Women’s Packrafting Course with Jule Harle of Alaska Packraft School
Learn to Packraft With Other women!
Sorry this course is sold out! We’re offering a Level 1 course for women July 20-21, 2024. Click here to learn more.
Want to learn more about our featured instructor, Jule Harle, owner of Alaska Packrafting School? Listen to our latest “A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafting & Bikerafitng” Podcast on our website or on Spotify. We discuss her teaching style and guiding history, how women and men learn differently, ways to address traumatic boating experiences and much more!
Introduction & Course Overview
Spend a long weekend with women who packraft! We’ll learn new skills and do practice drills on day one in the Durango kayak play park. Then, depending on river flows we’ll either spend a couple more days on different sections of the Animas, or, more likely, we’ll embark on an overnight adventure on the San Miguel and/or Dolores rivers where we’ll practice what we learned on day one.
Ladies learn differently from men, and many of us have a particularly difficult time self rescuing (i.e. doing wet re-entries). So in addition to learning paddling techniques, catching eddies and reading rivers, we’ll spend a lot of time working on self and partner rescues. We can’t guarantee you’ll self rescue every time, but we’ll do our best to help you get there.
We hope you’ll walk away from this fun, ladies-only whitewater paddling skills course equipped with a bigger toolkit.
This course is for beginner/intermediate boaters. Please visit our blog post, “What Level Packrafter Are You?” to assess your skill level. If you are total newbie packrafter, but you really want to take this women’s course, you may if you take one of our (or another company’s) beginner courses earlier in the year and then get out and boat at least a half-dozen times before the women’s course. We also strongly encourage you to rent or purchase a whitewater boat for this course, as you’ll maximize your learning opportunities. We have a discount both through 4Corners Riversports (local) and BackcountryPackraft.com (online). You will also need a drysuit for this course.
Price: $995
A 50% deposit is required to secure your space. 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.
Cancellation Policy: Please review our cancellation policy, which you will find on our Terms, Conditions & Cancellation Policy Page.
What's Included
This course includes limited gear if you need it, such as a PFD, paddle, helmet, and we have some extra throw bags. You will need a whitewater boat for this course. We do not have whitewater boats for use or rent. It also includes food and a sanitation kit in the backcountry. You may stay with us at Scullbinder Ranch. Please see food & lodging options.
What's Not included
Shuttling, drysuit, river knife, personal camping gear. Food and lodging in the front country and transportation. You must be able to get to and from the put-ins and take outs and be a part of the shuttling for the overnight adventure.
You will need a drysuit for this course. Rent drysuits locally at 4CornersRiversports.com (they only have four), or get a 15% discount if you order them online at BackcountryPackraft.com (we will give you the discount code once you pay your deposit).
Instructors
Jule Harle: Jule is the founder, owner & a primary instructor for the Alaska Packraft School. She’s an ACA certified Packraft & also Whitewater Kayak Instructor and Level 4 American Canoe Association Instructor and instructor trainer. She’s invested in the development of river sports and supporting the water community. She serves as a board member for the ACA Safety, Education & Instruction Council’s Packrafting endorsement and also the American Packrafting Association’s AK Regional Chapter. She and the board are advocating for APA & requiting new members to help support its core values: an organization invested in its community, supports packraft education, river access & stewardship.
Lizzy Scully: Lizzy is a Level 2 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.
What You will learn
We base our learn basic packrafting skills instructional courses on confidence and skill progression. The course reviews the basics. And then we push you a little harder as the days progress, tailoring the experience to your own personal abilities.
Intermediate boaters will learn more advanced paddling skills and expedition planning. This is a list of some of the things you will learn:
- ✓Self-rescue & buddy assistance. We’ll spend a lot of time doing this over the three days!
- ✓Swimming and general water confidence
- ✓Dealing with currents
- ✓Aggressive & defensive swimming position
- ✓Decision making
- ✓Hazards & river dynamics
- ✓Basic paddle strokes
- ✓Using eddies
- ✓Swift water entry
- ✓River commands
- ✓Spacing on the river
- ✓Equipment (use and care)
- ✓Field repair-tips & tricks
- ✓How to pack light for backcountry packraft adventures
About the animas & Dolores Rivers
The day of this basic beginner course will take place on up to Class II+ rapids on the Animas River. We spend a lot of time spent in the Animas City Kayak Play Park. Days 2 and 3 we will be on the San Miguel and Dolores Rivers, paddling from Naturita to the “Hanging Flume” section on the Dolores.
Animas River
Length of Play Park: 1.25 miles
Length of Daily Adventures: 5 to 8 miles
Gradient: 30ft/mile
Difficulty: Class II III at 500-2000 CFS
Class III to IV 2,000 CFS and up.
High Water Flows: May-July
Flow: below 500cfs is low; 1,000-2,000cfs ideal for this course. Water Flow please see water levels
Dolores River
Length of Adventure: 22
Difficulty: Class II+
High Water Flows: April-July
Flow: below 400cfs is low; 400-2,000cfs ideal for this course. Water Flow please see water levels (does not include the Hanging Flume section, but the river levels are the same as reported via the link).
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