It feels kind of strange writing a kayak review in the middle of a snow-white Bovec, but if there’s a good time to spend it on a computer, it is on lazy winter evenings. I spent most days of 2012 in a kayak, working on the river throughout the summer season and kayaking great whitewater in what turned out to be an epic autumn in Slovenia in terms of water levels.
My 2012 kayaking season has been largely affected by a transition from Pyranha Burn to the new dagger Mamba. I am very picky when it comes to kayaks and I am not easily persuaded. I paddled an old Mamba 8.5 from time to time and I really liked the control it offered on the water. But I never liked how it performed on the rocks. The old Mamba is mainly a river-runner. It is a great learning tool for beginners and a very safe bet for paddlers that don’t like being surprised by the boat. But it just couldn’t compare to the more hybrid-like Burn, when it came to creeking.
That is why I wasn’t instantly persuaded by the idea of switching to the new Mamba, which was presented to me in the springtime – even though it was a new model that needed to be “outed”. When it comes to extreme kayaking, I go for whatever I feel best and safest in, even if it isn’t in the best interest of my sponsors. I am glad that they understand that but in any case I still couldn’t wait to try out the new Mamba. Trying out different kayaks is kind of a hobby for me, as it makes me feel like a little child with a new toy. Most contemporary models come in different sizes as well, which just multiplies the experience.
At that moment Soča valley’s biggest kayak test center, Alpin Action, only had a Mamba 8.1 test boat. But I was quite sure that it was a right size for me, as I normally couldn’t resist the playfulness of smaller models compared to more conservative character of bigger ones. I tested the boat at a fairly low water level at Katarakt section of Soča River, which offers some nice rocky boofs on a mostly “watery” course. Mamba 8.1 surprised me in every way. The first thing I noticed was that the boat lost its ship-like character of being able to go straight without any “urge” for turning until you commanded it to. In fact it felt like a firecracker under my bum. I used to paddle slalom and I love the boats that can spin fast, but this boat exceeded all my expectations. I could hardly keep up to it. I could almost say I got outmanoeuvred by the boat. I wanted to own one, just for the challenge of taming it, but I could only get one boat and 8.1 size felt too small for my 75 kg, for serious extreme kayaking. What mattered to me the most was that its hull was much rounder than that of the old model and it gave me great control on the rocks. I had some problems in the past for not paddling the big enough volume boat in extreme whitewater, but the amazing performance of Mamba 8.1 gave me confidence to do a risky decision. I did something unthinkable for myself and just ordered an 8.6 version without trying it.
My first impression when I was unwrapping the boat was: “oh my god, it’s huge.” I felt a little bit sick, because I was really worried that it was too big for me. I’m only 174 cm high and I had some experience in the past with not being able to properly control the boats that were too big for me. I still think I look a bit funny when I sit in it, but how I feel in it is another tale. For the first few months I used it mostly for work at a very low water Soča. I had been taking photos of rafting and I needed to overtake the rafts a few times on their descent. Mamba felt like it was made for the job as it is fast and offers an amazing amount of space for my camera gear. I also learned it is a little less bouncy as the 8.1 version, which I expected from the bigger size. Nevertheless I was amazed by the fact that, even though it is a super big kayak, I was able to spin it very easily and fully control it. I couldn’t wait to try it on harder water.
In the next few months I got a chance to try it in super big volume, low volume creeks, steep big water situations and so on. To start with the sum up: I love the boat and never felt so secure doing extreme whitewater as I do in Mamba 8.6. When I first tried it in big volume, I was amazed by how on top of everything it felt and by how easily I could change direction, even though it is slightly harder to keep it on a straight track as it is the old Mamba. But unlike the old Mamba, this one can comfortably be used as a creeker: It has a very nicely rounded hull, which I feel confident to take to the steeper rocky rapids. The good features also include stability, easiness to lean it and roll. It is also really easy to boof, while it tends to land soft and accelerate on the landings.
