Get just over 25% off this two-day course if you work and live full time in Moab, Utah. No refunds allowed with a discount, and you must pay in full when you register.

Please also inquire about our scholarships for LGBTQ+ folks and people of color (Black, Latino, Indigenous, etc) through the Armida Huerta Adventure Fund.

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

This course includes an open packraft, PFD, paddle, helmet.

Food and lodging, transportation are not included. You need a car or to carpool. We do not have a shuttle. Finally, we do not include: whitewater boats, drysuits, river knives, whistles or throw bags. 

You will need a drysuit for this trip. Rent drysuits online with a 15% discount at BackcountryPackraft.com (we will give you the discount code once you pay your deposit). 

Tyler Marlow

Born in the lush green forest of the American south, Tyler has never been one to sit still. At 18 they left home to thru hike the Appalachian trail and haven’t stopped walking yet. Educated as an Anthropologist, Tyler seeks to understand the connection between humans and the landscape; where environments meets culture. Called to the desert, Tyler moved to Southeast Utah and began a love affair with the Colorado Plateau; working in youth conservation, trail work, and now as a carpenter and guide. With their dog Mira riding shotgun Tyler migrates seasonally, from the Sonoran desert, to the Four Corners, and McCarthy, Alaska with detours far afield. Tyler is a Level 4 American Canoe Association-certified Packraft Instructor.

OR

Waldo Aguayo

Waldo is a professional adventure tourism guide who specializes in water sports, mainly in packrafting. He has nine years of experience touring the Northern and Southern Chilean Patagonia. He first started packrafting seven years ago and quickly pioneered several routes on various rivers, fjords and lagoons in Patagonia. In 2019 he founded @scoutingrios, a guide service that runs tours, classes, clinics and packrafting expeditions in Patagonia.

We base this instructional courses on confidence and skill progression. The course starts with the basics. And then we push you a little harder as the days progress, tailoring the experience to your own personal abilities.

Beginners will learn basics paddling skills and river reading techniques such as:

• ✓Equipment (use and care)
• ✓Swimming and general water confidence
• ✓Self-rescue & buddy assistance
• ✓Dealing with currents
• ✓Aggressive & defensive swimming position
• ✓Decision making
• ✓Hazards & river dynamics
• ✓Basic paddle strokes
• ✓Using eddies
• ✓River commands
• ✓Spacing on the river