Put on by Northwest River Supplies and hosted by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, the annual event aims to take people with an interest in paddlesports, namely canoeing and kayaking, from “participant” to “enthusiast.”

NRS ambassador Danny Mongno launched the event in 2019. He said at the time, the paddling industry was starting to see a sales slump, and there was a collective realization that something had to be done to bring new people into the fold and strengthen the paddling community.

Mongno said the biggest barrier to paddling sports is often the cost. Entry-level boats can be in the neighborhood of several hundred dollars, and that typically doesn’t include paddles and personal flotation devices, such as life jackets.

Mongno said that, unfortunately, the price tag is inherent to the sport. It just simply costs more in materials and labor to build canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and the requisite accessories than it does to build some other outdoor gear.

From left, Roland Dubois and Carol Hooper, of Contoocook, New Hampshire, and Tiara Coats and Luigi Martinez, of Chicago, ferry across the Saranac River during an introduction to moving water class held as part of the Adirondack Paddling Symposium on Sunday in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

Paddling, especially in an area as iconic as the Adirondacks, is a uniquely enjoyable experience. Mongno said as people get hooked on the sport, they are more willing to make the investment for those experiences. The key is getting newcomers and casual paddlers to that point, Mongno said. He’s found success over his career in doing so, not only by enhancing people’s skill sets, but by opening up the sense of community and friendships that come with paddling enthusiastically.

Mongno, who is also a board member on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, reached out to its Executive Director, Karrie Thomas, about a partnership to grow the Adirondack Paddling Symposium. The NFCT, a nonprofit organization focused on preserving paddling routes throughout New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, hosts a number of meetup paddles, social events and stewardship workdays throughout its service area that are open to the public.

The partnership has taken off in numbers since COVID, Mongno said. The event has become an annual staple as the paddling season kicks into full gear. He added that all proceeds from the weekend go back to the NFCT, and there are wider-reaching benefits beyond the paddling community.

“We’re paying all of our local coaches, we’re putting money into local businesses and we use local hotels,” he said. “It’s a really good community-building event.”

There were about 15 coaches at the Adirondack Paddling Symposium. Classes touched on everything from beginner basics, such as how to safely get into a canoe, to more advanced techniques like how to roll back into a kayak or get back into a canoe if it flips over.

Dedra Croll and Brian Day carry a Wenonah canoe off of the Saranac River during an introduction to moving water class held as part of the Adirondack Paddling Symposium on Sunday in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

“We’re really building friendships,” he said. “Community is what drives this, and I’m really blessed that throughout the course of my coaching career, I’ve made some lifelong friends.”

The coaches took advantage of indoor amenities, such as the North Country Community College’s pool to teach things like pack canoe rolling, as well as the vast watershed surrounding Saranac Lake to offer classes throughout the weekend. These were mostly flatwater, but also dipped into moving water with the Saranac River’s beginner-friendly rapids in downtown Saranac Lake.

There were beginner, intermediate and advanced curricula across different paddling sports, all meant to cater to the wide array of abilities participants brought to the table. Mongno said people came from as far away as Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, West Virginia and Maryland to attend the event. His hope for future iterations is that local turnout increases, since there were only a handful of participants from the Tri-Lake this year.

When people weren’t learning on the water, they were often eating meals together or taking part in special evening programming. Among the featured presentations were longtime 90-miler organizer Brian McDonnell, who presented on the race’s history with Andrew Jillings, who oversees Hamilton College’s outing club. The race is now overseen by the NFCT, and takes place each fall, with registration opening in July.

Through all of the programming, Mongno said there were three overarching goals: safety, community and skills. He said the weekend was a success on all fronts and thanked those who made it possible.

Leila Hadj-Chikh, left, and Kim Eldredge-Wight, both of Jarrettsville, Maryland, ferry across the Saranac River during an introduction to moving water class held as part of the Adirondack Paddling Symposium on Sunday in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

“We’ve got some of the best coaches in the world who are essentially donating their time to be here,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier or prouder.”

Brian Day, a Wenonah Canoe sales representative, teaches an introduction to moving water class during the Adirondack Paddling Symposium on Sunday in Saranac Lake. Day, who traveled to the symposium from Minnesota, has over 30 years of experience teaching, writing and outfitting in the paddlesports industry. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

An introduction to paddling moving water class makes its way up the Saranac River in Saranac Lake on Sunday. The class was taught by Brian Day, front, a Wenonah Canoe sales representative with over 30 years of experience teaching, writing and outfitting in the paddlesports industry. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

The intro to moving water class studies a rapid before hitting the Saranac River during the Adirondak Paddling Symposium on Sunday in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

Brian Day, a Wenonah Canoe sales representative, teaches an introduction to moving water class during the Adirondack Paddling Symposium on Sunday in Saranac Lake. Day, who traveled to the symposium from Minnesota, has over 30 years of experience teaching, writing and outfitting in the paddlesports industry. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

Brian Day, a Wenonah Canoe sales representative, paddles hard upriver as he teaches an introduction to moving water class during the Adirondack Paddling Symposium on Sunday in Saranac Lake. Day, who traveled to the symposium from Minnesota, has over 30 years of experience teaching, writing and outfitting in the paddlesports industry. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)