Everything Awesome

To paddle well you will need to understand the 5 sections to SUP strokes.

1, Reach 

Part 1 is reach.
Literally, reach forward, in line with the side of your board, as far as is comfortable.

Bend forward, keeping your back straight and twist your shoulders slightly to drop the paddle blade into the water. 

2, Catch 

The Catch is when your paddle enters the water. 

The blade of the paddle should be square to the board, and enter the water with no splashing or water displacement, it will set you up to pull your blade efficiently through the water.

3, Power

Power is the section that has most effect on speed. Perfecting a good stroke technique in the power section will move your board at a faster pace and glide you through the water with ease. 

Your lower arm needs to be kept straight and the paddle shaft vertical. A proper stroke technique requires you to pull your body towards the blade rather than pulling the paddle blade towards you. 

Once the blade has reached your feet, remove it from the water and repeat the process.

4, Release

The blade will exit the water after you’ve completed your stroke. Lifting the paddle out of the water you will extend your knees to a standing position.

5, Recovery

The fifth section is recovery, this is the transition period between your strokes. 

Back to part 1. rinse and repeat.

With an air temp of 1c, donned in dry suit and wearing gloves i went for a Crunchy sup paddle.
Not entirely true, i set off from Underbank on calm water, headed up towards the inlet end, its sheltered, tree lined, and a couple of degree’s colder up there.
It made a lot of noise as i broke a line through the ice crust towards some moving water, i needed to get there to turn around. It was either that, or paddle backwards through ice for 50m.

The Printroom, Hillsborough did a great job of embroidery, i now have my logo onto a Buffalo Systems Belay Jacket.

Really impressed with the job they did.

The temperature plummeted to minus 2 as we set off from High Hoyland, venturing into the depths of Deffer Woods. The Bridleway presented a challenging surface, the ground transitioning between slippery mud and icy patches. My thumbs were on fire from constantly shifting gears; I couldn’t find a comfortable position for my right thumb, a stark reminder of the importance of opposable thumbs!

Illuminated by nearly £700 worth of lights – Mark’s Exposure 6-pack and my Hope R8+ – the trails were as bright as a runway. We had enough visibility to confidently navigate the terrain, even in the darkest corners of the woods.

If you’re curious about the thrill of night riding, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Prusik and more, The above are friction hitches, when under load they will tighten onto the red rope and act as a 3rd hand when self rescue, abseiling/rappelling down a crag. they are a backup to a belay device and should never be the only thing holding your weight (or anyone else’s).

Prusik

Autoblock

Klemheist

Bachmann

One day a week i get to work in this awesome clinic. a number of awesome clients utilising the FES bike as rehab post stroke.

A Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) bike is a stationary exercise bike that uses electrical pulses to help people with limited or no voluntary leg movement pedal: 

Time for a quick boxing day lap of Underbank with Lesley it was the calmest water i can recall all year, also Underbank is very full, possibly 1.5m deeper than usual, this meant we could paddle up to Midhopestones, all the way to the weir.

With just Leslay and I it was a lovely way to just chat with my best friend.

LDrehab colab climb with Everything Awesome.

A fantastic opportunity to network, develop trust and body management skills, both major and minor.

Lesley Dodson A Sheffield climbing instructor literally putting her life in my hands.

When working with children climbing there is a technique for safety known as bell ringing.

Its a lovely way to keep children occupied and interested, and they get to feel a sense of ownership in the safety process.

A few hours out with a mate and my missus. His nav skills where gathering dust so map in hand and compass around neck we went for a gentle stroll.`
He worked on pacing, It was a new concept to him and initially he was striding, it took a while for him to relax and rediscover his normal step lenght.