Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits facing forward, legs in front, using a double-bladed paddle to pull front-to-back on one side and then the other in rotation. Most kayaks have closed decks, although sit-on-top and inflatable kayaks are growing in popularity as well.
Rafting and white water rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk and the need for teamwork is often a part of the experience.
The Toccoa River and Ocoee River are the names in use for a single 93-mile-long (150 km) river that flows northwestward through the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. It is a tributary of the Hiwassee River, which it joins in Polk County, Tennessee, near the town of Benton. Three power generating dams are operated along it. It is notorious for its whitewater rapids on the Tennessee side.
The Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival is an annual festival of dragon boat races in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Begun in 1994, the festival attracts 5,500 paddlers, 200 teams and over 75,000 spectators from all around the world. It is one of the largest dragon boat festivals in North America. The event is held in Mooney's Bay, where the Rideau River and Rideau Canal split. Mooney's Bay is where many of the Ottawa-based teams train, using the Rideau Canoe Club facilities.
The Watauga River is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is 78.5 miles (126.3 km) long with its headwaters on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain and Peak Mountain in Watauga County, North Carolina.
The John River is a 125-mile (201 km) tributary of the Koyukuk River in the northern part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was named after John Bremner, a prospector and explorer who was one of the first non-native persons to go there. It flows south from Anaktuvuk Pass in Alaska's Brooks Range, into the larger river at a point near Bettles, slightly north of the Arctic Circle.
FIBArk stands for "First in Boating the Arkansas"—it's a three-day festival held in Salida, Colorado that started in the 1950s. The history actually began in 1949 when two friends bet each other who'd win a race from Salida to Cañon City on the Arkansas River. Since that race almost killed both contestants, the race was shortened in subsequent years to about 26 miles of whitewater from Salida to Cotopaxi. It became a community-wide festival. Today the festival draws over 10,000 people yearly, around the 3rd week of June, and includes a variety of events on the river and in town. The event has grown from a single boating race to now include biking, running, and other races. The portion of the river where the majority of the races are held runs through downtown Salida, keeping the event close to all of the other activities and festivities offered downtown during the festival.
The U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) is an outdoor recreation and athletic training facility for whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking which opened to the public on November 4, 2006. The Center is located in Charlotte, North Carolina on approximately 700 acres (2.8 km2) of land adjacent to the Catawba River, with 35+ miles of developed trail. The USNWC is an official Olympic Training Center for whitewater slalom racing.
The Kananaskis River is a mountain river in western Alberta, Canada. It is a tributary of the Bow River, crossing the length of Kananaskis Country.
National Student Rodeo is a freestyle kayaking event in the UK hosted by Leeds University Canoe Club. The National Student Rodeo is now the biggest freestyle kayaking competition in the world, with 670 entrants and over 1000 party goers from 36 universities in 2008. It is held annually at Holme Pierrepont (HPP) National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham.
Packraft and trail boat are colloquial terms for a small, portable inflatable boat designed for use in all bodies of water, including technical whitewater and ocean bays and fjords. A packraft is designed to be light enough to be carried for extended distances. Along with its propulsion system and safety equipment the entire package is designed to be light and compact enough for an individual to negotiate rough terrain while carrying the rafting equipment together with supplies, shelter, and other survival or backcountry equipment. Modern packrafts vary from inexpensive vinyl boats lacking durability to sturdy craft costing over US $1,000. Most weigh less than nine pounds (4 kg) and usually carry a single passenger. The most popular propulsion systems involve a kayak paddle that breaks down into two to five pieces. Most often they are paddled from a sitting position, although kneeling can be advantageous in some situations.
The Kipawa River is a short river in western Quebec, Canada. It is mostly an undeveloped river but the larger lakes have dams, fishing camps, and cottages on their shores. The communities of Kipawa and Laniel are located on Lake Kipawa. Also much logging takes place within its watershed basin, which is consequently crisscrossed by many bush roads. Route 101 crosses the river at Laniel.
Eric "EJ" Jackson is a world-champion freestyle kayaker, kayak designer, slalom kayaker, founder of Jackson Kayak, and a Professional Bass Tournament angler on the FLW Tour.
Esprit Lodge is an historic lodge and hostel accommodation near Fort Coulonge, a village in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality in Quebec, Canada.
Cheat Canyon — also called Cheat River Canyon or Cheat River Gorge — is a 10-mile long, forested canyon of the Cheat River at the western edge of the Allegheny Mountains in northeastern West Virginia, USA. A popular whitewater venue, for many years the Canyon has been the object of controversy as environmental activists have contended with timber and development interests over its preservation status.
The Grand Canyon of the Stikine is a 45-mile (72 km) stretch of the Stikine River in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has been compared to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. The canyon is home to a large population of mountain goats and other wildlife. Officially the canyon is described as unnavigable by any watercraft, however there have been numerous successful descents made by expert whitewater paddlers since the first attempt in 1981. Since it was first attempted, the Grand Canyon of the Stikine has maintained a legendary reputation among whitewater experts as the 'Mt. Everest' of big water expedition whitewater boating against which all other navigable rivers are measured.
Whitewater canoeing is the sport of paddling a canoe on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater canoeing can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to the difficulty, danger or severity of the rapid. Whitewater grades range from I or 1 to VI or 6. Grade/Class I can be described as slightly moving water with ripples. Grade/Class VI can be described as severe or almost unrunnable whitewater, such as Niagara Falls.
Hollerado is a Canadian indie rock band from Ottawa, Ontario. Formed in 2007, The band consists of Menno Versteeg, Nixon Boyd, Dean Baxter and Jake Boyd. The band has toured extensively, including time in North America, South America, Europe and China, playing with bands such as The Flaming Lips, Weezer, Fucked Up, Black Lips and Passion Pit. They were nominated for the Best New Group Award at the 2011 Juno Awards.
The following outline is provided as an overview of canoeing and kayaking:
Frank Wolf is a Canadian adventurer, writer, filmmaker, and environmentalist. He is known for books, feature magazine articles, online columns, and films that document wilderness expeditions around the world, with a focus on the Canadian North. His expeditions include being the first to canoe across Canada in one season and cycling 2,000 km in winter on the Yukon River from Dawson to Nome. In 2012 he was named one of Canada's Top Ten Adventurers by Explore Magazine, and in 2015 he was named One of Canada's Top 100 Explorers by Canadian Geographic Magazine. His first book of adventures Lines on a Map, was released in October 2018 by RMB. His films include Wild Ones, The Hand of Franklin, Kitturiaq, On the Line, Mammalian, and Borealis, all of which broadcast on CBC's Documentary Channel in Canada.
