Although the word ‘symposium’ nowadays refers to an academic conference, apparently it was originally coined by the Greeks as to refer to a drinking party. Brilliantly, this weekend’s Paddlesport Expedition Symposium succeeded in occupying a very entertaining mid-ground between the two.
The event bought together paddlers of all types from all over the country to, in the spirit of the Ancient Greeks, “debate, plot, boast, or simply to party with others”. The weekend was jam packed with facinating talks, workshops and discussions covering everything from canoe poling, to bear proofing your kit, to leadership styles and group dynamics. With all this going on and a fresh dump of snow there wasn’t a lot of time for actual paddling, however some brave paddlers took to the water to demo our new Mad River Canoes (the Reflection is the best icebreaker in case you’re wondering!).
My personal highlight was a special preview of Justine Curgenven’s new DVD “This is Canoeing”. It’s beautifully filmed and packed with amazingly diverse characters from around the world – canoe dance anyone? – all with a huge passion for canoeing. You could show your mum this film and be confident she’d be asking to tag along on your next trip. Check out the short preview clip below:
It’s out in early March and we’ve got two signed copies to give away – keep an eye on the Facebook page for a chance to win one.
More here: http://www.cackletv.com/canoeing/this-is-canoeing/
Tarpology, firestarting, woodsplitting and cooking at Jule’s bushcraft workshop was another highlight for many. Complete with cake!
Thanks to everyone at Plas y Brenin and everyone who came along and helped to make the weekend so successful. We’ll see you there next year.
The UK’s National Student Rodeo 2010 is only 2 weeks away, and each year Palm Equipment make a custom NSR Kayak as the prize for the winning uni’s Club.
This year’s boat is a beautiful and unique Dagger Axiom in one off lime green, with NSR decals to finish it off…
To find out more about NSR, the world’s biggest freestyle competition (no, reallly, 750 competitors), visit:
Flicking through my pictures I came across some from Jen and I’s trip Slovenia late last summer which I’d fully intended on putting up here. It’s nearly six months down the line but it’s getting to that time of year where everyone’s looking forward to the weather warming up and being excited by booking summer boating trips. So if you’re browsing the net from the office and it’s cold outside, maybe these pics will provide a little food for thought.
We came across flights with Ryanair, flying into Trieste, for £1 each way per person but then with boats and the ticking of a few necessary boxes this escalated to around £120 each. Booking a rental car from Trieste airport in advance was best as some of the companies don’t cover you over the border into Slovenia, Europcar seemed to be good…
… The only down side being that they don’t do roof racks so after a bit of debate we were directed to the local shopping centre about 5 mins drive away where we picked up a 40 euro rack which nearly fitted but was secure with a couple of straps through the doors.
There’s loads of accommodation scattered up the Soca valley, but finding somewhere between Kobarid and Bovec puts you on location for the best sections. We stayed in Tronovo ob Soci near the Alpin Action shop, I’d recommend visiting to pick up a Soca River map which shows grades, distances, put ons and take outs of each section. There’s also the slalom section here which runs level with the small village and is good for those who are into a bit of down river training.
If you do choose to have a blast on the slalom section do make sure you know the take out, just before the blasted bridge (you’ll easily spot it), as this is the lead into the Syphon gorge where employing a river guide is recommended for the first run.
River info wise, apart from what I’ve mentioned above, a detailed guide – anything more than the river map – would only take away from the mini adventure that this grade 3/4 paradise offers. Although it is worth noting that there’s an awesome pizzeria in the little village of Srpenica!
Ever had trouble finding the right size spraydeck to fit your kayak? Short of taking your boat along to the store, it’s not always easy.
Enter our new online spraydeck sizing system. We’ve been trying our decks on all of the major boat models for a while now and we reckon we’ve got it cracked.
Get on the Palm website, select your boat make and model, get the perfect fit.
Saturday 6th February 2010 saw the return of the mighty Flowerpots Rodeo, brought back to life by the hard working, soap dodging, student population of Exeter.
Situated on the River Exe, at the Mill on the Exe Pub, the competition drew large crowds to watch, with general public and kayak groupies alike enjoying a cheeky pint whilst cheering on the action.
The competition kicked off at sunset, with high water making for a big and bouncy yet flushy hole. Several longer playboats were pulled out of the bag, proving more than capable of seeing off the shorter boats, with a few creekboat loops thrown down as well as some silky smooth cartwheel sequences.
Good representation was also given to the new skool as well with shelixes, pan ams, and other things too. A particularly brutal queen of the wave contest in the semi final saw a facial pummelling handed out by a cartwheeling Outlaw in the hands of Matt Tidy
In the end Craig Ayres was crowned champion, after a hard fought final, and the competitors and spectators headed to the pub for beer and medals.
Team Palm put in a good showing with Matt Tidy taking home the silver Medal, and myself claiming the biggest move title with a frankly enormous loop in a Dagger CFS kindly loaned by Exeter Uni Canoe Club.
A big shout out to Pete & Hugh & the Exeter uni crew, as well as Ewart from AS Watersports for laying down harsh tasty beats and incisive commentary
The first slightly warped RPM emerged from the Dagger Europe oven on the 8th November 2000 at around 10.20 pm. Today, 9 years, 5 months, and 21 days later, we made our 42,000th boat!
If you haven’t seen it already, check out the short videos below and see how it works…
With building work on our new extension going on at the moment it’s exciting times at our Clevedon factory!
