Click here to check out Lizzy’s short overview of Alpacka Raft’s new whitewater boat, the Mage. This is a non-technical look at the boat. For specs and Alpacka’s video, visit their website. We’re publishing Episode #11 of, A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafting, with one of Alpacka Raft’s designers, Dustin Partridge, January 21 (updated date). In it, Dustin offers a more technical description of the Mage versus the Valkyrie, along with talking about his mentee-mentor relationship with Sheri Tingey, the mother of modern-day packrafting (i.e. the person who invented the modern-day packraft and changed the sport into what it is today). Watch the movie, Sheri, here! And check out our latest podcast featuring Thor Tingey and hunting & fishing with packrafts here.
Greetings & Happy Holidays from Scullbinder Ranch!
Hello friends!
This is going to be an exciting year. We’re starting it out with trips to La Venta River in Mexico in January and to New Zealand February 15-25, where we are partnering with Huw Miles of Packrafting Queenstown and Deane Parker of DP Adventure Channel. There are still a few spots left on the NZ course. Register today!
But first, Doom and friends leave on a personal exploratory mission on a Class V/IV river in Chiapas. Soon after, we’re running a local’s course for folks from Chiapas, along with a day course for the people who live at Aqua Azul on the Xanil River (picture above). Our goals are twofold: to share our love of packrafting with the people who live where we paddle and to train some of our Mexican partners to become full guides so they can run their own packrafting guide service.
¡Saludos y felices fiestas desde Scullbinder Ranch!
Hola amigos!
¡Buenas noticias! Traeremos a Waldo Aguayo de regreso en mayo y junio para impartir algunos cursos avanzados y ofrecer cursos privados en español. Si quieren tomar un curso en español, por favor mandarnos un e-mail. Hay más información abajo. Si desean leer algunos artículos de Waldo haz clic aquí y aquí. O mira un video de él enseñándote cómo hacer rodar un kayak aquí.
Cursos en Español
Nivel 3 Maestría en Packraft ⼮ Programa un curso privado con Waldo
Estamos encantados de anunciar que nuestro amigo chileno y guía acreditado por International 3 Rescue, Waldo Aguayo, se unirá a nosotros para enseñar algunos cursos de nivel 1-3. Así que tenemos la oportunidad de enseñar cursos en español este verano.
An exciting 2024… and what’s to come in 2025!
Looking back, we are thrilled to announce we grew by 25%. And by the numbers of people who’ve already signed up for courses in 2025 (60 already, with a few sold out courses), it looks like that will happen again next year. Woohoo! Thank you so much for making our business a reality. We could not do this without you. In gratitude, we’re offering the first 10 of you who respond to our New Year’s email tomorrow 5% off of any course you want to sign up for in 2025. So you’ll have to sign up for that email to know about the discount 
Also, to get the discount, you cannot have used another discount already for a course this year.
In other great news, we’re stoked to announce a new hire, Krista Beyer. We brought Krista on recently as an assistant guide. Jule Harle of Alaska Packrafting School initially trained Krista, and she’ll be earning her Level 2, American Canoe Association Packraft Instructor certification with us through a course taught by Kent Ford, April 2025.
At the same time Krista earns her Level 2 certification, Lizzy, Ben Phillips and Jeff Creamer will be earning their Level 4 certification. Ben is teaching an April 12-13 Level 1 Foundations course. Lizzy is teaching various courses, including our 2nd annual Women’s Bikerafting Course June 26-29. And Jeff will be teaching two swiftwater rescue certification courses for us this year. See bullet points below for details.
And, finally, we’re bringing Waldo Aguayo back in May/June to teach some advanced courses and offer private courses in Spanish. If you want to take a course in Spanish, please email us!
Awesome courses we are offering in 2026
- New Packraft Fly Fishing Courses: Click here to learn more about our new fishing/packrafting skills with Thad Ferrell on the Animas and Dolores Rivers. Plus, we’re applying for permits for Alaska’s Kongakut River as well. Fingers crossed! Check out our video of Thad fly fishing for char there this past summer!
- New LGBTQ+ Backcountry Course June 20-22: This course includes one day of training and an overnight on the Dolores Rivers. Justin Bickley of Alaska Packrafting School will join Lizzy and Tami Graham to teach this course for 8 people. Click here for more information.
- Women’s Course with Jule Harle, June 14-17: We’re running our 2nd annual women’s course with Jule, one of the world’s finest instructors. Register here!
- Packraft Mastery with Doom & Waldo, May 31-June 4: This is our only Level 3 Expedition-style Packraft Mastery course. Register here!
- Swiftwater Rescue Certification with Jeff: Jeff is teaching an advanced cert course April 11-13 and a standard cert course May 16-18. These courses are exclusively for Four Corners Guides clients, though they are run through the Swiftwater Safety Institute. Please email us to get the registration link. The advanced SSI course is reserved for professional guides/instructors and/or advanced paddlers, and there are two spots remaining. Please send us a brief resume with your past paddling and SSI course experience if you’re interested in that course.
We so look forward to seeing you this year on the river or at Scullbinder Ranch!
Best wishes,
Doom & Lizzy
