Northwest Paddling Video

[greatdane]

We filmed this with our Kialoa last winter in Hood River and Portland OR... Featuring Karen Wrenn, Cyril Burguiere & myself... Nothing epic, but some beautiful shots.  And it was REALLY cold.

PNW Paddlers

[Badger]

Wow, that was inspiring.

This will be my first winter paddling here in NH and I'm really looking forward to it. I bought me first board a little over four months ago but right from the start I knew I'd be going right through the winter with the snow and ice.

It's no different than kayaking. Just dress for it.

Great vid. It's good to know I'm not the only one doing flat water this time of year.

I wear the Soul Drysuit and I never sweat because it's made of breathable material. You quickly learn what to wear underneath to be comfortable.

I often paddle the Great Bay Estuary and Piscataqua River in NH. When the surf is up I head for the beach.

Looking forward to spring though.

.

[SeaMe]

@1:10 is priceless. 

[pdxmike]

It is way colder and tougher to paddle in the NW than that video shows.  Probably had to go through 20 battery packs to get enough footage for that video.  Cyril couldn't hack it and had to move to Montreal to warm up. 

[corlot]

Great video Beau!!

[covesurfer]

Kialoa posted this on the book of face a few days ago. It's excellent!

Having paddled through the last two winters on the Columbia in Hood River, I really liked seeing the scenes of Beau paddling there. I'm finally someplace warm, I hope for the long-haul but I actually have a pretty soft spot for winter paddling in the PNW and especially in the Gorge.

My rule was always at least 38 degree air and no wind for late January until about March. There is something really peaceful and satisfying about paddling out there in those conditions, especially when few people are even wanting to venture outside. If I followed my temperature/wind rule, I never needed gloves and I never got chilled, even after breaking a pretty good sweat. The key was to bolt straight home when finished and get out of the damp wetsuit and into a hot shower as quick as possible.

[SUPcheat]

Last Thursday, I was completely alone as far as I could see in Santa Cruz all the way from Capitola to Pleasure Point for at least an hour and a half at about 1PM.  The ocean was spooky clear, I could see the bottom everywhere and the darting anchovies. Waves were a bit flat but not completely so, there were surf-able sets.  

I was bundled up more than the guys in the video it looks like, trying out my cold day getup for a second day, but was frankly surprised nobody else was out there at all for so long.

Eventually, a lone paddle boarder in a full wet suit came up and shared the spot, probably just to have some company, but no gloves, hood or booties, and I think he was showing some cold stress.  A little later, a guy on a racing board came by, wearing just  regular thin board shorts (bare legs) no gloves, hat, hood or any type of wetsuit partial vest, just a thin, a long sleeve shirt, and he was WET.  He must have been pumping some exercise to stay warm like that but I would consider it iffy.

Temp was about 56 in the water and 45 to 50 air with maybe down to 42 wind chill.  I was perfectly warm with full wet suit, gloves, booties, silk ski mask and helmet, but the guys (gal) in the video must be some tough to go out in freezing or near freezing stuff. A supremely god like sense of balance must help.

[XLR8]

Great film!  It's 14 degrees here now in Michigan, with light snow and a high of 22 degrees forcasted today.  I'll be headed out after breakfast for a 6 mile paddle on Lake Michigan.  If I see anyone at all pretty much the whole time I will be surprised.

Great job to you guys!

[PaddleAnything]

Winter is my favorite time to paddle.  The perfect temps for me are between 30 - 50 degrees.  I dial in the correct layering and have a no sweat paddle.  The cold brings about silence in the world and is very peaceful. 

The river I paddle is always 50 degrees year round.  In the summer, when the air is 90, the water is shockingly cold.  In the winter, it feels warm compared to the air. 
 
The other day I did a 25 mile lake paddle starting at 28 degrees.  Ice coated the front deck of the board for the first 2 hours until the sun warmed the surface enough to melt it.  Winter is when I can have the entire lake to myself except for a few bundled up fishermen.  There is a  mutual respect between the fishermen and paddlers.  They are wearing thick jackets/coveralls freezing while I'm wearing light polys and fleece trying note to get too warm. 

Great video, thanks for sharing. 

[greatdane]

Thanks guys! The day we filmed was about as cold as I've ever been... mostly because of the whole standing around between takes thing.

The frozen water part was funny, we were on a lake by Stevenson, and part of the lake was frozen solid (probably shallow) and the other side of the lake was not...

The only thing I haven't quite figured out how to keep warm is my feet... I'm doing 7mm booties with Smartwool socks underneath... It's 22 degrees today and my toes will still hurt bad about 30 minutes into my paddle.  I'm guessing the drysuit/dry boots would be the cure, I just don't have the $ for a suit yet.

Stay warm!

[XLR8]

I put in a little warm water into my 7 mil boots before the sessions and am good for 3+ hours.  If I don't do the water before I get cold within the hour.

[greatdane]

Good to know XLR8!

[Alkasazi]

nice! I love seeing backyard footage. the lake beside Stevenson was busy freezing over this morning, but still plenty of other paddling options right now.

[Blue crab]

Awesome video greatdane! Just started paddling in the Pacific NW over the last year and it has been life changing.  Like others have mentioned in this post, I enjoy winter paddling  more than summer (Hood River being the exception). On the Sound, the winters bring much more tranquility, no algae blooms, and many, many more downwind days.  

On the typical day when we get out of the water, there are inquisitive runners / bikers / walkers, all of whom clearly think we are crazy.  I enjoy running & biking in the winter.  However, with proper gear I get far less cold out on the water, than I am while jogging or biking in sub 30 degree weather.  

[greatdane]

BlueCrab, I agree!  I spent almost 20 years road and mountain bike racing & I have never been as cold paddling as I used to get on winter training rides!  Those 38 degrees and raining bike rides were nightmarish. And now I don't have motorists running me off the road either (-: