Blog

North Carolina Freestyle Kayaking Event to Reach 100 Million US TV Households The following is a press release from Gibson Communications. “The International Canoe Federation’s (ICF) freestyle kayaking world championship competition, held last September at Nantahala Outdoor Center’s Nantahala River campus, begins a month-long national television run on May 4. The broadcast will expose millions to the fast-growing sport of freestyle kayaking and to the compelling natural resources the North Carolina Smokies and Swain County. Fox Sports Net Read more

In 1971 Kokatat  (which means ‘into the water’ in native American) began making paddle sports clothing and protective equipment in Arcata, California. Since then it has gone from strength to strength working closely with Gore-Tex building an impressive reputation for quality dry suits backed by their lifetime guarantee. It’s been 6 months since I received my shiny new Meridian Gore-Tex® dry suit. Since then I’ve put the suit through the punishment of my daily whitewater freestyle Read more

Just back in the UK after an awesome time in Uganda with Jacko Jackson for our World of Champions / Athlete Development Programme. This is joint partnership between KJO and Sweetwater Coaching and offers one of the most progressive freestyle training experiences in the world. The camp was a great success, with a combination of great waves and athletes who embraced the ethos of the programme – which promotes curiosity and explores the difference that makes the difference. Many Read more

GB Freestyle will be running a Jam Style Freestyle competition on the 3rd May at Cardiff International White Water Centre. The course will be running on 10m3/s and there are classes for Novice, Open and Expert for Juniors and Seniors. There are limited places (50 paddlers), so please send an entry form (including payment) to ensure your place. Entry will also be available on the day, but will be on a first come first served basis. Entry is £15 Read more

The Whitewater Grand Prix Returns April 28th – May 11th in Ontario & Quebec, Canada. 35 of the world’s best kayakers will compete in 6 events over 15 days on spectacular and challenging whitewater – during Spring Flood.   Click on the following link to read the latest news and follow all the action :  whitewatergrandprix.com

I’ve just recently returned from the Grand Canyon. Before the trip I knew immediately I wanted to take a playboat. I had so much fun, surfing huge waves and holes – sometimes these were challenging just to stay on, and other times they let you throw massive air moves. It was great fun, never knowing if you were going to get a great ride or be driven deep and exit the feature. Although there were many Read more

Claire O’Hara and freestyle kayaking were recognised at the Leeds Sports Awards on Thursday evening. Winning the Sportswoman of the Year accolade in conjunction with triathlete world champion Non Stanhope and aikido world champion Laura Beardsmore, Claire put freestyle on the centre stage. Unfortunately Claire wasn’t there to receive her award in person as she’s training in Australasia, and the award was collected by her coach Dennis Newton. Passion for sport was certainly bursting from the Read more

Playboater have been supplying equipment to kayakers (from beginners to world class paddlers) since the late 80’s. Set up by Shaun Baker and Nick Mallabar, Playboater boasts a history of bomber decks. In the early days it was about creating decks that they could trust whilst running first descents around the world, including some of the largest falls in Iceland and the Alps. It’s not just been about river running either, by 2000, Shaun had also gone Read more

Great water levels this weekend. Saturday the Swale was running on a perfect flow for our BCU 5 Star preparation day. This is a one-to-one custom programme designed for individuals wanting to benchmark their readiness for assessment and gain valuable feedback. It’s also great for those wanting to keep up to date with current guiding standards. Here’s a few photos from the day… For more information on this course and other BCU Star Award courses Read more

Fantastic weekend in Scotland running a BCU 4 Star Assessment with Bruce Jolliffe. We all had an amazing weekend with great water levels and lots of sun. Big thanks to the mock students and Congratulations to everyone for passing your 4 Star Assessment. Look forward to seeing you out on the rivers soon. For more information on this course and other BCU Star Award courses please click here.