Albuquerque

Whitewater Progression Course Session Two

Course Dates:

September 6 - Level 1 Introduction to Kayaking
September 7 - Skills Clinic
September 10 - Level 2 Essentials of River Kayaking
September 13 - Level 2 Kayak Roll
September 14 - Skills Clininc
September 17 - 18 - Level 3 Whitewater Kayaking Made Easy

Kelly is a great instructor. He starts with the basics and keeps building on from there. We started in a pool of calm water on the river, as we became comfortable with that we moved closer to the moving water, then into the main current working on peel outs, ferrying and edging, then down the Rio Grande. The second day starts by talking about the first day then on to paddle placement and timing in different aspects of the river. Back on the river we fine tuned our peel outs, ferrying, edging and worked on paddle placement as we go into and through the rapids. I could not belive my improvement from day one to day two! I highly recommed this class if you want to feel comfortable with negotiating class II and III rapids. You may not end up an expert but will have the tools to become one.

Mark Nissen

Thanks for the info and the good class. Even though I've owned recreational kayaks for many years, I learned far more than I ever knew before.

Tom Pherson

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The Whitewater Progression Course is a 34 hour course designed to go from little or no skill level to beginner whitewater paddling in as little as 6 days over a 2-week period. During the rapid progression course your learning environment will start in the pool or fresh water lake. As you progress you will transition to the class I Rio Grande Bosque, then to the class II-III Rio Grande in Taos, finishing up with our Level 3 Whitewater Weekend course.

These river trips will be punctuated by additional skills clinics during this 6 day course. You will be introduced to two separate skills clinics, where we will work on our paddle strokes, boat balance, and learning the kayak roll.

Goals and Objectives:

Teach the progression of skills and techniques required to kayak any Class I, Class II, and Class III river.

Intro to Whitewater, 2-day whitewater weekend

I like the emphasis on kayaking as a positive experience. After taking the classes, you realize that you can have a very fun time, even before mastering the roll. Other classes I've taken make the roll seem like a necessity, and learning to roll (or not), becomes the focus, which eclipses the fun of kayaking.

Betsy Glenn

This was my second time in this class in a months' time. Although I enjoyed the first class, I felt like all the pieces began to fall in to place the second time around. I felt my skills improved exponentially. The instructors were very skilled and helpful in zeroing in on specific needs of those in the class, and were there to roll you (back up) when necessary. Loved it.

Chip Berglund - Semi-retired

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Intro to Whitewater, 2-day weekend clinic

I want you to know how much I benefitted from your white water and roll classes. Kelly your presentations Saturday and Sunday were always clear and packed with vital information. The way you sketch out the hazzards and river features makes them surprisingly easy to remember on the river. On the river you worked hard with each of us and I thought we class members got far more feedback and individual attention than in other kayak classes I have taken. Glenn and Michael also seemed genuinely interested in our progress and were always willing to answer my questions and provide good feedback. All in all the class was both challenging and a lot of fun and I feel it greatly accelerated my development as a white water kayaker.

Reed Mencke - Retired

I love this meetup group. Kelly has done a great job of building a foundation or respect, camaraderie, and skills so that everyone has fun. Thanks Kelly for all you do!

Liza Kerr

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The Kayak Roll (Pool)

The roll class with Glenn and Michael was awesome. The roll has been frustrating to me. Thanks to the instruction the other night I think I have my roll about 95 percent mastered and I know exactly what I need to work on to get the other 5 percent. I've taken other roll classes but this one was the best. After these classes I feel very clear about what I need to work on. I can't wait to get back on the water ASAP to work on my roll and forward stroke.

Reed Mencke - Retired