Westwater Canyon is an amazing stretch of the Colorado River that consists of nine class III+/IV rapids. It can get really gnarly in high water, and I have experienced major scary carnage in rafts at those levels (video evidence here), but during the Fall, it's a super challenging and relatively safe stretch on a SUP.
This year was the third time I have SUP'd Westwater. One of my goals was to be able to clean the entire stretch and SEND IT!! So I reviewed the footage from year's past. Replayed it over and over. Slow motion. Studied it. Wrote down what I would say as my own coach. Oh man, I wanted to clean Westwater Canyon SO DANG BAD. "How do I get my SUP to go straight?"Photo captured by Brad Mickelson at the 2017 FibArk on the Arkansas River, Colorado. Most people can pick up paddle boarding within the first SUP session, no lesson necessary. However, there is more to stand up paddle boarding than meets the eye, and even though most people consider their SUP experience a success because they can stand and somewhat navigate their board, there are some simple tips that can improve their paddle experience.
In this post, I will equip you with tools to combat the number one question I hear from SUP newbies while establishing their paddle technique -- "How do I get my SUP to go straight?" My life and, consequentially, my social media feed is filled with the joys of stand up paddle boarding. I have worked at several paddle shops, spent a few months building boards in a factory, and have raced and played on many boards.
People message me all the time asking for advice on buying a paddle board, and because boards are pricey, it's important that you understand what you're buying. I broke the research process down into several questions that you need to ask yourself so that you know what type of board you should buy as well as what shape would work best for you. The answers you seek will come after reading my SUP Buying Series! Here are the links: |
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