"Learning to Ski" - V10 Sport Review

At the Queensland Symposium in late November, thanks to Craig Mcsween from Adventure Outlet (the Queensland Epic dealer) I had a go on a couple of the new Epic racing ski’s, the V12 & V10 Sport. Thinking they would be crazy unstable & made for super-fit surf lifesaving athletes I was a bit tentative pushing off the bank at Currumbin Creek & wobbled along on the first few paddle strokes, especially in the real performance boat, the V12.

As I built up a head of steam, I realized that they’re not as unstable as I’d been led to believe, and that the V10 Sport was actually on par with many sea kayaks for the level of stability.

So, as you do, I got hold of one for myself & have spent the last 3 weeks throwing myself into ski paddling on the V10 Sport to see if I can get a small taste of the sort of action you see in the fantastic ski races around Sydney in summer (for a look at a few local races check out Rambo’s Locker).

I began with a couple of gentle paddles in Botany Bay, getting a feel for the extremely close catch zone on a ski compared to a sea kayak. I quickly realised that once you get any sort of following conditions, the ski grows another gear & you find yourself scooting along at 13kmh+ in even a moderate bay chop. The stability hardens up considerably once you’re up over 9kmh, which is achievable on dead flat water at even a moderate cruise pace.

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Mark Sundin

Mark is a sea paddler with 8 years experience, primarily paddling the open coast of NSW . He is a qualified Australian Canoeing Sea Instructor, & does his level best in a busy life to get out with his NSW Sea Kayak Club mates & pass on his knowledge on instruction paddles. He’s a former 1st grade cricket & rugby player, with a couple of stints as a professional cricketer in the Lancashire Leagues of England, where he reckons he learned the art of the quick comeback, as well as the benefits of cold-weather layering! Mark is a lover of the outdoors, having trekked & paddled through various part of the world, including the Himalaya, Patagonia, the NZ Alps, as well as the wilds of Tasmania . He is passionate about sea & surf kayaking, leading training & trips for the NSW Sea Kayak Club when he’s not chasing his three little kids, Kiri, Deni & Marley around the beach. Mark is the Managing Director of Talisman Marketing, a leading merchandising company in Sydney, as well as being the co-founder, with Rob Mercer, of Expedition Kayaks, importing Valley Sea Kayaks, Mitchell Blades, Rockpool & TRAK Kayaks, Reed Chillcheater, & North Shore Kayaks.

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