Whitewater Downriver Boater-Cross in Wausau Wisconsin.  Open canoeist takes third in a very close race.
Whitewater canoeing at the Wausau Whitewater Park.
Hard Water Sports

Whitewater canoeing Minnesota's Vermillion River

Open canoe in the Vermillion River, Minnesota.  Short video of triple drop rapids, the Verm is the local fun run for Minneapolis-St Paul whitewater paddlers.

Whitewater canoeing, surfing the Verm.  Early spring photo.

Canoe surfing the Vermillion River, Minnesota

http://hardwatersports.com/

Providing the training,

the inspiration,

and the equipment for your next adventure.

Hard Water Sports

Minnesota Whitewater

Minnesota Whitewater Canoeing

Hard Water Sports is the source for whitewater canoeing in Minnesota.  Whitewater canoe rental, and training to get paddlers off the flat water.

The above photo is of canoeist Scott McKell surfing railroad hole on the Vermillion River in Hastings Minnesota.

Open Canoeing - I Believe...

“Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing.”

Henry David Thoreau

Photo credit to Jack Kukowski, canoeist on the Montreal River, on the Wisconsin - U.P. boarder.

Photo credit to Jack Kukowski, canoeist on the Montresa

Wasted Soul

“If you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul.” 

Drew Barrymore

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project can provide you with the training, the inspiration, and the equipment, to get you running whitewater rivers in an open canoe .  

 Get the Right Equipment. 

• Helmet, 
• Lifejacket, 
• Cold Weather Clothing

Learn the Fundamentals of the Sport

• Stokes, 
• Eddy-outs, 
• River Ferrying, 

and you will greatly reduce the risk in the sport.

whitewater paddling gear

Are you wasting your soul? or are you ready for some adventure?

Open Canoe Stuck in a Whitewater River

Paddling down the Vermillion River at an estimated 800 cfs sure sounded like a good idea.  At high water this hole gets pretty sticky.  I found this out the hard way coming into the rapid without giving the  obstacle the respect it needed.  

The Fluffy Bunny gabbed my canoe and gave me a quick window shade.  My canoe and I were locked in the big white paws and the ride started. 

I held on as long as I could, low bracing and trying to stoke out of the hole.  Abandoned, stuck in the middle of the river, the Mohawk Probe kept hanging on. And on, And on,

With the help of other paddlers we were able to bridge out into the river far enough for a final leap to grab a bow line.

It's good to have friends on the river.

Have the right gear for the adventure, when whitewater canoeing alway wear a helmet and lifejacket.
Dress to stay warm and comfortable -
Carry a throw rope, you'll use more then you think.
First Aid Kit - how far from the car are you? how far from the nearest hospital?

Hard Water Sports get the gear for your next adventure.  Get some adventure in your life.

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project aims to connect flat water paddlers with...

the Training - the Inspiration - and the Equipment

to get you on the whitewater rivers.

Adventure Gear get it here.

Open Canoe Pin on Duncan Creek, WI

Canoe Pin and Rescue

Mankato Dave's footage from a spring run on Duncan Creek.
Nice ending of a canoe pin and rescue.

You will notice that Dave is equipped with a helmet and a lifejacket.  His canoe has float bags in it, this prevents the boat from filling completely with water.  Dressed in a dry suit, Dave came away from the swim and boat pin just fine.

Also note that Dave is boating with a group of experienced paddlers.

Have the right gear, get trained, go have an adventure.

American Canoe Association - Top 10 Safety Tips

Planning to Paddle? Know Your Limits!

 American Canoe Association Top 10 Safety Tips

When getting ready to head out on your next paddling trip, be sure to keep these five safety tips in mind to ensure you have an enjoyable time on the water.

1. Take an on-water Course - whether it's a safety or skill development course, an ACA on-water instruction course provides the information you need for canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, rafting or safety & rescue.

2.  Wear Your Lifejacket - Expect to capsize and swim occasionally when paddling a canoe, kayak, SUP or raft? Learn more about PFDs and how they might just save your life.

3. Cold Water Safety - Cold water is extremely dangerous! Learn more about protecting yourself in this environment

4. Rules of the Road - What paddlers need to know when sharing the waterways

5. Safety Check - Safety tips you need to consider the next time you head out on the water

In addition to the "Top Five" here are 5 more to round out the "Top Ten"!

6. Practices, Ethics and Conduct - Key points on how to appropriately share, and enjoy our natural paddling resources

7. Know Your Limits - Good things to contemplate before you leave shore

8. River Paddler's Guide to Rescue - The basics, just in case...

9. Best Practices for Paddlers and Paddlesports Programs

10. Trip Preparation and Planning - Getting ready to schedule your next trip? Learn more useful tips

Finding Minnesota: Canoeing Whitewater Rapids

Finding Minnesota: Whitewater Rapids « CBS Minnesota

Filmed in May of 2012, WCCO's Finding Minnesota visits the Kettle River in Banning State Park.

