About

Mitchell Blades was established in 2002 with the help of the Princess Trust. In the early days I won many awards for my achievements, including a local 'Live Wire' competition and, 'Best Business in Chester Award' presented to me by the Mayor on behalf of the Chester City Council. Since then, and right up to date I have had the pleasure of seeing my paddles assist competitors winning many Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. 

I began kayaking at the age of nine at the Chester Sailing & Canoeing Club, heavily influenced by the fact my relatives, David & Peggy Mitchell, between them have attained Gold in Olympics, and many Gold medals in Slalom & Wild River World Championships. Slalom interested me for a while, allowing me to develop basic skills through the gates, until I joined my School Kayak Club and the Riverside Canoe Club. It was there I discovered the joys of playful River Running in hard wearing plastic boats.

After qualifying in Building Construction I worked in the trade, in Corporate Business, and Customer Services. One day, while travelling, my uncle asked if I would like to work for him at Mitchell Paddles in America and learn how to make paddles. I could not resist the opportunity to work and live with my family in the States. During my apprenticeship I was taught all facets of paddle manufacture, from shaping wooden blades, to laying up synthetics.

Mitchell Blades has come a long way since then. I have devised new manufacturing techniques, learned a lot about Engineering, and found new interesting materials to work with. Over the years, I have designed and developed new moulds, which now allow us to produce the successful paddles we make today. It always gives me great pleasure to see my personally designed logos, paddle shafts and blades being used out on the water. Thank you for your support.

Lance Mitchell - Proprietor & Founder Mitchell Blades