The end of October is a good time of year to remind ourselves the dangers of cold weather paddling.

“Water draws heat from the body 25 times faster than air. Like windchill, the effects of cold water increase when the current is fast…. causing a substantial loss of strength, coordination, and judgment rather quickly…” – Charles Walbridge

If you’re nuts like me, and you’re going to paddle every month of the year then I cannot stress enough the importance of getting the proper gear for what you’re doing.  Investing money into a dry suit makes complete sense if you’re paddling in January: it will allow you to stay warm and dry.  A dry suit is possibly the best investment I’ve made so far.  They are more effective than full neoprene suit or a dry top & dry pants combo, because literally no water gets in.  Dry suits are especially useful during long exposure to cold water especially during a long swim.   Level Six (based out of Ottawa, Ontario) make excellent dry suits and it is also not too hard to find a used one.

It’s also a good idea to wear warm paddling mitts, booties, and head warmer to keep the extremities protected.

During cold weather days you also need an action plan in case something goes wrong.  How will you evacuate someone and get them warmed up in less than 30 minutes?  Ideally you would avoid paddling in remote areas during cold winter days.  I even recommend doing more park and play so if you get cold after 30 minutes you can run back to you car and get warmed up quickly, instead of going for a day long trip with no road access.

There are many things you can do to avoid near death experiences.  First never paddle alone, no matter what temperature or how easy the river might be. You also need to know your skill level, carry all the safety equipment you need for your outing such as throw ropes, first aid kit, etc.

You should know the symptoms and different levels of hypothermia and how to treat them effectively.  Any Wilderness First Aid course should cover this.  Any paddler should eventually get a basic River Rescue course, which might come in very useful for crisis management.

Cold weather paddling can be a good way to get the “paddling fix” you need during the off season but more preparation and skills are needed than for warm weather paddling because a whole lot more can go wrong a whole lot faster than most of us would expect.