Paddling legend Dane Jackson headlines the event at New England’s only whitewater park.
An event celebrating the whitewater community and featuring a true icon of whitewater paddling will take place in New Hampshire in April.
Nor’easter, the first-ever whitewater symposium being held at New England’s only whitewater park in Franklin, New Hampshire, will take place April 18 and 19.
Whitewater legend Dane Jackson will headline the event at Mill City Park, which will include a lineup of speakers featuring industry pros and athletes, interactive seminars, demos, and more.
Organizers say the weekend event is designed to bring the whitewater kayaking community together to learn, grow, connect, and paddle with each other.
Attendees will get to try the latest gear and learn how to fix gear, adjust their boat, and get tips on how to physically prepare for the upcoming season.
Try out dry suits in the river, learn how to outfit your whitewater kayak, find out how to make your forward stroke more efficient, discover how to avoid injury and maintain health as an aging paddler, and much more.
The event is hosted by Outdoor New England, an outdoor retailer and adventure company based in Franklin. Event sponsors also include NRS, Werner Paddles, and Jackson Kayak.
Organizers say they plan to make this an annual event.
The symposium takes place in downtown Franklin, New Hampshire, which has become the epicenter of the region’s whitewater community since the Mill City Park whitewater park opened. Nearby, visitors will find restaurants and breweries, including the Waterhorse Irish Pub, Vulgar Brewing Company, and Kettlehead Brewing.
Tickets for the event are $35 and can be purchased on the Nor’easter web page. Tickets not only get attendees into the event, but each ticket also gets them one raffle ticket and the ticket doubles as a gift card for Outdoor New England, the largest whitewater boat distributor in New England.
Items that can be won in the raffle include a Werner Paddle, a Bent Shaft Stealth or Covert Paddle, a Jackson Kayak Flow Boat, a NRS Goretex Drysuit, a NRS Dry Top, and a Ninja Pro PFD.