Badger Sightings in Europe

Have you ever sighted a Badger®?!

They're not only in Canada - they can be found in places as far away as Australia (yes.. it doesn't get much further away then that!), the United States of America and even Europe too.

So how do you increase your chances of a Badger® sighting in Europe?

The best place to start is in Austria, specifically the Carinthian Canoe Base sett. Not only will you spot a Badger® (who would love to be taken home and adopted by a paddler like you!) but you will also lay your eyes on some of the most beautiful canoes you will ever see (if you are lucky enough to catch one in your view - because they are "Swift" Canoes after all! *pun intended*).

CCB display Swift Canoes and Badger® Paddles at the
Austria Boat Show in Tull this past March.
Photo credit: CCB-Swift Europe

Interesting displays and bright lights really show the beauty
of the Swift Canoes. We're really digging the CCB booth space!
Photo credit: CCB-Swift Europe

Daniela from CCB stands by the uniquely designed paddle
rack/display - each paddle was attached by rope to a river
rock - we (at Badger® Paddles) love incorporating raw
elements with our solid wood paddles - it's a natural combination!
Photo credit: CCB-Swift Europe

Here is a better angle of the paddle racks with the attached
river rock - we have very creative paddling friends over seas!
Photo credit: CCB-Swift Europe

This Badger sighting is from a Sliver owner in the U.K.
Picture taken at Coombe Haven by Marcus G.

So what do you do when you see a Badger®?
Well, you pick it up and take it for a dip, of course! After all, our paddles really do dig the water. Contact CCB-Swift Europe for more information, to arrange a "viewing", or to see how to go about getting your paws on a Canadian made Badger® Paddle and/or Swift Canoe. Dig this: Wolfgang and Daniela are really nice folks who go to a lot of trouble to bring quality handcrafted traditional Canadian canoes and paddles over seas. They are truly passionate about paddling and quality gear and would love to chat with you about paddling, "open canoes", and any other traditional gear.

So what do people who own their own Badger® have to say about our paddles?
They really dig 'em! One Sliver owner even went as far as to compare his Badger® Paddle to Angelina Jolie! But don't take our word for it. Read our customer testimonials here: Badger® Customer Testimonials. Remember, if you do decide to adopt a Badger®, just make sure you get out on the water with it as much as possible to keep you - and your paddle - happy! :o)

Badger @ Canoecopia: A Behind the Scenes Look (Part 2)

Our Canoecopia back-story in pictures... continued. For a look at Part 1 - see: Badger @ Canoecopia: A Behind the Scenes Look (Part 1).

Along the road to Canoecopia 2012 - about 14 hours by truck - one way.

Getting the booth set up at our first Canoecopia.

Mike did the entire booth set up all by himself.

Nova Craft's Jackson Pollock inspired art canoe.
Photo credit: Preston Ciere of portaguer.ca
To read Preston's Canoecopia report (and we highly recommend
that you do!) see:Canoecopia 2012 (part 1) and
Canoecopia 2102 - Part 2

Jackson Pollock inspired art paddles with Nova Craft Canoe.
(See these paddles in progress here: Badger @ Canoecopia: (Part 1)

The doors are open and the show begins!
Photo credit: Preston Ciere of portaguer.ca
To read Preston's Canoecopia report (and we highly recommend
that you do!) see:Canoecopia 2012 (part 1) and
Canoecopia 2102 - Part 2

Canoecopia attendee Donna shares a smile with our Mike over
a couple of "Reverse Splash WaterColours" Paddles.
(customer supplied photo)

Mike talking "flex" with a few listeners.
Photo credit: Preston Ciere of portaguer.ca
To read Preston's Canoecopia report (and we highly recommend
that you do!) see:Canoecopia 2012 (part 1) and
Canoecopia 2102 - Part 2

Plus, check out Mike's interview with Scott McGregor of Rapid Media TV where they talk about our colourful paddles for kids, cubs, and adults too!

A big Badger thanks to Darren and Stephanie Bush for their wonderful hospitality, and to the rest of the Rutabaga and Canoecopia staff for all their great help and hard work in making this event come to life! Plus thank you all who came out to support Badger® Paddles this year - we really couldn't do any of this without you. Hope to see you all there next year!!!

Badger® Bow Jam - On Toast! (No Special Paddling Skills Required)

According to Discover Canoeing: A Complete Introduction to Open Canoeing by James Weir a "bow jam" is "a stroke that will turn a canoe very sharply. When a paddle blade catches or jams under the canoe it will unbalance the canoe and turn it around. The bow jam harnesses this reaction and turns it into a very powerful paddle stroke."

So in celebration of our first Canoecopia - and just for fun - we did up a few Bow Jams for some of our favourite paddling friends. No - we didn't get out in a canoe for our Bow Jam - the lakes are still frozen here in Muskoka at this time of the year. But we still managed to come up with a number of Bow Jams, just the same.

