WORDSfromReaders Lightweight magazine wins his heart
I just bought my first edition of Adventure Kayak; I was very impressed with the incredible cover photo and a quick flip through promised interesting content. I’ve always thought your mag a lightweight com- pared to Sea Kayaker, and in some ways it still is, yet given how briefly it’s been around, it has come a long way.
As a technical paddler I really enjoyed the kayak reviews (style and
form). I hope to see more high performance, all-weather boats reviewed. I also liked the article on Ken Whiting [“New Face of Sea Kayaking”
AK online V5 I1], but it raised my ire as well. There are so many incredible sea kayakers quietly going about their business, doing what Whiting is now doing and beyond. They have been involved in the cul- ture for so long, and then along comes Whiting and somehow he makes a difference in sea kayaking? Hardly.
The mag overall somehow still seems a bit thin. I would also like to see more paddlers profiled, like you do in Rapid [our whitewater magazine]. There are tonnes of interesting characters in the world of sea kayaking, some who are very important in their contributions to the culture, others who may be newer but would make for fun, light reading and create that sense of a kayaking community, like you get in Rapid. I can think of a few people right now that would make for great sto- ries. Michael Pardy is, I believe, Canada’s most highly certified paddler and a senior instructor trainer in sea kayaking. He is also a tremendous intellect, and all around fascinating bloke. Tim Dyer who owns the paddling centre White Squall in Ontario is an uncommonly good guy (somewhat rare in entrepreneurs), a great pad- dler and has contributed a great deal to paddling culture and conserva- tion initiatives around Georgian Bay. There are great women paddlers, instructors and guides who should also be written about. Write profiles on these folks. Raise the profile of the business, especial- ly when it’s done with the soul and passion so often sorely lacking. Anyhow, compared side by side this issue of Adventure Kayak is more interesting and a better mag than Sea Kayaker, and that says a lot. Keep pushing and growing, keep the focus on performance paddling. And keep writing about great places to paddle in Canada and beyond, whether it’s on the ocean or inland—so much good paddling, so many good boats.
— James Vasilyev Winnipeg, MB
Hey Ken, playing in surf is nothing new
Thank you very much for the inter- view with Ken Whiting published in your Spring issue [“New Face of Sea Kayaking” AK online V5 I1]. It is refreshing to see the recogni- tion of sea kayaking as
something more than flatwater pad- dling. And it’s great that Whiting has discovered the whitewater aspect of kayaking on the sea. However, this is nothing new in spite of the fact that it continues to be news to many who have not paddled on the ocean. For nearly 20 years I have been kayak surfing and paddling in ocean rock gardens on the Pacific coast with the Tsunami Rangers and many other paddlers. The late Steve Sinclair and his partners in “Force Ten”
8 // Summer 2005
New Face of Sea Kayaking
KEN WHITING BELIEVES OUR SPORT HAS ENORMOUS UNTAPPED POTENTIAL. HE WANTS TO TURN THE TAP.
I NTER VIEW BY I AN MERRINGER PHOTOS BY J OCK BRADLEY
YOU’RE LOOKING AT A MAN WHO’S done great things for whitewater kayaking. As a five-time national and one-time world champion freestyler, Ken Whiting knows how to paddle. He’s recognized by Paddler magazine as one of the top paddlers of the last century; he’s authored two books, including the very successful Ultimate Guide to Whitewater Kayaking, and produced award-winning instructional paddling videos. In The Ultimate Guide to Sea Kayaking,
an instructional video released this month, Whiting paddles from the river and plunges into the sea, bringing with him some big ideas. What ideas? The 30-year-old believes
that if he can show younger generations that sea kayaking is exciting—maybe even more thrilling than whitewater—the sport is going to grow. It’s not just that he’s produced an entertaining instructional video. With his arrival on the scene in a sea kayak, he brings an attitude of pushing limits, and wants to show that
getting your kicks playing in swells, surf and currents can be the main reason to slide on a skirt and take to the water. Whiting is in good company at the
more adventurous end of the sea kayaking spectrum. It’s a place already occupied by a fringe of paddlers who test the abilities of themselves and their boats. This fringe has not sought celebrity status for itself, and the media haven’t considered sea kayaking exciting enough to cover in a big way. So far, freestyle sea kayaking has remained in the backwaters. Fringe athletes pushed the limits of both skiing and whitewater to usher in bold new eras of freeskiing and freeboating, leading to an explosion of popularity for both sports. Whiting thinks a time of startling
innovation and momentum is near for sea kayaking. If his vision of more dynamic, playful paddling becomes part of our sport, then even more people will be having even more fun on the water. And about that, we should all be excited.
20 // Spring 2005
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