If you’re struggling with some of the nuanced answers to these questions, please consider leveling down. There’s no rush! You’ll learn plenty of skills in all of our courses. And with our 1:4 guide to guest ratio, you’ll get plenty of one-on-one attention.
LEVEL 1: BEGINNER
Please don’t be offended if we decide you should be placed in a beginner course. We all have to start somewhere! 🙏🏼
Please answer these questions (without doing a Google search):
- Have you been river packrafting or whitewater kayaking at least six times in the last few years?
- Do you know how to ferry a packraft or kayak, catch an eddy or do a wet re-entry into your packraft?
- What is the hand signal for, “Are you OK?” and “Yes, I am OK.”
- What does the “defensive” swimming position look like?
If you cannot answer all these with 100% confidence, please sign up for our beginner course!
LEVEL 2: BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE
Courses for people with some river boating experience in a single-person craft (kayak, packraft, C1 or duckie) AND who have a basic understanding of rivers. Please answer the following:
- What is an eddy?
- Why is it important for me to confidently catch eddies?
- Can you describe 3 important hand signals to ensure safety while on the water?
- What does point positive mean?
By “some experience,” we mean you’ve navigated a single-person craft at least 6 to 10 times in a river with up to Class I/II rapids. This course is appropriate for people who have taken our beginner courses, and who have practiced at least a half-dozen times on their own.
LEVEL 3: INTERMEDIATE
If you are solidly boating up to Class II+ to III on any river, you can self-rescue (i.e. wet re-entry) almost every time, you have boated Class III or IVs (sometimes comfortably and sometimes not) AND you have more than a basic understanding of rivers, we recommend you take an intermediate course. Though not required, most people who take our intermediate courses already have taken a swiftwater rescue course.
To better ensure correct placement, please answer these questions:
- Is a Class III-rated rapid the same difficulty if the river is at 8,000cfs versus 2000cfs?
- Can you roll your packraft or re-enter your boat after you flip in both flat and moving water? How about mid-rapid?
- Do you know how to surf your packraft?
- How often do you practice catching eddies?
- Why is it important to be able to catch eddies?
If you can answer these questions confidently without a Google Search and you have your own whitewater equipment and regularly use it, then an intermediate course is probably the right course for you.
LEVEL 4: intermediate/ADVANCED
We recommend you take an Intermediate/Advanced course if:
- You confidently paddle up to Class III+ at both high and low water, and you have done so on 6-10 rivers without significant swims;
- You have taken one or more swiftwater safety courses;
- and you paddle regularly and can confidently answer, “yes,” to all the following questions.
Please don’t look up the answers!
- Can you re-enter your boat after flipping (or roll it) 5 times in two minutes? If unsure, go test yourself.
- Can you explain why each of these hazards–strainers, sweepers, undercuts and low-head dams–are dangerous?
- Can you confidently navigate around any obstacle in Class III rapids? If so, what are some of the techniques you might use?
- Can you confidently catch eddies in Class II-III rapids?
- Do you know how to brace and use bow and sculling draws?
- What are some important components of a proper, powerful forward stroke?