"HEY! GET YOUR NOSE OUT OF THERE DIGGER!"
Badger Bow Jam: 125 mL jar of Strawberry Rhubarb Jam prepared
in Muskoka, Canada by Yummies In A Jar
Very limited quantities are available - contact us for more information.

Fortunately you don't need any special paddling skills for our Badger® Bow Jam - especially if you are trying it with toast for breakfast!

Thanks to Lynn Murden from Yummies In A Jar
for making such delicious "Bow Jam"!

Prepared in Muskoka by the locally renowed Yummies In A Jar, our Badger® Bow Jam is NOT made from canoe bows, but from delicious strawberries & rhubarb*! Inspired by Fiona's love of word play and thus named after the "bow jam" paddle stroke (a.k.a. running pry), as seen in the video examples below, our "Bow Jam" has been described as follows:

"Badger® Bow Jam: The fast and light flavour of the strawberries are perfectly balanced with the sharp, pivoting flavour of the rhubarb. Our Bow Jam will quickly turn any meal into a tasty treat. A delight to any canoeist’s style and taste buds - naturally it  goes quite well with bannock!"

Picture of actual label on jar. Click on the image to enlarge.

Here is a paddler completing a single handed "bow jam".

Want to learn how to do a single handed "Bow Jam" yourself?

(And this time we don't mean the edible kind!)

 Be sure to pick up a copy of the DVD

Advanced Classic Solo Canoeing with Becky Mason

For those who dig strawberries, sugar, rhubarb and wordplay!

*Ingredients: Fruit (Strawberries and Rhubarb), Sugar, Water, Pectin, and Lemon Juice (no sulphites).

Badger® Bow Jam:
both novel and delicious!

Contact us for more information if you think you would dig trying a Badger® Bow Jam. Remember, you don't have to be a master or advanced paddler to be able to do our Badger® Bow Jam! 

But be forewarned - we only have a very VERY limited supply at this time so don't wait to badger us for your jar if you want some!

Badger® 2012 T-Shirts Now Available!

Badger Paddles T-shirts - $25.00 ea. CAD (**tax/shipping extra)
Limited Time Offer:
Buy one for only $20.00 ea. CAD** until March 31, 2012.

When we put up our "Profits of Paddling"infographic online, we were truly overwhelmed by it's positive reception. It was shared over 3000 times across Facebook alone (according to our Page's Administrator Facebook Analytical Statistics). That's a lot of shares! It even ended up on a number of blogs thru-out the paddling world. Many of you even requested we make it into a Badger® T-shirt - so we did!

We were pleasantly surprised when so many people liked this infographic.

And so the good news is:

Our Badger® T-shirts are now available for purchase.

Our MSRP is $25.00 CAD (shipping/taxes extra)

BUT...

Because our followers (you) on Twitter and Facebook were instrumental in getting this t-shirt design to print - we are announcing a limited time offer and will be selling them for the "Special Thank You Price" of only $20.00 ea. CAD (tax/shipping extra) in thanks to you all! But only until the end of March, 2012 - after that the price is back to $25.00 so don't miss out. (While supplies last - Special offer ends March 31, 2012.)

Sizes available: Small, Medium, Large, Extra-Large

Available colour: BLACK (with white print)

Contact Fiona by email to find out how to buy your "Profits of Paddling"shirt today. Plus don't forget to enter our Badger Your Friends Contest for your chance to win one of these very t-shirts, a Badger® Canoe Paddle, and much much more!!!

Note: The Badger Profits of Paddling T-shirts will also be available thru Algonquin Outfitters this Spring.

Badger @ Canoecopia: A Behind the Scenes Look (Part 1)

This is the first year Badger® Paddles will be attending Canoecopia and we thought it might be interesting (for those who dig a behind-the-scenes look) to share some of the goings on in getting ready for - what is known as -  the World's Largest Paddlesports Exposition. So here is our Canoecopia back-story in pictures... 

Jackson Pollock inspired art paddles - these paddles will be
seen along side of Nova Craft's artistic canoe at Canoecopia.
Fiona loved creating these paddles for Nova Craft.

Little souvenir canoe paddles ready for their final hand sanding.

Badger® Paddles being oiled and varnished Cubs.

Colourful Badger® WaterColours - curing in the shop. 

"If you build it, they will come"
Seen above: Part of the Badger® Booth to be unveiled at Canoecopia 2012
Interesting to note: The canoe shelf was an old canoe that was pulled from
a swamp in Crowe Lake, Ontario several years ago. Rotted through,
after years of being submersed, we decided to re-purposed it for
the booth to display Badger® merchandise.

Mike braves the cold and snow to start loading the booth
into the Badger® Paddles truck.

Just have to load the canoe shelves and the big stuff is done!
Now just some racks and a few miscellaneous items to go.

That's Digger (the Badger mascot), who jumped in the paddle

rack shipping box. Looks like he is looking forward to the trip!

Badger @ Canoecopia: A Behind the Scenes Look (Part 2) coming upon Mike's return!