LEARN TO PACKRAFT

WANT TO TRY PACKRAFTING?

Want to give it a go, but don’t want to commit to buying the gear?  Enrol in one of our PR 101 courses. This is our entry level packrafting course. WE supply packrafts, paddles, PFDs for free. WE will bring a few different models so you can see what the differences are and what will suit you. 

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You can rent or buy.  At a later stage you can look at an intermediate course.  Many of our courses comprise groups of friends and we offer discounts for groups. 

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There is NO OBLIGATION to purchase anything from us. . 

 
View Our Course Calendar
 

COURSES

We have one and two day weekend courses on a local river where you can learn good habits and safe paddling. These are formal structured instruction courses run by qualified instructors. Two stages, introduction to moving water, with the next stage having more advanced techniques and oriented toward paddling with others.

 

The two day course involves a day's instruction,a camp overnight, and a day on a river trip with instruction. This covers an assessment of where you're at,a refresher on rescues, paddling techniques and general river sense. The following day puts this into practice and places it in context with group paddling and mutual support. 

PR 101 - Start here

This a one-day course which includes building a solid foundation of packrafting skills. It is aimed at novices and those who have a packraft and want to learn to paddle it without obligating friends or getting into trouble. You can hire a packraft and other gear from us at special rates by arrangement. Items covered:

  • Equipment needed to be safe on moving water
  • Packing and carrying your boat
  • Efficient launching and landing
  • Reading current and avoiding hazards
  • Using an eddy as your “brakes”
  • Forward and back ferry technique
  • Efficient paddle skills for packrafts
  • Wet exits and wet re-entry, solo and assisted
  • Throw-line rescues
This course should set you up to run a few easy rivers, then come back to us for PR201 or Instruction Trips



PR 201 - Take it up a step

Intermediate personal skills course - 1 Day
This is a course specifically designed for packrafting, and is a combination of selected whitewater paddling skills, Swiftwater Rescue, and a bunch of skills unique to packrafting. Hands on skills taught include:

  • self-rescue in rapids
  • more demanding manoeuvring in whitewater
  • scouting
  • more on the use of throw bags
  • swimming with your gear
  • efficient paddling in whitewater
  • reading and using the river, not fighting it
This is aimed at turning you into a confident packrafter that can join trips.



Adventure Racing Clinics

Paddle as a team, not two individuals. Faster for longer. With packrafting becoming a feature of the AR scene, we offer a specialised half day clinic for paddling a double packraft. Double packrafts are not the same as two single packrafts in a line. The techniques for tandem paddling aren’t taught often. Our observation of recent events is that most doubles could go a lot faster and people would fall out less often if they acquired the additional paddling and rescue techniques that make a double a team, instead of two individuals. This is particularly true in rivers with obstacles to avoid. These clinics will focus on three skills;

  1. Double self-rescues. Get back in quickly, safely, with less effort and lost time.
  2. Efficient paddling
  3. Tandem paddling in rapids with obstacles. Teamwork is the key, it’s not instinctive. We’ll teach you.
All of the above are aimed at conserving your energy and making the boat go faster for longer. Good teamwork builds friendships too.



Instructor Trips - Needs Based Instruction on Real Trips

This is our idea (because we know it works) and is designed as a day trip on a local river with a few rapids, some of which you might want to scout and be guided through. On the trip you will be with one or two instructors, who will lead the trip and give you personal tuition as you progress. Paddling with others is what every packrafter will be doing, and the aim of these days is to bring you up to a balanced set of skills that enable you to be a confident packrafter. That means others will want to packraft with you, because they know you can take care of yourself, and them, on a trip.

  • Learning the more advanced dynamic paddle strokes applied specifically to packrafting.
  • How to rig a boat for safety in whitewater
  • Capsize and re-entry in flat water
  • Rescue swim with your paddle.
  • Paddling safely with others.
  • Decision-making for real.
  • Have fun.



Groups - Save $100

A group is 4 persons. That’s our Instructor to Packrafter ratio.
If you can persuade three of your friends to join you, we will run an instruction course or Instructor Trip just for you. You can decide what skills or which river you want to run. Between you there’s a saving of $100.



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