Whitewater Kayaking Made Easy - A FREE clinic at REI

Location:

REI - Santa Fe

500 Market Street, Ste 100

Santa Fe, NM, 87501

Start Time:

Thursday, August 18, 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 has a way of transferring his passion for kayaking to everyone who attends a talk, lesson or paddles with him. A very patient and conscientious instructor, I always feel safe during lessons on and off the river. Not only does Kelly teach the sport, he finds ways to help you find your niche and meet others who share the same interest. In addition, the other instructors he brings along are equally as knowledgeable and helpful. If you haven't tried kayaking or want to hone your skills, this is a great place to start.

Susan Brockway - Los Alamos National Laboratory

I was excited to take the pool class, even though a few friends ridiculed taking a kayak class ("What's so hard about kayaking?!"). The whitewater clinic presented challenges I was not expecting (physically, mentally or emotionally), and it heightened my awareness of the river, the sport, challenges and myself. It has taken me a week to process this experience, and I welcome the time it will take to continue to process both the instruction and personal learned experience. This course was positively intense!

Deanna Lundy

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.

Click "Like" to follow us on Facebook

RSS Feeds