The fate of the early sea otter and Aleut populations are intrinsically linked. Before contact with Europeans it is estimated that there were 25,000 Aleuts, today there are about 2,000. Similarly the sea otter population is believed to have undergone a decline exceeding 50% over the past 30 years.

Kokatat ambassador Keirron Tastagh, and his long-term student and paddling partner George Shaw have embarked on a 1,500 mile expedition through the Aleutian Islands to investigate the current status of the sea otter population in the area.

“Our expedition is inspired by the Aleutians rich culture and kayaking heritage,” said Tastagh. “The journey will not only paint a picture of the current sea otter population, but will also provide a better understanding of ‘The Aleut Story’.”

Working with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Tastagh and Shaw will be recording the presence or absence of sea otters in bays, and noting killer whale position as well as taking photographs for identification for marine biologists’ live projects. Killer whale attacks are suspected to be leading cause for the decline of the Northern Sea Otter in the Aleutians, which is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Setting out from Unalaska, Tastagh and Shaw, who both train and live on the Isle of Man, UK, will paddle unsupported. They will carry all their kit and freeze dried meals on-board and will supplement their diet with fresh fish. Along the way they will encounter challenges such as katabatic winds, large tidal ranges, open crossings, sea fog, landing zones and the unpredictable and stormy Bering Sea.

Tastagh and Shaw plan to “explore as far as necessary to reach the conclusions we require” which could be as far as the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula.

Kokatat has supplied both paddlers with various gear for their Expedition Kit:

• GORE-TEX® Expedition Dry Suit
• Ronin Pro PFD plus Tributary Hydration System
• TROPOS Light Storm Cag
• GORE-TEX® Anorak

For additional information on the Sea Otter project visit their website and follow the expedition on their blog.

For more information on this and other Kokatat sponsored expeditions visit kokatat.com/expeditions.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear:
Celebrating over 40 years of innovation, Kokatat is an independently operated, US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports. Handcrafted in Arcata, California, Kokatat employees are focused on building the finest functional product for people who work and play on water. Our gear is designed for paddlers, by paddlers, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water all year long and in all weather conditions. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”.

Kokatat announces that Charlie “C-Mac” MacArthur has joined its group of elite paddlesports ambassadors. MacArthur, founder of the Aspen Kayak and SUP Academy, pioneered stand up paddleboarding (SUP) on rivers and spearheads the Whitewater SUP Championships. MacArthur will exclusively wear Kokatat PFD’s and technical apparel and promote the brand at various events.

“It’s amazing what Charlie can do on a SUP in raging rapids,” said Lisa Kincaid, Kokatat Promotional Marketing Manager. “SUP is one of the fastest growing segments in the paddlesports market, and Charlie’s easy going demeanor paired with his SUP skills makes him an ideal ambassador for us as we look to increase our visibility in the sport.”

Watersports has always been a part of MacArthur’s life. He grew up surfing in Hawaii and Southern California before moving to Colorado in 1978 where he became one of the regions best known whitewater kayakers. In 2003 MacArthur tried SUP for the first time while vacationing in Fiji. The sport quickly took hold and within the next year MacArthur was paddleboarding on rivers and making numerous SUP first descents.

“I’ve been in paddlesports for a long time and have always had the upmost respect and appreciation for Kokatat as a company and for the quality of its gear,” said MacArthur. “I’m excited to help with their SUP specific gear and spread the Kokatat word.”

Along with running one of the top SUP and kayak schools in the country, MacArthur is credited with co-designing the world’s first whitewater specific standup paddleboard, the CMAC ATB made by the foremost SUP manufacturer C-4 Waterman.

Since the sport’s inception, standup paddleboarders have relied on Kokatat gear to keep them dry, comfortable and safe on the water. Kokatat’s low profile Orbit Tour PFD and GORE-TEX® Lightweight Paddling Suit have been adopted by numerous SUP paddlers as their go to pieces as they both provide freedom of motion for optimal paddle strokes and superior breathability for the aerobic nature of the sport.

MacArthur will be wearing and providing feedback on various Kokatat products including the new NeoCore shorts and tops. NeoCore, with its paddler specific designs and lightweight fabric, is great for SUP paddlers who often fend off splash, but do not need a heavy insulation. NeoCore is a wet insulation layer in a lightweight 0.5mm neoprene fabric with a plush polyester inner lining that is comfortable against the skin while retaining little water. Additionally, its permanent Durable Water Resistant (DWR) coating on the outer surface helps NeoCore regulate body temperature by reducing the effect of evaporative heat loss.

MacArthur joins Kokatat’s distinguished group of paddlesport athletes and ambassadors that includes such luminaries in the sport as Dane and Eric Jackson, Jon Bowermaster, Jesse Coombs, Anna Levesque, and Bryan Smith among others. For the full roster of Kokatat athletes visithttp://www.kokatat.com/team.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear: 
Celebrating over 40 years of innovation, Kokatat is an independently operated, US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports. Handcrafted in Arcata, California, Kokatat employees are focused on building the finest functional product for people who work and play on water. Our gear is designed for paddlers, by paddlers, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water all year long and in all weather conditions. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”.

