I have spoken with Bill Laughlin, the man who did the research on the bones. He says that modern European athletes do not come close in bone mass to the Aleuts. I'm sure Greg Barton trained a lot as he grew up, but he probably spend as much time on the water as a subsistance hunter. There is nothing like hunger to motivate "training".

While I'm sure the Aleut kayaks were very efficient, some of the conclusions people have made from reading contemporary accounts of their performance are a little far fetched. The accounts of high speeds often suggest perfect conditions for surfing.

> check out the humerus bone of the inuit? and the russian and the
> difference in the size and attachments for ligaments...some major work
> going on there...I wonder how Greg Bartons humerus would look next to
> them?