Simon here from AQ Outdoors, bringing you a quick tutorial on conquering the Cartwheel Corner on the legendary Kananaskis River, just a stone's throw away from Calgary. Many local paddlers and students ask us how to successfully and consistently run this fun mini boof line, so here’s a step-by-step breakdown on how to skillfully run it.
Step One
Setting the Stage
There are a few key things to being successful in this, and for context, the outcome we are looking for is to boof off the ledge into the Eddy and maintain momentum away from the hole.
So before you try this move, you want to feel pretty comfortable on the race course and have a decent, reliable roll. If the “boofing” is unfamiliar to you, it'll be really worth watching our How To Boof video (and remember to subscribe for more instructional videos), which were all filmed on the Kananaskis River.
[ Also read: A Head-To-Head Comparison Of The Dagger Code, Pyranha Scorch And The Jackson Gnarvana ]
Step Two
Identify the Currents
First up, we need to identify the currents at play. In this move, there are two main currents and one seam that we need to be aware of:
1. The current moving downstream from the Eddy.
2. The current wrapping off the left bank
3. The seam that the meeting of these two currents creates.
Step Three
Strategy to Navigate the Move
Now that we've identified the currents and features that will affect our boat, we can address the strategy to navigate the move.
Your grand entrance into this move involves riding the main current to generate some cross-current speed. This momentum will be your wingman as you approach the drop. This speed will allow us to reach the drop and ultimately skip through the Eddy and away from the hole.
[ Also read: How To Choose The Right Rescue PFD For You ]
As we approach the seam, we know that it's going to try and turn our boat downstream, which is a very common error we see. We need to offset the spin where the currents change either by doing a proactive stroke on the downstream side or angling our boat a little to the left so the spin doesn't come on too fast.
Step Four
Engaging our Edge
Once we get across the seam with angle and speed control, we can start to edge our boat, which will initiate a slow carving turn, and we prepare our downstream blade to perform the final stroke as we go over the lip of the drop.
Step Five
Landing Like a Pro
It's important as we land in the Eddy that we flatten our kayak so the boat is able to skip out and maintain speed and stability.
We often see three common problems from paddlers learning this maneuver.
The first problem we see is paddlers turning downstream on the seam, which leads to just running the rapid down the middle through the wave train.
The second is the opposite of that, where the paddler turns upstream on the seam and spin out and wind up facing upstream.
The third most common problem is having the angle open up too late so the bow doesn't get downstream at all, and paddlers end up kind of falling into the hole almost sideways.
The Winning Formula
The key to success in this move is simply identifying all the currents at play and ensuring that you're comfortable with the angle and speed that you need to cross the scene. Once you get that right, it's going to be minor adjustments to make sure that the bow of your boat is in the right place at the right time as you go off the lip of the drop.
So take the time to get out of your boat, identify the currents and the seam for real, and then play around with angles and speed as you cross that and you'll very quickly be on your way to successfully Boofing Cartwheel Corner.
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Edmonton: (p) 780 463-4892 (e) info@aquabaticsedmonton.com
Calgary: (p) 403 288-9283 (e) info@aqoutdoors.com
