2nd Annual Toby Creek Race 2016 – Werner Odachi

Thanks to guest-blogger, Allen Yip from Aquabatics Calgary for his thoughts on the recent Toby Creek Race in Panorama, BC and his paddle of choice, the Werner Paddles Odachi. 

I was super stoked to compete in the Toby Creek Race.   This year, thousands of dollars was up for grabs thanks to the sponsors and organizer.  $1000 CAD for 1^st Place in Elite Men’s division!  Needless to say that this attracted plenty of dirt bag kayakers in search of the next bag of loot for their next paddling adventure.

With the money up for grabs, I was excited to get my hands on the new Werner Odachi.  I knew I need the extra edge to beat the other competitors.   And so the Odachi became my weapon of choice for the summer.  I made good use of it instructing on flat water to running steep creeks. Including taking the Odachi down some good ol’ British Colombia classics such as Kicking Horse, 7 Canyons of the Toby, St Leon, Callaghan and the Cheakamus.

Even though I didn’t place in the race this year’s race, I couldn’t be happier with the Odachi.  Certainly made crushing every stroke easier J

If you’re interested to seeing some more photos and footage of the Odachi in action, please check out my page:  https://www.facebook.com/watchallencharge/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Thanks for reading this blog post,

Allen Yip

Age: 26

Height: 5’ 7’’

Weight: 158  lbs.

Country: New Zealand

Kayaking Experience:  8-9 years of Creek Boating

Kayaks: Dagger RPM and Pyrahna 9R

Current Paddles: Werner Shogun and WernerOdachi

Home Run: Kaituna (NZ)

Werner Paddles Whitewater and Canoe/Raft 2016

Last but definitely not least we show you what's new for 2016 in whitewater and canoe/raft.

Werner Paddles continues to have a reputation in the whitewater community for BOMBER RELIABILITY on the river and in 2016 we remain committed to that. We have added some flare with the new HD Graphic, Search:Rave Green and from our research, this colour is going to be a huge hit so add this to your current Premium Performance Powerhouse and Sherpa selection.



New HD Graphic available in the Premium Performance Powerhouse and Sherpa - Search: Rave Green


And the most innovative whitewater paddle on the market is the ODACHI (od-da-chee) named for the long sword used by Japanese Samurai warriors. This paddle has been built for whitewater racers and the most important thing when racing is going forward and going forward, FAST! This paddle falls into our Ultimate Performance category and is lightweight. It's symmetrical tip is perfect for that vertical racing stroke and provides a smooth release. The strong dihedral in the blade provides stability and less flutter. This paddle is available in a straight shaft and a bent shaft. You will notice in the photo below the offset between the blade and shaft, it's approx. 2" 




The Odachi




Obvious blade to shaft offset for Ultimate Racing Performance






Smooth backside of the blade for no disturbance through the water.

Not a ton new in our Canoe/Raft category for 2016 but we are very excited to showcase another HD Graphic, the "Fire On The Water" on our Guide Stick.


Fire In the Water HD GRAPHIC


Check out our other blogposts on 2016 product HERE