GRAND MARAIS, MINN., Dec. 5, 2024 – Paddle and Portage media is excited to announce it has been chosen as the official media partner for Canoecopia 2025.
Darren Bush owns Rutabaga canoe and kayak shop in Madison, Wisc., and is the sponsor of Canoecopia, the largest paddle sports show of its kind in the world.
“Paddle and Portage connects to our people, the paddlers who love wilderness areas as well as their local lakes or ponds,” Bush said. “We are pleased to work with them to create more excitement for paddling in the BWCA Wilderness as well as other areas all over the globe. We are proud to partner with them to share Canoecopia with their readers and listeners, before, during, and after Canoecopia 2025.”
Canoecopia runs March 7 to 9 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. As the official media partner for the event, Paddle and Portage will conduct interviews with attendees and presenters, as well as with some of the many hundreds of representatives from the paddling and outdoor industry. The interviews will be shared on both the Canoecopia and Paddle and Portage platforms. The Paddle and Portage team will also shoot videos and photos at the expo.
Paddle and Portage was founded in January by local journalist and author Joe Friedrichs and has been well-received by the BWCA Wilderness and broader paddling communities. The company offers a unique perspective on the intersection of news, adventure, and storytelling from the Boundary Waters, as well as other paddling destinations across North America.
Friedrichs and longtime collaborator M Baxley will be attending their fifth Canoecopia in 2025. Baxley and Friedrichs have hosted a podcast about the Boundary Waters for nearly a decade. Baxley has been a valuable member of the Paddle and Portage team dating back to the company’s launch. In addition to being active at the Paddle and Portage booth, both are frequent presenters during the three-day event.
“Canoecopia is one of the most significant opportunities we participate in every year to build community with Midwest paddlers and the outdoor industry,” Baxley said.
Joining Baxley and Friedrichs at the 2025 expo will be Paddle and Portage contributor Erin Walker. Along with her husband, Jon, Walker produces the popular Lost Lakes YouTube channel.
“I am excited to be attending Canoecopia for the first time this upcoming year,” Walker said. “I have really enjoyed working alongside the team at Paddle and Portage and can’t think of a better group to show me the ropes!”
In addition to the retail side, the speakers and presenters at Canoecopia are a highlight of the annual event. Bush said this year’s lineup, which includes legendary paddler Cliff Jacobson’s final presentation at the expo, is among the strongest in the event’s history.
“The speaker lineup for 2025 is the best yet, with more diverse speakers and destinations,” Bush said. “We’re grateful that so many people want to share their knowledge and expertise as well as their passion for paddling all over the world.”
Paddle and Portage majority owners, Bear Paulsen and Ann Possis, said they are honored to be selected as the official media partner for Canoecopia 2025.
“This is a great opportunity to expand the stories we’re already sharing from the canoe country and beyond,” Possis said. “The invitation from Darren and the Canoecopia team to be the official media partner of this huge event is a big deal to us as we continue to grow.”
Paulsen, who is also the longtime general manager at Northstar Canoes, will be present at the Paddle and Portage booth on occasion throughout Canoecopia. Paddle and Portage offers a number of ways to engage with their content: a twice-monthly podcast hosted by Friedrichs and Baxley, and online content, including a digital magazine and the company’s engaging website. Paddle and Portage is expanding both its podcasting and online content in 2025.
The headquarters for Paddle and Portage is in Grand Marais, at 121 1st Ave W.
In addition, Paddle and Portage opened an office in October in Ely, to better reflect and serve the Ely community and the west side of the BWCA Wilderness. Paddle and Portage will work out of both offices moving forward.
For more information about Paddle and Portage, go to the website at paddleandportage.com.
