Born in 1960, Greg Stamer grew up paddling open canoes but was instantly captivated by sea kayaks and got his start in 1988. Home is wherever he happens to be, but central Florida is his home base.
Greg is the President and founder of Qajaq USA, the American Chapter of the Greenland Kayaking Association (Qaannat Kattuffiat).
Greg StamerGreg is best known for his study, teaching and writings of Greenland technique and culture. He has written articles for Sea Kayaker magazine and authored the chapter, Using Greenland Paddles in Eastern Arctic Kayaks, History, Design, Technique by John D. Heath and E. Y. Arima. Greg is a featured paddler in Justine Curgenven's This is the Sea video, and is a guest-instructor in Nigel Foster's Sea Kayaking Series.
A minimalist by nature, Greg was attracted to Greenland-style kayaking and began learning Greenland skills in the late eighties. He credits the late kayak historian, John Heath, and six-time Greenland champion Maligiaq Padilla, as his primary mentors. In 2000 he attended a week-long training camp in Qoornoq, Greenland and learned from some of Greenland's best kayakers.
Greg participated on the first American team, when the annual Greenland Kayaking Championship was opened to outsiders in 2000. He won his age group in the World Class (which combined all Greenlanders and foreigners), and earned medals in different disciplines, including long distance racing and rolling. Greg returned again in 2002 and earned another gold medal for rolling. While there he enjoyed kayaking in several locations along the Southwest Greenland coast in a traditional skin covered kayak; The Greenlandic coast and fiords are truly soul-inspiring in their beauty. Works of man are few, and the immense landscape both humbles and empowers you at the same time.
Greg loves to teach and is a much sought-after coach for symposiums, across the USA and worldwide. Greg has instructed in the United States, Japan, Spain, Great Britain, Newfoundland and New Zealand and looks forward to traveling and teaching in new locations.
In addition to Greenland-style, Greg enjoys kayak surfing, rough-water kayaking, some whitewater, and trips of all kinds. Greg has pursued multi-week trips in many locations, including the Pukaskwa coast of Lake Superior, the Apostle Islands, circumnavigating Isle Royale in Lake Superior, portaging his sea kayak across Isle Royale (to fish the inland lakes and to hear wolves and see moose), exploring the coastal areas of the Florida Everglades, and more. Working for a large corporation developing computer software limited his time-off to three weeks or less for trips. In 2007 Greg left his high-paying corporate job, and escaped from his small cube, to pursue a more fulfilling lifestyle and to enjoy longer trips.
In June 2007 Greg and partner Freya Hoffmeister circumnavigated Iceland (1,620 km) in 33 days (25 paddling days). Greg used a carbon Greenland paddle on the trip.
He is currently planning his next adventure, a solo circumnavigation of Newfoundland in 2008.
Greg is available for lectures, for teaching at events around world, and offers private lessons devoted to Greenland-style technique.
