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Whitewater Kayaking Made Easy (Classroom)

Location:
REI - Santa Fe
500 Market Street, Ste 100
Santa Fe, NM, 87501
See map: Google Maps
Start Time: 
Thursday, May 5, 2011 - 5:30pm - 7:30pm

"Whitewater 101 - Getting Started in Whitewater Kayaking"

Whitewater Kayaking is a strategic game that anyone can play -- once they learn the rules.  This FREE 2hr class will introduce you to the types of equipment, maneuvers and concepts to help you be more successful whitewater kayaking.

Do you love skiing, climbing or mountain biking, and want a fun activity to round out your seasons?  Do you find yourself traveling to Taos, Durango, Moab or Colorado for weekend adventures and want to experience these fun locations in a new way?  Have you ever been whitewater rafting and seen the kayakers having all the fun?  If so, you may love whitewater kayaking and not know it yet. 

Whitewater kayaking is a strategic game that anyone can play, once they learn the rules.  It has nothing to do with age, adrenaline, appetite for adventure, physique or endurance, and more to do with understanding a few simple laws of physics, that help you read the river, paddle your boat efficiently and time the placement of your strokes for speed, power and stability.

This FREE 2 hour course starts off with an overview of the American Whitewater Safety Code and the International Scale of River Difficulty to frame the types of boats you'll need to use to be successful in whitewater kayaking, the hydraulic features you'll find on whitewater rivers and how you'll work with them, as well as the maneuvers needed at each level for class 1, 2 and 3 rapids. 

When you think about it, the river is full of energy; every ripple, wave, hole or current is a form of energy we can use to our advantage.  Even rocks can be used to carry speed through a turn ('deflection'), allow us to pause mid-stream, and perform fun river-play "tricks" as we paddle downriver.  By applying a few simple laws of physics, you can easily break complex rapids down into a series of easy moves.  

Price: 
$0.00 Before Tax
Kelly is a great tactician with a keen ability to break the rivers' energy into a series of teaching moments that were both appropriate for our varying skill levels and allowed each of us to build confidence at every stage throughout the weekend.  My goal is to be able to manipulate the river, and all of its energy, with the grace and finesse that Kelly has!
Chip Berglund  -  semi-retired

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
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Frequently Asked Questions

I'm a novice kayaker and really want to learn. Where is the best place to begin?

The Intro to Kayak clinic is the foundation for everything I teach. It's a required prerequisite for the 2-day Whitewater Weekend clinics and the 2-day Touring Kayak Weekend clinics. The Kayak Roll is a good next step after the Intro to Kayak clinic, although not a requirement for the Whitewater or Touring Kayak Weekend clinics.

While learning to roll is a good skill, it's not the best place to start.  Rolling is a defensive measure.  Good boat control, judgement and an accurate assessment of your skills will keep you from rolling most of the time. 

You'll learn boat control in the Intro to Kayak and subsequent clinics. Those who complete the Intro to Kayak class have a much higher success rate in the Kayak Roll clinic.  A few hours in the boat learning to do smooth and controlled wet exits from a skirted kayak will be money well spent.  If you've spent little or no time in a decked kayak, your mind will simply be too distracted by flipping over and getting out to learn the Kayak Roll.

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