Winter kayaking. Check out the white water manual and skill set placards from Alberta White Water Association. Nailing down these kayaking skills so that they are second nature to kayaking is the basic and fundamental platform required for winter kayaking. Complimentary to stewardship, acclimatization and gear knowledge.

Note to self….Ignore social media “experts” who post away saying you only thing you need to know for your winter paddle are air and water temps. They start pontificating over a cold weather “rule” for kayaking….what good is a “rule” if you don’t have down basic and fundamental kayaking skills. Its good to know the “rule” but its only one small part of winter kayaking. Knowing the “rule is not the only thing that allows one to paddle safe in the winter. Clearly that is not the case.

Will you need all of these skills for winter kayaking? Probably not…however kayaking in the winter time is not the time to figure out how to paddle a kayak with your hands, or not have a hand lock on the paddle. The more extreme winter environments one kayaks the more all of these skills are the basic, fundamental platform required for safe kayaking and enjoying the winter environment.

Click link to review Alberta’s Whitewater Association Kayak safety packet. http://canoekayak.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Whitewater-Passport-to-Paddle-Sport-web.pdf