Dressing for Winter Paddling

By Nick Pritchard

Many folks do not often even consider winter paddling, but if done properly there can be a lot of advantages to winter paddling. Some reasons to go winter paddling include the peacefulness during the winter, the beautiful scenery, and often the crystal clear water. The scenery during the winter gives the photographer a fantastic opportunity to take one of a kind pictures.

Obviously the biggest winter paddling is the constant heat loss. You're body is fighting heat loss from five different areas; the wind (convection), contact with the water/paddle/boat (conduction), your breathing (respiration), your sweat (evaporation), and your bodies normal heat output (radiation). With the proper equipment and preparation you can lessen your heat loss so that you can enjoy all that winter paddling has to offer.

To slow heat loss through convection you should have on a windproof layer that will protect you from the wind and also enough insulation to keep you comfortably warm. If you have too many insulating layers on you will begin to sweat which will cool you down very rapidly once you take a break. So it is important to have on enough insulation to keep you warm but not too many. This is often difficult to judge especially if you are just getting into the sport so going on a few shorter trips will help you gauge what you need. Remember to take extra layers with you in case you needed to take a wet layer off or in case of emergency. Also, it is essential to have a stocking cap with you because of the significant heat loss through you're head.

To slow heat loss through conduction you should have on a full drysuit (this also acts as your windproof layer from above). Water is 25x more effective at absorbing heat when compared with air (which is why sweating during winter months is so dangerous).  A full drysuit will help protect you from the water in case of capsize. These suits are made out of a waterproof breathable fabric and should have latex wrist and neck gaskets and they often have latex socks. A drysuit is preferable to a thick wetsuit because to get the type of thermal protection you would need from a wetsuit it would be immobilizing. A drysuit offers you the ability to layer underneath the suit while still maintaining good range of motion. In addition to a drysuit you should have neoprene or waterproof paddling gloves, a neoprene hood, thick booties to keep your feet warm, and obviously you're personal flotation device (PFD). Cold is also conducted through the boat from the water so you may consider adding a piece of closed cell foam (ensolite sleeping pad) under your seat and your feet.

One of the best ways to reduce your heat/water loss from respiration is to breath through your nose. This can take a little training because most of us do not do this naturally but it can significantly reduce the amount of heat/water you lose from breathing through your mouth.

To combat heat loss through evaporation, as discussed above, you should have enough layers on to keep you warm but not too many so that you start to sweat. If you have been sweating it will start to freeze, particularly when you take a break. This further increases your heat loss, creating a bad situation. Another thing that will help you reduce the amount of sweat build up that occurs is having a drysuit that is breathable. Some suits are more breathable than others so make sure to take breathability into account when looking for a drysuit. The two most common waterproof/breathable fabrics are Gore-Tex and eVent.

By taking the above steps you will also slow heat loss from radiation. The most important consideration for heat loss from radiation is heat loss through your head. If the rest of your body is covered (drysuit, gloves, booties) and your head is left exposed you will lose a significant amount of heat through your head. If your head is not protected from the cold and you capsize you are likely to become disoriented as soon as your head is submerged.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

Let Someone Know Where You Are Going

By Nick Pritchard

One of the most important steps in your pre-trip planning is to let someone know where you are going and when you should be expected back. Even if you only plan on going out for a few hours it is always a good idea to let someone know where you will be in case you don't return, they will know you're missing and where to start looking. It is important that you leave this information with someone that you trust as well, someone that won't forget that you're out there. I find that this person is often a fellow paddler.

When you are going out on a more extended trip, particularly if it's in a new area, you should leave a float plan with the local land management agency. These agencies have the resources to initiate a search and rescue operation if necessary. Also, they often have the most up to date information on the area that you are going to, which could be very useful.

So what should be included on your float plan? Well, the more information the better. In general you should provide the following:

• Trip dates
• Entrance and exit points
• Vehicle information (model, make, license plate number, color)
• Camping locations
• Number of participants
• Emergency contact for each participant

In addition to the above items it may be advisable to provide the following information:

• Type and color of boats
• Type and color of everyone's PFD
• Any relevant pre-existing medical conditions that an individual may have
• Emergency equipment that is on the trip
• Relevant training that each person has (First Aid, Swiftwater Rescue, etc.)
• What the group plans to do in case of an emergency

Remember, the more information the better. It is also essential to let the person that was watching out for you know when you get off the water! More than one search and rescue mission has been initiated because someone didn't let their contact know they were OK.

As always feel free to contact us if you have any questions! 

Determine On Water Communications Prior To Departure

By Nick Pritchard

On water communications are an essential part of group trips. Whether the group is you and a friend or the whole family, on water communications ensure that everyone will be able to understand what is going on because many times talking/yelling is not effective. So to solve this problem some universal signals have been developed. Some groups may add a few of their own signals to the universal signals but either way everyone in the group should know the universal signals, this allows you to communicate with other parties on the river.

The universal signals are a made up of paddle/hand signals and whistle signals.

The paddle/hand signals are:

• Signal: Paddle/arm vertical, pointing straight up
• Purpose: "Go Ahead", "Come On Down", "All Clear", "Straight Ahead"
• Signal: Paddle/arm at a 45 degree angle to left or right
• Purpose: "Go In The Direction Which I'm Pointing" 
• Note: You should never point towards an obstacle, point where you want the paddler to go.
• Signal: Paddle/arms horizontal, parallel to the ground
• Purpose: "Stop" or "Wait Where You Are" 
• Note: When you get this signal there may be an unexpected hazard downstream or maybe the rescues are not set-up yet so you need to catch an eddy or stay in the one you're in.
• Signal: Paddle/arms waving back and forth
• Purpose: "Emergency" or "I Need Help"
• Note: This person obviously needs help so you should get to them as quickly as possible without endangering yourself or other group members.
• Signal: Two taps on the top of your helmet
• Purpose: "Are You OK?", "I'm OK"
• Note: This signal is both the question and the answer, if you do this to another paddler you are asking them if they are OK and if they are they should respond by returning the signal.

The whistle signals are a little bit more variable than the paddle/hand signals.

They are:

• Signal: Three short whistle blasts
• Purpose: "Emergency" or "I Need Help"
• Note: This signal never changes. It is internationally recognized as the universal signal for distress. It does not have to be whistle blasts either, while on the river that's most likely what you'll have. It could be three gunshots, three flashes of a light, three anything indicates distress.
• Signal: One short whistle blast
• Purpose: "Attention", "Look At Me", "Next Boat"
• Note: This signal could mean other things but it is most commonly used to either get the attention of the group. It may also be used if you are in a situation where can't see the end of a rapids, to signal the next boat that you made it through and they can come through.
• Signal: Two short whistle blasts
• Purpose: "Raft Up", "Attention" 

There are many different signals out there and each group may have some different ones so it is important that before you push off everyone in the group is familiar with the signals that will be used during the trip. If you would like to see some more hand signals that may be used on the river click here. 

Feel free to ask us if you have any questions!