A widely held misconception that drives me crazy, is the idea that the waves on the Great Lakes are too “choppy” for downwind surfing. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, “choppy” conditions are arguably the best conditions. If we assume that “choppy” means steep, short period waves, those are exactly the conditions […]
DownwindSecrets
PPP Episode 39: Downwind Jam Session
This podcast was an experimental downwind jam session. The idea was to setup a Zoom call open to any and all paddlers to join and share their stories and experiences around downwind paddling. We got off to a rough start when the initial call was highjacked by hackers, but were able to regroup and have […]
A Brain Dump of Downwind Thoughts and Theories
The volume and quality of downwind video is growing exponentially, but it seems that the amount of detailed writing about the subject remains limited. Sitting down to write this blog, I can see why. It is really hard to articulate the blend of art and science that is downwind paddling. I’ve been blogging for the […]
Context is Everything When Interpreting Downwind Paddling Instruction
Mixed Messages As happens from time to time in the surfski world, there are some mixed messages around what paddlers should be striving for to improve their downwind paddling. In this blog I attempt to explain why seemingly opposing views are both correct, and most importantly distill it all into useful guidance for the average […]
PPP Episode 13: Training for the Gorge with Oscar Chalupsky
In this podcast I sit down with Oscar Chalupsky in his home in Porto Portugal on the last night of a three day visit. The primary focus of the discussion is for Oscar to provide coaching and guidance to prepare me to have the best race possible at the Gorge Downwind Champs in July. […]
