Packrafting Moab: A Level 1 Foundations Course (Local’s Discount Available)
Packrafting Moab! Learn Whitewater Paddling, River Reading & Swiftwater Rescue Skills On the Colorado River
A 25% discount is available for full time Grand or White County residents. Email us to schedule a one-day bikerafting or packrafting course anytime we haev guides, for you and your friends or family members! 3 person minimum.
Course Overview
Are you visiting Southern Utah to explore Arches or Canyonlands? Why not spend a fun-filled day learning to packraft?
Get basic whitewater packrafting skills with this entry-level paddling skills and swiftwater safety skills course. This course is discounted 25% for people who live in Grand and White Counties.
In this hybrid padding and swiftwater rescue skills course we cover the same hands-on skills taught in Rescue 3 International Whitewater Rescue Technician – Recreational course and in the American Canoe Association-accredited packraft instruction curriculum.
We teach these courses on the Animas River, and you’ll be guided by certified ACA Packraft instructors. We’ll be keeping the courses small with a 4 participants to 1 guide ratio in order to more effectively tailor the course to participants’ needs.Â
Email us for details or to get your discount code if you live in Grand or White Counties. Sign up below.
Price: $500 to $675
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.
What's Included
This course includes an open packraft, PFD, paddle, helmet.
What's Not Included
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.Â
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).Â
Instructors
Thad Ferrell
Thad is a Level 4 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructor. He additionally has advanced Swiftwater Safety training and he is a certified Wilderness First Responder. An early adopter of packrafting and life-long cyclist and bikepacker, Thad has accomplished some ground-breaking, multi-week climb-bike-packraft adventures in the desert Southwest. He is also an expert fly fishing guide.
Krista Beyer
Krista spends most of her days thinking about water. This lifetime curiosity was cultivated as a child in the wet climate of the Pacific Northwest. At an early age, she would pull on a pair of muck boots and some trusty foul-weather gear to explore the tidepools of the Puget Sound. Krista’s curiosity has since taken her to the study and exploration of the aquifers of northeast Arizona, the river corridors and fisheries of the Colorado River Watershed, the snowpack of the San Juan Mountains, and the glaciers of Alaska. To this day, muck boots are her favorite shoe, and her favorite days involve a dry suit or a durable rain jacket. Krista is certified in Swiftwater Rescue and is a Wilderness First Responder. She’ll be working toward her Level 2 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructor Certification spring 2025.
What You will learn
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:
- âś“Equipment (use and care)
- âś“Swimming and general water confidence
- âś“Self-rescue & buddy assistance
- âś“Dealing with currents
- âś“Aggressive & defensive swimming position
- âś“Decision making
- âś“Hazards & river dynamics
- âś“Basic paddle strokes
- âś“Using eddies
- âś“River commands
- âś“Spacing on the river
