Duration

4 days

Description

Learn the necessary skills to paddle a whitewater kayak in Class I-II Whitewater! Whether you are moving from flatwater paddling or sea kayaking or have no experience in a boat at all, this class is the place to start your whitewater kayak journey! Begin each day learning and practicing strokes, concepts and getting comfortable doing wet exits with your initiative outdoor professional Instructor. We then progress to the river and put your skills to work on beginner-level rapids under the coaching of your instructor. If you are looking to build a foundation for strong skill development and understanding, this is where you want to be.

We offer both Three and four-day courses. The four days is recommended for paddlers serious about quickly advancing, so students can log more river time with instructors. Additionally, four-day courses provide more opportunities to test out the latest boats and gear – helping you determine what best fits your body type and paddling style.

Guests will start by getting perfectly outfitted with a boat and all the necessary gear and then head to a calm lake to learn basic strokes, boat control, and safety maneuvers. After lunch, you will paddle an appropriate river and put your newly acquired skills to use!

Each day will be split between skills development on area lakes and rivers and enjoying the thrills of the rapids on one of our home whitewater runs.

 

3 Day Course  

  • Boat Design, Whitewater Gear & Proper Fit
  • Strokes, concepts, and kayak maneuvers
  • Scouting, water reading, and picking your line
  • River Safety and communication
  • Carving, edging and redirecting momentum utilizing the water
  • Wet exits and swimming your gear to shore
  • Rolling Techniques

4 Day Course  

This course will build on the skills covered in our 3-day course with a more in-depth focus on strokes, rescue, rolling, and river running. We will also have the opportunity for a travel day to paddle additional rivers

Initiative outdoor Provides the primary gear needed for each course including boats, paddles, PFD’s, helmets, spray skirts, semi-dry tops, wetsuit bottoms, and booties. 

Necessary Items (for All Courses)

  • Shorts/swimwear
  • Water shoes or old sneakers
  • Synthetic T-shirts
  • Sunscreen/lip balm
  • Towel and change of clothes each day
  • Reusable water bottle
  • Clothing and personal items
  • Rain gear
  • Synthetic long underwear
  • Light fleece hoodie/pullover

Optional Items

  • Nose clips
  • Sunglasses
  • Eyeglass strap
  • Hat or visor
  • Earplugs (if sensitive to water)
  • All necessary specialty whitewater equipment
  • Meals & In-Course Transportation
  • Access to Initiative outdoor’s extensive fleet of instruction boats for in-clinic use
  • Initiative outdoor’s highly trained, ACA certified instruction

Other Activities