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Select W1 Paddles Review

Product Review... Select Paddles W1.

As soon as I picked them up, the W1 paddles felt natural in my hands. The ergonomic shaft meant my wrists were comfortable and the shape allowed me to grip the paddle securely. Once on the water the blades were powerful with a smooth catch and release. The large surface area was great for anchoring me into eddies and gaining speed to punch through waves. This is also evident whilst playboating in holes as the paddles allowed me to pull through moves with extra snap making me go bigger! Overall I think these are a great set of blades, with fantastic build quality and even better… they come in a great range of colours and designs!

See you on the water!

Josh

Posted by Josh Wedgwood

New Sponsorship Deals

Hi Guys,

I have just received the exciting news that Fire It Up, the importers of Select Paddles will be supporting me with my paddles. I will have several demo sets for people to try. I first used the blades at the Cardiff Paddlefest... thought they were absolutely great!

I have also just received shiny new kit from Nookie. I am joining their team of test paddlers so look out for me in my new Assassin Cag, Absolute Deck and Rivermonster BA!

Thank you to both of these companies for your support!

See you on the water,

Josh

Posted by Josh Wedgwood

Cardiff International Paddlefest 2011

The chance to try all things paddlesport! From the very latest boats, paddles and kit to something new like Stand-Up Paddle Boarding. The day proved to be yet another great day on the water at CIWW!

With a range of cumecs throughout the day, fun events and evening entertainment; over 150 paddlers descended on the artificial white water course on the 3rd September. There were over 15 different retailers including; Wavesport, Nookie and new paddle brand Fire it Up (to name a few) all at the event with demo boats, paddles and great advice. This was a great opportunity for people to have a go in something new or get the low down on the latest products. With no rafts on the course paddlers were allowed to have fun without the worry of getting flattened! Enjoyment was definitely had by all as the many smiles suggested. There was lots of action in the main freestyle hole but also loads of people enjoying themselves paddling round the course working on their skills.

The first event of the day was a favorite for many; the Duckie Demolition Derby! A carnage filled event due to the 20 duckie paddlers and an inflatable dinghy all piling down the course at once!

Following the Duckie Demolition Derby the next event of the day was the Palm 4x Challenge. Here two adults and one youth paddler join forces with a pro paddler from one of the exhibitors to race down the course as a team. The fastest team down the course wins. Prizes and bragging rights were on offer! The challenge of white water was made more difficult with tasks that had to be completed on the way down. Paddlers had to break into eddies and surf waves without losing too much time! Timing seemed to be the key here, the faster teams managed to avoid getting in each other’s way allowing all paddlers to get down the course as speedy as possible. I was competing for Team Wavesport as the pro paddler. Somehow all of our plans came together to produce the fastest run of the day!

Straight after the team challenge all the pro paddlers were entered for a head to head BoaterX race. With no rules, heats and semis to get through before the final there was plenty of carnage! Slalom poles were placed in the river that paddlers had to go round or get disqualified… as an extra challenge; duckies were ready to spring, popping decks and getting in the way! Any tactics went out the window as paddlers clashed paddles and bashed into each other fighting for position. Choosing the Wavesport Habitat was a good move for me as I had lots of speed to get a good start and avoid most of the chaos! Due to this I reached the final against; Pete Simon, Aaron Buckingham, Cheesy and Tom Parker. With 5 of us racing down the course there was even less space! I was third going down the first drop with Aaron and Tom in front. Due to duckie intervention I managed to pass Tom near the end and finish second! Cheesy, despite being a strong candidate for the win, boofed onto a duckie and quickly got sunk so finished last!

The final event of the day was the Paddlefest Raft Race. Lots of people got involved with this, creating teams of 6 to compete in time trail, slalom and endurance racing. Spectators enjoyed the sight of rafts chasing each other down the course while listening to the great live bands that were playing on stage… the party atmosphere continued well into the night!
The Cardiff International Paddlefest 2011 was a great event… a massive thanks must go to all the organizers and retails that turned up to support and make the day fun! Keep checking the CIWW website for information on next year’s event, if this time is anything to go by… it is not to be missed!

Posted by Josh Wedgwood