Greg Stamer: Rolls, Revolution, and the Rise of Qajaq USA

Send us Fan MailWatch this episode on YouTubeDubside sits down face-to-face with Greg Stamer, founder and former president of Qajaq USA, for a wide-ranging conversation about the rise of traditional Greenland kayaking in the United States. Greg recalls the early days of the Delmarva Paddlers Retreat, Maligiaq Padilla’s influential 1998 visit, competing in Greenland without even knowing the complete list of rolls, and the lively debates that shaped Qajaq USA.The conversation ventures well beyond organizational history. Greg recounts his record-setting expeditions around Iceland and Newfoundland, his fourteen 300-mile WaterTribe races, and the lessons he has learned from Greenland, wing, and single-bladed paddles. He also explains why retirement has led him not to the couch, but to open-water swimming and underwater hockey—and shares the remarkable story of a historic kayak frame built for John Heath in 1959 that may finally return home to Greenland.It’s an episode about paddling history, cultural respect, adventure, aging, and a lifelong determination to remain “out there” on the water.Check out our "GREENLAND IS A QAJAQ NATION!" t-shirts and other merch at the DUBCAST SHOP at Fourthwall.