On Mon, 18 May 1998, SG Scorpio wrote: <snipola> > To roll a kayak you need to fip the boat over with your hips *then* and only > *then* does your head come out of the water. This is *nearly* impossible to > learn without help. The professional instructor can cut this frustrating > learning curve down into easy to grasp concepts. Struggle if you wish, but > IMHO NOTHING takes the place of PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION. I fundamentally disagree with this last statement, although I definitely agree with everything else Steve says. Lots and lots of paddlers learn whitewater these days without professional instruction. They learn from friends. Overall safety is probably lessened in a globally average sense, but it is an absolutely valid way to learn kayaking (river or sea) to an expert level of competence. If anyone chooses this route to learning kayaking, you must be very wary that your friends are competent to make learning safe for you. You might not have the experience or knowledge to make this judgement for yourself, but you MUST place your trust in your friends wisely and deliberately. I can tell a great story about my first river trip under the tutelage of a more advanced friend who said "Your run down that class II+ stretch looked great! I think you're ready for class IV." If you don't have friends who you can trust to teach you safely, or if you want to significantly enhance the pace at which you learn, then by all means, pay for professional instruction. > Steve Scherrer > President ACKS > ACA Instructor Trainer > Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe > 250 NE Tomahawk Island Dr. > Portland, Oregon 97217 > > Web: http://www.aldercreek.com > Email: aldercreek_at_aldercreek.com > Phone: 503-285-0464 > Fax: 503-285-0106 > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed May 20 1998 - 12:06:20 PDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:29:57 PDT