Archive for the ‘interviews’ Category

I’m pleased to once again have a chance to chat with Bryan Smith about his up-coming visit to Canoecopia this weekend and the forthcoming release of his new DVD, “Eastern Horizons”.  Canoecopia is the king of paddling tradeshows and those of us here in the midwest are lucky to have the opportunity to see all the latest gear, talk to the vendors, and see more presentations by well-known padders than you can actually make time for in just one weekend.  Thanks to Bryan for always finding time to answer my silly questions. . . Read the rest of this entry »

In October of 2008 Freya Hoffmeister is set to begin one of the most challenging expedition attempts possible in the world of Sea Kayaking.  Her goal is to become the first woman to circumnavigate the southern continent of Australia. The first person to circumnavigate Australia was Paul Cayffn some 25 years ago.

The trip is expected to take about one year to accomplish.  Along the incredible 9,400 mile route Freya will no doubt face wild seas, hungry crocks and curious sharks. In addition she will have to average some 35 miles per day in the tropical heat, while facing long open crossings and days where miles of cliffs will make landings impossible.  This is not a trip you can “phone in”.  That of course is the adventure, and the challenge.

When I set out to talk to Freya about the trip I found myself facing my own little challenge.  Freya of course is a friend and I know her to be much more than the caricature that easily becomes created in the mills of the paddle press or the symposium campfires. Freya is a smart, talented person with amazing drive and a strong competitive nature and of course much more.  I want to thank her for taking time to answer all my questions, even when she knew I was digging a bit. (wink, wink)

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d – Freya, thanks for taking time to do this.  Alright, you just got back from your record trip around the South Island of New Zealand and now you’re already planning to circumnavigate Australia.  When did that idea hit you, and when did you commit to the trip?  Why?

Freya – Well, on the last days of my NZSI circumnavigation I started thinking about what to do for my next big trip. Even though I’d been away from home more than 70 days I just hadn’t had enough…

My first thought was, for sure, that I’d paddle around the North Island as well! Paul Caffyn gave me his  NI book and over the next fives days that I was bogged down with bad weather over Christmas at Paul’s house I read it almost half of it. But, well, it didn’t excite me all that much. Perhaps because it seemed too similar to what I’d already seen around the South Island but with less beautiful scenery, less remoteness. Clearly it would be challenging as well especially since there would be the same tricky surf barrier around most of the island again but I guess I was even more eager for a larger, very different trip, even if no one had paddled around the NI besides Paul. But around OZ as well…

After I finished the NZSI trip I spent another 10 days with Paul and managed to wrangle almost the last copy of his book about paddling around Australian from him. I’d long thought that I didn’t want to paddle in a land invested with crocs, man (or woman) eating sharks and I’ve never been fond of poisonous snakes — on land or sea — but as the challenge came into tighter focus my attitude changed…

After talking to my family and business managers at home and finding out that it was actually possible to take off that long, I decided that, yes, I will do it! Clearly this is a HUGE challenge: the distance, the endurance, having the skills to paddle in very volatile conditions, plus, as I said, dealing with the creatures there. But I just love to do something really “outstanding” which might be hard to repeat…

d – We could go on all day about the dangers of this trip, but I think everyone knows by now that you don’t scare easily.  So let me just check, is there anything about this trip that does cause a little concern for you?

Freya – Naturally, I don’t have much experience with crocs, sharks and snakes…and I’m very happy to keep it that way! So I think it’s best to learn how to AVOID any really close encounters. And just like on NZSI, it’s important to learn more and more how to best AVOID the biggest breaking surf. That’s my biggest concern!

There are three very long sections of cliffs where you can’t land for two days; however, that doesn’t scare me too much as long as I set out in suitable conditions.

The lack of fresh water in some corners will be solved since I’ll have a desalinater as a backup and I’ll have enough room in my kayak to store enough food.

d – Those of us who’ve been around to watch you move quickly from your “woman in black” traditional paddling days to racing and World Class expeditions have wondered I’m sure what’s driving you to keep this pace?

