Did kayaking fall back into the fringe?

[skinipenem]

What’s old is new again. I give you Strider Snyder running Ohiopyle Falls on 9/30/00.....

Attachment 261065

Damn m series beat me to the punch! Snyder bros doin' standup way before sup.

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[sb]

What’s old is new again. I give you Strider Snyder running Ohiopyle Falls on 9/30/00.....

Attachment 261065

Jeff has been stridin for many years. He and a handful of people are really the only ones doing it for any length of time. He can actually roll it.

[skinipenem]

Jeff has been stridin for many years. He and a handful of people are really the only ones doing it for any length of time. He can actually roll it.

How does he roll it?

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[SumJongGuy]

I will say Kayaking looks hella fun. it's something I wish I had tried when I was younger. I might still give it a go if my kid decides to do one of the whtewater center scout trips. Ship has sailed on me every getting serious about it though.

[Tye 1on]

Jeff has been stridin for many years. He and a handful of people are really the only ones doing it for any length of time. He can actually roll it.

And as ya know back in the 70’s the old guys were standing up in canoes down the Nantahala and other SE rios.


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[sb]

He kinda laid back and twisted along with the giant ass paddle he had, granted it was in a flat water pool I saw him do it. Back when they had the Worlds on the Savage a bunch of kooks in canoes did stand up paddle attaining up the Potomac to deliver a flag/standard to the start of the race. They used only a long pole to push or grab water to do it. I was impressed.

[Jah Praise]

In the mid-late 90's kayaking went into warp speed, with mass amounts of boat design evolution and a flood of people. Those people bought a bunch of gear and jumped in the river. Then they realized the river is not like skiing or Mtn Biking, you can't stop mid-rapid once you commit, you are committed. You also cannot breathe upside down and long swims are scary. Kayaking is just too scary for the masses, so all those new entrants just kindof stopped going as much. It happened all across the counrtry but the drop off was especially large in the Mountain West. Like people here said runs like the Gallatin, Dowd Chute and countless others were packed, then they were empty. Now kayaking has reached a stable level and is growing slightly. I will say as far as excitement Kayaking is Back! The guys and gals out there now are charging. There is some Rad stuff going on in kayaking now after a 15 year lul. Kayaking is hard AF. Its not like skiing and mtn biking where you can not go for 3 years and you're basically right back where you were. If you take off significant time from kayaking, you feel like a beginner. So the moral of my story is Drink a Big Glass of Harden the fuck up and rediscover that straight-to-the-vain adrenaline. Or just rediscover the love of rivers from kayak, SUP, raft, whatever, because being on the water is what it's all about, just like being on the mountains is what its about.

[KenJongIll]

Well, I’ve just sold off the last of my kayak gear.
Good post Jah Praise...
There’s still some people doing crazy shit...like this.
https://youtu.be/2xZDhE_qSmY


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[Bunion 2020]

Wow, been a little under 6 years since I posted that.

Good thoughts Jah and I agree.

The other day I was driving home along the Gallatin, it was maybe 45 degrees and sleeting a little bit, as I drove past one of the put ins a group of "youngsters" was about to.

Fringe or main, good to see the next gen getting after it.

[singlecross]

I'm getting back into whitewater paddling after a solid 10+year absence that coincided with having kids. Took my 15 year old son on a whitewater rafting day trip this summer and he had a great time. I was drooling over the lines and playspots that would be a lot more fun in a kayak. Rafting class III is pretty boring when you're used to a kayak. Son says he'd like to learn to kayak...Awesome! So I dusted off the old gear and started paddling again this Fall. A few thoughts:

Kayaking seemed pretty well split into the 6' park and play spud boat and the 8' hair boat creeker camps a decade ago. 9' and 10' river running boats were stuffed under porches to collect leaves and spiderwebs. I was some what surprised upon loading up my old boats to head back out to the rivers in Maine that the kayak company's hot new market is the 9' river play boat... Pyrahna Rippers, Liquid Logic Braaps, Dagger Rewinds, Jackson Antix. Longer "full slice" boats are cool again, as are stern squirts on the eddy line. I feel like my Perception Whip-it and Wavesport X are still relevant and they did nothing but take a 20 year hiatus in the garage. River play is coming back around for a new generation of younger boaters I think. As well as those young bucks who still charge it.

