Although it really doesn't feel like it most days here in the southeast we've officially reached Winter.  Winter brings a lot of good things but it can often be a hard time to motivate to go kayaking.  After all snow, sleet, winter mix, or rain when its 35 degrees don't really scream "let's go get wet".  However if I can get past that some of the best days I've had on the river have been in the Winter.  For me it really brings a different feel, it's often super quite and less crowded.  Often…

Continue

Hey all hope everyone's summer has been good.  It's been a fun one here in the southeast a little on the hot side I suppose but that's just a great excuse to get in the water!  I'm going to take a moment to talk about catching eddies, actually what I really want to talk about is making it easy.  No more almost making it but sliding out the back or struggling to cross the eddy line.  Eddies can turn from your nemesis into your friend by following one easy concept:  Let the eddy do the work!…

Continue

Now that Tyler is on the road to recovery from a major back accident it seemed like a good idea to catch up with the always positive and smooth on the water kayaker.  Enjoy and welcome back to the water Tyler!

 

 

Tyler…

Continue

Gauge near the old buildings by the AB Tech Enka Campus

 

 

Sometimes you just need to take a moment to do those things that are close to home that you always talk about but you never get around to.  There's a creek near my house called Hominy Creek that everytime I drove by and the water…

Continue

He goes by many names but regardless of what you call him I'd like to introduce Team Dagger's Chris Gragtmans all around excellent paddler and nice guy!  Check out the video links as well.

 

 

Where are you from? Where do you live?  

I am originally from Kingston,…

Continue

Refining Your Boof: Avoiding Landing on your Edge

 

You’re a boofing machine!  The timing and placement of the stroke are no longer a mystery and you’re boofing everything in sight.  The next step is to begin refining your technique.  In this piece I want to shift the focus from the beginning to the end, that’s right the landing.  By perfecting your landing you give yourself more control, which is a very good thing when those drops start stacking…

Continue

Jason Beakes takes a quick minute to answer a few quesitons about himself and his kayaking life.  Read on!

 

 

Where are you from? Where do you live?

I'm from Bethesda Maryland and live in Poolesville MD.

 

 How/Why did you start kayaking?

I…

Continue

Team Dagger's Iker Beristain Van Dusen check's in from his home country of Mexico to answer 6 questions about paddling, Mexico, and where he's going this year.

 

 

 

Where are you from? Where do you live?

 

Mexico City, I’ve been living here my whole…

Continue

Check out the carnage reel from over the years, thanks to Chris Gragtmans.  And remember not all the lines are good:)

 

 

Paddling into the light on the West Prong

 

With spring starting off well here in the southeast I figured now would be a good time to give you a little bit of East Coast paddling tour.  These are some of my favorite areas to paddle on the East Coast and highlight some of the top destination…

Continue

The Gambler by Kenny Rogers, I particularly like the version that features Wyclif (I think) and its some good words of advice. I've noticed over the years that a lot of folks who paddle tend to push the limits without keeping their future in mind. I know that its true with me anyways, often times I'm only thinking of the next rapid or the next run so I'll just push things out of my mind. While this has served me well and for the most part keeps my life in perspective there are times when it… Continue

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.… Continue

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

Come on out this Saturday and try your hand at some freestyle, demo a few kayaks, and maybe even race in a ducky race! Western Carolina University is putting on their annual demo day festivities at the Eternity (the Slab for you old schoolers) Hole near Cullowhee, NC. Hope to see you there!… Continue