Freya - Well, that’s just ME…Actually, I was always the “Woman in Black”, the rolling stuff just did emphasize the public vision i was a “roller” only…

But I never felt that I was just a traditional paddler. I’ve brought my gymnastics background to the boat: when I teach rolling, my style is more of a modern, playful approach to rolling. I try to make it creative and fun.

I’ve always loved expeditioning. I’m curious by nature! This includes to learn different disciplines of kayaking that I’ve never done like the surf ski stuff.

d – How do you look at the Australia trip in the sequence of what you’ve done so far. Is this the “Big One”?  Or do you just consider it another step?

Freya - For sure it’s A VERY BIG One, but still another step! I won’t stop paddling after that! And I can’t imagine that I’ll stop searching for new challenges.

d – Not all, but most expedition paddlers seem to have a list of certificates and stars by their names, ACA, BCU, etc,.  Have you taken many classes yourself along the way or are you a learn by experience type person?

Freya - In my early sea kayaking days I felt it would be interesting to take a five star class  to get to know what the BCU stuff is all about. But I drifted away from the idea because of all of the rules and regulations. I think they make sense in general but it didn’t appeal to me.

But I felt approval from others that I can survive on sea was not what I needed. And I didn’t need a teacher to tell me to get a “proper” paddle since I was using my epic wing as always. I’m very independent and liked to decide that type of stuff on my own. In addition, I didn’t want to teach “regular” kayaking classes as I was busy enough with my special niche of teaching how to roll. And I am much more a “one on one” teacher or a loner than a guide or someone who can entertain a whole group on a trip…

d – You have like 20 sponsors these days!  I guess that makes you the expert on what it takes to have companies support you in sea kayaking. So do you have any tips for expedition paddlers who are thinking about seeking sponsorships?

Freya - Well, first you have to INVEST in yourself: to get skills, to find out what you like, to do stuff which people think is interesting. You must establish what makes you “special” to stand out of the big crowd.

If you feel one day you gained a bit of experience by investing thousands of dollars in high tech gear, you may feel you want to share your knowledge via a website and start teaching at symposiums.

This gives you public exposure, which is a BASIC ingredient of what a potential sponsor would expect. If you’re making a lot of appearances at symposiums and are able to teach and give interesting lectures that’s a big selling point. As is writing nice stuff for your website or for paddling specific magazines. It’s also a good idea if you embark on a BIG trip to provide the public updates on your web site.

In short, the more exposure you can OFFER a potential sponsor, the more likely you are to find someone to work with! Just be aware it’s a relationship built on give and take. If you have to OFFER plenty, you might be able to GET plenty. Sea kayaking is not the most popular sport, so within the kayaking industry it might be likely to get some gear for wholesale price or even for free as sponsorship. But it takes MUCH more to get financial sponsorship, especially from non-kayaking companies. That’s what I’m working on now for the OZ trip: To get financial support from companies – that aren’t directly related to sea kayaking.

Still I think it’s a mistake to think that sponsoring can cover all of your expenses (or even make you rich.) For me it’s a labor of love, and working with a sponsor is more an appreciation of what you have achieved already!

d – You’re going to paddle an Epic Sport. That’s not the first kayak I’d think about for an expedition.  What made you decide on the Epic for such a long journey?

Freya – I was very happy with my NDK Explorer and still love it, but I wanted a “fast” and lightweight kayak with a rudder for maximum speed for that year’s long OZ trip. The Explorer is solidly built. It’s pretty fast and a skeg works well, but there is a reason why racing kayaks have a rudder and a long waterline…I was already working with Epic as I was using their wing paddles already, so it was natural to get into the “sea kayak” as well sooner or later!

I am known for extremes. I’m quite open to new ideas and I love speed…even on expeditioning. So I decided to take the “risk” to use this modified sea kayak from my much appreciated paddle sponsor Epic.

I am currently working quite intensely with Epic to continue the development of their existing Epic 18x sport to insure it’s rock solid but still a lightweight expedition kayak with a rudder that will be able to most likely resist serious abuse on a year-long expedition.

On my OZ circumnavigation I should get now maximum speed due to the rudder, long waterline and a lighter weight.

I won’t drop my NDK Explorer at all; all of my 10 different kayaks have their niches and I love every one!

d - Are you still into traditional paddling?

