Learn to roll your kayak with our video tutorials
Rolling list
I tend to spend my winters building and rolling indoors. This year more building than rolling. However I had a brief moment to put together a rolling list to help me remember what to practice. Too many times I have been practicing and completely forgot to perform a particular roll, or remember what what rolls I need to work on. With this list printed our and then laminated and slide under my deck lines I can now practice to my hearts content.
Bomb proofing your roll
I help a lot of people learn how to roll their kayak. Many people come to a mentoring session and leave having completed a dozen or so rolls that they never dreamed they could do successfully. Many people come back to their next session saying their rolls vanished as...
$350 and a ball of string
I completed the Shrike Skin qajaq project in time for my wife and my annual spring trip to the North Shore. The North Shore is the local’s term for the Minnesota Western shore of Lake Superior, and is home to a large number of State Parks and National Forest land....
Kayak cockpit ergonomics for rolling
Independent of the style of kayak rolling you partake in it is very helpful to have a kayak that fits you. Kayaks roll because we apply force to the kayak through the connection between our body and the hull and deck, and this force is resisted by the opposite force...
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.
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.