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

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.

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?

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?

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??

Open Pool for Open Canoeist

Open Pool for Open Boaters
A great way to get started with the sport of whitewater canoeing is to attend a pool session with a local paddling club.
Pools are a warm, clean, and friendly place for anyone looking to experience an open whitewater canoe.  The local paddling club I belong to, Rapids Riders, rents pool time at the Brooklyn Center Community Center.(Sundays-5-7, December through April)
Here's a link to the details
RapidsRidersEvents

At pool sessions you can work on the stokes, the braces, and rolling a whitewater canoe.  The pool is a great place to meet paddlers that can give you tips on techniques and help you access the sport of whitewater canoeing.
I feel fortunate to have found a very welcoming group of paddlers,  my skills have greatly improved because of the advice I have received during open pool sessions.  

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project aims to connect flat-water paddlers with
the training,
the inspiration,
and the equipment to get you paddling whitewater rivers.

Let me know if you are interested in testing an open canoe,
HardWaterSports@gmail.com

The Whitewater Canoe

The Whitewater Open Canoe

Standard whitewater river canoe length 8’- 14’

Hull material :

• Royalex (Probe, Viper, Outrage, Ocoee)  
• Royalite, (Spark )
• Polyethilene (Spanish Fly, L’Edge)

A standard feature of a whitewater canoe is a rockered (non-flat) bottom, allowing the boat to make quick turns.

Outfitted with a saddle, foot pegs, and knee straps - all designed to hold the paddler into the boat.

Whitewater canoes are float bag compatible, rigged to easily install float bags.

Whitewater open canoes are designed either for solo paddling or tandem paddling. The Mohawk Probe 14' can be installed with a unique saddle that can be paddled in one direction as a solo or turn around and paddle it as a tandem.

If you are new to the sport of whitewater canoeing, you will find that your skills progress at a faster rate if you start in a longer boat (11' -13')

Once you are proficient with your stokes and braces then you can move to a shorter canoe.

Links to boat manufacturers 

• http://www.mohawkcanoes.com
• http://www.esquif.com/2008/index_en.php
• http://www.bellcanoe.com
• http://www.madrivercanoe.com
• http://www.blackflycanoes.com

 

If you are a Northern canoeist looking to make the move to whitewater ...

please contact me at HardWaterSports@gamil.com

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project (NOCAP) aims to connect paddlers with the Training, the Inspiration, and the Equipment.

If you need access to the Equipment - contact HardWaterSports@gamil.com  

So, What are you waiting for??

Open Canoe Paddling the Northern Rivers

The Joy Of Paddling

“Running rapids for the fun of it…in Minnesota and Wisconsin.”

This video was filmed and edited by a friend that helped to get me into the sport of whitewater open canoeing.

Dave Jurgenson has been canoeing and filming canoeing for over twenty years.  I met Dave at the first Kettle River Paddle Festival in 2006, and I’ve paddled many rivers with him since.  

Dave has a great collection of Northern Open Canoe videos, http://www.youtube.com/user/MnktoDave

Dave has been a great inspiration to me and to many in the paddling community. 

Essential Gear for Whitewater Canoeing

Essential Gear for WW Canoeing

To paddle whitewater rivers in an open canoe you really only need 5 pieces of equipment.

1. Canoe

2. Paddle

3. PFD (personal floatation device)

4. Helmet

5. Float Bags

That’s it.  Once you’ve acquired these 5 essential pieces of equipment you’re ready to get on the river.  In the following weeks I will be adding details and personal opinions on each piece of the essential whitewater canoeing  gear list, plus I will be writing about the other gear used by river paddlers (i.e. cold water clothing, throw bags, dry storage…)

I will also be adding links to where you can get deals on new and used paddling equipment.  

Of course, the gear is the easy part.  Anybody can go out and purchase equipment, it’s the skills and the desire that that can’t be bought.  The desire comes from within, the skills come from training and education.  Keep checking back, I’ll be writing about your options for gaining the skills to start river paddling.  I will also do my best to inspire and create the desire to move you from the flat to the white.

Are you open to the challenge of open canoe whitewater paddling?

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project provides ...

the Training

the Inspiration

and the Equipment

to get you paddling a canoe on whitewater.

Open Canoe on the St Louis River - Swinging Bridge - Jay Cooke State Park, Minnesota

My first run down the lower St Louis River in 2010.  

The Lower St Louis River, Swinging Bridge Rapids.  

Northern Canoe Country’s ultimate whitewater river.  One drop after another- table saw, Highway 210 drop, the Sisters, OCTOPUS, the boneyards, swinging bridge into the hanging pool, and Snake Bite (if you dare).

Before getting on the Lower St Louis the skills a canoeist will need are:

• a solid roll (or be able to self rescue)
• confidence in your ability to catch small eddies
• proficient in fast water river ferries

Get the skills, then get a good crew of boaters that know the run.  The St Louis is dam released, I love the river at the normal 350 cfs-fishflow, and it is even more fun (or scary depends how you look at it) at a 650 cfs release.

The Training, the Inspiration, the Equipment

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project 

Open Canoeing - Get Started

How do I get started paddling whitewater rivers in an open canoe?

I asked myself this same question for over ten years. I knew I wanted to be on the whitewater, and I knew I wanted to be paddling a canoe.

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project is here to help you get started, we’ll provide you with the access to the training, we will inspire you to get on the whitewater, and we’ll help you get access to the equipment.

Let’s start by connecting you to the Midwest paddling community, here’s some links to GET YOU STARTED:

http://www.rapidsriders.net         MInneapolis/St Paul paddling club

http://www.purewaterpaddlers.com

http://jimfallswhitewater.blogspot.com

http://www.wausauwhitewater.org

http://www.mncanoe.org

http://www.wisconsinpaddlers.org

http://www.iowawhitewater.org

Links to national paddling organizations: 

http://www.americancanoe.org

http://www.americanwhitewater.org

Northern Open Canoe Access Project

Northern Open Canoe Access Project, (NOCAP) helping to convert flat water paddlers into whitewater canoeist.

Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the UP have amazing whitewater rivers of all grades, and there are very few paddlers who are enjoying them.  

Nearly 100,000 paddlers visit the Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA) every year. A small percentage of these canoeist crave to make the transition to moving water, these few want to learn the skills to have the ability to safely paddle whitewater.

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project aims to connect experienced flat water canoe paddlers with the equipment and the training to safely paddle on moving water.