Freya – I was never into traditional “paddling” except when I raced at the Greenland National Championships with a Greenland paddle and a Greenland style kayak. On all of my previous trips I’ve used an epic wing paddle and fiberglass boats.

What I was doing was “Greenland style rolling”. In fact, even on teaching rolls I do not teach “Greenladstyle Rolling”, but I am using the traditional method, paddle and kayak for an easy beginner’s entry to a safe reliable roll. For sure it’s still fun to play around with exotic variations of rolls, but this is a limited skill and just a basic for me to feel safe on the water in any conditions.

d – I usually ask everyone I talk to for Quix, to share some of the practical side of doing a trip like this.  Australia will take about a year to complete.  A lot of things happen in a year. The business keeps moving, kids grow, seasons pass. . How do approach being “away” for a year?

Freya – Before I could commit to the trip, I made sure that my son’s father, my franchise partner and my two shop managers are fully behind me. And they are! I am very thankful to all of them! Without their full support I couldn’t do it, both practically and mentally!

For sure the toughest part will be to not see my 12-year-old boy for one year, even though he and his Dad promised to visit! And I know he is proud of his “special mom” too. His father is retired with plenty of time and I think he is the best “mom” and dad in one person our son can get!

Although paddling solo, the extended team will be my kayak weather man Karel Vissel, all OZ people who’ll get in touch and help me prior and during the trip, the person to update my blog and might help me writing some articles during the trip, and, much appreciated, guys like you who spread the gossip news! ).

Without my sponsor’s list it would be much more expensive to do it, new ones are always welcome!

d- Ok last question.  What’s one thing no one knows about Freya Hoffmeister?

Freya - Being in the public spotlight, people have their own picture of me just from reading my website, seeing pictures, the word of mouth, maybe having experienced teaching me somewhere or heard a lecture. But I don’t think that ANY of my kayaking companions know the “real” Freya…they all think they know (love or hate?) the picture of the “Woman in Black”…a modern kayak action figure…

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Visit Freya’s website at www.QajaqUnderground.com

As I mentioned yesterday adventure writer, sea kayaker & coach,  (jack of all sea kayaking trades. . . ) Jeff Allen of Cornwall, UK is off to Scandinavia. He will be joined by  Mark Schoon of Maine. Jeff of course has had some amazing trips already in his back pocket  including circumnavigating the 4 main isles of  Japan with Hadas Feldman of Israel, and as a member of the 2005 British team that circumnavigated South Georgia Island in record time.  Jeff is also a prolific writer who has recently been contributing articles on such things as; survival for sea kayaking, rough water paddling & incident management for Ocean Paddler Magazine in the UK.

I actually came to know Jeff through Simon Osborn.  These days Simon and Jeff are running Sea Kayaking Cornwall which is located in Falmouth, Cornwall.  So obviously one question I had to ask Jeff was if he really felt brave enough to leave Simon in charge??  Alright, enough of that!  Let’s talk to Jeff. . .

derrick – Ok, pretend I don’t know where you’re going. . So . . Where ya goin? Can you share just a basic overview ?

Jeff – Yeah the idea is to try and circumnavigate as much of Scandinavia as possible, so we are leaving from Escape Kajak Centre in Gothenburg on the 4 March and heading North, trying to get as far North as we can by early May, then calling a halt to proceedings before picking up the Gauntlet later on in the year. We would ideally like to get beyond North Cape, but that’s in the hands of Neptune and Mother Nature!

derrick – It’s interesting that you’re going to do this trip spread over a number of years. Does that make it any harder to keep focused on the goal? I can’t imagine planning 3 years ahead.

Jeff – Yes it does, but also it takes out a lot of the pressure of having to meet a predetermined deadline, one of the most frustrating parts of both Japan and South Georgia was having to pass places you really wanted to just hang fire on and explore.

derrick – You say an expedition does not really start until you’ve been gone a couple weeks and you’ve had the opportunity to shake off the cobwebs left by the world. You also say on your website that the ideal trip for you is one where you are going to be away for at least a couple months. Can you expand on that?

