World Kayak Network

Stand up Paddling Waterfalls!

Aaron wrote 644 days ago:

You have to choose your waterfalls very carefully when paddling a SUP.  You want the falls to be near vertical and not too tall.  The drop in these pictures is about 14 feet tall.

With these sliding drops it is very important to not use the skegs.  Either turn the board around backwards or choose a board with removable skegs.

Foot placement should be in the Kung Fu stance so you have maximum stability.  I ahve also tried surfer stance and it worked fairly well.

Your wieght has to stay moving with the board.  If you are too far back the board will kick up and leave you in the landing.  Too far forward and it will sub out and become very unstable.

If you can get in a big stroke for the landing it will help to keep you connected to the board.  A change in velocity is what causes falls, whether it be the board or rider.

The downtime was pretty heavy on this drop.  I actually fell after the board resurfaced.  A board with a little more rocker will keep me from going so deep the next time.

At Kayak Huasteca we use Imagine Rapidfire boards and Werner paddles.  All can be Purchased at CKS.

See you on the river…

Aaron

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Stand up Paddling the Pigeon River!

Aaron wrote 661 days ago:

SUP on the Pigeon River!

CLICK ABOVE!!!

This is some stand up paddling on the Pigeon River in Hartford TN.  It’s an incredible run and a great step up from the Nantahala!

aaron

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Stand up Paddle..Tamul Falls!

Aaron wrote 840 days ago:

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Paddling class 2 is NOW class 5…on A SUP!

Aaron wrote 863 days ago:

The lower Micos is a gem of a run here in the Huasteca region of Mexico.  It is often overlooked, much like the Lower gauley, because of the 7 waterfalls upstream.

The run is an amazing class 2-3 section with about 25 rapids.  Since river SUP came on the scene, it has given us a new means to enjoy these easy sections of river.

There is a very nice hole about half way through the run.  it is a class 3 hydraulic with an island next to it.

You can run this drop multiple times.  right now with high levels it takes 1.5 hours to finish the run.

we are using the RapidFire SUP by Imagine Eco.  And the Traverse by WWW.EMOTIONKAYAKS.COM

If you are in Mexico and have the urge to SUP, come find us at www.kayakhuasteca.com We’ll be here keepin the stoke!

Aaron

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SUP Veracruz Mexico

Aaron wrote 876 days ago:

This past month we decided to hit the 3rd annual Alseseca Race in Veracruz (www.alseseca.com) and then grab our knee pads and do some SUP first descents.  Our board of choice right now is the Rapidfire by Imagine Eco.  Its a roto molded, tough as nails, extremely stable Stand Up Paddle Board. 
 
Veracruz has hundreds of rivers everything from steep basalt waterfalls to sandy bottom rivers that end in the ocean.  We chose the class 3+ Rio Filo-bobos to start with.

Filo-Bobos..long class 3, perfect for SUP

The Filo-Bobos is a 6 mile run down to la palmilla..there are three big class 3+ on the run.  La Union, Enfrijolada and La S.

All rapids are excellent for SUP.  With the Rapidfire/Traverse you can remove the skeg and run the shallows with out fear.

There are some manmade tunnels that can be paddled at certain water levels..Inside are bats, lizards and pitch black darkness.

The wall of tunnels.

I give this run a 5 star rating, easy to portage if necessary and you can run the rapids multiple times by walking back up shore. 

 Special thanks to  Aventurec www.aventurec.com   and Liquid Adventures http://liquidadventureskayakschool.org/   for the shuttles and hospitality. 

Next post will be about the class 3-4 Rio Pescados and 3+ Actopan.

Aaron

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River Surfing in Ciudad Valles!

Aaron wrote 892 days ago:

Flows in the Huasteca are still a nice medium level.  When we don’t feel like driving to the waterfalls there is a great park and surf 5 minutes from the Hotel.

Its a dynamic surf spot below the bridge.  Two distinct waves that form in about 2 feet of water.  With the current river drop, these waves will be here until april and will only get better.

The bridge makes for an excellent photo and video platform. 

The left side wave makes for good ollies and some nice carves.  I t has a strong foam pile that like to spin the board out so you have to stay active.

We surfed the whole fleet…Rapidfires, C4 10’6” iSUP and the Sevylor Samoa.

Its a great time of year for the waterfalls too.  Come on down and enjoy the awesome water levels and warm weather.  We’ll be here keeping the STOKE.!!

Aaron

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Rapidfire SUP by Imagine Eco.

Aaron wrote 960 days ago:

We have been using and abusing our rapifires, nonstop, for the past two weeks.  These boards are tough.  They get drug, dropped and scraped across rocks and it doesn’t affect them at all.

We have been paddling technical class 3 and some big water 3+.  Everyday I learn something and feel better the next day.  This board enables you to river run with confidence. 

Soon we will be pushing the limits with some 15 to 30 foot near vertical slides.  Should be interesting!

See you on the river.

Aaron

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