Tourism Prince George just released its latest video featuring certified stand-up paddle board instructor Kimberley Kenyon as she enjoys a winter adventure on the Crooked River about an hour north of Prince George.
Kenyon, who has a surfing background, has spent years paddle boarding in the summer, including on white water, which is a whole other extreme sport.
“I heard you could surf on the rivers with your paddle board and that appealed to me because I wanted to play a bit on the water,” Kenyon said.
But winter paddling is something different.
Tourism PG approached Kenyon about doing the short film in partnership with 6ix Sigma Productions.
“6ix Sigma is pretty outstanding,” Kenyon said. “Their director Dan (Stark) and I were having a casual conversation about the idea of the winter paddling video and that brought up a little saying that came into my life - ‘though the world is frozen above, water still flows beneath’ – and he said to me ‘I think you’re on to something’ and we just took it from there.”
During the gorgeously shot film it might not really about the paddling but more about a philosophical look at life that reflects Kenyon’s insight into her approach to winter paddling.
“Dan invited me into the sound booth, played this ambient music and he started asking me questions and he told me to just speak from the heart,” Kenyon said. “I came out of the sound booth an hour and a half later and he’s like ‘I feel like I just went through my own Ted Talk’ and I was like ‘what?’”
During the session Stark asked critical questions about life and priorities and values, Kenyon said.
“We talked about where I put my energy, how I expend myself.”
All that is reflected during the experience of being on the water, she added.
“I teared up when I saw the film the first time,” Kenyon said.
“I was like ‘wow, this is definitely not what I was expecting.’ I knew it was going to be good but I didn’t expect that. To see yourself in a third person perspective when it’s so put together and displayed that way it’s kind of like ‘whoa’.”
Kenyon said usually when people look at her in the middle of her white-water canyon runs on her paddle board or white water runs that rafts usually do on the rivers they get a different impression of her that’s pretty much the exact opposite of what is depicted in the film.
“But when people look at me from the outside they think I’m nuts - I’m usually pretty intense - out on the water four or five times a week in the summer, training in the gym doing full body workouts two or three times a week but when I have my head down there’s a focus that also gives me peace,” Kenyon explained.
She’s heard some different reactions to the film that illustrates a completely different side to her.
To say the least, people have expressed surprise about the winter paddle boarding, Kenyon said.
“My reaction to their comments was ‘you should see what I do in the other seasons,’” Kenyon laughed.
“But when we go out in nature it should be meditative in a way. People should allow their minds to be at ease and just be in a state of flow and be away from everyday thoughts and pressures. That’s the experience people should have. I want people to have an eye-opening experience and an aha moment in a way.”
There are always risks involved in trying unique sports in frigid water in the middle of winter so Kenyon advises extreme caution.
“Alongside the regular hazards of paddling come different deadly ones, such as cold-water shock, ice shelves, heightened hypothermia risk, and floating ice debris,” Kenyon said.
“Choosing a safe location and managing these risks is vital to a safe paddling experience. Paddlers dress for cold water immersion, including items like a life vest/PFD, drysuit, sufficient thermal layers, head, hands and feet thermal protection. Winter requires extra attention to the weather, such as temperatures, wind, and hours of sunlight. Paddlers know the limits to their skills and knowledge and stay well within them.”
Kenyon is a certified and experienced paddle boarder and is confident on the water and always comes prepared.
“Paddle boarding consumes my life,” Kenyon said. “It’s almost like a second job but it’s a fun job. It came from learning lake skills, different paddle strokes and getting control of my board, to learn the environment of the river and how my board reacts to it and how to apply different skills to different currents and river features and I have slowly developed a skill set that’s got me to where I’m at now.”
And if there’s one warning Kenyon can impart this is it.
“If you go paddle boarding on the river do not wear an ankle leash, it’s like a ball and chain and if it gets hooked up on something it’s going to sink you,” Kenyon said. “I want to be really clear about that. There are fatalities that have come from river paddling and that’s the reason. So no leash and always wear a life vest.”
Prince George is known for its four seasons and a wide variety of outdoor activities, Colin Carson, CEO of Tourism Prince George, said.
“This video highlights our beautiful winter scenery and encourages tourists to experience sports in a fresh, innovative way,” Carson added. "Winter paddle boarding is something truly unique to our region.”
Watch the special adventure at www.tourismpg.ca/winterpaddleboarding.
For more information about Kimberley Kenyon and paddle boarding visit www.borntoboardca or connect with her on social media.
For more information about winter activities and SUP (stand-up paddle board) check out Tourism’s blog at tourismpg.com/winterpaddling-pg/.