Jeff – Yes I can, I don’t know about you guys out there, but for me I don’t really get into the groove until I’ve been away from society en-masse for several weeks, then you begin to focus on what’s really important to your survival, weather-environment-food-water-choice of campsite, you start to feel what’s going on around you rather than having it reported to you, you listen to your body, aspects to your life are rearranged, simplified, priorities change, it takes at least a couple of weeks to feel these things transfer over.

derrick – On the other hand, when you get home again you have to slide back into those cobwebs. I think we talk a lot about the trip but could you tell us a bit about re-adjusting when you return?

Jeff – That’s the hardest part, I used to scoff at the ’sensory overload’ comments you hear people comment on, it so true though, when I look back to the Japan trip, we finished with only hours to spare before we had to leave the country, one day we were struggling in fog as thick as pea soup and swells which rolled and crashed upon the shores of Chiba, next day we were stepping onto the tarmac of Heathrow airport, I was in a state of shock without knowing it for weeks! It’s been the downfall of many aspects to what you might consider a normal life.

derrick – Regarding the Scandinavia trip I read that this was something you had wanted to do for some time. Did the stars just align recently?

Jeff – Yes I suppose they did, I delivered a yacht to Larvik several years ago and thought then, what a fascinating country, my family have Scandinavian ancestry and I wanted to research that aspect too, as well as the environment, the mountains, especially around the Lofoten area look as if they are straight out of a Tolkien story.

derrick – How’d you and Mark Schoon come together on this one?

Jeff – I met Mark in Georgia a couple of years ago, we were both guest instructors and I invited him across to Cornwall paddling, he reciprocated and I visited him in Maine. He’s such a laid back guy, I know we are going to get along just fine.

derrick – Scandinavia, South Georgia. I have to ask, what’s the attraction to cold?

Jeff – I’m not averse to the heat, its more chance than choice, I’ve got to say I prefer to paddle cold than hot, and love to breathe the cold crisp air you seem to get in the polar regions.

derrick – This trip you will be using the expedition to raise awareness for two charities in the UK, the Ovarian Cancer Action charity and the Children’s Hospice South west. How did you come to choose these charities?

Jeff – A friend of mine recently lost her Mother to Ovarian Cancer and I said I would try to raise awareness on what’s often termed as ‘the silent killer’ and the CHSW because I found out that in my region of the South West we have almost 1000 children who are terminally ill, and yet have no hospice to support them or their families, I want to help change this and feel I can use this expedition to help do so.

derrick – So, maybe you can help me with some homework. I’m doing a presentation at Canoecopia here in a week on planning your first expedition. I think a lot of paddlers imagine doing these sorts of trips but just feel its never in the cards as it were. Any thoughts on bridging that gap from imagination to reality?

Jeff – For me it came about quite traumatically, I’d been struggling for years to fit into a marriage that didn’t work, a lifestyle that wasn’t me, I had to let go of lots before I could go and do something as big as Japan. It needn’t be so, there’s nothing to stop you taking it step by step, increasing your horizons gradually, matching skill to environment and expanding our comfort zones. I know when I got to a point where I was at an all time low I just returned to the dreams I had cherished as a child and started to live them out.

derrick – Last question. You’re going to leave SKC in the hands of Simon while you’re gone. . .Really?. . . no. . Really?

Jeff – Haha I know, should I really? No I have every confidence in Simon, he’s a fantastic coach, cherishes it as much as I do and will do well while I’m away…..no really. .

Thanks Jeff!  Enjoy, have fun!  Jeff will be posting his insights along the way on their trip blog so be sure to check that out as well. Below are some links where you can find out more about the Scandinavian Adventure and world according to Jeff.

• Trip Homepage
• BBC Radio Interview – Day 1
• Ovarian Cancer Action – Donate
• Children’s Hospice South west – Donate
• Jeff’s New Website
• Visit Mark & Mel at Carpe Diem
• Sea Kayaking Cornwall

I first met Bryan Smith a few years back in Bodega Bay, California when he was teaching at the BCU Symposium there.  He among many other coaches that fall, changed my whole perspective of sea kayaking and of coaching.  Their love of the sport was so infectious that addiction to kayaking just seemed like a normal part of the progression. From those guys I first leaned that fun & inspiration were just as important to coaching as teaching braces. These days Brian has turned to filmaking to spread the kayak gospel.  He has been busy over the last few months promoting his new film, Pacific Horizons and will be attending Canoecopia here in Wisconsin in just eleven days.  I asked Brian if he’d do a little interview for us as a warm up.   So, here we go. . . .

