Here we G(L)O!

Check out THIS post from Jackson Kayak's Drew Gregory about our new glow-in-the-dark option for the  Coosa, Cuda 12, Cuda 14 and Big Tuna

 

Have Canoes-Will Ship-Anywhere

Fantastic video by Esquif Dealer, Appomattox River Co. in Farmville, VA

Now you know why we charge for wrapping canoes - it's a TON of work!

JK Dealer Summit Fun

Well we are back from Tennessee and we had a great time!  Fantastic hospitality, eats and it was a pleasure spending time with all the great JK dealers, particularly our own (Endless Adventure and Western Canoeing and Kayaking)!

We got to travel with Laura Demers who is a member of the Nikki Rekman Sales Team and one of the go-to staff members at Western Canoeing and Kayaking.

Here are some of Laura's thoughts on the Dealer Summit:


From the first day I heard that I'd be going to the Jackson Kayak Dealer Summit I was jumping in my booties with excitement!  I can tell you now that they did not disappoint.  With on water clinics for fishing, SUP, rec, touring and whitewater I feel as though I now have a better understanding of the product and the company that stands behind it. Jackson is continuously innovating their product to stay current in the market.  When Standup paddle boarding kicked into gear, Jackson did too creating the SUPer Fishal, SUPer Natural and SUPer Charger.  Being that my newest passions involve SUP and fishing I was stoked about the new boards and boats.  I already had my new Cuda 12 on order before I even had a chance to see one. Then I even had the pleasure of seeing one being built at the JK factory. By the end of day three I had absorbed some valuable tools for sales and marketing.  Many of which are already being practiced in our store.  The Jackson clan sure does put on a good party and finished off the summit by welcoming each and every one of us into the Jackson Family.

The Dealer Summit is designed to, educate Jackson Kayak dealers on our great product but also to thank them for their support and their business.  We hosted numerous seminars, kayak fishing, whitewater outfitting, How to Develop a Team (lead by yours truly and JK Fishing Team Member, Mark Wheeler) and more.  There were tours of the JK factory, a boat building contest - super fun, paddling and parties hosted by the Jackson Family. 

After almost missing our flights back to Canada due to construction on the I-40, we are anticipating the arrival of our 2013 boats next month and hope you will seriously consider joining us next October in beautiful Rock Island, TN for the 2013 JK Dealer Summit!!

Checkin out the fishing kayaks on the Caney Fork River.  Photo: Mark Klein

Going over the SUPerFishal with JK Kayak Fishing Team Members. Photo: Mark Klein

Jackson's Nick Troutman and our own, Laura Demers.  Photo: Mark Klein

Endless Adventure's Chris Ryman.  Photo: Mark Klein

Here are a few photos to share - more will be posted on our FB page HERE soon!!!

Dealer Profile - Wilderness Supply

One of the things I want to do to keep my blog going through 2013 (it was a New Year's Resolution to start one in 2012) is to feature shops in Western Canada that I work with, and Outfitters for that matter.  That's a hint to all my outfitters ;)

These Dealer Profiles will tell readers a bit about the great shops we work with throughout our territory and ideally entice people to go check them out, either in person or on line.

We are super happy to feature Wilderness Supply in Manitoba as our first Dealer Profile!  I have been working with this crew since the late 90's when I was at North Water and they are a proud Esquif Canoe, Kokatat Watersports Wear, Seals Sprayskirts and Werner Paddles dealer.

Special thanks to Buffy Cowtan at Wilderness Supply for answering all my questions.

Wilderness Supply opened  in 1995 with a small, family-runstorefront on Winnipeg’s Ferry Road.  Theirmom-and-pop outdoor gear store soon became a place worth traveling to, withemployees who spent as much time using gear as they did talking about it.  In 2004 they opened a second location inThunder Bay, ON, and have been growing ever since, expanding their original FerryRoad store and opening a second Winnipeg location.  In 2009 ownership of the store was passedfrom founders Frank and Jan to their son-in-law Rick, who has continued thefamily tradition with a focus on quality, tested gear, experienced staff, andknowledgeable customer service.

Ferry Rd. in Winnipeg - photo: Rick Shone

The staff love the outdoors as much as theircustomers—which gives them a great opportunity to get out and test gear forthemselves!  Whether customers want aguide through their first sleeping bag purchase, to discuss the finerdifferences between GORE-TEX and Dry-Q, or just to chat about weekend paddleroutes from the city, the staff are happy to help.  Their experience comes from a combination oflistening to their customers and their own passion for the outdoors. There are lotsof places to earn a paycheque – the staff work at Wilderness Supply because they love theoutdoors, and are excited about helping others get out and enjoy themselves!