Outdoor Research, a leading independent manufacturer of outdoor apparel and accessories, this week was named Washington state 2012 Innovator of the Year in the large company category by a panel of seven judges assembled by Seattle Business Magazine.

The award, which will be featured in the May issue of Seattle Business, is the culmination of the publication’s Washington Manufacturing Awards, which honors companies whose work results in growing or advancing the manufacturing sector in the state. Six winners were chosen in different categories at an awards ceremony Thursday night, April 26. Representatives of roughly 270 manufacturing companies located in the state attended the event.

The Innovator of the Year award recognized Outdoor Research’s commitment to operating a state-of-the-art apparel and accessories manufacturing operation just south of downtown Seattle that employs more than 160 people.

In choosing Outdoor Research for the award, judges noted that Outdoor Research has been growing its domestic manufacturing capability in recent years and hiring new manufacturing staff, the result of its success building gloves for the Special Operations Forces of the U.S. military; its work to improve the efficiency and quality of internal manufacturing processes; its strong product design and development capability; and the company’s overall management excellence, said Leslie Helm, editor of Seattle Business.

“There was strong consensus among the judges that this is a really well-managed company,” Helm said.

Demand for high-end, specialized products like the Modular Glove System – built for the Special Operations Forces of the U.S. military – has resulted in 38 percent growth in manufacturing staff at Outdoor Research’s domestic manufacturing facility. The facility is located in the same building as the company’s headquarters in Seattle. Outdoor Research also uses the operation as a prototyping lab for its consumer outdoor product division, which allows it to build and test new outdoor products with very quick turnaround times.

“Innovation is crucial to the success of Washington state’s manufacturing economy,” said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). “Outdoor Research is a great example of this American manufacturing success. I am particularly proud that America’s troops are safer because of new technologies coming from right here in the Northwest.”

In the nomination for the award, examples of innovation called out include the Outdoor Research’s ‘work smarter, not faster’ approach. OR developed a variety of sewing-machine modifications that save time and reduce the possibility for repetitive stress injuries among workers. The nomination also called out the company’s efforts to develop and/or employ the most innovative equipment and processes. Among other distinctions, its domestic facility pioneered the equipment necessary to build seam-taped Gore-Tex gloves, working in concert with W.L. Gore & Associates. It is the only facility in North America with certification from Gore to build seam-taped gloves and mitts.

“Having domestic manufacturing located in the same building as our offices gives Outdoor Research a number of strategic advantages, and we’re excited that our success with domestic production has also meant we’ve been able to help create new jobs in our home state in recent years,” said Alex Kutches, President of Outdoor Research. “We’re very honored that the judging panel for Seattle Business recognized what we’ve been doing on the manufacturing side as worthy of this year’s Innovator of the Year Award.”

Kutches said that Seattle has a long history in high-quality garment manufacturing, and the skills of the staff who work in its manufacturing operation – many of whom have worked there for much of Outdoor Research’s 30-year history – has been key to the company’s success in designing and building high-quality products for military applications. On average, employees on the manufacturing side of the business have been with Outdoor Research for more than a decade.

“Having a top-notch facility is important, but the biggest thanks is due to the incredibly talented staff that conceptualize, design and produce our gear,” Kutches said. “We’re certainly proud that their work helps support the work that our troops do every day.”  

Technologies and manufacturing capabilities offered by companies nominated in this year’s awards ranged from medical devices, bio-fuels and steel manufacturing to lasers and heavy machinery.

About Outdoor Research
Based in Seattle, Wash., Outdoor Research designs and manufactures functional solutions for human-powered adventure. Outdoor Research offers technically innovative and superior apparel, headwear, handwear, gaiters, storage and shelter systems. Product testing and high-quality construction is backed up with OR’s Infinite Guarantee®. Outdoor Research enthusiastically supports the outstanding conservation, access, and educational efforts of a variety of organizations and encourages our customers to do the same. Outdoor Research – Designed by Adventure®.

In 1895, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen abandoned his plan to reach the North Pole by ship and headed for the pole by dog sled.  Nansen didn’t make it to the pole, but his journey and safe return became one of the poles most epic tales.

Nansen’s plan had he reached the North Pole was to head for Spitsbergen, the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway.  Arctic adventures Audun Tholfsen and Timo Palo just embarked on attempting this return route using Kokatat GORE-TEX® Expedition dry suits while navigating sections of open water and treacherous ice flows.

After being air dropped at the geographical North Pole, Tholfsen and Palo will use skis and kayaks to cross the drifting ice floes and open water on their way to Spitsbergen. They will then continue across the fjords and mountains towards the south of the island until they reach Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in Spitsbergen.  The expedition team hopes to complete the expedition, unsupported and without resupplies, in 50 to 60 days.

Throughout the way the team will take in-situ measurements and will carry out scientific observations.  With a light set of instruments they will regularly measure the snow and ice thickness and surface layer air temperature data and drift speed of local ice floes.

