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.

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?

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

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??

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.

Whitewater Canoeing - How to get Started

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project hopes to connect canoeist with ...
the Training,
the Inspiration,
and the Equipment to get you on whitewater.

The project is designed for people that have paddling skills, for people that are comfortable in a canoe, and for paddlers that have the desire to get on moving water.

So...
if you are skilled in flat water canoe paddling
and
if you can comfortably paddle a canoe
and
if you have the desire to start paddling an open canoe on whitewater rivers,

then contact me, Tony Vavricka, at hardwatersports@gmail.com  

The Goal of the Northern Open Canoe Access Project is simple; 
By providing the training, the inspiration, and equipment...
Convert 100 or more Northern, flat water canoeist into whitewater river paddlers by the end of the 2013 paddling season.

Get started now - be a part of the project

Contact hardwatersports@gmail.com 

Whitewater Canoeist 

Open Canoeist Surfing Hell's Gate on the Kettle River

Open Canoeist, Dave Jurgenson surfing Hell’s Gate on the Kettle River.  One of Minnesota’s most accessible whitewater rivers, the whitewater section of the Kettle River is located in Banning State Park.  

The two and a half mile run includes four class III rapids and some of the best river surfing in the midwest.  The river is designated “scenic and wild” - Access the whitewater section in Banning State Park, three miles later, take out at Robinson Park in Sandstone, Minnesota.

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project 
connects paddlers to the Training, the Access, and the Equipment.

Table Rock Falls on the Vermillion River, Northern Minnesota, 675 cfs

Open Canoe descent of a Northern Minnesota classic waterfall on a beautiful and wonderfully clean, North flowing river.

      Inspiration

            This could be you…

All you need are; the skills, the equipment, and the desire.  The Northern Open Canoe Access Project is here to connect you to the training and the gear.

                       Do you have the desire???

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