Stephanie,

With regard to paddle breakage and WW. Paddle breakage is common but not frequent (unless your throwing yourself off of water falls) Most experienced paddlers carry spare paddles with them on the water in case of breakage or loss in a rapid. I've seen several paddles break (all at the blade/shaft interface) but have never seen any injuries as a result)

As far as stiffness, as Shawn previously stated, WW paddling doesn't have the repetitive motion like flat water but the bracing and rolling used in WW places high loads on the shoulders and wrists that add up at the end of the day.

The lightest WW paddles on the market are 100% CF. Have you looked at 7.2 paddles? Check out their website. I believe they use a different diameter shaft to obtain the desirable stength/weight/flex then make up the difference in size with foam hand grips. Never paddled with one but see them once in a while.

Good luck, if you have any more question you can email me direct.

tme