I can’t say I don’t miss a bit of a playful character which smaller boats can offer. I honestly believe that a size gap between 8.1 and 8.6 is too big and I would like something in between to do those play-creeking runs on easier rivers and to also be able to use the same boat in serious conditions. But that would probably be a compromise for me, because there is currently no other boat than Mamba 8.6, that I would rather take to a hard paddling expedition. I can confidently stuff it full of heavy equipment, sit myself in and I can hardly notice any change in the way this kayak handles. Dagger is introducing a new outfitting kit in 2013 and I can hardly wait to try it out – especially those extra inches you can slip under the seat. Great job Dagger!
Here’s a video of Extreme kayakin in the Soča valley that I recently made . In the first part of the video I paddle the new Mamba 8.6 at a Katarakt section of Soča River. I believe it is quite evident in the video, that the boats handles like a charm, stays on top of features and accelerates effortlessly.
With the launch of Dagger’s new Jitsu playboat we wanted to give you some new skills to work on in your shiny new freestyle ripping machines.
Over the course of this year Katya and me will be producing monthly how to videos to help you progress your freestyle skills.
The first one here is on how to do one of our favourite moves: the Phonics Monkey.
What is it?
It’s a 360 degree vertical spin linked into a front loop.
It looks very spectacular, is one of the highest scoring moves and also one of the hardest to master.
How to do it?
Step One: Set Up
Step One: Start up nice and high on the foam pile. Turn the boat so that it’s lined up straight to the oncoming flow. Let yourself drift down towards the seam line with a little bit of edge held on.
Step Two: Initiation
Step Two: Just before you reach seam line reach across the bow with a crossbow stroke to initiate the 360 pirouette.
Step Three: Looking Ahead
Step Three: As soon as you’ve initiated the crossbow pirouette, start looking ahead of the boats rotation.
Step Four: Spotting Upstream & Throwing Loop
Step Four: When you’re getting nice and vertical and your nearing the end of the 360 you want to spot a marker, could be a tree or a slalom pole, anything that is directly upstream of you.
Step Five: The Landing
Step Five: Kicking your Feet Out
Step Five: When you see that marker jump up on your toes into your standard looping position & then kick your feet out straight ahead of you in the direction of that upstream marker. The more aggressive the better at this point.
Get some forwards strokes in to stay in the hole.
How to make sure it scores?
Try to start at a low angle and build up continuously to vertical. Timed correctly this will give you the biggest air and make sure the judges like it.
Make sure you keep the loop nice and straight at the end. (Spot your marker & Kick your feet out in front when you finish the Loop)
Things to watch out for:
Going vertical too soon.
Taking too much speed into the move (that just means you’ll go vertical too soon.)
Reaching out too far on the cross bow. Again this will mean you go vert too soon or hurt your shoulder.
Finally
Get out there and have a go, be patient it will probably be a gradual process mastering this move, but very satisfying when you get it.
It’s been a bit of shock returning to the UK from a sunny Chile in this weather, but this morning I gritted my teeth, donned my mitts and dug out my slalom boat from under the snow…
A few of us have started using Strava to time ourselves on sections of river, it’s great for training or just for getting a bit competitive with your mates. Today it was the Chipper-to-Bala challenge on the Tryweryn. If anything was going to motivate me to paddle fast, it was the fact that it was below freezing!
I was beginning to wonder if I’d gone insane at the put-in, but actually once I got going it was quite a pleasant temperature and kinda good fun! I think the fact I took out in my garden; returning to a nice cup of tea in front of a roaring fire probably made the experience all the better…
So, if you’re up for a challenge then 38 minutes from the Chipper to just above the bridge in Bala is the current time to beat (I suspect Pete Woods in his Dagger Green has already beaten that though). If you Strava, this is the segment: http://app.strava.com/segments/2386051. We use a smartphone in a waterproof case tucked into our buoyancy aid pocket with the Strava app running to record our run.
This last half year with Katya in the UK I wanted to show her as much of the UK’s good bits as I could think of, and also show her where I started kayaking and some of my favourite places in the UK.
