STANDARD GREENLAND ROLL
The Standard Greenland roll is the easiest of the three rolls to learn. Per- formed with an extended paddle for added leverage and flotation, it can be done slowly, giving you more time to think. Once dialed, it can be executed with your hands in a normal paddling position. This roll is the foundation for all other aft finishing rolls.
µ Extend your paddle, gripping the blade shoulder-width apart. Rotate, hold the paddle along- side your kayak and tuck tightly forward to this side. Capsize and hold the tuck.
GREENLAND ROLLS
YOU NE ED TO KNOW G
BY CHERI PERRY and TURNER WILSON PHOTOS BY GEOFF MURRAY
reenland rolling has its origins in the deep survival skills of Inuit hunters plying frigid Arctic seas. The
ability to recover from any capsize, in any conditions, was a matter of necessity. While there are some 35 different Greenland rolls,
most are variations of a handful of fundamental rolls. You may want to know these more esoteric options for those occasions when, for example, you’ve had your fingers chomped by a vicious leopard seal (crook-of- the-arm roll) or become ensnared in your harpoon line (straightjacket roll). But in our experience, mastering just three rolls—the
standard Greenland roll, reverse sweep roll and storm roll—will empower you to recover from any capsize where you keep hold of your paddle.
DIGITAL EXTRA: See the rolls in action. To watch the Reel Paddling Film Festival cut of This is the Roll, go to
Adventurekayak.com/0053 or download the Adventure Kayak app.
44 ADVENTURE KAYAK | EARLY SUMMER 2012
µ Pause and let the paddle float to the surface. Maintaining your tuck, move your pivot hand—the hand closest to the stern of the boat—to your pivot shoulder. This hand is like the center of a clock, it anchors to the pivot shoulder and stays with that shoulder throughout the roll. The pivot hand also sets your blade angle, so be patient with your sweep until it is in place. Now your body is ready to uncoil.
µ Uncoil your body, rotating onto your back just as you would float on your back while swimming. Engage your core muscles to get your shoulders parallel to the surface. The back float is key— utilizing the natural buoyancy of your body, it allows you to gain support from the water to leverage the kayak upright. As you uncoil, keep your pivot hand at the pivot shoulder and open that hip while driving up with your water (or lower) leg. The sweep shoulder moves up toward your sweep hand, finally meeting on the surface. Resist the urge to pull downward as you sweep.
µ To finish the roll, arch your back, drop your head back deeply into the water and continue to drive up with your water leg. Engage your abdominals and lift your body out of the water onto the back deck. At this point, both of your hands are facing palms up at your shoulders and the paddle is perpendicular to the kayak.
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PHOTO: JUSTINE CURGENVEN
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