The point of a bent shaft is to enable you to paddle with straight wrists, not slightly torqued wrists. This might not seem like a big deal if you only paddle once in a while or aren't prone to wrist problems. However, for some of us who have experienced ever increasing amounts of lost paddling time each year due to wrist problems, bent shaft paddles have changed our lives. Designed for ergonomic comfort, the bent shaft completely eliminated my lost paddling days. Since buying one, I haven't lost a single day to tendonitis flare ups. The year before I lost two weeks, not counting the days I paddled anyway.

The benefit of an ergonomic shaft is still argued, however, in the paddling world and no consensus has been reached. Some feel that the bent shaft interferes with proper blade use in some strokes. The reason behind this is that with some bent shaft paddles, the blade is placed either in front or behind the grip, not in a straight line from it. Having the blades out of line like this means ostensibly that certain strokes will be easier, and others harder. Werner Paddle asserts that their "Neutral Bent Shaft" eliminates this bias by placing the blade in line with the grip. Personally, while I have noticed that my Adventure Technology (AT) paddle makes paddling easier in any number of ways, I haven't noticed any strokes being harder. Yes, they are expensive, although several companies are now competing on the bent shaft market, so one might assume that the price will begin to drop. We can all hope, anyway. Right now, the big names on the bent shaft market are Adventure Technologies and Werner Paddles, both of which we carry in the shop. Mitchell Paddles makes a composite fiber and wood bent shaft paddle, and Waterstick, the

In any case, the first time I used my paddle I loved it. I will never go back. It has completely ruined me for any other paddle. It's easy on my joints, slides through the water at the right times, and holds solid when I need it to. It's made rolling easier, and my shoulders don't ache as badly at the end of the day. In my mind, it was worth every single penny. I'd rather go paddling without my boat than without my paddle.

The 8th Annual Deerfield Riverfest was held on August 4th in Charlemont and was a great success. The Fest is a fundraiser for American Whitewater, an organization whose mission is "to conserve and restore America's whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely." American Whitewater auctioned off a bunch of cool gear, including several boats, a wide variety of vendors displayed their gear, two local bands played, and the nails game at the Dagger booth was a huge draw this year. Many volunteers worked hard to make this event possible, setting up and taking down the event, manning the gate and the Silent Auction, helping to run the rodeo, and organizing the barbecue. Mike Coleman did an awesome job again this year organizing the event locally and Mike Phelan traveled here from North Carolina to help out and represent American Whitewater.

The 5th Annual Whitewater Rodeo on the Dryway was also a great success. We had 20 participants this year. For the second year, we tried the new format which was well-received last year: instead of using Dragon?s Tooth only, the participants travelled down the river, stopping and being judged at four other river features, a splat rock, an eddy line, a wave, and a hole, before they came to Dragon?s Tooth for the grand finale. Our judges included a number of local paddlers as well as paddler "celebrities," Ken Whiting and Kevin Varette of Liquid Skills on the Ottawa in Canada. (Check out their kayak school Liquid Skills.)

For the second year in a row, Zoar Outdoor?s own kayak instructor, Jim Sullivan of Longmeadow, MA, was the winner. Second place went to Jim Buley of Maryland who was paddling the Deerfield for the first time ever and third place went to John Kennedy of Worthington, MA. Nice job, guys! Sadly, there were no women in the rodeo this year.   :   (

Learn the whitewater play secrets of this seasoned rodeo competitor and former Olympian. ?Spe? will be returning for his fifth year to shred it up on the Deerfield River Dryway and you can sign up to paddle with him and pick his brain.

Participants should have a better than 50% roll on class IV whitewater, the ability to catch eddies, ferry and peel out in powerful current, and basic hole and wave surfing ability. For this physically demanding course you must be in good physical condition. For advanced paddlers only.

Outdated clinic info removed.

Call Zoar to book or for more information 1-800-532-7483

For a fantastic winter vacation this year, check out Chris Spelius? operation in Chile. He has deluxe accommodations and trips for all ability levels, rafting, kayaking, hiking, fishing and sea kayaking. There are amazing pictures on his website of the bluest water I ?ve ever seen. Go have a look - I?m sure you?ll be tempted too!

Spe's website
1-888-488-9082