Finding Minnesota

This piece was filmed at the top of the rapids in Banning State Park, most of the whitewater paddling takes place on Blueberry Slide - a Class III rapid.  On this day the river was flowing at 1400 CFS.

The editing in the video makes the paddling look very intense and non stop.   

Finding Minnesota: Whitewater Rapids « CBS Minnesota

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project

Who's ready to give it a try?

River Levels

River Levels

Get Connected to the river levels,

Baptism River Gauge

Flow rates and river levels are very important to the Northern Open Canoeist.  Get to know your local rivers and how they change as the flows increase and decrease.

River Level Resources 

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt

http://rapidsriders.org/rivers

Stony River Gauge

You can also get apps on your smart phone, my fav is River Reader - 

Northern Open Canoe Access Project 

connecting paddlers with...

The Training

The Inspiration

and The Equipment

Whitewater River Guide Book

North Woods Whitewater

Jim Rada’s Guide Book to the Northern Rivers, the river guide every Northern paddler should own.  

The guide covers the rivers of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario. You get river information, access information (put-ins and take-outs) and history lesson of the Northern river exploration.  The book is an inspiration to canoeist and kayakers, filled with adventure stories and tales of first descents.

   

Get the Rada book, Northwoods Whitewater, and start exploring the amazing Northern rivers,  start checking off your descents and recording the river levels.

        

Rolling an Open Canoe Video

Here' a video I put together to show how to roll an open canoe.  Below I break the roll down to 3 steps.

Step 1

The set-up, head and body flat against float bags.

Step 2 

Canoeist rotates to have body and paddle perpendicular to canoe.

Step 3

Finish with a low brace, sweep your paddle forward, keep your head down, kiss the gunwale.

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project, helping to get paddlers onto moving water.

What are you waiting for?

Live the Life of Your Dreams - Whitewater Canoeing

"The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams." 

Oprah Winfrey

Live the Life of Your Dreams

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project provides the...
Training
Inspiration
and Equipment

If your dream is to paddle an open canoe on whitewater rivers,

 NOCAP can make it happen.

Whitewater Canoeing Classes

Whitewater Canoeing Classes

Get the Training

The fastest way to get into the sport of whitewater canoeing is to take a course from a professional American Canoe Association (ACA) instructor.  

Canoe U 2013 Courses - 

The Rapid Riders Paddling Club has classes for canoeist and kayakers  First class is in a pool, following classes are on area rivers. (water levels determine where classes will be held)

May 5 - Intro Classroom & Pool Session  

May 18 & 19  - Canoe-U Weekend  

June 1 & 2  - Graduation Weekend

http://rapidsriders.org/canoeu

ACA Open Canoe Multi-Level Instructor Certification Workshop (ICW)

University of Duluth Minnesota

https://events.d.umn.edu/ACA-Open-Canoe-Multi-Level-Instructor-Certification-Workshop-(ICW)--004168.htm

Introduction to Canoe Tandem & Solo: June 23-24 9am-9pm 

Other Essentials & River Canoe: June 24-25 9am-9pm 

Tandem Whitewater Canoe: June 26-27 9am-9pm 

Solo Whitewater Canoe: June 28 9am-6pm 

Course Overviews

http://www.americancanoe.org/?page=Courses_Canoeing

Throw Rope - Essential Gear for Whitewater Canoeing

The Throw Rope 

-an essential piece of equipment for whitewater paddling.

The one piece of safety equipment that every whitewater canoeist should have in their boat is a trusted throw rope.  Your throw rope should be kept accessible, and ready to be used.

Throw ropes are generally between 50 and 75 feet in length, with a rope diameter between 1/4 and 3/8 inches.  Ropes are made out of a floating polypropylene and are a bright color for easy visibility.

Only as Good as the Thrower -

Practice with your throw bag, a throw bag is worthless if the rescuer can't get it to the victim.  Practice on dry land and practice throwing the rope to swimmers in moving water.  

To rescue a moving target in whitewater, throw the rope ahead (downstream) of the swimmer, crossing in front of them. 

Keep your throw rope accessible, you may only have a second or two to make the rescue.

Besides being used to rescue swimmers, the throw line can be used for setting "z" drags, and cross river stabilizing lines to support a swimmer with a foot entrapment.  Throw ropes can also be used to recover gear or to ferry a boat across a river. 

Throw Bags are a available from a number of manufacturers, here are some links to help get you started.

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=961

http://www.levelsix.com/store/index.php/producttype/safety.html

http://www.wrsisafety.com/throw_bag.asp

My preference is a 50'  1/4 inch.
My throw bag is always in my canoe, in a very accessible location.

Throw Bag
Get one,
Learn to use it,
and always have it Available.

Northern Open Canoe Access Project aims to connect canoeist with the training, the inspiration, and the equipment to get you on moving water.

What are you waiting for??