We all day dream about the things we love. In this video, Kim Becker day dreams about her favourite thing—kayaking.
Starring: Kim Becker
Directed/Edited by: Kelsey Thompson
Music: Don Brownrigg- Sweet Dream Sleeper
To whitewater enthusiasts, swimming is what we do when we blow a line or tempt fate by counting the days since the last time. Being confident swimming in whitewater allows us to push our limits and self-rescue from less-than-pleasant situations.
It’s helpful to think of our swimming bodies behaving like boats in current. Understanding three central concepts will make swimming more pleasant and effective: Constant motion; swimming positions; and breathing technique.
When swimming in whitewater, we can move faster than the current, we will call this steering; we can move slower than it, we will call this ferrying; or we can move with it, we will call this floating. Whether we are steering, ferrying or floating, we are always pro gressing downstream and have to make a plan. Safe swimming is about being proactive rather than reactive.
Just like in our boats, we try to catch eddies high, power through holes and boof waves and ledges while swimming. All these maneuvers require us to be under power—steering. When we want to move laterally, we need to be moving slower than the current—ferrying. Ferrying while swimming is harder than in a boat, requiring more planning and larger angles. Finally, when we are tired we float.
There are two basic swimming positions: Defensive, on our backs, and offensive, on our stomachs. The first thing we learn about swimming in whitewater is to roll over, lie on our back …
This article appeared in Rapid, Spring 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read the rest here.
A four-day kayak trip to B.C.’s Nootka Island was some work and all play for photographer Josianne Masseau and her trip mates, who enjoyed the West Coast’s infamous intertidal mud during a dealer retreat with Mark Hall of Kayak Distribution.
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Part Dutch oven, frying pan and skillet, the Banks Fry-Bake will take care of all your cooking whims in the backcountry.
Used on expeditions as far-flung as the Arctic and the Polynesian Islands, it’s equally appropriate for a weekend trip on a paddle close to home if you have a baker or chef in the group. Made of lightweight anodized aluminum, you can expect years of durability from this mini oven. Pizzas, breads and desserts present no problem for the Fry-Bake. Neither do stir-frys, omelettes and hashbrowns. A stick-resistant coating means you can make quick work of clean ups.
The Banks Fry-Bake was created in 1979 by National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) instructor Pam Banks, who’d grown tired of carrying a cast iron skillet in the backcountry. Since it’s inception, Banks’ Fry-Bakes have accompanied NOLS students on more than 6,500 courses and countless others on personal trips.
I first used the Fry-Bake on a two-week alpine hiking trip. Though not ultra lightweight—the expedition model weighs in at 29 ounces—it was well worth its weight in chocolate-covered almonds. Measuring in at 10.5 inches in diameter and at two inches deep, it was more than up to the challenge to cook big meals for our group. Mac and cheese, shepherd’s pie and gado-gado yielded portions big enough to feed a hungry foursome and have leftovers for lunch the next day. It was easy to pair with our simple alpine model stoves, though baking with only the stove as a heat source certainly proved to be a slower process.
A northern river trip provided the opportunity to try proper baking with the Fry-Bake. Peach cobblers, pineapple cakes and graham-cracker-encrusted chocolate squares were par for the course. To get an even temperature perfect for baking, start a small fire on a gravel bar and, when good and hot, balance the Fry-Bake on top of the coals, transferring some of the hot coals to the lid of the Fry-Bake and lining it evenly. Backcountry cooking never tasted so good.
This article appeared in Paddling Magazine, August 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
Starting the session with style.
This photo was taken by Flickr user Big Dubya. Think your image could be a Rapid Media Whitewater Daily Photo? Submit it to [email protected].
John Bumberger was excited to capture this refreshing splash from his kayak’s bow on a paddle on Pennsylvania’s Upper Delaware River.
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Just because you don’t intend to paddle it, doesn’t mean you can’t scout it. Learn to read a river, and you won’t be able to stop yourself from picking a line. Even if it’s on a rapid like this one, right before the Nahanni’s famous 295-foot Virginia Falls.
This photo was an entry in the 2011 Experience Canadian Heritage Rivers Photo Contest, taken by Josh Doti. Learn more about heritage rivers here.
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Julieta Gismondi captured this image of stormy skies and skyscrapers while paddling in the waters of New York City.
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