This post is being borrowed from Canoe and Kayak Magazine’s site. For a lot of Northwest Yachting’s readers, this may indeed be news that they don’t have to stop kayaking just because the water turns hard. Not so sure sea kayaks would work well on the mountains. -KH
Jam boy boofs high at Grandmas area in Mt. Baker backcountry, Wash. Photo: Jasper Gibson
While most people put up their kayaks for the winter and switch to skis, William Griffith, aka Jam Boy, decided instead try his boat out on the powder. The Washington state local took his Liquidlogic Remix out to the Mt. Baker backcountry and began to shred.
“He wanted to start off the season right so he sent himself off a huge 20-25-foot windlip,” says Jasper Gibson, who took the shot of Griffith sailing into the air. “He went a few times before last season, and I wanted to document the epicness that is snow kayaking.”
According to Gibson, snow kayaking isn’t anything new. “You’ll be able to find that snow kayaking was a Red Bull sport in Estonia,” says Gibson. “But, it is also just Jam Boy being himself; there is no one quite like him. He is a Class V boater that has paddled the Stikine. He probably wanted a new form of shred, so he looked toward the snow.”
For those who are inspired to try snow kayaking themselves and want to know which boat to use, Jam Boy says a creek boat is the ideal kayak to shred in. For throwing tricks though, a play boat is preferred.
