Ken Whiting

Ken Whiting (born December 12, 1975 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), was the 1997/98 World Freestyle Kayaking Champion, the 1998 Japan Open Champion, and a five-time Canadian National Champion in freestyle or whitewater kayaking.

Since 1998, Ken has started an industry-leading kayak school, founded the Canadian Freestyle Kayaking Association, coached the Junior Freestyle Kayaking Team, produced both the US and Canadian Freestyle Team Trials events, written and produced a best-selling and award-winning series of whitewater kayaking instructional books and videos, and was nominated in 2006 for an Everest Outdoor Achievement Award.

Early days

Ken was 14 years old when he picked up a kayak paddle for the first time while taking a five-day kayaking course on the Ottawa River in 1989. Little did he know this would ignite a passion for the sport and change the course of his life. By the time he was 18, he was so committed to paddling that he postponed his university plans to pursue excellence in whitewater kayaking instead.

Championships

In 1994, Ken began attending and winning freestyle competitions across the continent. Three years later, in 1997, he reached his ultimate goal by winning the World Freestyle Kayaking Championships. Winning the World’s was a major turning point in Ken’s life, and shortly afterwards he made the decision to develop a career that would keep him involved in the world of whitewater that he loved so much.

Promoting whitewater paddling

Ken has become one of the most recognized and respected whitewater athletes in the world and was recognized as such by [http://www.paddlermagazine.com Paddler Magazine] in 2000 as one of their "Paddlers of the Century".

In 1998, Ken wrote and published The Playboater’s Handbook: ISBN 1-896980-06-6, a reference for freestyle kayaking technique. Following the great success of the book, Ken teamed up with Chris Emerick, a talented American videographer, and began producing instructional videos. These publishing efforts evolved into the creation of [http://www.helipress.com The Heliconia Press] , which Ken runs with his wife Nicole, producing best-selling and award-winning instructional books and videos about whitewater kayaking and other outdoor pursuits, including sea kayaking, canoeing, and camping.

Ken has become one of the most active whitewater professionals in the world. In addition to his publishing house, he regularly appears on the covers and writes articles for virtually every paddling magazine in the world. In 2000, he co-founded [http://www.kayakfu.com Kayak Futaleufu] , an adventure kayaking travel company with a base camp in Chile’s Patagonia region. In 2001, he co-founded the world renowned [http://www.liquidskills.com/ Liquid Skills Kayak School] in Canada, which led the new school movement of kayak instruction. Ken’s various whitewater projects have taken him to over 200 different rivers in fifteen different countries, including Japan, Honduras, Guatemala, Chile, Peru, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia, as well as throughout Europe and North America.

Ken, his wife Nicole, and their dog Jake live in the small, rural town of Beachburg, only minutes from the put-in for the Ottawa River. Beachburg is located in what is known as "Whitewater Region, Ontario".

External links

* [http://www.helipress.com The Heliconia Press]
* [http://www.kayakfu.com Kayak Futaleufu]
* [http://www.liquidskills.com/ Liquid Skills Kayak School]