Clik here to view.
Bad hydraulics are like bad relationships
Have you ever noticed that holes are never placed in a very fortuitous position in a rapid? Very rarely are they situated up against the bank on the opposite side of the river, safely isolated from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Better Boat to Boat Rescue?
Thanks for the help!A traditional bow rescue calls for the paddler who is upside down to have their hands out of the water on either side of the kayak while also rubbing back and forth along the boat....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Getting though holes and moving on
Second Ledge, Chattooga Riverphoto: Jon ClarkHoles suck - both literally and figuratively. In the last article I discussed ways of increasing comfort (assuaging fear) with regards to holes. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
NOC Surf Kayak Camp 2007
On October 19-21, we launched a brand new offering to add to our instruction programs, the first ever Surf Kayak camp at the Outer Banks in North Carolina.There is always apprehension when running a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Malibu Whitewater?
Two years ago I decided to go to graduate school in California. Unfortunately I didn’t go to the good part of California where there’s lots of creeks and waterfalls. I went to the very expensive, very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pulling the Trigger
The other day I was reminded of my first trip to the Nantahala Cascades in 2001. The water was a little high and a large crowd had gathered at the first drop and was watching the boaters go over the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Look Around
It's usually pretty easy to look at a photo and tell whether the paddler is going to be successful or get worked. It's not always so easy to make it all come together on a river or creek run that's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Paddle Offset Study
45° versus 0°Coke vs Pepsi. Kayaks vs Canoes. Republicans vs Democrats. Star Wars vs Lord of the Rings. These are the timeless debates that occupy our time. These debates have no real answer, which is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
2008 River Runner/Creek Boat Reviews
We've had a couple months now to put the new boats through their paces. The following are the instructors' thoughts on the new offerings. For reviews and comparisons of last year's boats click here :...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Go Green!
This year, for some odd reason, the instructors have spent an incredible amount of time paddling upstream. Three to five times a week we hop in a river-runner, put in at the Outfitter’s store and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Turn less, not more
In our advanced level instruction we spend a lot of time “re-teaching” people to paddle. Most of these guests are great paddlers who learned to kayak in Dancers, RPMs, etc and have now transitioned to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shoulder Safety
Imagine a basketball balanced on a golf tee. The basketball is the end of your humerus bone. The indented part of the tee the basketball is balancing on is your shoulder joint. It’s not very deep, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
False Lips and Delayed Boofs
Scouting waterfalls is a little different than scouting a traditional rapid. Determing a waterfall’s difficulty depends on four factors – the approach, the lip, the height, and the landing. BabyFalls...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Boater First Aid Kit
Before you even begin building a boater first aid kit ask yourself what the most likely types of injuries you’ll encounter are. Your answer to this question will determine what you pack in your first...
View ArticleClik here to view.
No Water, Low Water, Big Water
The adventure started at the Nanthala Cascades. After a big rain we figured they'd be running. Of course they weren't, which didn't stop us from banging our way down them anyways. We did a few laps and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Big Jump
Part of the fun of kayaking is the challenge. Nothing feels better than running a hard rapid successfully. It doesn't really matter if "hard" is class three or class five for you - the joy (and relief)...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why we love the southeast
The southeast is great. We have bologna biscuits. We have coca-cola. We have lots of creeks. Here's some photos of what the instructors have been up to the past two weeks.This is the Chattooga at .4...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Come Explore The Dominican Republic This Winter
Daylight savings time is over and the drought continues in the Southeast. These two things along with the rough and tumble economy could bring one down, but don't give up too quickly we have the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rob Barham does a presentation for AWC
Rob recently headed down to Hotlanta to give a talk about proper creeking techniques to the Atlanta Whitewater Club members. He met up with a fun and excited crowd and gave his presentation with a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
One of My Favorite Places, NOC Summer Camp
By Palmer Miller - a former NOC Teen Leader and camper.As part of a photo-journalism assignment for New River Academy Palmer chose to write about one of her favorite places, the Nantahala Outdoor...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Got Protection?
No, not that kind of protection ... this kindFoot protection!It’s that time of year when winter has faded away and the rivers are filling up with excited kayak, canoe and raft paddlers again. It’s time...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sticking to the Basics by Andrew Holcombe
Have you ever heard of the book All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten? The title alone is a great reminder, in my opinion, that we learn a lot of the most important life lessons at a...
View ArticleNew Paddling School Video
No tips here, just a video of our our kayak instruction clinics. The video includes scenes of beginner to intermediate paddling instruction, starting with stroke mechanics and rolling on the flatwater...
View ArticleClik here to view.
2009 Whitewater Symposium
Join some of NOC's top instructors at the next Whitewater Symposium October 2-4, 2009, at Zoar Outdoor, near Charlemont, Massachusetts.NOC's Paddling School has been involved with the Whitewater...
View Article
