Cheers!
Surfski is growing fast here on the west coast of Canada where winters are mild and we have more coast line than we know what to do with. The rest of Canada is often in a cold, snowy winter from November (or earlier) to March (or later).
With a strong flatwater club system across the country led by Canoe Kayak Canada (
www.canoekayak.ca/
), surfski is a natural progression for many paddlers who are sprint paddlers looking to add more variety into their training.
Not many downwind events yet, but more and more races on the calendar each season. One of the more spectacular downwind runs we have is called the Howe Sound Downwind Challenge. It runs up an inland fjord world famous for windsurfing and it finishes in Squamish BC. Good wind, hot summers, strong currents and amazing scenery.
We have a local series every Tuesday evening and it has grown from 10-15 boats in a mix of surfskis, sea kayaks and flatwater kayaks to over 100 boats on a warm summer evening.
Many surfski paddlers are cross-country skiers in the winter when it is not much fun to paddle. The two sports are very similar in many ways; energy system requirements, the importance of technique, variable environment, socio-cultural values.
In Vancouver you can ski in the morning and paddle your surfski in the afternoon.
Alan & all the other Canadian surfski paddler
