In 2014, Chris met some paddlers that had just completed the Muskoka River X, an expedition style canoe race held in Huntsville Ontario. The exciting stories of challenging navigation, portages and waterfalls led him and a friend to register for the 2015 race. With a rented boat and borrowed paddles, they successfully completed the 132 km course in 22.5hrs, just barely making the 24 hour time cut-off. This experience ignited a passion for marathon canoeing that has taken Chris to a number of races in Canada, the USA, and South America.
At a young age, Chris became proficient at designing and making things by hand and as he went through school he developed an aptitude for physics and technology. In 2016, he combined all of these interests to make his first composite bent-shaft paddle, which was unrefined but functional. His paddling friends were keen to support the hobby and bought many early paddles that were functional prototypes. With the mindset of building on every small success, almost a decade later his abilities, equipment and processes have converged to create one of the strongest, lightest and most appealing composite paddles on the market.
