There’s nothing more embarrassing during a St. Louis summer than finding you can’t paddle a kayak in a straight line. Well, there’s that and getting smoked by your eight-year-old while bike riding. Or maybe having to cut short your three-day camping trip due to an unfortunate tent-pitching accident that leaves you with a bad puncture wound.
Alpine Shop is here to help. “Be prepared,” we always say. (Okay, the Boy Scouts always say that, but we’re hoping they don’t have a patent on it.) Let’s handle the kayak scenario first:
Kayak Paddling:
Similar to the less known “I’m from Missouri, paddling a canoe is ingrained in my genes so I never have to take a lesson” Syndrome, many Missourians mistakenly believe that paddling a kayak is akin to falling in the water – you know, it’s easy, not something you need to learn. Well, if you want to look like an idiot, feel free to flail around in the water. However, kayaking (like canoeing) is a skill best learned from a competent teacher – not by attempting to make yourself seasick. Solution: Take Alpine Shop’s Summer Kayaking Program. Our Intro to Kayaking: Dry Land Basics and our on-the-water Basic Kayaking class can get you straightened out in no time.
Biking:
Next, protect your pride from little Timmy. You can’t let an eight-year-old do that to you. Never fear, you just need to get back in the saddle again. Solution: We have cycling programs running all summer long. Whether it be maintenance clinics to make sure your bike is in shape, weekly Tuesday night rides out of our Kirkwood store’s parking lot or even the now-famous Short Track Dirt Crit Series of mountain bike races every July. You and your bike will be BFF’s in no time. Visit Alpine Shops Calendar for more tips and trips.
Get Prepared for Camping:
Finally, let’s handle that unfortunate tent-pitching incident. To start with, you need to get some first aid training so that wound doesn’t get infected. We’ll cover that in our Wilderness First Aid certification program. It would also help to learn how to pitch the tent. Solution: Buy a tent from Alpine Shop and we’ll go over the process step by step so you know how to do it like a pro.
Join us next time for more worst-case scenarios and solutions with Alpine Shop!