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Taos
(Level 3) Whitewater Kayaking Made Easy
I have to say, Kelly covered EVERYTHING! I've taken this weekend class twice to absorb everything that goes into whitewater kayaking. Since my class, I've paddled on class III whitewater and felt like I had a great sense of what [maneuvers, compound strokes or techniques] to do, when to do it, how to do it, and why to do it! What Kelly teaches would be pretty much impossible for a self-taught paddler to figure out alone. I feel safer, and more confident each time I'm on the river with a foundation of strokes and concepts to practice outside of class, and most importantly, I feel in control on the water.
Kelly is a great instructor. He starts with the basics and keeps
building on from there. We started in a pool of calm water on the
river, as we became comfortable with that we moved closer to the moving
water, then into the main current working on peel outs, ferrying and
edging, then down the Rio Grande. The second day starts by talking
about the first day then on to paddle placement and timing in different
aspects of the river. Back on the river we fine tuned our peel outs,
ferrying, edging and worked on paddle placement as we go into and
through the rapids. I could not belive my improvement from day one to
day two!
I highly recommed this class if you want to feel comfortable with
negotiating class II and III rapids. You may not end up an expert but
will have the tools to become one.
Level 3 Whitewater for Advanced Beginners
Expanding on the teaching principals of the Introduction to Whitewater Class, Whitewater 102, is a 2 day immersion class held on the Rio Grande River, "Race Course" section.Whitewater 102 covers the following topics: Paddling Strokes for Success, Reading the River, On Shore Scouting, and Common Sense Rescue for the New Boater.At the conclusion of the class the student will have gained a the confidence and skills required to be an asset to the paddling community.A kayak roll is not necessary for the class but is strongly recommended.Price: $265.00 Before TaxPayment:Payment in full is due within 24 hours of registration. No spot is reserved until full payment is received.
Kate O'Neil
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Teacher / UNM Taos
Kathleen Tighe-Smith
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Troop #10228, Brownies, Albuquerque, NM
Excellent, well-organized class and instruction. The individualed attention on the Rio Grande trip really helped me put
newfound skills into practice. I also learned many skills
best taught in open river conditions. It's really a pleasure to experience top-notch teaching. --Kate O'Neill, 54yo teacher
My girls were Brownies. From a leader perspective, I wanted to see something fun, and that would build confidence. This was one of our first real "outings" as a Girl Scout. I was looking for something "different", something with a sense of adventure/out of the ordinary (something they don't do everyday) but controlled and safe. I also wanted something a bit challenging - physically, but also something they hadn't done before, something that would build confidence. This really fit the bill perfectly. They didn't' want to get out of the pool!
Intro to Whitewater, Weekend Adventure
Kelly is a great tactician with a keen ability to break the rivers'
energy into a series of teaching moments that were both appropriate for
our varying skill levels and allowed each of us to build confidence at every stage throughout the weekend. My goal is to be able to manipulate the river, and all of its energy, with the grace and finesse that Kelly has!
I want you to know how much I benefitted from your white water and roll classes. Kelly your presentations Saturday and Sunday were always clear and packed with vital information. The way you sketch out the hazzards and river features makes them surprisingly easy to remember on the river. On the river you worked hard with each of us and I thought we class members got far more feedback and individual attention than in other kayak classes I have taken. Glenn and Michael also seemed genuinely interested in our progress and were always willing to answer my questions and provide good feedback. All in all the class was both challenging and a lot of fun and I feel it greatly accelerated my development as a white water kayaker.
Intro to Whitewater, 2-day weekend clinic
Thanks for the info and the good class. Even though I've owned recreational kayaks for many years, I learned far more than I ever knew before.
The combination of classroom, followed by river work was perfect. The
schedule was flexible to deal with the reality of conducting a class
outdoors. The whole experience has been informative and has helped improve my paddleing significantly.
I am more likely to continue to boat on a regular basis as a result of
my experience in NMKI courses.
