Intermediate Packrafting Course — 1 Spot left
become an intermediate Whitewater Packrafter
Course Overview
Turn the blue lines on maps into trails! And acquire the packrafting skills you need to embark on bigger and more exciting adventures. We’ll teach you what you need to know to enhance your existing backcountry skill set.
In this 2-day no-frills intermediate packrafting course, you’ll learn a wide variety of packrafting and rescue skills on the Animas River. This is NOT a swiftwater rescue course, but some basic rescue techniques will be covered. Packrafting experience required. Email us for details or to sign up!
You’ll spend both days on the Animas River, with a lot of intensive time practicing skills in the whitewater play park. Meet your guide at 9a.m. at Santa Rita Park in Durango, Colorado. This is where the kayak play park is located. You’ll start and/or finish there each day.
Price: $650
A 50% deposit is required within 90 days of the course to hold your spot. And we will need the remaining balance 30 days prior to your course. If you are registering inside of the 30 day window, the remaining balance is due immediately.
Please review our cancellation policy, which you will find on our Terms, Conditions & Cancellation Policy Page.
What's included
Two days of intermediate whitewater training with a world-class guide.
what's not included
This course does not include food, lodging or shuttling. As well, we do not provide whitewater boats or drysuit. We expect you probably have your own boats and equipment already.
If you don’t have a whitewater boat and you don’t wish to use one of our open Alpacka Classics, you may rent any gear you need from BackcountryPackraft.com. Ask us for the 15% off discount code after you pay your deposit to hold your spot. You can also rent boats locally at 4Corners Riversports in Durango.
Instructor
Steve Fassbinder: Also known as Doom, Steve is one of the country’s first Level 3 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructors, as well as a Level 3 Kayak Instructor. He is also certified in Advanced Swiftwater Safety and Wilderness First Responder. An early adopter of packrafting, he has guided for three years and done remote packrafting expeditions around the world for over a dozen years.
Course Details: What You will learn
We base our beginner and intermediate packrafting skills instructional courses on confidence and skill progression. We start slow and push you a little harder as we go, tailoring the experience to your own personal abilities.
For Intermediate courses, you’ll both learn new skills and practice and/or perfect existing skills with drills.
- ✓Equipment (use and care)
- ✓Field repair-tips & tricks
- ✓Swimming and general water confidence
- ✓Aggressive & defensive swimming position
- ✓Self-rescue & buddy assistance
- ✓Dealing with currents
- ✓Decision making
- ✓Hazards & river dynamics
- ✓Basic & advanced paddle strokes
- ✓Using eddies
- ✓River Commands
- ✓Spacing on the River
- ✓Other TBD based on the skill level of the participants.
- ✓Generally we don’t cover expedition planning on 2-day Intermediate paddling courses.
We also invite you to bring your questions and/or specific requests to our intermediate courses, either before in an email to us or during the course.
About The Animas River
Most of the intensive training for this course will take place on up to Class III+ on the Animas River. We spend a lot of time spent on the Animas City Kayak Play Park. And we’ll do various sections of the Animas to and from the play park.
Length of Play Park: 1.25 miles
Length of Daily Adventures: 5 to 8 miles
Gradient: 30ft/mile
Difficulty: Class II III at 500-2000 CFS, Class III to IV 2,000 CFS and up.
High Water Flows: May-July
Flow: below 500cfs is low; 1,000-2,000cfs ideal for this course. Water Flow please see water levels
Length of Play Park: 1.25 miles
Length of Daily Adventures: 5 to 8 miles
Gradient: 30ft/mile
Difficulty: Class II+ III at 500-2000 CFS, Class III to IV 2,000 CFS and up.
High Water Flows: May-July
Flow: below 500cfs is low; 1,000-2,000cfs ideal for this course. Water Flow please see water levels
Level 2/3 & Prerequisites
You must have packraft experience and your own whitewater gear (i.e. a boat with a deck or self bailer), including rescue gear, to take this course. It’s a Level 2/3 in terms of both the terrain you’ll be paddling (up to Class III) and the long days of training and drills you’ll have. Be prepared to learn a lot and have even more fun!
Check out advanced course photos from previous years on our Facebook page.
The event is finished.
Date
- Jul 26 - 27 2023
- Expired!
Time
- All Day
Cost
- $650.00
Location
Animas River
For the July 26/27 Intermediate PR course, what time and where do we meet on the morning of the 26th? I’d like to join but I need to work out logistics. Coming from Telluride. Thanks. Pete
Hi Pete, I have emailed you, but generally courses fun from 9:30-4:30. -Lizzy