Co founder of World Wild Adventures, Jaime Sharp, Just Returned from a fun project on the Grand Canyon in the USA.
He and three others attempted to paddle the legendary Grand Canyon stretch of the Colorado River self supported in Sea Kayaks. Self supported means they had no Rafts with them and carried all they needed in their sea kayaks while paddling through the large rapids of the Grand Canyon.
Jaime states
” this for me was a fun project, a way to challenge the “status quo” of how sea kayaks and rivers are viewed and to challenge personal skills. They (sea kayaks) have become seen as worthy vessels for the appropriate rivers, though there has not been much mention of loaded white water expeditions in Sea Kayaks.” “this was a great chance to do the Grand Canyon in a very different way from the other 20,000 people who do it every year”
[gdl_gallery title=”grand-canyon-201213″ width=”190″ height=”250″ ]
The trip fell over Christmas and temperatures where down below freezing at night and rarely got above 7 degrees Celsius during the day. On the trip there were also 5 white water Cross river boaters and one OC1 (open canoe paddler), which gave the group of 10 and really varied mix of experiences to share. One paddler James Manke was not only paddling the Grand Canyon in a sea kayak but also did the whole thing with a traditional Greenland Paddle, plus not to mention this was his first ever river and long expedition.
Jaime recalls “James really had to learn quick and he ended up in a lot of wrong places to start with after following the lines of other people with standard paddles. He got beat down hard in some solid features, though his great rolling skills meant he never swam” “at the end he was able to know what lines he should take and he did an amazing job, I know as I paddled half the time with a Greenland Paddle and it is much harder to get around in the rapids with”
here is a short film put together by James
Jaime hopes to make a short film documenting the trip by the end of the year, though is also due to be back on the Grand in August for another run this time in Rafts and this time in the heat of summer.
“it is going to be great to be able to compare the two trips at the end, the luxuries of rafts, the difference in warmth, the water flows and the larger chance of snake and scorpion encounters in summer”.
we look forward to more stories and video to come
The World Wild Team
This is yet more evidence that whilst Greenland paddles are great for flat water touring they are just not suitable for the river or in ocean rock gardens, surf zone or tidal rapids.
I just don’t understand why there is such desire to prove otherwise.
The problem is that some folk are seeing these paddles being used by highly skilled paddlers in these environments and thinking that it is a good idea. Then when it doesn’t work out so well they blame their lack of skill when they would have done s much better with a Euro style blade.
Oh see below comment.
Sean, I respect your opinion but if I believed all the well-intentioned rubbish I ever received about Greenland paddles, or followed the implication that Greenland paddles are apparently only good for flat water touring, I would never have set a speed record around Iceland or Newfoundland using one. Thank God people are still pushing the limits of what can be done, rather than being overly concerned with what is “proper” and what others tell them they cannot do. Most limits are mental.
That said, every piece of gear has it’s strengths and weaknesses and you must clearly understand those parameters for safety. I certainly understand your point that there are specific paddle designs for whitewater. However, don’t you ever toss your paddle and surf just using your hands? Do you have a problem with people who ski downhill with telemark gear? It’s all about pushing the limits of the gear you enjoy.
I don’t use a GP in whitewater, and usually race with a wing, but I love a GP in tidal races and surf (preferring them to a Euro or wing), and find a GP vastly superior and far more controllable in extremely violent winds than either my Euro or wing paddles. However, that’s my personal preference.
Some good points there Sean, I understand the angle you are coming from, though from personal experience i find GP’s (Greenland paddles) to be great in surf zones and in Tidal rapids, and I almost prefer them even after 20 years of using Euros. Though I agree with your statement about rock gardening. As for Rivers, the excitement for me in having James on the trip and using GP’s was to bring up and look at the points you address here, so I look forward to more discussions on the Topic with a range of people. The aim I had for this project was to bring some capable rough water Sea kayakers with mixed back grounds on to a legendary high volume river and challenge normal concepts of sea kayakers, sea kayaks and Greenland paddles, and see what can and will happen. Your feed back is a wonderful sign that this (challenging the norm) is happening, and the fact we successfully survived the river means we have learnt something and can now share it and encourage thought.