d – I want to talk to you a bit about your DVD, “Pacific Horizons” but first I wondered if you could just share a bit of your paddling background?

b – I grew up and lived in Traverse City, Michigan until I was 18.  I did quite a bit of flat-water canoing as a kid, but didn’t start kayaking until I moved west.  The San Juan Islands hooked me on kayaking.  I started as a guide, then moved onto teaching with Shawna Franklin and Leon Somme, started training in the BCU, and it just kinda blossomed from there.  I gained a solid set of fundamental skills by pursuing sea kayaking and then I took my passion to the river.  I can’t say enough about using different disciplines to advance skills.  It has been the key for accelerating my learning curve and keeping paddling very diverse and exciting.

d – You were with Body, Boat, Blade for quite some time.  Could you tell us a bit about that and what you do when you’re not making videos?

b – Shawna, Leon, and I all started BBB out of a true passion for sharing the sport with others.  We had so much fun teaching programs together, developing our coaching and paddling skills, and trying to squeeze as much personal paddling into a season as possible and still keep the business floating.  I miss Orcas Island, but I had good reasons for moving on.  It had nothing to do with not wanting to teach or continue building BBB.  When a single American guy meets a beautiful Canadian women…well let’s just say it changes everything.  I moved up to Squamish, British Columbia to be with Lise-Anne and it gave me the opportunity to reconsider what it was that I wanted to do with the sport.  I decided to pursue making videos.  That is what I’m doing full time now.  When I’m not working on a video project, I’m out paddling for myself!

d – Do you have a background in filmmaking? What was it that started you on the path to making Pacific Horizons?

b – No real background per say.  I have always had an interest in images, photography, and video.  I got started with video when I traveled to India in 2003 for the first descent of the Lohit River.  A lot of the team members had still cameras, so I purchased a video camera and decided to film the trip.  I’ve learned a lot sense then!  I’ve just honed my skills by working on short whitewater videos, learning the editing software, asking lots of questions, and going for it.  By the time 2007 came around I was ready to make a go at a feature length film and DVD.  Since my roots were in sea kayaking and I felt like I had a line on some of the best locations here in my backyard, I went for Pacific Horizons.

d – I wanted to give you a moment to talk about what it takes to see a project like this through. Obviously it takes a lot of time and money to get from that first shoot until the time you get it on the shelf.  What was the most difficult part?  Did you ever feel like it was not going to come together?

b – You keep telling yourself the whole way through the project that you just finished the hardest part.  Then it gets a bit harder!  It is a massive undertaking to get the project to a finished product sitting on the shelf.  For me, the most stressful part is the shoot.  Until you have the shots and story nailed you have nothing.  While it is certainly the most fun, it requires super long days and you have to stay really focused and driven otherwise the shot slips out from underneath you.  For me editing it is the part I actually like the most because it is when it all starts to come together and you start seeing the product.  Then you have to master it to DVD, create the artwork, replicate the DVD, advertise, submit to film festivals, get distributors on board, promote, and then start it all over again for next project.  It is a never-ending cycle that I think few people really understand until they have tried it themselves. There is always something to do.  I can see why a lot of films take longer than people imagine or never get completed.  You have to see it through and keep the ball rolling every step of the way.  There was never a moment that Pacific Horizons felt like it would not come together, but there where plenty of moments that I was thinking “what in the world have I gotten myself into!”  I owe a lot to all the sponsors and people that stood behind me on this project…P+H, Kokatat, Werner, Snapdragon, Yakima, Alder Creek, BBB, Lise-Anne, and countless others.  That collective support goes a long way in making it happen.

d – The digital revolution has make video pretty commonplace these days, hundreds of clips on YouTube and so forth.  Do you think that affects more commercial projects like this?

