I’ve been wedged underneath rocks in the river, been trashed in the impact zone in the surf, and as a solopreneur, wondered how I was going to pay my bills. You know, that feeling of being crushed by doubt, fear or things not working out the way you’d hoped? Whitewater kayaking has been a phenomenal teacher for me in learning how to make big comebacks. How to not let one incident send me into a downward spiral. Like the one time I got stuck in a hydraulic, swam out of my kayak, bawled my eyes out, then got back in
3 Things I Ask Myself to Recover from Disappointment
August 22, 2019 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Inspiring Articles, Kayaking Tips, Mindset
4 Steps to Finding Your Paddling Tribe
April 22, 2019 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Inspiring Articles, Kayaking Tips, SUP Tips
Are you struggling to find a group of fun, supportive paddling partners? Finding a paddling tribe is key to enjoying the sport for the long term. It’s fun to go out on your own (especially SUP), but that can get old after awhile. Connecting with other like-minded women who share a similar passion is uplifting and inspiring. If you’re like me, you want paddling buddies who lift you up and support you in your goals, from paddling something new and challenging, to just having fun and getting outside. Here are my top 4 steps for finding your paddling tribe. Join
Want a Consistent Roll? Try These 3 Things
February 15, 2019 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Kayaking Tips
Do you struggle with a consistent roll? You’re not alone. The roll can come and go, especially if you paddle rivers where you don’t flip over. The roll can be challenging to perform consistently because… a. The movements are counter intuitive. We’re use to being able to use strength to push ourselves up or brace ourselves if we fall. In the element of water that’s not possible because water is not solid! Effective technique is needed. b. Whether you want to admit it or not, flipping upside down in a medium where you can’t breathe while having your lower body
Playboating Tips that’ll Get You Spinning!
December 5, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Kayaking Tips
Spinning in a hole is a basic whitewater kayaking playboating move that teaches you how to work with the water and also how to set yourself up for harder tricks. It’s super fun and when you get in the groove on a good feature you can spin forever! I love the feeling of dancing with the water 🙂 I’ve created a teaching video using GoPro footage I took while paddling the Big Laurel River near Asheville, NC where I live. When we paddle this river during Creek Week and I encourage my students to practice their spins because playboating also
Anna’s Gift Guide for the Health Conscious Paddler
November 20, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Health and Wellness, Kayaking Tips, SUP Tips, Yoga for Paddling
Ready to be the coolest gift giver this season? Give meaningful and fun gifts that contribute to your favorite paddler’s health, wellbeing and passion for paddling. Read on for my top picks for paddlers who do (or would like to) take on their wellness with as much stoke as they take on the water! Under $25 Asheville Tea Company Pumpkin Pie Chai Delicious, hand packed tea by Asheville outdoor enthusiast Jessie Dean. Perfect for pre and post paddling, especially during the cool winter/spring months. Full of digestive spices that are also sweet and comforting. My favorite recipe for preparation: 1TBS
The Secrets to Calm, Confident Whitewater Kayaking
November 8, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Kayaking Tips
Want to feel more stable and confident in your kayak in whitewater? Try sinking your weight down into your butt. I know it sounds weird, but it works! Placing your focus on your kayak and hips gets your attention away from doing too much with your paddle. Too much paddling actually leads to instability. That’s why when you watch really good paddlers they take fewer, yet more powerful and timed strokes. When we focus on feeling ‘grounded’ in our kayaks we create stability and confidence. Here are examples of what I mean. In this first video, Sandra, a newer paddler
Whitewater Kayaking: The Secret to Beautiful Lines
July 6, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Kayaking Tips
If you’ve taken kayak instruction from me you know that I’m a big believer in the importance of boat angle in running beautiful lines. The ability to set and maintain your angle when running a rapid can make or break your line, and the amount of control you have going in and out of eddies is directly related to angle. Angle is more important than speed, especially when running lower volume, technical rivers. The crux is how well you can maintain your angle because setting your angle is the easy part! Here are two POV videos of the same rapid
Women’s Paddlefest 2018
June 14, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Inspiring Articles, Kayaking Tips, Latest News
Thank you to those of you who attended Women’s Paddlefest at the Nantahala Outdoor Center and raised close to $3000.00 for charity! High water, mudslides and rain days before the event didn’t stop you from joining in community, empowering yourselves and having fun. Instead of canceling we went ahead with the event modifying programming to Lake Fontana and the Nantahala, and consolidating the event to one day. We had 30 women on the lake and Anne Sontheimer from the NOC and I split the group and gave instruction on strokes and edge control/rolling. At the end of the lake session
How to Paddle Class IV with Fewer Strokes
May 9, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Kayaking Tips
I recently posted a video of me running my favorite rapid, Boxcar, on the North Fork of the French Broad here in Western North Carolina. The rapid consists of a short slide leading into a 15 ft drop that you boof into a beautiful little gorge. Here it is for you! Both my Creek Week students and folks online expressed surprise at how few strokes I took to run the rapid smoothly. Taking fewer strokes is one big difference between beginner/intermediate skills and intermediate/advanced skills, especially stepping it up to Class IV creeking. As you progress you learn that creating
Things I Wish I Had Known Sooner: A Kayaking FAQ Part 1
February 10, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Kayaking Tips
Take a moment to think back to when you first got into kayaking, when you were the new kid on the block. Are there “little” things that you know now that you barely need to think about but that were a source of frustration or puzzlement in the beginning? After spending a summer teaching new kayakers and fielding all sorts of questions, I got inspired to put together a short list of things I wish I had known earlier in my kayaking experience. A FAQ for new kayakers, if you will. While this list is far from comprehensive, these are
