“Idolizing hard whitewater leaves out what the vast majority of whitewater paddlers do,” expedition kayaker and author Doug Ammons wrote 10 years ago in this same column. He’s not wrong. The article was titled “Why Going Bigger Makes the Whitewater World Smaller” and it’s one of the most popular whitewater essays ever written in this magazine—and for good reason. It challenged a culture of bravado that sometimes alienates new paddlers and diminishes the quieter joys of the river.
But I’ve been stuck on the title ever since.
Does going bigger really make our little whitewater world shrink? I don’t think so. Going big can inspire and expand the community—when we tell the story right.
Hey, whitewater boaters: This is why no one understands you
Big moments get so much attention because they captivate and inspire us. Epic, viral clips of kayakers aren’t bad for our sport any more than the X Games are bad for snowboarding and skateboarding. Spotlighting big moments is good for sports. With the acclaimed HBO series 100 Foot Wave in its third season, surfing is poised for another boom, projected to grow into a whopping $5.3 billion industry by 2032, according to Surfer magazine.
Free Solo, with its 2019 Academy Award win for Best Documentary Feature, highlighted one of the most extreme moments of climbing. The number of climbers in the United States increased by five percent the following year, according to the Outdoor Industry Association, and reached a total of over 10 million in 2021.
Just watching the biggest moments in kayaking can inspire us to challenge ourselves. We all go big in our own ways. That’s where the magic is.
For most of us so-called thrill seekers, connection and flow are the goals, not adrenaline. For me, adrenaline is the enemy. It means I wasn’t prepared. But when I take a reasonable step up, my skill takes over, and I feel like a better, clearer me. I paddle away transformed, forever changed by the accomplishment. I learn about myself, how I handle fear and what I’m capable of. That stays with me and spreads to other aspects of my life. As an instructor, I’ve watched countless students find personal growth and connection through safely approaching their own big moments.
We rarely take the time to share the skills learned, failures earned, safety considerations or how it feeds the soul.
Going big is not the whole story, and it’s time kayakers share it. Whitewater paddling is a small, niche sport in a hyper-connected world. On social media, we may find a spotlight—but without context, the non-paddling public often misunderstands what they’re seeing. They catch glimpses of massive waterfalls and viral clips but rarely see the years of preparation, training and calculated risk behind those feats. Or they see headlines about so-called experienced kayakers drowning on easy streams—often with no training, skill or safety equipment at all. They can’t distinguish a well-earned kayaking accomplishment by an expert paddler from a lucky hold-my-beer moment with a kayak from a big box store.
We discount ourselves, too. Within our own community, we disparage practiced skills with statements of bravado, such as “just send it” and downgrading a waterfall to “plop and drop.” Kayakers frequently showcase spectacle, discomfort, danger and trauma over personal growth, connection and well-earned accomplishment. We rarely take the time to share the skills learned, failures earned, safety considerations or how it feeds the soul. And when we highlight our accomplishments, we rarely share why it matters to us personally. Maybe we’re afraid of vulnerability.
We undermine our own sport and its credibility when we downplay the true breadth of skill and journey toward big moments. Every kayaker will tell you paddling makes their life better and can articulate why. Whether it’s the feeling of being on the river, the connection with nature, the flow that comes with challenging your skills or the friends we make along the way, it’s what makes pushing through the inherent danger, challenge and discomfort worth it.
We all go big in our own ways, whether stepping up to a class II rapid, a reasonable personal first descent or earning your stamp for sending a monster waterfall. It’s time to showcase and appreciate the dedication and training required, as well as the value, connection and heart that come with it. Going big can make the whitewater world grow larger, but it comes down to how we share those moments and the stories we tell.
Boyd Ruppelt is whitewater paddler of more than 30 years, a longtime athlete for Jackson Kayak, and a global kayaking instructor and guide. You can find him at CleanLineKayaking on YouTube or at boydruppelt.com.
This article was published in Issue 74 of Paddling Magazine. Think this is big? Try teaching a beginner to roll. | Feature photo: Eli Castleberry
