how old and how long have you paddled

[Jan_dettmer]

I'm 26, started serious paddling in 94 with Masons book Path of the Paddle. In 95, I was planning my first "wilderness trip" and thought I could need some whitewater technique. I took a 1 week ACA whitewater course and that really helped me a lot.
That summer, I bought my first canoe, a Mad River Revelation, wich is now lying in my yard. I abused it quite a bit on a few long wilderness trips.

Just after I returned from my first trip eith teh Revelation, I bought a Viper 12 which I quite liked.
My favorite Open Boats are the Ocoee, Edge and Spanish Fly.
Right now my only whitewater canoe is a Quake which is good for Riverrunning and stuff like that but pretty much sucks because of no edge.

I just started C1 seriously and have a Blunt and a Delirious that wait to be paddled on Vancouver Island (winter is paddling season here )
Yesterday I had an "interesting" ride in a Mr Clean.

Jan

[the great gonzo]

I am 38, sat in a canoe for the first time in 1993. I was still living in Switerland back then, and decided that it was time to do something else as summer vacation than riding my motorcycle to the same old beaches in Italy where all the bikers hung out. So I started studying travel guides and read about the Yukon river in one of them. So I decided that a trip down the Yukon from Whitehorse was the thing to do. Since none of my friends showed any interest, it was going to be a solo trip.
As at that time I had absolutely no clue about canoeing I bought Bill Mason's "Path of the paddle" and studied all the strokes.
Flew to Whitehorse, rented a canoe there and made it safely down to Dawson City. I was hooked.
Back home I had sold my bike within a few weeks (can't transport a boat with them, and I couldn't afford a car and bike at the same time) and gotten myself an old car and a brand new Mad River Freedom. Started to run some class 2 and easy 3 rapids and did a lot of swims, so I decided to take some courses. There I sa the first actual whitewater boat (a Mad River ME) tried it out in some class 2 and was swimming again, but decided that I needed one , so I went out and got myself a brand new Dagger Encore (used canoes were virtually impossible to find in Europe at the time). I tried out a Cascade once at the time on shallow contimnuous class 2-3 water, had a long swim (due to a lack of roll) and decided that C1 was not for me.
I went back to the Canadian North in 94 and 95 for trips and ultimately decided that I wanted to live in Canada, so I moved in 1996.
Didn't do much whitewater between 1997 and 1999, as I was more into tripping and only had a Old Town Discovery Scout at the time (I sold the 2 boats in Europe, transport would have been too expensive). In 99 I decided it was time to get more into whitewater again and started looking for a used boat. Found an Atom and decided to give C1 another try. I didn't get thrashed badly in it, but my legs fell asleep in it after 5 to 10 minutes, so I did not paddle it much at all.
In 01 I decided to give open boating another try, hoping that my legs would not fall asleep in the taller open boat saddle. It worked, but at the same time my problem with my legs fallig asleep in the Atom went away, so I kept that one.
Last year I finally decided to join a club and kick it up a notch. I bought 3 boats alone within tha last year and, as I aslo got myself a drysuit, pretty much non stop from April until now.

My favorite open boat is the Prelude, it is just awsome for river running.
he Finkenmeister I bought recently is definitely my favorite in big pushy stuff, it's stability is so confidence inspiring. As far as playboating is concerned, I have a lot of of work ahead this winter during pool sessions in my Delirious C1...

martin

[ezwater]

I'm nearing 61, started in 1973 in an 18.5' Moore supercanoe, the kind they used to race in downriver. In 1974, moved to Atlanta and bought a Hahn C-1. Replaced it with a Sage (ugh), and then with a Phoenix "Seewun". Realized a dream by purchasing the first Zealot out of the mold, used, from Adam Clawson in '96. Great boat, but I've gained weight, just bought a used Millbrook Wide Ride. I also kayak, but keep coming back to C-1 as long as my knees will take it.

[beads]

Started at the age of 21 paddling with Graham Harada. I was in a kayak in may and by August I had purchased my Foreplay and converted it to C1. Since them ( three years) I have had a Shaggy designs sith (cut off ends), Massive Mad Dog, and have paddled a Pop, and Space Cadet. Of these the Forplay was the best. I took a Foreplay down the Moose for Moosefest and this run just reinforced how great a boat the foreplay is.

Beads

[Joey]

age- 21
started paddling solo in 1993(i think, i was only 12 at the time) in a dagger encore. before then i paddled tandem with my dad since i was 4 or so. started c-boating when i was 14. i bought an atom the first season it came out. since then i have owned a a Virtigo(better known as the Virti-slow), a glide, switch, pop, micro bat, and a t-2. i dont think i have one favorite. i guess the t-2 has been the best wave boat, but i doesnt get any air, so i really like the pop in a big hole. the micro is the best creek boat ever made, and i love it cause it takes care of me when im scard. i really like the ocoee as a open boat. i dont know, they all have their place in my heart. so i i guess i have been paddling for 17 years, and c-boating for 7. thats more than 3/4 of my life!!!! i never thought of it that way. ---- joey

[Evelyn]

I'm 19 (almost 20!) and have been paddling ww since I was 12. Almost 8 years in kayak, 2.5 in C-1 (although I just learned to roll this fall!) and 0C-1. Began C-2ing just this fall. Neither of my parents paddle and actually think whitewater paddling is somewhat crazy. They have always been supportive, though.

The summer I turned 12 I took a week-long "Introduction to Adventure" class with an organization called Kroka Expeditions based in southern VT. Two days were paddling-- one day on flatwater and one day on easy whitewater. I was the only girl, the youngest by two years, and the worst kayaker by far. The next couple of years I improved somewhat by taking paddling (and swimming?) lessons with Kroka. I went to my first slalom race when I was 13. After my first race, I was hooked, and I haven't stopped paddling or racing since.