Something as good as a Class III river running/playing will never fully die. To me it is the sweet spot of whitewater kayaking, exciting enough to be fun and mellow enough to be relaxing. Will it be a fringe sport? Always, and I'm glad to not be bumping into hoards in the eddys. I'm excited to introduce my son to the fringe tribe and for myself keep paddling at 50.

Anyone got a Prijon Hurricane or Necky Jive to sell? I'd love to get back into one of those on a fun run! Old school cool

[Fred Pabst]

Well, I’ve just sold off the last of my kayak gear.
Good post Jah Praise...
There’s still some people doing crazy shit...like this.
https://youtu.be/2xZDhE_qSmY


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Those Michael Ferraro Youtube edits are awesome. That boy is on top of his game right now. What is the feet per mile for that one? Crazy!

I still love the sport. No class 5 for me anymore (it was a short stint) Happy on class 3+, class 4.

[singlecross]

I'll throw this in here... sort of my blizzard of ahhhs.

[sb]

[sb]

[singlecross]

^^^ Good stuff, but no wonder it's a fringe sport if anyone wanting to start kayaking ever watched those videos. Did they take all their outfitting and foot pegs out?! I've never seen such a swim meet.

[singlecross]

Surfing stoke

[Bunion 2020]

Anyone got a Prijon Hurricane or Necky Jive to sell? I'd love to get back into one of those on a fun run! Old school cool

If you look under the right porch you could probably find one of those for a 12 pack. There has to be a Kayak graveyard full of them somewhere.

OTOH a week or so ago I was shown a very sobering video of a guy running a C-V waterfall in Mexico, he took a beating and drowned and was revived all on Go-pro. Fucking sickening.

[sb]

Just found out an old paddling friend is gone. RIP Rick Gusic

[Jah Praise]

I'll throw this in here... sort of my blizzard of ahhhs.

Truth, Kavu Day was an all-time classic

Another Classic considering this is the TGR forum, kindof from the peak of kayaking popularity:



Based on this vid below from Send, I would say The Kids are Alright! Charging harder than ever:

[singlecross]

Timely bump... with the abrupt end to the ski season and directives to stay local and not travel, I just unpacked my kayak gear and checked the tide charts for the local surf wave here on the Coast of Maine this weekend. Surfs up and I should get a good salt water sinus flush!

[Bunion 2020]

Beat the hell out of a Neti-pot.

BTW, has Hackey Sack fallen back into the fringe?

[m2711c]

one can only hope....

[singlecross]

BTW, has Hackey Sack fallen back into the fringe?

Never! Don't you Blaspheme in Here! /s

Like a deck of cards, a hacky sack will ALWAYS have a spot in my pack. Small, easily transportable, keeps you entertained, and no language barrier. Soccer is the World game. You wouldn't believe the amount of people that come up to join the circle when I pull mine out waiting for a delayed flight, waiting for a shuttle, stuck at the border crossing, etc. Seriously, great travel tool.

[steved]

And as ya know back in the 70’s the old guys were standing up in canoes down the Nantahala and other SE rios.

and now it's standing up on an old school surfboard....

[wolf04]

I don't know how before, but over the last 5 years the popularity of kayaking in my region has grown.
On weekends, families come to spend time together and it's great.
I have also involved many of my friends in this sport, and now we often go kayaking together.
This is despite the fact that 10 years ago in our region this sport was not widespread at all.
And I am very pleased that now people can actively and usefully spend the weekend, rather than lying on the couch in front of the TV.