Project WwSUP: Tail Pivot Eddy Turn

Adding Style to your Eddy Turns

Being able to spot and catch an eddy in the midst of a whitewater rapid not only opens up a world of play, it also increases the safety of you and your paddling companions. Armed with this skill you can choose to stop nearly anywhere in a rapid to rest, prepare for a rescue, or just scout your next move. Performing that eddy turn with a tail pivot gives you access to smaller and more dynamic eddies. It also feels and looks way more awesome.

Before experimenting with pivot turning into whitewater eddies start with mastering pivot turns on flat water. Watch your posture - keep your body aligned more vertically than is common for flatwater SUP with you hips tucked forward and head up. Also work on smoothly moving your feet into position - if you have a longer board check out my post on Cross Stepping. Remember to have your paddle in the water and loaded to maintain control whenever you move a foot.

Not all eddies are appropriate for a TAIL pivot turn. If the eddy is especially shallow and rocky beware damaging your board or fins. A flat turn or the more challenging NOSE pivot turn  may be a better choice for shallow eddies.

The following video tutorial demonstrates a "toe-side" eddy turn on a 7'6" inflatable board. Enjoy - and let me know if this is helpful.

Need more direct instruction, coaching, feedback? Book me through Mountain River Guides on the Nolichucky and French Broad Rivers near Asheville, NC.

Media: Whitewater Paddleboarding on the Travel Channel!

This past Summer (2017) the owner of Mountain River Guides (and my boss), Matt Moses, invited a few local whitewater SUP badasses to perform for a camera crew from the Travel Channel. It was an all-day-marathon-blast in the Nolichucky Gorge!

Two teaser edits have been released - with the promise of a longer edit on the broadcast version of the Travel Channel.

Longer Facebook version:

Instagram version:

Paddling into the #weekend like... Would you brave Class III & IV rapids on a stand up paddleboard? #nolichuckyriver #blueridgemountains. #SUP  

A post shared by Travel Channel (@tr

Featured paddlers: Jack Nelson, Cohen Atkins, Matt Moses, Holly Swanger, Dale Swanson, Cameron Satterfield, & David "Scrubs" Clark.

This teaser shows a few highlights of a perfect day - hoping a longer edit will be released.

avelchannel) on Sep 15, 2017 at 7:59am PDT

Project WwSUP: Squirt Moves

Check out the video at the bottom of this article,

Riding a Wheelie on Whitewater

Inviting the energy of a river current onto the tail of the board is one of my favorite things to do. Once I dial-in the balance and control points for a particular board there is an amazing sensation. A delicate weightlessness as the board joins with the flow. All you have to do is maintain posture and balance and work with the currents.

Project WwSUP: Cross-Stepping for Whitewater

Footwork Foundations

The most brilliant thing about whitewater SUP is the freedom of movement. With all other whitewater craft - canoes, kayaks, rafts - paddlers generally brace or strap themselves into a stationary position. The paddler "wears" the boat for maximum control. But leaning the boat's hull forward, backward, left and right can only happen with great effort. Unattached and standing on a paddleboard we can focus our weight anywhere on the board at any moment to carve on a rail, pivot into an eddy, accelerate down a wave, and perform other maneuvers. This "unattached" freedom completely changes your paddle's effective range of motion as well as your control of the board.

Event: Beginning Whitewater SUP Weekend Clinic

Mountain River Guides visionary, Matt Moses

Intro to WWSUP: Weekend Immersion

Labor Day Weekend 2017
September 2-3, 2017

I've teamed up with Mountain River Guides (MRG) on the banks of the Nolichucky River to offer a special weekend workshop for beginning whitewater paddleboarders. All equipment is provided or bring your own (same price). If you're on Facebook check out the event for the latest info.

With 2 days to immerse yourself in the river and the arts of whitewater SUP you will be amazed at the change in your perspective as you move from “riding” the river to “dancing with” the river. As an instructor I am always excited to have a 2 day workshop which allows the time for new habits to germinate and sprout.

Arrive in good health with moderate fitness and expect to be on the water at least 4 hours each day. We will begin with fundamentals on quiet water and quickly progress to louder conditions on various local rivers with up to class 2 whitewater. In addition to basic paddle technique and stances you’ll learn a bit about river-reading, board control, and safety considerations. And - of course - if there's anything I've written about in this blog that you'd like to spend time on ... let me know and we'll work it in to the itinerary.

Take advantage of MRG's lodging and meal options and get to know your fellow students and instructors around the table and campfire. Fellowship like this is often just as important as time spent practicing on the water.

And on top of all of this ... drum roll ... admission to a special music event that Sunday evening at the outpost.

This is going to be fun.

Do it!

Call 1-800-872-7238 or go to Mountain River Guides to sign up ... and tell them Dale sent ya.

TUITION: $125

LODGING OPTIONS

• Camping: $5pp per night
• Private Room: $95 per night (sleeps 3)
• Private Bungalow: $115 per night (sleeps 4)

MEAL OPTIONS

• Breakfast: $10 each (Saturday & Sunday)
• Dinner: $15 each (Saturday)

Project WwSUP: Fear of Falling

Last year on a perfect summer Sunday afternoon I accepted an invitation to a small pond party near Stuart, VA. "And bring a paddleboard or two if you can!"

And so I did bringing two heavy but incredibly stable Jackson Kayak SUPs designed for navigating rivers... which I don't think I actually paddled at all because both my friends and their kids kept them occupied almost constantly on the 2 acre spring-fed pond. Instead, I got to paddle a couple beautiful and lightweight but less stable boards brought by other guests. While my middle-aged peers had been paddling with cautious, rigid bodies taking great care to remain upright and dry I was dancing around and falling off the more nimble boards more than anyone other than the kids. The kids got it. And eventually a couple of my older friends got it too. The effect of all this falling in the water? More relaxed paddlers experimenting with movement when on their feet and both risking and accepting falls into the cool safety of the deep pond water ... all without any "instruction" other than a little playful modeling from me.

Project WwSUP: Riffle Meditation

Only those who have patience to
do simple things perfectly
ever acquire the skill to
do difficult things easily.
~James J. Corbett

Long ago - when I was still on my knees in a canoe - I discovered the Ferry Ledge. Just a simple little riffle on a flat bit of the Dan River next to the Dan River Company where I work and hang out. Often on quiet evenings after work - when there weren't other demands on my time - I could pull a boat I kept stashed under the building and spend half an hour quietly gliding, carving, and just "being" with the river.