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ISK Picnic and Rodeo

Knackered. That wasn’t the first word that came to my mind to describe how I felt at the end of the weekend. Austin Powers used a better word but it is probably not PG rated. Saturday was the Inland Sea Kayakers Annual Picnic and Rodeo. I had not previously attended...

Qajaq TC 2012

I was a Qajaq Training Camp virgin this year so knew little of what to expect. Located in the North west of Michigan, it took a little over thirteen hours to get there. The first six hours were spent driving to Milwaukee, accompanied by Tim, another resident of...

Subtlety not strength

When you don’t have one, a forward finishing roll can seem like a huge mountain to climb. Retraining our bodies to rotate forward and not layback is a challenge for many. I learned the storm roll first. Alex taught me it in the pool a couple of winters ago. After the...

Physical and Mental Therapy

This weekend I drove the family four hours north to Bemidji to visit the in-laws. A storm had come through recently and devastated their land, knocking down over one hundred trees (they have over 100 acres of pasture and woodland). We spent an exhausting Saturday...

Why a shoulder-less Greenland Paddle?

Until earlier this year I have been religiously paddling with my 86b Novorca carbon fiber paddle. I recently placed an order with Ron at Novorca for a new paddle. I don’t know what its design number will be but it is going to be a remarkable paddle. It varies from my...

Roll of the week, #13 – Rolling with hands crossed

Assuming you are successful at roll number 12, the Storm Roll, then rolling with your arms crossed becomes a very useful roll to practice. I find this roll useful not because your arms are crossed but because it decreases your dependency on heaving up on the paddle....

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Qajaq Rolls is dedicated to passing on the traditional art of Greenland kayaking. Greenland kayak rolling can be a relaxing, yoga-like exercise. Rolling is also a tremendously valuable self-rescue technique, and should be the go-to recovery for any serious kayaker. Greenland kayak rolls are steeped in the history of the Inuit people, whose very survival depended upon their ability to roll up and recover while hunting. But Greenland kayaking encompasses much more than just rolling, qajaq building, paddle carving, throwing the harpoon and rope gymnastics are just some of the many skills that make up this ancient subsistence culture. If you are interested in learning more about all aspects of Greenland kayaking consider supporting Qajaq USA and Qaannat Katuffiat:

Qajaq USA is a nonprofit membership organization that is officially recognized by Qaannat Kattuffiat (The Greenland Kayaking Association). Qajaq USA is committed to supporting Qaannat Kattuffiat and their efforts to preserve, study and promote the traditions and techniques of Greenland kayaking while seeking to further the appreciation and development of Greenland-style kayaking in the United States.
Please consider joining Qajaq USA and supporting the organizations efforts.

If you are looking to prepare yourself your equipment and then learn your first roll please follow this link to a series of articles put together to help people get started: Getting your first roll. Nothing beats in person training, especially one-on-one training. If you are looking for mentoring check out the Qajaq USA Events where you can become immersed in the culture of traditional paddling.

Free Guidebook and DVD

Rolling with Sticks® started as a project to document the progress I was making as I learned the different Greenland style kayak rolls. This work evolved into the water proof guidebook and DVD. The project has paid for the costs of production so I decided to make them freely available for download in English, español – Spanish and 中文 – Chinese. Please download and share them with your paddling friends, and help to promote the art of Greenland rolling.