You may take just the 2nd day of this course if you have already taken a packrafting course with us or another accredited packrafting guide service or you have your own boat, have used it dozens of times, can get in and out of your boat with ease and are solid on Class II paddler!

A 50% deposit is required upon booking. And we will need the remaining balance 90 days prior to your course. If you are registering inside of the 90 day window, the remaining balance is due immediately. You may book this course at the bottom of this page. We will follow up with a pre-trip registration form.

Please review our cancellation policy, which you will find on our Terms, Conditions & Cancellation Policy Page

We provide an open Alpacka Classic, helmet, PFD and paddle.

This course does not include a bicycle, lodging, transportation, food or a drysuit. You may or may not need a drysuit for this course. It depends on how cold you run and what the weather is like when this course runs.

We base our learn basic river bikerafting and 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 Beginner to Intermediate courses, you’ll learn a wide variety of skills, from the basics to more advanced river reading techniques. This is a list of some of the things you will learn:

• ✔️Basic packraft equipment use and care
• ✔️Self-rescue, partner-rescue and how to right your boat with a bike on it
• ✔️Dealing with currents
• ✔️Aggressive & defensive swimming positions
• ✔️How to navigate river hazards with a bike on your boat
• ✔️River dynamics
• ✔️Basic paddle strokes with a bike on your boat
• ✔️Using eddies
• ✔️River commands
• ✔️How to lash your bike to your boat and vice versa
• ✔️Transitioning from bikes to boats and vice versa

Steve Fassbinder:

Steve, aka “Doom,” is one of the country’s first Level 4 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructors. And he is a certified International Rescue 3 Whitewater Rescue Technician Professional (WRT-PRO) and IRF Whitewater Packraft Guide. Steve is also certified in Advanced Swiftwater Safety and Wilderness First Responder. An early adopter of packrafting, he has guided or instructed bike-packrafting to kids and adults for over a decade. And he has done remote packrafting expeditions around the world for over a dozen years.