I went to boarding school for high school, and I helped teach kayaking in the Outdoor Program there for four years every fall and managed to continue slalom racing every spring. It helped that my freshman biology teacher had been on the national team in C-2 back in the 70s. She helped immensely in convincing my school to let me miss saturday classes (yes, Saturday classes...) for paddling and set me up with a nearby school that had a whitewater slalom program. My junior year of high school, I bought a used stiletto fiberglass C-1 and decided to teach myself to paddle it and race it. I hung gates on the school pond (a puddle, really) and would practice there when I couldn't go out on whitewater. I perfected the art of changing out of wet paddling gear, including a wetsuit some days, and into a pefectly-pressed school uniform in a record forty-five seconds or so and miraculously managed to never be late for sit-down dinner.

Now that I'm in college, I am part a great canoe club called Ledyard that has an incredible amount of money for paddling and an amazing history of slalom racers. Ledyard just gave money for my C-2 partner (the only other C-1er at Ledyard) and I to convert one of our old kayaks (probably a Forplay) into a C-1 and for us to fix up an old C-2 owned by the club. Ledyard also has an Atom that my C-2 partner and I currently share at pool sessions and on the river.

Best,

Evelyn

[Timzjatl]

I'm 24, and I started paddling about 3 years ago when I bought a Mohawk Viper 11. I ran a lot of Class II stuff, and a little class III stuff. For my first year of paddling, I learned little, and ran stuff that wasn't too challenging. Then I sold the viper, and bought a Midieval C1. It was fun, but still too big to throw around. I purchased a Disco C1, and ran the Ocoee for the first time in it the last day of Ocoee season 2001. I paddled it all of 2002, it was stolen, replaced by a creek boat (H2-245), then recovered in the fall of 2002. and bought a Perception Spin the beginning of this season, only to sell it a few months later and buy a Necky Vibe... Loops are starting to come along, and my playboating is much better. I ran the Upper and Lower Gauley for the first time this year, as well as Section IV of the Chattooga and the Tallulah, my current favorite run. I'd place myself as a Class IV+ boater, since class IV is well within my skill range, and I haven't gotten my a$$ kicked on any class V stuff yet, but my experience with class V is limited to a few rapids on a few rivers. MY goal is to be on the Green (NC) by the end of another season. I boat more than once a week, so I can forsee this as possible.
For the last two years I have been helping instruct whitewater here at Georgia Tech with our Outdoor Club, and learned to roll from them (actually C1kelly on this board)
There it is, my longwinded drivel of a paddling career. I don't plan to stop anytime soon, so maybe in 20 years I can answer your question better....

[TommyC1]

I'm 45. Been paddling for about 8 years now, always in New England. My favorite run is the Dead at 2400+ cfs.
My favorite boat is the Outrage...nah it's the Slasher... nah it's the Foreplay... nah I love 'em all!
When I grow up I want to be a Flip Monkey Rodeo Hole Junkie and learn to run some gates too! They got a class for Slashers?

Tommy

[Steward R]

Paddling flatwater 5 years
Tandem Whiterwater 2 years
OC1 started this year.

Boat of choice is and Ocoee, although I also like the Zoom.

Love the Rouge and Gatineau and Ottawa, Madawaska, Mississippi etc.


This sport is truely addictive.
Steward

[Paddle Power]

I'm 38.

Been canoeing awhile, say 20 years.
Spent the last 10 in WW.

Looking back, I loved the hard chined open canoes such as the Viper. Although I don't regularly paddle a Viper now, it still feels great if I go for a surf in one a couple of times a year.

Any current C1 conversion for big wave surfing.

[Kirill]

I'm 32. 19 years in c1. Started in 1984 when i was 13 at a local slalom club.For the next 10 years I was a fanatic slalom cboater.
The most striking experience was a chance to train together with
US Slalom Team when they came to USSR to share their experience with our national team. I trained together with Kent Ford, Joe Jacoby, Cathy Hearn and etc.
My boats back then were EAPE???, Merano, Batmax, Fanatic, Maverick, Pyrogue.

For the last 3-4 years I've been running class III-IV+, freestyling and drinking beer. No slalom

Have never sat in OC- even more- saw them only on pictures!
(they are not popular around here). But I wish I had a try.
My current boat is Robson Twintip

All the best,
Kirill

PS Does anybody here know this boat 'EAPE' (it had these letters
imprinted on it, together with 3 triangles)?20 years ago we had
plenty of them, but I'm still wondering about it's real name and origin

[sbroam]

A Noah Jape? http://cboats.net/raceboats/jape.shtml

[Sir Adam]

I completely agree with SBroam-due to your location, and the time period, it was most likely a Jape (pronounced "Yah Pay"). I know of at least two in the US, and might know where a mold is...but I'm not sure.

[Kirill]

Yes, thats how we pronounced it, but the boat is not what I used to paddle My boat was definitely without these 'wings'.
I've got some pictures of me in this boat, so I'll scan them and
returnt to you again.
Thanks!
Kirill

[David Miller]

I'm 40 years old and I have been paddling for 34 years. I started out in a kayak (Prijon Bambino) that Stin Linkard picked up for me at the Usopus race.

I guess most folks would refer to me as an old schooler or maybe even a no schooler as I have never owned a plastic boat.

Boating has been a part of my life for almost my whole life and I truly believe you meet the best people on the river.

see ya on the river....DM