{"id":20838,"date":"2019-08-23T01:00:33","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T08:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=20838"},"modified":"2019-08-20T15:53:36","modified_gmt":"2019-08-20T22:53:36","slug":"where-slalom-meets-wild-rivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2019\/08\/23\/where-slalom-meets-wild-rivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Slalom Meets Wild Rivers"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know the paddler, that kayaker that seems to place each stroke perfectly, harnessing microcurrents to fly from one eddy to the next, using momentum to float above the water as if no resistance existed. Once in a while, you can catch this smooth paddler slip up, throwing a slight overhead draw, exposing their shoulder in that well-known slalom position, revealing the secret to their on-water finesse and skill. It\u2019s a dead give-away: an ex slalom kayaker.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of hours spent paddling in concrete channels isn\u2019t something most whitewater kayakers envy. Slalom courses or artificial rivers are a tragic by-product of the development of this strand of competitive kayaking. A sport that once thrived on the wild, technical whitewater of natural rivers has now been condemned to concrete ditches.<\/p>\n

\"\"
2012 Slalom London Olympic Channel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The arguments are sound: consistent water levels and flows, the ability to change features using Lego-like blocks, and the added safety elements of being able to \u2018turn off\u2019 the river. Many would argue that kayaking on anything but a wild river is almost sacrilegious. But the skill sets that come from paddling a slalom boat on an artificial course, and the base that a formal training routine can build when a kid is part of a slalom team or club, can turn into talent that\u2019s clearly identified\u2014and even coveted\u2014on wild rivers.<\/p>\n

This is not to say that all the smoothest paddlers come from the slalom course. Some of the world\u2019s most stylish and skillful kayakers have paddled exclusively in plastic boats on creeks and wild rivers. But tracing some skill sets back to slalom allows a breakdown of the kind of skills often overlooked when kayakers learn from friends instead of coaches.<\/p>\n