How, When and Why to Use a Leash on Rivers

Ben's preference: Badfish Re-Leash

Ben Smith's article, the Lowdown on Leashes for River Surfing, is excellent for anyone puzzling over the options as they get into whitewater SUP. I have seen many different choices of leashing gear and principles for when to leash. Ben hits the bases and has some great things to consider when choosing to leash or not to leash.

Whitewater canoeists and kayakers don't leash themselves to the their boats. Instead, they "wear" their boats using straps, bulkheads, thigh hooks, hip blocks, etc. Whitewater stand up paddling, in contrast, is focused on freedom of movement where the connection between paddler and boat is tenuous at best. Going leashless really honors the ideal mindset for whitewater stand up paddling and is often the safer option.

That said - you'll usually find me with my old and mostly reliable Salamander waist leash - especially when paddling unfamiliar rivers ... and occasionally on a familiar river. But after finding the coiled cable of the leash wrapped around my neck following a chundering in a big hole I am going leashless more often.

Go read Ben's post at his blog, SUP for the Soul :: The Lowdown on Leashes for River Surfing

Project WW'SUP: Falling on Rocks

Learning to navigate a standup paddleboard on a river will eventually involve losing your balance and falling from time to time. Unfortunately your landing zone in the river bed will most likely be full of rocks.

Falling on rocks hurts.

Duh.

As with skiing, mountain biking and other adventure sports the more you challenge yourself the more you are exposed to potential injury. If you're not prepared to accept this risk, stick to the "Bunny Slopes" on lakes and flat, barely moving rivers.
This article part of the series, Project Ww'SUP.

Project WW'SUP: Forget Your Feet

One of the most important skills I practice for WWSUP is foot work. Not just where to put them and when, but the more fundamental skill of moving around the board intuitively. For instance, the brain decides that we're going to carve around the shoulder of a hydraulic and head off to the right to avoid a bigger hole just downstream. Ideally the body automatically responds by switching from an offset stance to right-aligned stance. In that moment you are also paying attention to blade placement, the board's edges, and where your body weight is and where it needs to shift next. That's a LOT to deal with in the moment.

This article part of the series, Project Ww'SUP.

Whitewater SUP = Calisthenics

When trying something new very few do it well or efficiently at first. Whether it's chess or snow skiing or whitewater kayaking; noobs use twice the effort for the same effect as more experienced practitioners. Early in my downriver whitewater canoe racing career I was consistently puzzled by paddlers 20 years my senior almost effortlessly kicking my butt. I'd be paddling a 16' open canoe as hard as I knew, sweat stinging my eyes, 30 minutes into an hour long course, and wondering why I was punishing myself like this when Ed Sharp (68 at the time) would sail past me in his own 16' canoe with a smile and encouraging word. Over ten years later I at least have a better understanding of what it takes to paddle efficiently and fast even if the skill is still a bit out of my grasp.

Breaking the Rules

Early in Dale's WW-SUP Career (2013)

A year ago I bought a stand-up paddling board; SUPerCharger made by Jackson Kayak. I did not find lessons to learn how to operate it. I did not find a community of like-minded SUP paddlers to learn from and with. I just started playing with it using the knowledge I had accumulated from a couple decades spent canoeing lakes and whitewater rivers. In addition to learning the subtle art of a single-bladed canoe paddle I had just come off a few years practicing canoe poling. So, I wasn't completely uneducated as far as paddling upright with a 6 foot, single-bladed paddle. I just didn't know there were already rules for this new thing.