Nov 17 2014
Winter 14/15 Goals
Last winter I had just bought the 13′ Esquif Vertige, a long whitewater boat and a perfect stepping stone to get me used to river running and lumpy water. I still really love the way it handles fast water and is forgiving. It’s greatest disadvantage is the size of the boat and therefore the size of the eddy required to get out of the main flow. British rivers (at least the ones I frequent) really require something shorter and more aggressive. The Esquif L’Edge fits the bill perfectly but the learning curve is really quite steep. Where the Vertige had speed in the hull, would glide and hop over holes the L’Edge requires more technique, has rails which catch and trip me up.
Coaching helps a great deal and with Sally Vetta and Kelvin Horner we have two great coaches available to us (Phil and I usually partner up). We also paddle with a fantastic crew of experienced paddlers who are happy to pass on hints and tips. The learning curve is steep but it only takes two or three bad days to knock my confidence. That’s where I am now and was the motivation for setting up this blog (training log).
So, where do I want to be by the time summer comes round next year?
Goal
Objective
Description
Achieved
1
Lune Dry
Descend the River Lune (Beck End to Killington Bridge) completely dry and with confidence
2
Bala Mill Falls
Lower Tryweryn, Bala Mill Falls in the L’Edge with confidence
3
Pushy water
Be confident in pushy water. No tripping over eddy lines or catching an edge
4
Grade 4
Start looking at the occasional G4 (but master G3/3+ first)
5
Roll
Get an effective roll and brace by the end of the winter season
With these goals in mind I’ll work up what this means in terms of designing some structure into the river sessions we do, aiming to work on technique rather than just the trip. Look for ways of making each trip a step up in perfecting one or more skills.
