Winter in the north means cold, ice, snow, limited daylight, and worst of all frozen rivers. Most people try to stay fit by running, lifting, cross county skiing, swimming, and a few mentally hardy folk muscle up the will power to sit on the paddle erg dreaming of warmer times. There are things we have all probably done to pass the time while putting in the erg hours, like watching a favorite show, pulling up one of Jeff Rankinen's famous General Clinton Youtube videos, or just saying screw it after 15 minutes and convince yourself paddling this time of year is stupid anyway.
Well, I am happy to say there is now a better, more immersive, entertaining and productive way to put time on the erg. It's called the Swelldone app! Similar in feel and function to the cycling platform Zwift, it is the most epic app for virtual paddling, rowing, kayaking, downwind surfing, and erg training. It is designed for Concept 2, KayakPro, Whipr, and other paddle & row ergs, allowing you to paddle multiplayer with other like minded people anywhere in the world, in real time. The graphics are great, and it is a lot of fun trying different boats, maps, and avatars all while practicing surfing small to large waves, and earning points for the longest run. For more race specific training, you can select and program workouts ranging from short power-intervals, threshold efforts and long steady state aerobic engine building. The developer is constantly releasing new updates and is very responsive on Discord if you have any questions about the app. For weekly group paddle session information message Kevin at Kevin.T.Olson@gmail.com, or keep an eye out on the CanoeRaceWorld Facebook page and Discord server.