Traditional kayaks were made of animal skins.
Earlier whitewater kayaks were made of Kevlar or
fiberglass but nowadays they are made of tough plastic, which is
durable and flexible. Normally the size of a kayak
ranges from 6-12 feet but sometimes it can be even longer.
Whitewater Kayaking Categories:
River Running- River running is a tour down the river. It is done
for enjoyment as well as for experiencing the challenge of whitewater
kayaking. It includes both short as well as long multi-day
trips. Multi-day trips use gear-toting rafts for a comfortable experience.
The competitive aspect of river running is whitewater
racing.
Creeking- This involves typical and technical
rapids. Creeking not only involves higher gradient but is also likely
to include slides, running ledges, and waterfalls on small rivers.
Creeking kayaks are high volume, rounded bow, and
stern boats. These features provide extra safety margin against
spinning and the kayak is controlled and resurfaces more quickly
when coming off large drops. The competitive form of creeking is
extreme racing.
Slalom- This is another form of whitewater
kayaking. Kayakers try to make way in a designated section
of river within a time limit and correctly negotiate gates at the
same time. There are 20-25 gates, which should be navigated sequentially
during the race. Red gates must be negotiated in upstream direction
and green gates in downstream. The gate placement and precisely
paddling through them fast without touching the pole makes the move
harder and tougher. Pro-level Slalom competitions have specific
width and length requirements of boats that are made of fiberglass,
Kevlar, carbon fiber so that they are lightweight and have faster
hull speed. Slalom is the only whitewater kayaking
sport in Olympics.
Play boating- Play boating is also known as freestyle
kayaking. This is more an artistic and gymnastic kind of
whitewater kayaking. The other whitewater
kayaking varieties involve going from point A to B but
in play boating, the play boaters often remain in one place in river.
The play boaters work with and against the forces of river and perform
various maneuvers like surfing, spinning and several vertical moves
by staying in one spot. Recently aerial moves became accessible
in which paddlers perform tricks. Play boating kayaks
usually have low volume bow and stern enabling the paddler to submerge
the kayak ends easily. In US, play boating competitions
are known as whitewater rodeo but in UK and Europe, it is known
as freestyle kayaking.
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