We love being out in the wilds, away from cities so I really wanted to go to Scotland with her this time to paddle some of the Classics, see John O’Groats, do some cycling and just see as much of the wild as we could.
Paddling
The main goal of our trip wasn’t really kayaking which was just as well because when we first arrived there was no water at all but the last few days of the trip we were hammered by rain so got to paddle the Etive then met up with Dennis Newton and his creeking camp kids and paddled the Orchy at great levels the next day before heading home.
I enjoy river running for the beauty surrounding it but I don’t desire to push it very far, it’s just not my thing. I’m not really scared of it, or feel out of my skill level, it’s just that it feels that in order to get the same buzz as I do for freestyle i’d have to go pretty crazy and I don’t wish to take those risks. The reward for me isn’t big enough and if I were to hurt myself too much so that I couldn’t do freestyle or the other sports I love i’d really regret it.
That said because it was so beautiful here, I loved the Etive, especially the classic Right Angle drop. The Orchy was actually a really sweet surprise. With the rain we had it was quite like the Nile style of big water. I only wished i was in my playboat as there were some fabulous waves & holes that would of ben great to surf properly…next time I guess.
Landscape & Animals
Scottish Animals & Wildlife have to be pretty tough, given the climate & weather, but I think this also gives them a character and personality. We were lucky that we got to see so many wild and also tame animals classic to Scotland on our trip.
We got to socialise with Ponies, Sheep & Highland Cows here, I love seeing them out in the wild heather & fields, I only wish they weren’t going to be eaten! There so beautiful and intelligent creatures, you can really see something in there eyes.
We also got to see Red Squirrels which you don’t often see in England along with many kinds of birds.
Scotland has some very harsh weather and I think this brings out it’s beautiful landscape even more. We got to enjoy the Autumn colours on the trees all around, the towering mountains, barren expanses of heather and the storm battered coasts.
The other aspect that was good was that each night we managed to park up next to some quiet Loch or river and wake up each day to fantastic views of Scottish nature.
I just think of all the places our Van’s been now, it really has seen some fantastic sights in the last 3 years!
John O’Groats
I’d never been there and it’s somewhere I always wanted to go, so with freezing weather and howling winds we got ourselves to the very edge of the UK.
We got to what was signposted as the tip but after checking my map on the iPhone it looked like we needed to venture further so we walked along the coast until we got to the cliffs and lighthouse that mark the true edge.
It’s like another planet there and you could barely stand from the power of the wind, really made you feel invigorated looking out to sea, leaning your full weight into the wind.
Aviemore
I’d actually been here once before; when I was studying Adventure Sports at college we’d had a week long winter mountaineering course here and remembered it as quite spectacular.
We got some good cycling in around the Lochs on the trails here and saw a centre that looked after Reindeer, it caught our eye actually because there was a Red Squirrel eating in front of it.
We found we’d missed the seeing the guided tour to look at them in the hills so decided to hike up one of the mountains looking for the Reindeer herds ourselves. We didn’t find them but the view from the top was worth it anyhow.
Back Home
Luckily for us we live quite close to North Wales and the Lake District so we spent the rest of the Winter exploring & paddling some of my favourite areas and getting to visit the play spots I grew up paddling: the Dee, Tryweryn and a few trips to HPP & Hurley.
Below is just a few un-edited clips of us testing out the Prototype Dagger Jitsu’s
We actually have a pretty sick set up here in the UK to become a top playboater. You only really have to look at our current crop of paddlers to see that though…(Bren, James Weight, James Benns
As well as kayaking I’ve been giving talks to school kids to get them excited and inspired for life in the outdoors, which at first was very nerve racking but actually has been very rewarding and enjoyable. More on the project HERE
Now though the new year has come and I’m looking forward to heading off with Katya for some new adventures and a fresh season of competition!
New to Dagger’s Whitewater boats for 2013 is a whole new outfitting system which goes by the name of Contour Ergo .
