Technique

Double Poling

A different take on a traditional technique

Written by Peter Macfarlane

From Issue June 2016

Stout ski poles offer a way to move upstream in the shallows while kneeling rather than standing in a canoe.

Poling is the age-old technique for propelling a canoe against rapids or up shallow streams where paddling is ineffective. Standing in the canoe, the paddler uses a straight pole, often 12′ long, to push against the streambed; a skillful poler can make this look graceful and effortless.Preparing for a 2013 through-paddle of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) in a 14′ solo canoe, I was in the midst of making a two-piece pole when I accepted that standing in a small, narrow canoe in rapids was probably a recipe for disaster. I adopted instead to adopt a technique suggested by my wife the previous summer. Progressing up an Adirondack stream too shallow to plant a paddle blade in and with no long poles on hand, she suggested using a pair of sticks in double-poling fashion like cross-country skiers do. It worked astonishingly well, and immediately entered my repertoire of skills.

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Comments (2)

Burton Blais says:

June 8, 2016 at 2:55 pm

This could benefit from studying the cross-country skier’s double-poling technique, which favors use of the abdominal muscles in doing most of the work, rather than the arms, which will tire very quickly.
Donnie Mullen says:

July 30, 2016 at 2:37 am

Kudos to Peter on his inventive and effective technique. Having used traditional poling along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, and across Maine (both successfully and not so). I appreciate your ingenuity. In my experience, a slight change in approach particularly at the end of a long day, can make all the difference. Wish I had thought of this myself!