Your last point to me seems interesting, I do understand what you are saying however, I would argue that any highly skilled paddling exemplifies possibility, and leads to people desiring to partake, whether within their abilities or not. Whether it be paddling with a euro blade or a GP, skilled paddlers make things look good, like hucking 50 foot waterfalls with euro’s or surfing 10 foot waves with a GP. With the Grand we wanted to explore the concept, compare what could and could not be done. James’s beat downs and steep learning curve where not due to the GP, but more his lack of experience in reading rivers and due to not understanding the limitations of his equipment in the moving water. That being said for James paddling a euro blade down the grand would have lead to the same beat downs, a less reliable roll and a lack of confidence in what he knows he can do, as he rarely uses a Euro blade. Thus more than likely he would have swam at least once, and then had a far less positive experience. Adventure is about stepping into the unknown and embracing a challenge, the Grand was a safe place for James to push his Limits and share a story of hard truths of Greenland paddles. I plan not to glorify James’s efforts but to give an honest reflection on the “CHOICE” to challenge one’s self and one’s chosen Genre of Sport. My hope was that with his solid rough water skills with his GP and Sea Kayak, James could learn and adapt to the River, the fact that after 5 days he started reading his own lines and avoiding beat downs was proof that it was possible, the other point to make is though he did get beaten up a bit to start with, we were all running the hard meat lines, while the Euro bladed white water paddlers were taking the sneak runs down the side of the biggest stuff.
To add, I paddled some of the same features James did with a GP and I had no problem avoiding features, once I understood the limitations of the Greenland paddle as well as I understand the limitations of myself and I applied the my knowledge of running rivers. Yes I agree we need to be careful to not illustrate a false picture to the less experienced but that is a responsibility of all hi end sports people or adventurers, which is “a responsibility to communicate the calculated choice”. If people didn’t dare to do something different, if they didn’t dare to step into the unknown or do the unthinkable (for themselves personally or for the world they know) where would we be?
To use a high risk sport with a hi profile as an example, I do not think it is our place to Judge why someone climbs the Southwest Face of Mount Everest (with a 27% chance of dying) as opposed to the more common SE Ridge (7% chance of dying), it is more important for us to note the reasons they choose to do so and cherish the fact that it is the challenge they desire and choose to accept, and “challenge” by definition means it isn’t easy.
We were criticised by many at the start, and in some ways will still be criticised, for taking Sea Kayaks down the Grand. People state that Sea Kayaks are not suitable for the river and you will have a much easier time in a white water boat designed for rivers, yet the sea kayak is almost the best vessel for a self support kayak trip. It is fast on flat water, carries a big pay load, punches effectively through large holes, and can hold a line well. The white water kayakers on our trip sometimes Hated us, as we casually drifted by on the Flat sections as they paddled nonstop. However what is needed to know here is “yes you better have a solid understanding of reading rivers, possess a good skill set, be very confident in rough water, have a bomb proof roll or be willing to walk and swim a lot. Sea kayaks CAN do the Grand, we have proven it and so have a few before us, though not every paddler can do it in a Sea Kayak, you have to commit to the big gnarly lines in order to stay away from rocks and entrapment possibilities along the sides of the river where the easier lines are. so you got to have some skill and a good head, whether you use a Euro Blade or a GP and I feel this goes for any advanced kayaking situation.
So as long as people know there are limitations to the GP paddle ( or any tool they use for that matter in anything they pursue), and realize it will challenge them to another level of skill and thinking in situations where a Euro Blade is possibly more suited and comfortable, and they decide to try something different…… I personally say “Good on em!” After all if people weren’t trying new things Kayak Instructors and Adventure Guides would not have much work. 😉
Jaime Sharp
Awesome photos, looks like a magic trip. I can’t wait until August!!
Here is another interesting blog that helps point out how we are constantly learning in the sport and if we new everything and stayed within comfortable constraints, ultimately everything would be stagnant and boring, like only ever doing the Grand Canyon with a Euro blade or in a Raft.
http://community.nrsweb.com/souls-and-water/2013/02/22/how-to-unlearn-what-you-dont-know/#more-2313
Sean’s sentiments towards the different paddles may have resulted from his predominant paddling choice to use a European style blade leading to him being relatively more experienced with their performance than he is with a Greenland Paddles performance. Perhaps if he had spent as much time with a GP in his hands as he has with an EP he would have formed a different opinion. EPs are great for Whitewater, GPs are great of sea kayaking including surfing and tidal races, see the numerous videos of their use, you don’t need to be an expert to have a lot of fun with them. Can they each be used in the others dominion? Sure they can and this story of the team’s exploits demonstrates that admirably. What is the big deal? Why polarize a discussion with such absolutes?