This 2-day Level 2 paddling course will enhance your paddling skills and advance your whitewater skills. The course aims to deepen your understanding and mastery of the skills you’d learn in a Level 1 course (see curriculum below), and provide practice drills to perfect these skills. We will also review and practice basic swiftwater safety.

This course is part of the Level 2 Packraft Essentials series, designed after the American Canoe Association’s packraft curriculum. 

To ensure personalized attention, we maintain a 4:1 participant to guide ratio.

A 50% deposit is required when you sign up. The remaining balance will need to be received through 90 days prior to your course. The remaining balance is due immediately if you are registering inside of the 90 day window.

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

You need a whitewater packraft and drysuit for this course. You may rent these items locally at 4Corners Riversports or online at Backcountrypackrafts.com. We will provide you with the 10% discount code once you register for the course.

We do not provide food, lodging or transportation. You must have your own vehicle.

Lizzy Scully

Lizzy is a Level 3 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructor. She additionally has advanced Swiftwater Safety training and he is a certified Wilderness First Responder. Lizzy started packrafting in 2017, after started as the marketing maven for Alpacka Raft. She spent most of her adult life rock climbing around the world, doing first ascents and major expeditions to Pakistan, India and elsewhere. But now, at 50, she prefers more horizontal terrain on rivers and mountain bike trails. Lizzy occasionally teaches women’s courses and assists when needed on other courses, but primarily runs all logistics for Four Corners Guides.

These multi-day Advanced-Beginner (Level 2) are for experienced paddlers who want to run Class II-III rapids and expand on and practice both the paddling and swiftwater rescue skills they learned in our Level 1 courses. This course is part of our Level 2 Packraft Essentials series. 

Please note that depending on how long these courses are, you will learn and/or practice more or fewer of these skills. I.e. don’t expect to learn or practice all of the skills on these lists if you are taking a 3-day course.

Paddling & River Running Skills

• ✔Equipment (use and care + boat rigging, fit, and release of thigh straps)

• ✔Posture, safety, comfort, rocking and balance

• ✔Swimming and general water confidence

• ✔Dealing with currents

• ✔Aggressive & defensive swimming position

• ✔River hydrology/dynamics, features & hazards

• ✔Beginner to Intermediate Paddle strokes: Forward, Draw, Sculling draw/brace, Sweep (including stern draw), Reverse sweep, Rudder, Bracing

• ✔Maneuvers: Spin: boat pivots in place; Draw Stroke to move the boat sideways without headway; Forward: boat goes forward in a reasonably straight line; Turns: boat turns in a broad arc while underway 

• ✔Ferries: Facing downstream (to stop in current and move laterally to avoid hazards) and Facing upstream to move laterally with control

• ✔Using eddies: Eddy turns, Deep into eddy vs. near eddy line, Peel outs, Deep into current vs. pivot near eddy line, C-turns (eddy turn and peel out from the same side of an eddy), S-turns (eddy turn on one side of an eddy, peeling out from the other side)

• ✔Surfing

• ✔River communication: Paddle, hand, and whistle signals

• ✔Trip planning – 6Ps: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance

  • ★Review elements of a float plan (who, what, when, where)

  • ★Sourcing local beta such as river sections, flows, weather conditions, forecasts, etc. (i.e., online groups, guidebooks, websites, apps, businesses, gauges, etc.)

  • ★Local rules, regulations, and permitting requirements

  • ★Shuttle logistics (where do the keys go?)

• ✔Evaluate current weather conditions, forecasts, and other environmental hazards

• ✔Field repair-tips & tricks

• ✔Strategies in running rivers: Spacing, Avoid tunnel vision, Paddle your own route,. Scouting, Portaging, Group organization on the river, Cohesiveness (lead, sweep boats, etc.), Safety boats (group members with repair kits, first aid kits, and first aid and CPR training), Communication and signaling 

• ✔Discuss danger vs. difficulty

Swiftwater Safety: Handling common emergency situations on the river

• ✔Identify and demonstrate the use of appropriate rescue and safety gear for packrafting

• ✔Responsibilities of the group, rescuer, swimmers

• ✔Boat-based rescues

• ✔Group communication

• ✔Using throw bags

• ✔Swimming in rivers & water confidence (aggressive & defensive swimming position)

• ✔Self-rescue & buddy assistance (we re-entry)

• ✔River dynamics: currents, obstacles and hazards

• ✔Rescue priorities: people, craft, paddle, gear

• ✔Discuss how to avoid and prevent cold water shock, hypothermia, and hyperthermia by choosing proper clothing and recognizing and treating early symptoms

• ✔Discuss the safety implications of access to remote paddling environments

• ✔Bow and stern towing for a tired swimmer

• ✔Towing or bulldozing a capsized boat

• ✔Shoreline Rescue: Extension rescues, Use of throw ropes/bags, Pinned craft

• ✔Wading principles: Avoiding foot entrapment & foot entrapment extrication: Limitations (water depth and speed, bottom conditions, downstream hazards, debris in water); One and two person techniques