Whitewater paddling for greenhorns
Shooting the rapids could be easier than you think. In an interview with Craig Macartney, whitewater instructor Paul Mason talks about what it takes to go from the shore to the shoot.
Ottawa Outdoors Magazine (OOM): What’s a good starting point for beginner paddlers? Paul Mason (PM): Check out
a festival or demo day offered by outdoors stores to get exposed to different facets of the sport. Before buying a boat, know what you want. Are you planning to go on trips or just whitewater? And think about instruction. A weekend course allows you to try different boats and get past the dangerous phase with the help of instructors when you first dive into the sport. Once you know what to avoid, it’s fairly safe. OOM: How much experience is needed before shooting the rapids? PM: Courses emphasize teaching beginners some key manoeuvres, then going out and playing in the current. With proper instruction, beginners often start playing in currents within half a day. OOM: What benefit do courses
offer as opposed to teaching yourself? PM: Teaching yourself is a slow
process. Identifying your mistakes can take months, while instructors teach the same principles in minutes. Especially with a new canoeist, taking a course saves you a lot of aggravation.
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OOM: How much time is involved in becoming an adept whitewater paddler? PM: It really depends on your drive
to go out paddling. Beginners can expect to spend a couple weekends learning the basics, then it’s a matter of how far you want to go. OOM: What are the main difference
between whitewater canoeing and kayaking? PM: Getting into whitewater kaya-
king requires less work than canoe- ing. Learning to exit an overturned kayak is the main hurdle. Whitewa- ter kayaking also enjoys more of a following, however, the canoeing crowd is fiercely loyal. If your goal is getting in whitewater as fast as possible, kayaking is your option. If you aren’t comfortable with exiting a kayak or prefer kneeling to sitting, choose a canoe. OOM: How easy is switching be-
tween kayaking and canoeing? PM: Switching from kayaking to ca- noeing generally comes more easily because kayaking teaches you to read whitewater more quickly. Canoeists learning kayaking must adjust to a smaller boat, wearing a spray skirt and getting out of an overturned boat, as well as the second blade of the paddle.
OOM: Who offers whitewater courses? PM: Ottawa River Runners have a slalom program (you steer your boat between poles hanging just above the water) right downtown, at the pump house, about 100 metres from the end of Sparks Street. It’s a short set of man-made rapids that feed into the Ottawa River. The Paddler’s Co-op offer courses at Palmer Rapids. The Madawaska Kanu Center and Ottawa Paddle Shack offers whitewater courses for both kayak and canoe.
www.ottawaoutdoors.ca
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