Re: [Paddlewise] Fwd: Near Miss Report 1997

> On Wed, Feb 18, 1998 at 02:22:33AM -0700, Philip Wylie wrote:
> > Pardon my ignorance but would you not class white water kayakingas an extreme
> > sport the same as sky-diving and would this not
> > leave sea kayaking in the category of "recreation" (although recognizing
> > some of the extreme circumstances which can occur on the ocean).

Rich Kulawiec wrote:
> 
> No, whitewater kayaking is not an extreme sport; it's a recreational
> the sport in the same way that sea kayaking, mountain biking, skiing,
> and other outdoor sports are.  Extreme whitewater kayaking, like
> extreme skiing, extreme mountain biking, etc., is an extreme sport.
> 
> I hope that doesn't sound like nitpicking, for there's actually an
> important point in there: the overwhelming majority of whitewater
> paddlers do not run the class V stuff that you see on the cover
> of American Whitewater every month.  Most whitewater paddlers are quite
> conservative (and I include myself in that) and stay well within
> their limits -- they consider it recreation, as do I, and getting
> hurt or killed while doing it isn't particularly appealing. ;-)

I was asked my view on this and I would agree with Rich wholeheartedly: 
whitewater is not an extreme sport unless done in extreme conditions
such as those that Rich and I point out, i.e. top-flight experts seeking
extreme challenges in Class V and up stuff where a mishap is likely to
be deadly.  Sea kayaking doesn't have an equivalent yet but I do know of
seakayakers who seek out paddling in the advance of hurricanes or who
enjoy getting real close to passing ships to ride their wakes.  These
fellows may be getting close to the edge of what the highly skilled
extreme whitewater paddlers do.

ralph diaz

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