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Training

For some of us, paddling continues year round. For others though, the water freezes and the powder begins. For us powder hounds we need to find ways to stay in shape for the approaching spring run off. There are a few key things we can be doing to hit the water stronger than ever.



1. Keep your shoulders strong. Practice hand stand push ups, overhead squats and shoulder presses.



2. Maintain core strength by doing pull ups, push ups and pull overs. If you don't know what a pull… Continue

Added by Brad Ludden on December 2, 2010 at 11:09am — No Comments

My highlights reel from the past 10 years including all my biggest crashes.









Below is a link to my highlights footage that we have compiled over the past 10 years.



I hope you enjoy it.…













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Added by tao berman on November 24, 2010 at 3:30pm — 1 Comment

Girls at Play Holiday Gift Guide!

We are psyched to bring you the first ever Girls at Play Holiday Gift Guide! Check out our favorite accessories to use on and off the river. {HINT: forward this to your friends and family so they know what

to get you!} Our list starts with gifts from $6.95 so there are plenty

of options for those of you looking for fun and affordable options.

We’ve also included Girls at Play gift packages to help you save

money. Share Girls at Play’s spirit of fun, confidence and…

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Added by Anna Levesque on November 8, 2010 at 4:56pm — No Comments

We Get Emails - Dagger Axiom Review

We love it when customers take the time to randomly send us their feedback on our boats! Check out this one we received yesterday from Brian on the Dagger Axiom. While we get a lot of reviews for new paddlers loving the boat, we also find that old hands at the sport are loving it as well.



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Just test paddled an Axiom 8.5 I'm a 52 year old intermediate paddler and all I can say is- wow! I will be picking one up. For us mere mortals, there was nothing this boat did not do… Continue

Added by Craig Ray on October 7, 2010 at 9:00am — No Comments

Canoe & Kayak UK Dagger Axiom Review - It's "The Real Deal"

We've been proud of the loud, excited feedback we've gotten since the launch of the Dagger Axiom series. Here's the latest praise from one of Britain's largest paddling publications.





"...but the Axiom is the real deal, it really is great at everything and that’s going to make it a very attractive option for those who don’t want a quiver of expensive plastic stacked in the garage and are looking for that one-boat-does-it-all package.… Continue

Added by Craig Ray on September 23, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Attainments and Kayaking

I noticed a hint of color in a tree the other day and realized that Fall is already upon us. Fall means a lot of great things here in the southeast from cooler days to waiting in hope for some hurricane rain to get on that favorite run. It also means that its race time! That's right, for those crazy (and not so crazy) folks that like to paddle downstream in a hurry the fall brings the promise of the Animal Upper Gauley Race, the Russell Fork Race and the Green Race.…


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Added by Andrew Holcombe on September 16, 2010 at 12:15pm — No Comments

Dagger Raffles Off Custom Green Boat to Support American Whitewater at Gauley

If you're going to Gauley Fest, be sure to buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win the one-of-a-kind Green Boat! Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20, and all proceeds benefit American Whitewater. Tickets will be sold at the Dagger booth on Friday and Saturday night and at the Upper Gauley take-out on Saturday. Drawing is Saturday night! Good luck!…







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Added by Dagger Marketing on September 15, 2010 at 11:55am — No Comments

A Beginner's Guide to Loading Kayaks on Your Vehicle

Ok, so you just bought a kayak, but now you’re wondering how you’re going to get it home on your car. Or maybe you’ve figured out how to carry one boat, but now you’re headed to the river with four of your friends and you have to carry their boats too. The process of loading boats onto a vehicle can be a bit over whelming at times, especially the first time you try to carry a load you’re not used to. For those people that fall into this category, I have laid out the best and most common ways to… Continue

Added by Laura Farrell on September 4, 2010 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Getting Unstuck -- Peel Outs and Eddy Turns On and Off the Water

Eddy turns and peel outs are essential skills for whitewater

kayaking. Catching eddies allows us more control because we can stop,

scout, take a break and regroup. Peeling out of eddies allows us to

re-enter the current in control and gives us time to set up for our

next move. The key components to eddy turns and peel outs are:

1. Angle = 45 degrees relative to the…

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Added by Anna Levesque on August 17, 2010 at 10:06am — No Comments

THE BET at the Lyon's Outdoor Games

This year I decided to make the Lyon's Outdoor Games Extreme Race a bit more interesting. I made a bet with Oskar Blues Brewery that I would win the race by at least two seconds. If I won Oskar's would have to pay me 500 dollars and give me a year of free beer. If I lost I would have to pay whoever beat me 500 dollars.



When I showed up in Lyon's CO the event organizers told me that they hadn't seen the water levels this high in the past 10 years and that the race would be moved… Continue

Added by tao berman on June 14, 2010 at 9:08pm — No Comments

My first time going off a ramp

Just before flying out to Slovakia Red Bull called and asked me if I wanted to attend an event in Richmond with a kayak ramp. I had never been off a ramp in my kayak and didn't want to embarrass myself in front of 25,000 people so I turned them down. Next my team manager called and told me the city really wanted me there and that he would appreciate it if I would attend. I told him if he didn't mind me landing on my head every time and I'd do it.



