PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.
© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved
PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.
© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved
One of the great things about going paddling is that every session is guaranteed to be different. You never know what you might encounter and here in Los Angeles that begins with the weather. Yes, Southern California is known for its abundance of sunshine. Lesser known outside the region is the high likelihood that you’ll encounter a thick layer of fog blanketing the ocean. My paddle earlier this week was one of those days.
I left home a few miles inland and drove to my local launch spot in the Ballona Creek just south of Marina del Rey. As I descended the hill towards the water the clear blue skies began to transition into a white haze. I snagged the last parking spot along the street closest to where I planned to launch and transferred my Infinity Downtown from its perch on the roof rack to the grassy median separating the street from the sidewalk.
From there, it is a short walk to my “secret” launch site at Loyola Marymount University’s old rowing site. The decade’s old concrete spillway hasn’t been used by LMU’s athletes for at least as long as I’ve been living in LA and is my local spot to launch. Parking is free and it is closer than driving all the way to Marina del Rey or King Harbor in Redondo Beach. Best of all, it is only around 200 yards out to the ocean, compared to two miles when launching inside Marina del Rey at Mother’s Beach.
Paddling in the fog can be a surreal experience. While it’s best not to stray far from shore, the cool and calm nature of being in the middle of a fog bank on the ocean offers a sense of solitude not found elsewhere in nature.
I plotted a course just outside the impact zone of the breaking waves and began to make my way north towards the Venice Pier. It wasn’t long before the Marina del Rey breakwall behind me had disappeared behind a thick gray wall of fog.
Dolphin breaching the surface in the fog.
Just as I was beginning to feel like there was nothing around me I heard the distinctive gurgling phooosh from a group of dolphins off to my left. The dolphins were feeding on a school of small silvery fish and didn’t seem to mind my presence as we crossed paths while I slowly turned and retraced my path back the way I had come.
As I passed the breakwall at the mouth of the Ballona Creek I had my second chance encounter of the day when I met a photographer practicing his craft from a rocky perch. He was kind enough to share a few of his shots with me for this story. Check out his work at Shiloh Mathis Photography and give his Instagram page a follow.
Thank you for your support – Infinity SUP, Shelta Hats, OX Endurance, OnIt Pro, MTI Lifejackets, and QuickBlade Paddles.
PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.
© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved
The International Canoe Federation has unveiled exciting changes for the 2023 competition season as athletes begin the qualification process for the Paris Olympics.
The ICF has scheduled Friday afternoon finals for several of the canoe sprint, paracanoe and canoe slalom competitions, to give athletes more opportunity to prepare for their events, and to provide exciting new windows for television and online viewers.
Under the new schedules, two of the most exciting events on the canoe sprint and slalom programs will now have their own exclusive competition windows on the Sunday of every event.
Kayak cross, which will make its Olympic debut in Paris in 2024, will now be the only event held on the Sunday of ICF World Cups and World Championships.
And the canoe and kayak sprint 5000 metre races will also be the main focus of Sunday afternoon competitions. The viewing numbers for the 5000 metre events on the canoe sprint program during the 2022 season underlined the popularity of the longer races.
ICF canoe sprint committee chair, Toshi Furuya, said the new schedules will provide an exciting build-up for the Paris Olympics.
“In 2023 the main focus for most of our elite athletes will centre around qualification for Paris, so we have designed an event schedule to maximise exposure for these outstanding competitors,” Mr Foruya said.
“We are also looking to build on the strong following we have for the 5000 metre races. We really want to build up this event to show how attractive it could be on the Olympic program.”
ICF canoe slalom committee chair, Jean-Michel Prono, said the decision to bring in Friday finals will have lots of benefits for the sport.
“Friday finals will hopefully relieve some of the stress for athletes who now compete in three events – kayak, canoe, and kayak cross,” Mr Prono said.
“And by making kayak cross the sole event on Sunday, we are showcasing this exciting event ahead of its Olympic debut in 2024. We are confident sport fans who have not already discovered this sport, will quickly fall in love with what we offer.”
The full ICF competition calendar can be found here.
PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.
© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved
I was headed to Pittsburgh to visit family and my cousin suggested I bring my SUP along. I was flying Southwest so no bag fees, why not! Southwest took care of the SUP and got it to PA safe and sound. I decided to take my 2015 Hala Straight-Up and Hala Travel Paddle. The travel paddle can be taken apart into three pieces which just fits in the older duffel style Hala Gear board bag from 2015.
On Saturday, July 28, we headed southeast from Pittsburgh toward Ohiopyle and the Youghiogheny River, or the Yough as the locals call it. Along the way we stopped in Wilderness Voyageuers to get the down low on conditions. I was greeted by a friendly young lady whose name escapes me. She zoned in on my Snowbird shirt (Snowbird is an amazing ski resort in Utah), asking me if I was from Utah. “Not quite” I said, “Colorado”. I told her how I finally made it out to Utah to ski this past March and hit Alta and Snowbird on four consecutive powder days.
Wilderness Voyageuers
After we got done chatting about skiing we got to the matter at hand, how is the water flowing in Ohiopyle? Pennsylvania has had a lot of rain in which has helped keep the reservoirs and a decent snow during the past winter. There are two options at Ohiopyle, The Middle Yough or the Lower Yough. Unfortunately for me, the Lower Yough requires a permit on weekends. The current flow on the Middle Yough was near 1200 cfs which is pretty good for this time of year. I got directions to the put-in spot at Ramcat and headed that way.
Launching into the Yough
We arrive at the put-in spot, I hopped out and scoped out the entry onto the water. It was super easy put-in to calm waters, and green EVERYWHERE. Compared to Colorado, where I live and paddle the most, Eastern Pennsylvania is extremely green. I quickly pumped up my Hala board, put on my PFD, helmet and attached my leash. The Middle Yough section I was about to paddle is roughly nine miles long so I estimated it would take me 2.5 – 3 hours. I waved goodbye to my cousin who wished me good luck and shoved off.
Pennsylvania sure was a lot greener than the Rocky Mountains where I’m used to paddling!
The river was moving at a nice even pace. The Yough was wide compared to most rivers I’ve paddled on previously. I’d estimate 500 feet (152 meters) wide on average. I cruised under a bridge, passed a small raft of ducks and was off on another SUP trip!
Besides all the green vistas to take in there were plenty of fishermen in waders, a few kayakers and plenty of rafting groups on the water. The weather couldn’t have been better! Temperature near 80 degrees, the sun was out but a few clouds to hide it at times. Humidity was mild, and the water temp was near 70 degrees.
The first set of rapids
After a couple miles downriver, I encountered the first section of rapids. According to American Whitewater (AW) there are a few Class II sections on the Middle Yough. First up was Drake Rapid. It was a nice little rapid but not difficult based on my experience in Colorado. I think it helped that the river is so much wider in PA, than the Arkansas river back in Colorado, (100 feet, 30 meters), which allowed me to easily navigate the river. Still, being on the water is a feeling like no other, which is why I do what I do.
I relaxed into a good paddle stroke, making sure to switch sides to stay balanced. As I moved downriver I encountered more paddlers. I got a lot of looks and a few questions from fellow paddlers while I was on my SUP. Most people thought it was cool that I was paddling on a SUP and were quite impressed that I was doing such a long section. The most common question was “is that easy”? Well, depends on what you mean by easy. I’m standing up on an inflatable paddleboard, paddling a nine mile section of a river. For me this is just another day on the water, but for a someone else, they may find it challenging.
I always enjoy chatting with fellow paddlers on the water because we are all there for more or less the same reason, to enjoy mother nature. Even if the conversation lasts 30 seconds while we pass each other on the river, I come away with a smile.
Continuing down the Youghiogheny
As I cruised down the river I kept my eye on my watch. I had a fairly good sense I was moving at a good pace based on passing other paddlers at a even clip, but still this being my first time on the Yough I did not know the river. I picked up the pace a notch at the 1.5 hour mark to hedge my timing.