You might have heard or seen some noise about it, but here’s a closer look at the technology and innovative new ideas behind the new kit.
There are a lot of different styles of kayak outfitting available, and Mark ‘Snowy’ Robertson (Dagger’s head boat designer) wanted to create a modern outfitting system to compliment Dagger’s new designs that would achieve significant steps forward in safety, comfort, and performance.
In a Creeking seat, designed for steep, technical paddling, safety is a key priority, and the Contour Ergo System has a few features which set new standards for kayak outfitting.
The full plate footrest was invented as a safety feature to prevent a paddler’s feet from slipping past the footrest and becoming trapped in the event of a large piton or impact to the bow.
The Contour Ergo takes this a step further, by offering an automatically expanding footrest with toe cups, which fits the shape of your kayak making it practically impossible for a paddler’s feet to slip past the footrest in an impact. Click on the link here to see how it works:
Other safety features include a newly shaped step out pillar to aid exit in the event of a pin.
Another revolutionary aspect of the Contour Ergo system is the all new leg lifter ratchet. Maintaining effective contact with the thigh braces of a kayak is vital for control, and the leg lifter guarantees both comfort and contact with the seat and thigh braces.
The Contour Ergo System has a durable, high quality finish, and is loaded with storage and attachment points for safety gear and other essential kit. The new system reaches new levels of comfort and adjustability, making you feel more connected and in control than ever before. Don’t just take our word for it though. The new spec boats are in shops now, so get down to your nearest one and check it out!
For 2013 the Contour Ego is available in Jitsus, Mambas, Nomads, Axioms, GTs, and of course the Green boat.
We’ve been receiving deliveries galore to Palm HQ over the Christmas period, and a host of exciting new products are now winging their way to your local shop…
For starters, the revolutionary, innovative, and luxuriously comfortable Contour Ergo outfitting has arrived! Now coming as standard in Jitsus, Nomads, and Mambas.
As well as new boats and outfitting, there’s new soft gear galore, from the stunning new line up of paddle trousers to some refined new touring gear, and our new rafting specific PFD the Highside, we’re really proud to bring something bright and fresh to a paddling shop near you!
Check out the images to see what’s new!
We can’t wait to see all this new gear out on the water, so get down to your local shop to check it out!
Well its time to tell you all the good news now that the mince pies have settled (in our stomachs) and the Christmas decorations have come down. Before Christmas, on a cold weekend at Lee Valley, the National Team Selections took place for Raft Racing. We had a big turn out of teams all as enthusiastic as ever and all competing for the glory of being the Great British Team.
The Mens teams all loving Lee Valley
Each Team competed in the 4 main disciplines; Time-trial, Head to Head, Slalom and Endurance. Each and every team did themselves proud as there was some tough competition.
2 Teams go Head to Head for glory!
Team Palm Ladies Puttin’ it Down!
The event was lent some glamour in the form of Olympic Gold Medalist Etienne Stott designing the slalom course, and we were lucky enough to get a photo with him!!
Ok Ladies you can stop swooning now!
But with the all hard work and training we put inthroughout the year, we kept the top spot and once again secured our title as Team GB! Woop Woop! (Phew!)
SO NOW WE ARE OFF TO NEW ZEALAND IN NOVEMBER AND THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!!
Rafting with style!
The results for selections are:
Sharing the love for Rafting!
Women’s:
Gold: Team Palm maintain their GB Team status
Silver: Welsh Dragons
Bronze: Raft Chicks
Men’s:
Gold: Team PeakUK maintain their GB Team status
Silver: Dark Dog,
Bronze: Amathus
A MASSIVE thank you to Lee Valley and Pas for putting the event on, and a huge thanks to Etienne Stott for the slalom course and his Olympic amazingness. But this event would not have happened if not for the safety guys n’ gals and volunteers who gave up their time and all those who took part. So a very BIG THANKYOU to them.
If you think any of this looks like good fun and you want to get involved get some friends together and get in touch. There are going to be loads of open events in the UK next year!