b – I think it is affecting the viability of DVD output projects for sure.  Mediums for media are changing quickly.  There is so much entertainment out there for free on the web that people are getting a lot of satisfaction out of web-based media.  Just the way it is in 2008.  I’ve tried to keep pace with that by offering tons of whitewater media for free on The Range Life, You Tube, and others.  I think the next revolution is happening right now for DVD media.  Blue ray is becoming standard now and that move will shift DVD duplication in the High Definition direction as more and more people invest in new DVD machines or chose to play them off their computer.  You can view all kinds of things off the web, but you can’t get the high quality HD image.

d – On my blog we’ve talked a bit about how people may either emulate what they see on a DVD like Pacific Horizons or push their abilities just to be “on film”.  What are your thoughts on that?

b – Nothing we did in Pacific Horizons is a “stunt” and unachievable.  Everything is real paddlers with real skill using real judgment.  If people choose to emulate that I think it is great.  The trouble is when people emulate it without all of the boxes on safety and judgment ticked.  Overall I think it is good for the sport to have media that pushes others to try new things and become better paddlers.

d – Now you’re traveling quite a bit to promote the film including coming to Canoecopia here in Wisconsin in a couple weeks.  How’s that been going? Do you enjoy the “marketing” side of things?

b – The best part about traveling around to promote the film is hanging out with all my friends in the industry and meeting new ones.  The kayaking community is a great group of people to be around in general. We are all pretty spread out and events tend to pull the paddling community together.  I enjoy the marketing side of things and have always felt that putting that energy in always pays off.  If you are not out there marketing and promoting what you do, people don’t find out about it.  It’s fun because the stress of production is over and it is your chance to be out there showing it off.

d – What do you have planned for Canoecopia?

b – I will be showing Pacific Horizons and talking about the film on both Friday and Saturday as well as signing copies of the DVD at the Kokatat booth on Saturday and Sunday at 2pm.  Other than that, I’ll be trying to take in as many other things as possible.  It is the first time I have ever been and some people have warned me to bring my helmet.  I have not decided if I’ll bring the full-face helmet or just my regular.  Should be a great time.  I’m really looking forward to it.

d – Ok, here’s the spot where I ask you what’s next on the ah, horizon? New projects?

b – I will be spending most of my spring and summer on the east coast.  Lise-Anne and I are busy working on script, story, and locations right now.  Off course it would be easy to say the next project is “Eastern Horizons”, but I think this one will have a different style than Pacific Horizons.  We are really looking to step it up even further with this one and develop the story line around the Atlantic’s strong history.  It will move away from the travel log style of film that Pacific Horizons and TITS have utilized and be a more complete story from start to finish.   Georgia, Virginia, New York, Maine, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Newfoundland have a lot to offer!  We’ll be launching a new website and keeping everyone posted as we get closer to leaving.

d – Alright, last question.  For those of us who have not been there. Is the Skooks as scary as it looks?

b – It all depends on the size of the tide!  It is never seems that scary at slack.  Put 13 knots of current into the equation and it starts to get a little intimidating in a sea kayak.  The smaller tides are more manageable and less intimidating, but Skooks demands a healthy respect and solid skills no matter what speed the current is running.

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Thanks Bryan!  See Ya Soon!  Btw, stay tuned the rest of this week as we look at a couple new kayaks and have a couple more chats in store as well.

For more information about Canoecopia Go Here.

For more information about Pacific Horizons Go Here.

*photo provided by Bryan

With spring on it’s way and Canoecopia just a couple weeks off it seems like a great time to talk about gear. Well, isn’t it always a great time to talk about gear?  So today I’m happy to share with you a little interview with Jim Miller who is the Marketing Manger at Werner Paddles. Now I tried to get him to talk to us about that heated paddle shaft, but as you’ll see the sacrifice would have been too great!

d – I’d guess that most of the readers here feel like they know all they need to know about paddles. What might we not know or what is something that deserves more consideration when choosing a kayak paddle?

JM - Two words SWING WEIGHT.  The static weight of a paddle has very little to do with how well a paddle performs.  Swing weight is the measurement of the paddles resistance to being moved through a stroke and is primarily affected by the weight of the shaft as well as the weight and shape of the blades.  Because we have been building paddles for over 40 years and our Production Management staff has over 100 years of combined experience; we understand the dynamic nature in which are paddles are used better than almost anyone out there today.  Advanced materials, great design, hand crafted construction all combine to create a paddle with the lightest swing weight per dollar; or as I like to say “Just pennies a stroke!”

d – Has paddle development reached its pinnacle?

