for the launch we have started putting another goodie box together. Sign up to the new Unsponsored newsletter for your chance to win an Unsponsored goodie box (worth at least £50). A name will be selected at random on Sunday 31st January at 8pm (GMT).

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Free Unsponsored Stickers

22 January 2016 / / 0 Comments

The first batch of new Unsponsored stickers have arrived.

Free Unsponsored Stickers

If you would like some (for FREE) simply sign up to the new newsletter using the form below.

Demand has been so high over 2000 stickers have now gone. We’ll be getting more made. In the meantime you can still sign up for our newsletter.

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