Learn to Eskimo Roll

Alton Water Sports Centre
"Incredibly useful 1:1 session with Kurt - technique broken down step-by-step both on-land and in-water. Highly recommended!"
(3 customer reviews)
Paddler learning to Eskimo roll their sea kayak effectively. Bank demonstration of an eskimo sweep roll with NOMAD Sea Kayaking. Learning to eskimo roll a kayak with professional help from a trained coach Bank work with an student learning to eskimo roll his kayak. Setting up a sea kayak for an eskimo sweep roll on waist deep water. Bank coaching an eskimo roll with NOMAD Sea Kayaking. A paddler completing an eskimo roll in a sea kayak in deep tidal water. Two sea kayaks with one showing the spare split paddles A good deep water sea kayak roll is important. A sea kayaker doing an eskimo roll in deep tidal water, building confidence NOMAD Sea Kayaking motif Baba Kraken.

Learn to Eskimo Roll

Duration: 3 hrs. Distance: 0. Group Size: 1. Coaches: x1. Coach Ratio: 1:1. Gear: Own kayak, paddle & buoyancy aid. Skills: Beginner to Confident. Fitness: Basic+

£195.99 p/seat

Learn every stage of a full 360 degree ‘sweep roll’. This is a critical skill for paddling in challenging conditions.

Your first defense to capsizing should be a good high or low brace support stroke but being able to Eskimo Roll a Kayak is still viewed by some as the 'Holy Grail' of kayaking. Whatever your view, it’s an essential skill that will enhance your ability to deal with more challenging conditions. It will also enable you to do more paddling over longer distances as well as explore coastal features such as rock gardens & caves without being fearful of capsizing. And this will extend your paddling & add so much more to your paddling experiences.

We teach a full 360-degree' sweep roll' using a simple yet effective three-stage process;
1. Set-Up
2. Sweep
3. Catch

At each stage, we highlight the key learning points which are the areas where rolls tend to fail & with each, your coach provides a fix. This enables students to self-assess their roll when practicing on their own, identify where their roll has failed, and apply the fix. The rest is then down to practicing in flat, shallow water & developing to deep flat water & with time and practice, deep moving water. The sweep roll can be taught on either the right or left side dependant on what best suits the student.

Whitewater paddlers are welcome & we can provide a touring kayak for your session but it is recommended that you learn in your own boat & gear if you have one. The programme is limited to two hours on the water with another hour for introduction, bank coaching, and the debrief at the end of the session. Two hours is about as much as anyone can take being inverted regularly & most will complete a basic sweep roll within an hour and a half. Seven out of ten students will achieve a full 360-degree sweep or a C2C roll.

Everyone who completes this course is entitled to a FREE review session (By Appointment) which enables a coach to assess your roll & troubleshoot any difficulties you may be having, apply the fix & continue practicing until your roll is 'bomb-proof.'

There are two sessions daily; the first beginning at 10am-1pm & the second session is from 2pm to 5pm. Please check your personal account dashboard for the time of your event.

Trained or Untrained - which are you?  Sixteen years of age and over.

mike keen

June 10th 2021

Another fab and very productive session with Nomad, thanks guys!!

Matt Starling

May 6th 2022

Incredibly useful 1:1 session with Kurt - technique broken down step-by-step both on-land and in-water. Highly recommended!

And a very successful roll achieved Matt - well done! I hope you enjoyed the video footage we sent you of your successful roll.

Nomad

Danielle Bax

November 22nd 2024

Wow. What a fantastic opportunity to get a roll! All communication with Nomad was swift & easy. Having a lesson 1:1 with a coach (Kurt), who knows how to teach rolling is hard to come by. The time was just right. It allowed for a thorough discussion beforehand of previous experience, & importantly covered not only physical aspects but "head/mind" aspects. We chatted about the separate parts of a roll, & linking them smoothly. This was in the warmth of the car! During the session we also covered packing a boat for an expedition plus how to empty a boat when doing a self rescue. Kurt has the skill to tweak my current way of doing things into something that worked. He quickly saw what I needed to work on legs. I have found it hard to do "hip flicks", but by using my legs-bingo. Up I came! Kurt rightly advises me to practise as often as possible. Today, 6 days later, I did. Perfect roll! Thanks so much Kurt. You gave me the time to see what was needed. PS. I took flasks of hot chocolate and my dry robe to help me warm up afterwards.

Great job Dani, well done!

Nomad

Location

Launch location

Stutton, Suffolk, IP9 2RY

Next Departure time

28th March 2025, 10:00 AM

Weather
STUTTON WEATHER
Equipment

Use your own kayak, paddle & buoyancy aid. Mask & nose pinch provided unless you use your own.

Parking

Free on site.

Additional Notes

Course Notes

The water sports centre charges £19 per user & this is paid by NSK. Parking is payable by students before exiting.

MEMBERS: £19.00 payment to N.S.K. to cover fee to Alton Water Sports Centre. Paid prior to scheduled event.

We recommend you use your own kayak, paddle & buoyancy aid for this training session as this is what you will have to practice in moving forward. A face mask or nose pinch is recommended (we can provide this for you but please let us know). 

Please dress warmly (including your head) & ensure you have plenty of snacks & drinks. Training takes place in non-tidal freshwater, sub-surface visibility may be impeded.