BRACE YOURSELF
Bring up bracing among a group of kayakers and you can expect an earful of anecdotes, opinions and ominous warnings. Debate generally centers on the merits of the low brace versus high brace, and the potential for shoulder injury if the maneuver is performed incorrectly. On a recent Facebook poll, we wanted to know: Do you high brace? “All the time, paddling in front of the break and surfing,” writes
Tony Blake, “keep the elbows down and there is no risk of injury.” Phil Allen also finds the high brace useful in the surf, “Side-surfed by a very large foam pile, it was the only position the wave allowed me.” Ditto Steve Cramer and A Whole Bunch of Ings,who’s high braced “sideways on a wave many times.”Kirk Alm says he “rarely needs to high brace if not paddling in the surf zone or rock garden- ing on the coast.” Meanwhile, Robin Read says she learned to “always try a low
brace first, then only high brace if absolutely necessary.”Deborah de Lorenzo received similar advice: “Avoid high braces. If you have to do a high brace, consider rolling up instead as you can take the time to set up and thus protect your shoulders more.” Steve Lidia’s answer joined both camps, “Yes, of course, as well
as every other kind of brace you might consider. Kayaks have mul- tiple degrees of movement and require stabilizing techniques for each one.”
TASTY READER TIP
Milk’s favorite cookie does more than just dunk well. The best- selling black-and-whites can also be used to scrub your dive slate clean, says Adventure Kayak reader and kayak instructor, Ian Pe- ters. Peters clips a compact dive slate onto his deck so he can jot down weather observations, bearings and teaching notes. He al- ways keeps a few Oreos handy for snacks, and discovered a small dollop of the cookie’s creamy center rubbed on the slate with a fingertip gets it as white as, well, Oreo filling. And because Oreos are the most popular cookies on the planet, you can twist, lick, scrub and dunk in more than 100 countries worldwide.
EVENTS
The always lovely Ladies of the Lake Sea Kayak Symposium celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special reunion of all 10 past guest coaches on Drummond Island, MI, August 15–18 (www.
downwindsport.com/lol). Help promote clean water education, restoration and recreation at the family friendly Race for the Riv- ers in St. Charles, MO, August 24 (
www.racefortherivers.org). Learn traditional skills from Cheri Perry, Turner Wilson and
Dubside at the Ontario Greenland Camp (read a full report in the Early Summer 2012 issue,
www.rapidmedia.com/0045) in Muskoka, ON, September 6–8 (www.ontariogreenlandcamp. com). Another Greenland-style festival,The Traditional Gather- ing (
www.qajaqmn.org), lands at Minnesota’s Lake Carlos State Park the same weekend. Join Adventure Kayak editor Virginia Marshall in Nova Sco-
tia’s Tusket Islands for the Bay of Fundy Sea Kayak Symposium September 20–23 (
www.bofsks.com). October is rough water skills month. Kick it off with the Gales
Storm Gathering (get the scoop in the Spring 2013 issue, www.
rapidmedia.com/0046) in Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands, Bay- field, WI, October 11–13 (
www.galesstormgathering.com). The Georgian Bay Storm Gathering (“Gathering for a Storm,” Spring 2011,
www.rapidmedia.com/0047) reconnects rowdy paddlers near Parry Sound, ON, October 17–20 (
www.georgianbaystor-
mgathering.com); and the Lumpy Waters Symposium returns to Pacific City, OR, October 18–20 (
www.lumpywaters.com).
www.adventurekayakmag.com 7 © 2013 Wolverine World Wide, Inc.
Stay grounded not anchored
Get closer to the world around you. Discover how good it feels when minimal meets supportive.
chacos.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64