Packraft Foundations – Basic Paddling & Swiftwater Safety Skills
Beginner Whitewater Packraft Paddling. River Reading & Swiftwater Rescue Skills
Course Introduction
Start whitewater packrafting the right way with this entry-level paddling skills and swiftwater safety skills course.
This special hybrid course is one of our new Level 1 Packraft Foundation courses, which we will be implementing throughout the year. In it, we will cover many of the same hands-on skills you’ll learn in a Rescue 3 International Whitewater Rescue Technician – Recreational course or a Swiftwater Safety Institute Swiftwater Rescue course, but all specific to packrafting and focused on basic skills beginners.
In the mornings you’ll learn safety and rescue skills useful in a beginner whitewater packrafting environment. Afternoons we’ll focus on teaching you all about your gear (how to use a PFD, how to hold your paddle, how to blow up and take care of your boat, etc). As well, we’ll teach you basic paddling, self- and partner-rescue skills, along with river-reading skills. We teach these courses on the Animas River, and your instructor is Steve Fassbinder. 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.
Email us for details. Sign up below!
Price $975
A 50% deposit is required when you sign up. The remaining balance will need to be received through 30 days prior to your course. The remaining balance is due immediately if you are registering inside of the 30 day window.
Please review our cancellation policy, which you will find on our Terms, Conditions & Cancellation Policy Page.
What's Included
An open Alpacka Classic packraft, PFD, paddle, helmet.
What's Not Included
Transportation (though we will work together to ensure everyone gets a ride to the put-in), whitewater boats, drysuits, river knives, whistles or throw bags.
You will need a drysuit for this course. You may rent them locally for 10% off at 4CornersRiversports.com (they only have four), or get a 15% discount if you order them online at BackcountryPackraft.com We’ll give you the discount code once you sign up.
Instructor
Steve Fassbinder: Steve, aka “Doom,” is one of the country’s first Level 4 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructors. And he will be a certified International Rescue 3 Whitewater Rescue Technician Professional (WRT-PRO) and an IRF Whitewater Packraft Guide late April. 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.
What You Will Learn
On this 2- to 3-day Beginner course, you’ll spend mornings learning about your equipment, and basic river reading and paddling skills. Then you’ll spend afternoons learning basic swiftwater rescue skills. This course is meant to introduce you to these skills, not to get you to master them. You’ll do more drills and hone these skills in our Level 2-4 courses.
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
- ✔Self-rescue & buddy assistance
- ✔Dealing with currents
- ✔Aggressive & defensive swimming position
- ✔River hydrology/dynamics, features & hazards
- ✔Basic paddle strokes (forward, back, draw, sculling)
- ✔Using eddies
- ✔River communication: Paddle, hand, and whistle signals
- ✔Spacing on the river
- ✔The “River Safety Talk”
- ✔Field repair-tips & tricks
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 (wet re-entry)
- ✔River dynamics: currents, obstacles and hazards
- ✔Rescue priorities: people, craft, paddle, gear
