Jon Fairchild of Different Stokes Kayaking offers advice to beginners

Amelia Calvert, reno.com
May 15, 2007

Jon Fairchild, owner of Different Strokes Kayaking, offers clinics at Reno River Fest each year. Fairchild, who has been kayaking for nearly 12 years, said the hobby is not always an easy one to start on your own.

First, buying all the gear needed for kayaking is an expensive investment, and finding kayak partners was difficult in the past since the sport is just now gaining popularity around Reno and Tahoe.

The annual River Fest and the Truckee Whitewater Park are a hit with area kayakers and those who like the great outdoors. It’s a cool sport-intensive asset to downtown Reno, where people can practice, be safe and have fun, Fairchild said.

"Reno's unique. We have a whitewater park right downtown. A world-class kayak park -- it blew me away."

The park offers skill-level diversity and safety, due to its accessibility. "It's the perfect learning environment," Fairchild said. "And it has big eddies to teach in."

School bus or Ferrari?
Fairchild describes the difference between a commercial rafting trip and kayaking is like riding in a school bus versus driving a Ferrari. A school bus will get you where you want to go, slow and straight, but a kayak is easy to handle, with quick maneuvers, allowing riders to pick apart the river as they navigate.

"In a kayak, you can ride waves, navigate, and get there faster," and Fairchild said. Since he got the hang of it, he hasn't wanted to stop. "Kayaking is my passion."

Kayaks come in two classes, play boats, which are more advanced in development and design, used to ride whitewater, surf waves, and play in holes. The bigger kayaks are designed for riding waterfalls or areas of high-volume water. The longer length is for big water, like Class V areas.

Fairchild says kayaks should fit tight for performance. Riders cram themselves in and rock the kayak with their thighs to maneuver. Skill-building is as much an investment as the gear, but once a kayaker has the gear and the skills, he or she can paddle any river at anytime.

An inflatable kayak is good for beginners. More like half-raft and half-kayak, they rate between the school bus and the Ferrari. Fairchild compares the inflatable kayak to an SUV. "They are hard to tip, but not as fast, and harder to navigate."

Rollin' on the river
The Truckee River’s volume varies. The weekend of River Fest 2007, the river was at about 650 CFS or cubic feet per second and estimated to rise to about 700 CFS. Some rivers rate as much as 1,500 to 5,000 CFS, such as the South Fork of the California River. Kayak season begins around January or February and goes through June. Water fluctuates, so hardcore kayakers just look for whatever is running. Fairchild says he has kayaked in rain and snow. During River Fest 2006, the Truckee was flowing at about 3,500 CFS, and was much colder and higher.

Risks on the river
Despite what people think, a collision with river rocks is not the greatest hazard to a kayaker. While it does happen, Fairchild says it’s not common. Kayakers wear helmets and learn how to tuck their head and face in a protected position. Someone hitting his or her head on river rocks is pretty rare.

Strainers, like debris, logs floating in the river or a jumble or rocks can act as a sieve and pin riders. "It is really hard to get out of.” Fairchild says, but this is not the greatest danger facing kayakers, either.

The number one risk seems to be the river itself. The water temperature can cause hypothermia. Kayakers use a wetsuit, but if they tip, their body temperature can drop, and in some river situations, there is no easy way out. Boaters may face a two-mile hike out of steep canyon walls. The body can get cold and tight and hypothermia can happen easily.

A day in a kayak calls for the appropriate gear. Thermals provide insulation, combined with a dry top layer. Clothing is designed with rubber gaskets to help keep water out. A funnel for the skirt seals out water, and a life vest and helmet are essential.

Fairchild recommends warm, thermal wetsuits and booties. He has seen his fair share of bloodied feet from kayakers who think they can get in a boat with no shoes.

The combination of rocks on the bottom and the current is another major river hazard. Rounded boulders on the river bottom can be 2.5-feet to 3-feet in diameter, and someone standing in the river can easily lodge his or her foot between the rocks. "Foot entrapment between the rocks - your foot gets stuck, and the current shoves you over," Fairchild points out this risky situation.

When a kayaker hits the water, the best way to swim downstream is with legs straight out front with feet up and toes pointed out of the water. Float until reaching the safety of an eddy or the bank. Get out of the current, then stand safely.

'Safety First' and second and third ...
Fairchild recommends partnering with other riders when kayaking. Learning how to roll upright and remove the skirt is essential. A boat can hold about fifty-gallons of water, and getting trapped in the current with a sinking boat worth about $1,000 is a rough place to be.

"People get themselves in trouble trying to save their equipment. Having someone with you to rescue you is important."

When kayaks roll over, people get scared because their feet are trapped. Kayakers have to remember how to get of the boat in a panic situation, when they are upside-down, trapped underwater, hanging by their legs.

"Get forward, pull the skirt ripcord. People become disoriented - surfers, scubas, we've got to concentrate. We've got to be focused."

Float bags in the kayak are designed to keep the boat afloat if it takes on water, plus, they take up space with air, so less water can fill the boat.

Learning to kayak can be intimidating, but good kayakers are always a little afraid of the water. Fairchild confessed he had about 20 pool sessions before he ever hit the river. At one point, before a kayaking trip, he laid awake in bed, thinking of all the bad things that could happen to him. And now, of Fairchild’s 12 years in a kayak, the last five have been in Class V water.

No kayaker can successfully ride the river without confidence, Fairchild says. “Be confident, but conservative enough to ride the river safely.”

"It's not a bad thing to be nervous. It's a dynamic sport, the water is moving - it's something to be nervous about. It's definitely intimidating. A good kayaker can balance nerves and confidence."