In 1893, Nansen embarked on a daring plan of sailing his ship, the Fram, into the Arctic icepack and using the natural drift of the polar ice to reach the North Pole.  After several months in the icepack, Nansen calculated that it might take over five years for the Fram to reach the Pole and Nansen devised a new plan.

On the 14th of March 1895, Nansen and dog sled expert and ship stoker Hjalmar Johansen left the icebound Fram and set out on skis and sleds with kayaks and 28 dogs for the North Pole.  After reaching a record mark of latitude 86°14 ′ North on April 7th, they abandoned the attempt and retreated southwards, eventually reaching the island Franz Josef Land later that year.

With some good fortune in June of 1896 they met up with an English expedition team and were reunited with the Fram that had emerged from the ice pack north-west of Spitsbergen, as Nansen had predicted.  However, the ship never made it beyond 85° 57' North.

Norwegian Tholfsen and Estonian Palo have skied across Greenland and completed several mountain ski expeditions in Svalbard and Norway.  The team spent ten months as crewmembers on Tara, a French sailing vessel that, similar to the Fram, froze into the Arctic pack ice and drifted across the entire Arctic Ocean.  Currently, Tholfsen works to provide logistic solutions and field support in Arctic regions.  Palo has been working in Spitsbergen providing logistics and field support, and currently works as a PhD student and field technician at the University of Tartu, studying polar meteorology.

To learn more about Tholfsen and Palo and their expedition visit www.arcticreturntour.com.

For details on this and additional expeditions Kokatat supports visit http://www.kokatat.com/expeditions.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear: 

Celebrating over 40 years of innovation, Kokatat is an independently operated, US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports. Handcrafted in Arcata, California, Kokatat employees are focused on building the finest functional product for people who work and play on water. Our gear is designed for paddlers, by paddlers, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water all year long and in all weather conditions. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”. 

Since they first came on the scene in 1993, Adventure Technology (AT) paddles have been redefining ergonomic paddle design and construction technology, all while gaining fans in every corner of the market. For 2012, AT is ready to give back to the industry with a number of national sponsorships and donations.

"The soul of Adventure Technology is in its name," said Hastings Blumer, assistant product manager for Adventure Technology. "We strive to provide the best paddle technology to those in the endless pursuit of adventure on the water. For 2012, we selected a lineup of sponsorships that reflect these values and are proud to support each of these organizations, events, expeditions, and individuals."

Adventure Technology Sponsorships for 2012:

American Whitewater. In addition to supporting the organization’s efforts to protect our country’s rivers and the people who love them, AT is also donating a variety of paddles to American Whitewater fundraisers at Deerfield Fest, Feather Fest, and Gauley Fest.

US Freestyle Kayaking/FIBArk (June 14-17, 2012). Heading into its 64^th year, FIBArk, which stands for “First In Boating on the Arkansas,” is the nation’s oldest whitewater festival. This year, AT will support the country’s longest whitewater race by donating paddles to the FIBArk event that will be used as raffle prizes to raise money for US Freestyle Kayaking.

Chattooga River Festival (June 22-24, 2012). Held in Adventure Technology’s backyard on the Chattooga, this is the first year of the Chattooga River Festival, which is being held to celebrate the river and encourage environmental stewardship and responsible use of its waters. This year, AT is donating a paddle as a raffle prize to benefit the festival and its mission.

Girls at Play. Founded by Team Dagger athlete Anna Levesque, Girls at Play encourages women of all ages to get out on the water. Through kayaking, yoga and camaraderie, Girls at Play strives to inspire women and enhance their lives by making these sports feel accessible, fun, and adventurous. In addition to supporting this organization, AT will donate paddles to be used by participants.

Kayak Bassin’ TV. Starring Wilderness Systems Pro Staff Director Chad Hoover, Kayak Bassin’ TV is the YouTube web-series in which Hoover shares tips, tricks and secrets on bass fishing with viewers. Heading into its second season, AT will continue their sponsorship of the popular online TV segments for 2012.

Heroes on the Water. This incredible organization gets wounded, injured or disabled military personnel out on the water for a paddling adventure to remember. The program allows the participants to decompress from the stresses of combat and the physical rigors of rehabilitation while finding strength and relaxation in a kayak. For 2012, AT is donating a Fishstix paddle for the fourth annual YakAttack freshwater kayak fishing tournament raffle prize, the proceeds of which will go to Heroes on the Water.

Tyler Bradt Touring. This year, AT donated paddles to Team Dagger member Tyler Bradt’s Sea of Cortez expedition, which covered about 400 miles of ocean over 25 days.

For updates throughout the season, check out: www.ATPaddle.com/news.

About Adventure Technology:

In 1993, an idea for the first, whitewater-specific, ergonomic paddle was born. That idea grew into Adventure Technology (AT), a paddle maker who doesn’t seek to “balance” adventure with technology, but rather seeks to push both concepts to the outer limits. AT now delivers premium whitewater and touring paddles known for excellence in design, craftsmanship and innovation. In 2009, AT joined the rest of the Confluence Watersports family in Easley, S.C., to continue its legacy of dedicated research and development, all in the name of a good adventure. www.atpaddle.com