Simon here with a really quick review on the Galasport Anik Youth Slalom Kayak. Obviously, it's not a kayak I have used, but my children and a bunch of the local kids in the community have been using them for a number of years now. This boat was designed to bring full slalom boat performance to a smaller platform that kids could paddle normally.
Galasport Anik Youth Slalom Kayak Overview
We've got some pretty good observations and some anecdotal feedback from the kids further down this review. In a nutshell, it's designed by local paddler and slalom coach Mike Holroyd, who was on the Canadian Slalom team back in the day. The name Anik is actually a combination of his son and daughter's names, Anna and Eric.
This kayak perfectly suits kids ranging from 25 - 45 kg. Thanks to this design, younger, lighter kids can learn faster and implement the moves and tricks that otherwise, due to their lighter and shorter bodies, they would be just dreaming about in a bigger boat. Maybe Anik will help to raise new world champions.
Benefits for Kids
What I've seen of the boat is that it's a fantastic platform for young paddlers to learn in. We've had kids as young as 6 in them, all the way up to about 13. Beyond that age they start to get a little bit too big for the boat.
The Anik brings technical progress to youth who would otherwise struggle with a full size slalom boat. It allows them to feel the edges, dip the stern, use the edges, carve and drive the boat, and really progress in their slalom paddling. This is great because they have fun, they get better, and they want to continue in the sport.
However, because I haven't paddled it before, I think we should get some of the people with hands-on paddling experience with it to actually talk about it. So I'm gonna hand it over to the kids now.
Insights from the Kids
Hi, I'm Anna and I'm 10 years old. I've been paddling the Galasport Anik for 4 years. The things I really like about the Antic are that it's a shorter boat so that it turns quicker and that they actually make a kid-sized boat so that we don't always have to paddle giant boats. I also like the fact that my dad designed it and that it's named after me.
I'm Cadence Coward and I've been paddling the Anik for 3.5 years. I really like it because it's small and easy to turn, and I'm starting to learn pivots. It's really easy to roll because of how light it is. One thing I don't love about the Anik is it's not very comfortable with the plastic laying on your shoulder while carrying it down to the river.
I'm Nevin. I've paddled a Galasport Anik for about 3 years. The boat's a great boat. Some things I love about it is that it's super easy to pivot and a super fun boat, and also it fits a very wide range of sizes. I got it when I was a bit smaller and it'll still last me for a long time.
A couple things that I would change about it would be maybe add a tiny bit more foam on the knees and hips, just so there's more variety, so you can just change it a bit. And then also making it a bit easier to carry.
So that's the Galasport Anik youth slalom kayak from the mouth of the people who use them 3 or 4 times a week, year after year after year. We hope you found that info really valuable. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us below or pop by the store. And if you want an Anik for your kid, we’re the Canadian distributor and would love to chat about it with you.
Galasport Anik Diolen Kids Slalom Kayak
$1,950.00
Boat for those who have grown out of DINO minikayak, but still haven’t reached the size of junior racers. ANIK was designed by Canadian coach, former olympian, Michael Holroyd. Mike succeeded in changing the rules in Canada for the youngsters… Read More
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