Based on AW website, around the mile six and a half marker is the next section of rapids. I hit The Haystacks near the two hour mark which gave me comfort I was on track. The Haystacks section is several medium-sized boulders on river right. I charged straight through two boulders with little difficult. It felt good to hit some rapids after three plus miles of flatwater; next up Elephant Rock!
Elephant Rock is a exactly what it sounds like, a large boulder right in the middle of the river. With the lower flow, there are a couple options to the left of the rock. I cruise reasonable close to the rock and around the bend. Downriver, I noticed what I initially thought was a fisherman standing in the middle of a section of rapids. It turned out to be a kayaker, and his kayak was flipped upside down as he was holding on to it!
As I approached I called out, “are you okay”? He looks up and said is strained voiced “I could use some help”. I quickly pivoted my board to come abreast of his kayak while I faced upriver. As I did, I finally noticed a woman in an American flag patterned bikini grasping a small boulder while fighting the current. I said a quick hello as I tried to flip the kayak over from the side but realized it was too heavy. With my leash still attached to my board, I slowly slipped off my board and let it slide down river until the leash was taunt. From there I got a solid footing and flipped the kayak back over. I held the kayak while the couple hopped into the kayak and secured their belongs. They thanked me profusely; I made sure they were okay and bid them adieu.
Me and my Hala Straight Up. Ready for the River!
The take-out was a couple hundred yards down river and I had a bit of an audience there to greet me. I waved as I approach and received a solid 10-15 waves back. I steered my board toward shore, stepped off in the shallow water right before the board hit shore and was back on solid ground
Overall, had a great time on the water, next time the Lower Yough!
#Rivers #Pennsylvania #StandupPaddling #HalaGear #YoughioghenyRiver #YoughRiver
This year marked the seventh year of the Golden Games, an annual event to kick off the summer season of outdoor activities in Colorado. I participated in the Downriver SUP Sprint on Clear Creek in Golden, Saturday May 20th. The participants gathered around 9:45 am in the crisp air at the Golden Colorado whitewater park. While the temperature was in the 50’s, the sun was out in full force. The event organizer, Shaine from Shaboomee, gave a quick and concise safety briefing before the SUPers made the walk up the path to the start. Last year I was injured and only able to watch the race; this year I was pumped to participate!
Me paddling in Moab, Utah earlier this spring.
As the group walked up the path, I chatted with a few paddlers. Most seemed to be quite experienced. One paddler, Mike, recommended a few upcoming events I should check out including FIBArk in Salida, CO in the middle of June; there is a 10-mile downriver SUP race which is a lot of fun. He noticed I did not have a leash, commenting “if you want to get into more whitewater paddling, I’d recommend getting a leash which has a quick release draw-cord.” I mentioned I was going to hit-up REI later in the day, Mike said “I’d be surprised if they have one. Badfish actually makes a really good one which I use.” He showed it to me and the basics of how it works. It allows the paddler the ability to have a leash with the option to “bail” if the board gets stuck or wrapped around debris in the river. This seemed like a worthwhile investment; I made a mental note to lookup Badfish leashes online later.
Into the river
The start of the Golden Games whitewater SUP race was just past the 6th Avenue bridge. There is a break in the fence which leads to the water. There were an estimated 20 participates in this no-frills event. The paddlers started every minute. This provided the participants enough space so the course would not get congested. The entrance had some mild rapids to maneuver though before going under the bridge. During the walk up, one of the veteran whitewater paddlers I spoke with commented it was best to stay river left while passing under the bridge. As I paddled under the bridge and glanced to the right, I could see various rocks which would have been hazardous and challenging to navigate.
I made my way down the river to the series of drops in the whitewater park. On previous visits to the waterpark I’ve observed kayakers playing in the drops. I was now on my own adventure! As I approached the first one, I leaned too far forward and took a spill into the icy cold-water. I quickly climbed back on my board and started paddling again. I took the next drop on my knees.
After the series of drops, there was a flat stretch before finishing the race at Goose Poop Park. Upon arrival at the finish, I was greeted by a few of the paddlers who started before me, congratulating me on my first whitewater SUP race!
PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.
© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved
PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.
© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved