Ice Water: Cold Weather Paddling Tips

Guest Q&A: Charles Wygal
​Read Time: 6 mins

As temps start to drop with the fall season upon us, we tossed a few questions to Charles Wygal, a seasoned whitewater kayaker and non-seasonal paddler from the cool and crispy waters of upstate New York to share a few tips on how to stay warm and semi-safe during your cold water paddling adventures. 

Charles was born and raised in Rochester NY, was baptized into whitewater paddling scene at Emory & Henry College’s Center for Outdoor Studies, before moving back to upstate NY. In addition to running his own company, Flow Outdoor Pursuits, Charles is a Level 4 Whitewater Kayak Instructor and a Swiftwater Rescue Instructor at Rochester Institute of Technology. He'ss an ambassador for Dagger Kayaks, Level 6, Watershed Drybags, SurfEars, and Gnarcissist Sunglasses. He’s also an avid skier and mountain biker, volunteering at a local mountain on their ski and bike patrol, has a couple adventure pups Clover and Rosie, and lives right outside of one of Rochester's premier parks, Ellison Park, where he and his wife Taylor, go on frequent backyard adventures. Being a year-round paddler in the northeast, Charles is deeply knowledgeable on how to extend a paddle season deep into the cold winter months while staying safe, warm, and cozy.

Q: Basic gear for cold weather paddling?
A: When you first get into whitewater paddling it feels like accumulating gear is non-stop. This definitely holds true as you get into cold water paddling and there’s a few key items that are game changers.

• Drysuit: If you aren’t familiar, drysuits are like a giant durable onesie from neck to toe leaving only your hands and head exposed to the elements. This paired with a proper layering system (wool is infinitely better than cotton) will let you extend your season until ice freezes over your rivers. There are a ton of options out there, but I like Level 6 and Kokatat for their high-quality and durable suits.
• Footwear: Under your drysuit I rock wool socks. I prefer something fitted like Darn Tough, rather than a super thick ski sock due to how we layer for winter paddling. Outside the suit people have different preferences but a bootie or insulated sock paired with boots is a good move. I typically bump up 1-2 sizes to fit extra layers and not cut off foot circulation considering all of the layers involved. Check Level 6 and Immersion Research for durable neoprene socks, and Astral Designs for a variety of footwear options. I’ve had years of luck with the Hiyak and TR1 Merge for winter paddling.
• Handwear: Hard to paddle when you can’t feel your fingers. I’ve run across two schools of thought. People who love to be able to grip and feel the paddle directly no matter the weather, and people who go for ultimate comfort. For those who are performance oriented, pogies are the move. They keep spray and wind off your hands and drain quickly when you go for a roll or quick dip. There are many styles of pogies, but Level 6 and Immersion Research both have wesome options that are easy to put on and take off and protect from the elements. Neoprene gloves and mitts are another other option to keep your hands warm and ice free though some people feel they lose some dexterity. I’ve developed Raynaud's phenomenon so mittens are always my go to. I personally love the dexterity of the Level 6 Neutron Mitt and don't feel like I have much performance loss when paddling and I’ve put these bomb proof mitts through the ringer!
• Headwear: winter paddling can expose you to the coldest brain freeze of your life. Neoprene hoods, hats, caps, sometimes nose plugs and definitely ear plugs. I love my Nobdody's cap and SurfEar ear plugs for cold weather pursuits.

Q: Advantages of cold weather paddling?
A: Some of the best paddling conditions occur during the winter. Sometimes a summer flood can come through and that dreamy wave you got on will be in for an entire day! In the wintertime with a proper kit that same wave can be in for up to an entire week, giving you a much larger window to share and shred that feature. Up in the Northeast we can get the golden warm winter day mixed with rain that can give rivers a nice bump in flow from rain and snow melt. These are the days you rally with a crew, take some of that PTO you've saved and go have a day of amazing paddling on creeks that are usually dried up through the entire summer. 
 
During the winter you inevitably encounter way less debauchery on the river. The population of drunk tubers and college kids seems to drop with the temperatures. This lets you get out, enjoy a huge slice of nature listening to the river, the birds present, and the wind blowing through the snow blanketed mystical gorges and valleys. Another fun thing people may have seen is snowyakking. Combine a hill with your local river and you have the ultimate put-in slide!
 
Serenity, there's nothing I've personally found more relaxing and recharging than paddling through fluffy flakes coming down from the sky while in a remote location without human interference in sight. These are the moments that keeps me coming back to winter paddling.

Q: Disadvantages of cold weather paddling?
A: It's cold! But outside of the obvious, there are a few things be take into account

• If you aren't layered properly or forget a critical piece of gear, you won’t make it far before you realize your mistake. One memorable run I forgot my spray skirt. Made it to the last drop where I could see the takeout before I hit a hole and subbed out filling my boat. If I had done that early in the run, I most likely would have had to hike out to maintain a safe body temp. Keeping a bag ready to go with your entire kit is the best thing you can do to stay prepared. 
• Communication with your crew is essential as well! Try to go with a group who are all on the same page. Different skill sets and layers make for different body temps. Someone could overheat trying to keep up, while others could freeze while playing the waiting game. Communicate with your crew ahead of putting on the water so you are on the same page with your paddling pace. 
• Water exposure is another thing to think about. If you have water inside your ears your chances of developing a surfer ear can radically increase.
• Cold weather paddling can be more dangerous. With water and air temps below freezing this is not the time of year you want to be swimming out of your boat or working on your roll (find a local club that has a pool session to work on that skill). Given that this is the time of year you generally want to stay well within your ability. Stepping up and trying new things are different. One of the magical things about winter paddling is that runs that are generally dry now have water and ready for action! However, if you're usually on class 3 water this isn't the season so start pushing into class V paddling. Rivers and flows can drastically change in a short amount of time too, ice dams can form, higher water can push hazards that were out of play during the summer back into play from the last time you got on that stretch and hiking around rapids can be sketchier with ice on the slopes.

Q: Suggestions for someone who is interested in taking the plunge?
A: Find a friend with the proper gear or better yet, a second set that you can borrow to get started. If you start with all the gear discussed earlier, you'll be set up for way more success. Layers, layers, layers, you can always take a layer off if you're overheating, but if you wish you had another layer, you'll definitely be less interested in trying it again. Go with a seasoned winter paddling crew! People with experience will be better at offering advice from which waves are less likely to flip on to which eddies have the sun shining in them. The sun is your friend and will help keep you warm and toasty while you paddle.

Q: Favorite winter run?
A: In the winter I typically take a step back from more challenging runs and I focus more on the class fun runs! A couple of my favorites are Flint Creek and Canandaigua Outlet near my home in Rochester NY. If I get too cold, I'm only a 30 min drive back to the house where I can get under some blankets and hang with the dogs. I also love to paddle some of the seasonal runs around here so long as ice hasn't covered them. Beaver Meadow in Java Village and Cattaraugus Creek in Gowanda are fun runs in western NY that usually go in the wintertime.

Q: Biggest botched trip?
A: I've probably had too many now that I think about it! It’s typically due to being unprepared with gear/layers.

• The winter run without a spray skirt mentioned earlier is definitely one.
  
• My first time being hypothermic was early in my paddling career at Jaws on the Nolichucky. I usually "ran warm" and thought I’d be good with a neoprene top and a drytop with just a bathing suit underneath. I was wrong after quickly getting freezing water in my boat.
  
• A couple times I brought my summer shoes and had to hike in just my neoprene socks since my drysuit and socks wouldn't fit.
  
• One time I forgot handwear and had to go skin to wind in 7 degree temps on the Middle Moose near Lake Ontario.
  
• We lost my buddies paddle and had to hike out from the Bottom Moose through a couple feet of snow during another unplanned adventure.
  
• Last real memorable experience was after running a 40 ft waterfall with a bungee skirt. The skirt imploded and I had to swim to the icy shore from the swirling base of the drop. My boat had floatation (the Watershed Futa is bomber) but was pushing under an ice sheet that extended 100 meters downstream of the drop across the entire lake. I got my boat back about a month later when the ice melted and another whitewater paddler noticed it, retrieved it, and gave me a call (Thank you again!).
  

I've not had one really bad thing happen, but a lot of experiences that have led me to where I am today and why I love sharing what I’ve learned to help others on their own path.

Q: How has kayaking helped you grow as a person?
A: I like to think of the phrase "Be like water". When obstacles are presented to you in everyday life, I feel like I'm able to take inspiration from the element I spend a ton of time around and flow with what I've got. Sometimes blasting through challenges is a way to tackle them, other times delicately tricking into and around obstacles is another way. I also feel like I have become way more patient as a human. This has led me to becoming an instructor and sharing the sport with as many people as are interested. I love getting new folks out on the water as much as I love being on the water myself.

Want to dive deeper into chilly and beautiful depts of cold water paddling, hit up Charles on Instagram HERE and see what you can discover during the upcoming winter wonderland.

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Journal - Ice Water: Cold Weather Paddling Tips