After getting back from Slovakia I had… Continue

Added by tao berman on May 25, 2010 at 10:42pm — No Comments

Outfitting your Dagger kayak

With spring right around the corner here in the southeast and rain in the forecast I thought I’d share a bit about outfitting your Dagger kayak. The great thing about Dagger’s outfitting is that it strikes a nice balance of being functional but still very easy to adjust and set up. To outfit my new boat in its entirety usually takes me between 10-20 minutes and then I have a boat that’s fully customized to me. We’ll take this in stages starting… Continue

Added by Andrew Holcombe on March 25, 2010 at 4:00pm — 12 Comments

Yoga for Kayaking: Upward Frog Pose

The Iliopsoas is a hip flexor muscle group comprising of three muscles: The psoas minor, the psoas major and the iliacus. This group is one of the strongest of the hip flexor muscles and the psoas major

runs from our lumbar spine across the hip joint to the upper inner

thigh. Very important muscle! The interesting thing about these

muscles, is that they actually need to be stretched to keep their

normal tone. Otherwise they shorten and tighten easily which can…

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Added by Anna Levesque on March 2, 2010 at 1:12pm — 3 Comments

The Chattooga Experience...

Well, the snow has been falling. And falling, and falling, and falling. To be honest, I'm over it!



Recently us Asheville-ians have been looking further south to get our paddling fix, and the Chattooga watershed has been a great destination.



The annual Chattooga Race occurred a while back, and it was a super fun event as always. That thing is nothing short of brutal, at around 25 minutes in length, but you can't beat lining up for a 30 person mass start! Absolutely…

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Added by Chris Gragtmans on February 14, 2010 at 11:30pm — No Comments

Rio Negro de Hornopiren, Chile

Kayak Pucon is keeping me busy down here in Chile, but even the owner, Rodrigo Tuschner, felt like he needed a break, and we took a quick vacation to the South with good amigos, Jared Seiler and Todd Richey. We had hoped to run the Rio Coachamo, but with loads of work looming in the days to come, we decided to just go straight to the Rio Negro for its…

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Added by LJ Groth on February 14, 2010 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Holiday Paddling in Mexico

Our flight to Mexico City took off just before a major snowstorm hit Western North Carolina and buried the area under 15 inches of snow. Talk about good timing! Jalcomulco, Veracruz is one of my favorite places. The town of about 3000 residents is PC230102 located in the Antigua River Valley surrounded by beautiful hillsides of Mango orchards. The riverís indigenous name is Huitzilpan which means river of the swallows. And there are lots of swallows that fly overhead and around you as you…

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Added by Anna Levesque on January 13, 2010 at 3:33pm — No Comments

Anna's Top Five Winter Paddling Accessories

I have to say that I’m not a hardcore winter paddler, obviously, since I run winter trips in Mexico! So, I can relate to those of you who hang up the paddle for other, dryer, sports in the winter. However, I do know paddlers who still motivate even with snow on the ground and icicles hanging from the brims of their helmets. And, I admit that when I do drag myself out when it’s 40 degrees or colder (what I consider cold weather paddling) I have a lot of fun. So, if you’re planning on getting out… Continue

Added by Anna Levesque on December 17, 2009 at 2:21pm — No Comments

Staying Strong this Winter

Well, it's that time of year again. My kayak is already collecting dust after being in hibernation for only a couple of months. Temperatures are below zero and the snow is falling but this doesn't mean that we can't be training for the day the snow starts to melt. Here are a few simple suggestions to stay in shape this holiday season.



1. GET OUTSIDE! Depending on where you live this can be tough. The best thing I can suggest is to learn a new winter sport. Some suggestions include… Continue

Added by Brad Ludden on December 9, 2009 at 9:46pm — No Comments

2009 Lord of the Fork Race Results

Check back for more updates from the event but here's the down and dirty from this weekend's big race on Russell Fork Gorge. Congratulations to Andrew Holcombe and his first place finish!



Highlights:

* 49 racers

*42 of 49 beat the 12 minute mark

* Team Dagger members Andrew Holcombe and Chris Gragtmans finished in the top 5.

* Andrew Holcombe was the first non-wavehopper ever under 10 minutes in the race, and won first place overall.

* 4 of the top 5… Continue

Added by Craig Ray on October 26, 2009 at 9:33am — No Comments

Dagger Green Boat Raffle for Green River Access Fund!

Check out this promo to find out how you can win a Dagger Green Boat and help support the Green River Access Fund.



Also visit the link over at LVM Video for more details...



Green Boat Raffle for Green River Access Fund



There has never been a better time or reason to support the Green River Access Fund! Dagger has donated a brand new Green Boat and we are raffling it off at the…

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Added by Craig Ray on October 21, 2009 at 5:05pm — No Comments

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