JM - No.  There is always something new that can be done to up the bar.

d – There are some great high performance paddles out there.  Where do we go from here?

JM - New materials, new construction methods, new designs.  Our Performance Foam Core is a perfect example of how Werner is an innovator in paddle materials and construction.

d – Are there any new materials or designs around the corner that we can get excited about?

JM - If I told you I’d have to kill you.

d – Which brings me to something I read lately.  For us up here in the great white north the idea of a heated paddle shaft sounds interesting.  I read that Werner has been playing with that idea.  Is there a heated kayak paddle coming?  If so, how do you keep it light and functional?

JM - I repeat; If I told you I’d have to kill you.

d – Where is Werner’s Wing Paddle?

JM - We do get the occasional request for a Wing, but have not seen enough demand from consumers or our retailers to come to market.  There are some very nice Wings out there and we would want to make sure that we came with something substantially better.

d – I wanted to talk a bit about customer service. These days it can get pretty atrocious.  We’ve all been there.  Emails unanswered, waiting on hold forever, trying to prove it wasn’t our fault and all that stuff that makes dealing with companies awful at times.  How does Werner look at customer service?  Do you think most of your customers would give you high ratings?

JM - As a mater of fact our dealers were recently polled by SNEWS/Outdoor Gear Trends magazine and they place Werner as the fourth “Best Company to Do Business With” this rating includes the entire outdoor industry, not just paddle sports.  It feels great to beat out players like The North Face, Columbia, and Mountain Hardware. Our ranking was based largely on our customer service, innovative product and on time delivery.  The folks answering the phones in Sultan Washington are great problem solvers and they have the experience.  Ryan, for example, has been with Werner for 20 years.  You don’t keep someone coming to work with a smile on their face each day for 20 years with out doing something right. Werner is a great place to work and that is a direct reflection of the owners, Bruce and Shelley. They take care of their folks and in turn every employee is empowered to take care of our customers.

d – Werner sponsors a variety of paddlers including Dale Williams, Bryan Smith and others.  Could you tell us a bit about your team paddlers and how someone gets “on the team”?

JM - We really are looking for more than just high profile paddlers to use our products. If you have ever spent time with Dale or Bryan or any of our team folks, what comes through, is their passion for being on the water and a desire to share that passion with others.  The greatest complement is when paddlers request sponsorship and tell us up front that no matter what the response they will be using a Werner paddle because of the integrity and performance of the paddles.

d – Folks that followed along with my trip around Puerto Rico last summer knew that I used a 4 piece Werner.  I get asked about that since they don’t see a 4 piece on your website.   How does someone go about getting a 4 piece?  Can they expect to pay more?

JM - We offer all of our Performance Core Touring, Performance Touring and Premium Touring paddles in a four piece straight shaft configuration.  There is a cost increase of $60 over our two piece paddles.  We sell our paddles through our dealer network and because four piece paddles are more of a specialty item, you would most likely need to place a special order.  We pride ourselves on quick turn around times, but give it a couple of weeks before you plan on leaving the country with your four piece in hand.

d – Lastly, you guys will be in Wisconsin next month at Canoecopia.  I wanted to give you a chance to tell us what you’ve got planned for those of us who stop by the booth.  A Kelly Blades balancing act maybe?

JM - Canoecopia is the largest consumer goods paddle sports show in the world. It is really amazing to see all the people that travel, often from many states away, to hear speakers, see demos and purchase paddling gear. Because we offer so many paddle configurations, the uninitiated can get a little overwhelmed. Our goal is to get each person the prefect paddle for their paddling adventures.  We will be offering “Prescriptions to the best fitting Paddles,” so stop by and see us we are the Doctors of Paddleology. Plus there will be some fun stuff for the kids to do and a little swag to be had.

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Thanks Jim!  Now if you want to learn more about Werner be sure to visit their website.  They also have a great interactive tool to help you select the perfect paddle right here.  We’ll have a few more little interviews coming up before the big show, so check be sure to check back.