UKC

May be not able to do much in the way of climbing, mountaineering etc for a long while. Anyone got any amazing suggestions of outdoor sports that aren't gonna impact a knee? Besides walking, road cycling and mild mtb. Was thinking trying canoeing and kayaking and doing SUP (I don't love water and I'm not a great swimmer so need to fix that). Something cheap enough as I need another expensive hobby like a hole in the head. Anything really. I prob know of most stuff but any obscure suggestions to try for a laugh?

In reply to AdeleC:
I was going to suggest kayaking, sea kayaking in particular if you're anywhere near a nice bit of coastline.

I had a little dabble for the first time last year and immediately loved it (a 5-day "intromediate" course with these people btw: http://www.seakayakinganglesey.co.uk - highly recommended).

Cheap though? Tricky. Admittedly I am verging on "all the gear no idea" levels now, but even leaving out a few daft impulse buys I've probably already spent more kitting myself out for paddling than I have over the years on climbing gear, rack, ropes etc.

Overall though, over the next few years the biggest cost of this new hobby for me is likely to be fuel - Sheffield is a ridiculous place to live for sea paddling. Makes about as much sense as getting into climbing if you live in Norwich!

In reply to AdeleC:

Fishing?

Ha thanks! I in central London so I hear you. Smelly Thames here I come...

In reply to Babika:

Hmm, I don't know if I am patient enough

In reply to deepsoup:
I'm gonna look into the kayaking though (brrr)

In reply to AdeleC:


you could try lee valley white water. nice clean, albeit fecking cold at this time of the year, water. They have courses to learn kayaking starting on the lake and then onto the legacy course.
Depending on whats wrong with your knee though you may need to be careful.

In reply to AdeleC:

Sailing's a really good option. You can choose how wet and how athletic you wish to get and, when you are being athletic about it, whether that's upper-body work or more all-inclusive. Also: "any time spent sailing is not deducted from one's total life-span."

... er... actually, getting wet's pretty inevitable. The counter-quote to the one above is: "...like standing under a cold shower tearing up £50 notes"

Pfff. Whatever. You go faster and further than one does on a sea kayak. Not that kayaks aren't awesome, just that sailing is awesomer.

In reply to AdeleC:


You could always ask [name removed], she seemed to cope well with brittle knees

yeah I have been there before for few things but not kayaking. Will sign up to lessons the moment I know I can. By the way if you ever get a chance to go hydro speeding there I hugely recommend it. I was useless (and laughing so much which didn't help) but that was just me! So much fun with a bunch of people.

In reply to AdeleC:


I've been canoeing in the Thames in Central London - look up Moo Canoes as a starting point.

There's quite a few canals and things to explore.

You use your knees more than you might think in a kayak/canoe and you'll be stuck in the same position for quite a while, so you may need to experiment with different boats to find a comfortable one. Getting your own boat will allow you to customise and pad out the fit - bargains to be had on eBay.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

+1 for this, kayaking is definitely not easy on the knees, since you balance the torque generated by the paddling stroke by bracing your knee against the side of the boat. If your knee is in a bad way you may not even be able to enter the boat.

Canoeing (at least when seated rather than kneeling) is better in both respects, as you balance the torque with your arms and upper body (J stroke), and there is no closed deck.

CB

In reply to AdeleC:

No need to give up climbing, just find a discipline that doesn't stress the knees...
youtube.com/watch?v=nm6Wv6i1GCc&

In reply to cb294:

I can't canoe kneeling but I'm ok in some kayaks.

In reply to AdeleC:

Got the chance to play wheelchair basketball a couple of years ago and it was brilliant!