Wilderness Supply Team - photo: Buffy Cowtan

Knowledgeable staff and a local focus bring people to Wilderness Supply.  Their customers appreciate that they will go the extra mile—if they don’t see what they’re looking for in store oron the website, they will work to help them find that perfect piece of gear.  Wilderness Supply's commitment to their local communities findsthem hosting and sponsoring a variety of events around Winnipeg and Thunder Bay,from climbing competitions and film screenings to food drives and communityfundraisers.  With all their growth, theyhave never lost that ‘small store’ feel, and they take pride in being the bestresource for local gear, knowledge and support in their communities.

Speaking of being involved in their community, Wilderness Supply is very involved in Adventure Racing.  For those of you interested in this aspect of outdoor pursuits check call them for information on The Donkey races.  For 2013 the Ice Donkey race will take place February 10th, the Dirty Donkey race will take place August 17th and the Swamp Donkey race will takeplace September 21.  Pain in the Assiniboine is June 23rd. 

Also watch their website for in store events like their annual tent salein June and the rental/demo boat sale in September.

*****thanks Frank, Jan, Rick and crew for all your business over the years, it's been a real pleasure!!!*****

 

Nikki Rekman Sales Logo Wear has Arrived!!!

We are super excited to have received our first shipment of Nikki Rekman Sales Logo Wear.  

Introductory offer is $10.00 for Men's T's, $13.00 for Women's T's.  Regular price will be $15.00 for ALL T's.

Current stock:

Men's T's - Grey Medium, Grey Large, Black XL
Wo's T's - Grey Small, Grey Large, Grey XXL, Brown XL - XXL*
Hat's - Olive and Brown $15.00

Contact us to place your order.

Prices do not include HST or shipping

Military Style Caps - Olive and Brown - $15.00

Women's T-Shirt - Brown and Grey

Back of Hoodie - Special order only $40.00

Olive Cap and Men's Charcoal Hoodie

Men's Grey T-shirt - $10.00

Mike Darbyshire in Action at Skooks!!

Check out Nikki Rekman Sales team paddler, Mike Darbyshire on his SUP board at Skooks this past weekend with the crew from Hurricane Riders!

Mike is also wearing a couple of new pieces from Kokatat Watersports Wear.  The Kokatat Jackson Collection, Icon Drysuit and the Maximus Prime PFD.  Both items will be available from your local retailer in January 2013.  Not too be forgotten, Mike is using his Nitro paddle by Werner Paddles.

Another River SUP Paddler Sings the Stingers Praises

Welcome, Guest blogger, Luke Vollmerhaus.  

Luke works for Aquabatics Calgary a proud Kokatat Watersports Wear and Werner Paddles Dealer.  He is also a member of the Nikki Rekman Sales Team.

 

Smooth. 

For a paddle that might seem like an odd descriptor but for the Werner Paddles Stinger it fits perfectly. 

With each stroke this blade eases into and out of the water without the slightest suggestion of a catch. This enables the paddler to take more confident strokes in the complex balance situations presented by White water SUP boarding. In a sport as progressive as this you don’t want anything holding you back and the Stinger does just the opposite, accelerating your skills better than ever!

Here’s the physics behind the feeling: Your classic wedge shaped blade delivers a powerful forward stroke and is by far the most commonly used style as SUP boarding started on flat water and ocean environments. The down side to this design is that as soon as you get the tip in the water you immediately have a very significant portion of the blade in the water. This can cause something called a ‘catch’ where you suddenly have a large amount of resistance against the blade. If this resistance isn’t perfectly in line with your intended stroke (due to something like say… river currents) then it can pull you off balance and land you in the water. 

Werner has conquered this issue by inverting the wedge shape of the paddle so if you only put a little of the blade in the water you only get a little bit of resistance. The angle of the wedge also makes sculling braces much easier as it doesn’t bury the blade in the water as easily so your paddle stays high and utilizes maximum leverage and surface tension.

I got in a September surf session on Harvie passage in Calgary to test out this hot new blade and it was all it was that Werner promised and more!   

This paddle is a huge step in the progression of white water SUP.

Keep a paddle in the water!

Luke